Sanitary cleansing device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10125482-B2
Application number	US-201715469044-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 24, 2017
Priority date	Mar 28, 2016
Publication date	Nov 13, 2018
Grant date	Nov 13, 2018

Abstract

Provided is a sanitary cleansing device configured to less provide a feeling of insecurity to a user when a cleansing mode for moving a water splash point in at least two directions is used. The present invention provides a sanitary cleansing device ( 1 ) including a nozzle assembly ( 6 ) provided with a spray port, a nozzle drive device ( 12 ), an operation device ( 10 ) operated by a user to switch a cleansing mode, and a spray control device ( 20 ) configured to switchably execute, a fixed spot cleansing mode in which the spray port is stopped at a predetermined reference private area position and a wide movement cleansing mode for moving a water splash point in at least two directions. When the wide movement cleansing mode begins, the spray port is positioned at the reference private area position, and then, starts movement of the water splash point.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sanitary cleansing device for spraying cleansing water to an ano-genital region of a human body seated on a toilet seat to cleanse the ano-genital region, comprising:
a nozzle assembly provided with a spray port through which the cleansing water is sprayed obliquely upward from a back side to a front side of the seated human body;
a motor configured to drive the nozzle assembly such that a water splash point of the cleansing water sprayed from the spray port moves on the human body in at least two directions including a front-to-back direction and a right-to-left direction;
an operation device operated by a user to switch a cleansing mode for cleansing by spraying of the cleansing water; and
a control unit configured to switchably execute, based on operation of the operation device, a fixed spot cleansing mode for performing cleansing with the spray port being stopped at a predetermined reference ano-genital region position and a wide movement cleansing mode for moving the water splash point on the human body in the at least two directions including the front-to-back direction and the right-to-left direction,
wherein the control unit is programmed to operate the motor such that when the wide movement cleansing mode begins, the spray port is positioned at the reference ano-genital region position and the fixed spot cleansing mode is executed for a predetermined period of time, and then, the wide movement cleansing mode is started.

2. The sanitary cleansing device of claim 1 , wherein
the control unit is configured to execute at least two types of wide movement cleansing modes, and
the control unit is programmed to operate the motor such that when a first wide movement cleansing mode is switched to a second wide movement cleansing mode based on operation of the operation device, the control unit executes the fixed spot cleansing mode for the predetermined period of time with the spray port being positioned at the reference ano-genital region position, and then, starts the second wide movement cleansing mode.

3. The sanitary cleansing device of claim 2 , further comprising:
a flow velocity changing device configured to change a flow velocity of the cleansing water sprayed from the spray port,
wherein the control unit is programmed to operate the flow velocity changing device such that the fixed spot cleansing mode is performed at least two levels of the flow velocity of a high flow velocity and a low flow velocity, and
the flow velocity of the cleansing water sprayed from the spray port is at the low flow velocity level in the fixed spot cleansing mode performed when the wide movement cleansing mode begins.

4. The sanitary cleansing device of claim 2 , further comprising:
a flow velocity changing device configured to change a flow velocity of the cleansing water sprayed from the spray port,
wherein the control unit is programmed to operate the flow velocity changing device such that when a position of the spray port is apart from the reference ano-genital region position in the right-to-left direction of the human body in the wide movement cleansing mode, the cleansing water is sprayed at a higher flow velocity than that when the position of the spray port is close to the reference ano-genital region position.

5. The sanitary cleansing device of claim 2 , further comprising:
a seating state detection sensor configured to detect a seating state of the user on the toilet seat,
wherein the control unit is programmed to transit to the wide movement cleansing mode when the fixed spot cleansing mode performed upon transmitting to the wide movement cleansing mode has been executed for the predetermined period of time, or when the seating state detection sensor detects a change in the seating state.

6. The sanitary cleansing device of claim 2 , wherein
the control unit is configured to execute at least three types of wide movement cleansing modes,
one of the wide movement cleansing modes is a vibration spot cleansing mode for reciprocating the water splash point in a short stroke, and
the control unit is programmed to operate the motor such that in transition to the vibration spot cleansing mode, the vibration spot cleansing mode is directly started after the first wide movement cleansing mode without performing the fixed spot cleansing mode.

7. The sanitary cleansing device of claim 2 , wherein
the control unit is programmed to operate the motor such that in the wide movement cleansing mode, the water splash point of the cleansing water is repeatedly swept inside of a predetermined cleansing region in a predetermined movement pattern, and
in a beginning of the wide movement cleansing mode, a water splash area is gradually expanded in the right-to-left direction of the human body.

8. The sanitary cleansing device of claim 7 , further comprising:
a flow velocity changing device configured to change a flow velocity of the cleansing water sprayed from the spray port,
wherein the control unit is programmed to operate the motor and the flow velocity changing device such that when the water splash area is gradually expanded in the right-to-left direction of the human body, the flow velocity of the cleansing water sprayed from the spray port increases with expansion of the water splash area.

Assignees

• Toto Ltd

Inventors

• Hashimoto Hiroshi
• Hamada Junki
• Fujita Keisuke

Classifications

• E03D9/08 Primary

  Devices in the bowl producing upwardly-directed sprays; Modifications of the bowl for use with such devices (showers A47K3/28; bathing devices for special therapeutic or hygienic purposes A61H33/00, for specific parts of the body A61H35/00 ){; Bidets; Combinations of bowls with urinals or bidets; Hot-air or other devices mounted in or on the bowl, urinal or bidet for cleaning or disinfecting} · CPC title

• B05B1/083

  the pulsating mechanism comprising movable parts · CPC title

• B05B9/002

  incorporating means for heating or cooling, e.g. the material to be sprayed · CPC title

• B05B13/0405

  with reciprocating or oscillating spray heads (B05B13/0436, B05B13/0442, B05B13/0447, B05B13/0468 take precedence) · CPC title

• B05B1/3489

  Nozzles having concentric outlets · CPC title