Toilet device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10674880-B2
Application number	US-201815884555-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2018
Priority date	Feb 3, 2017
Publication date	Jun 9, 2020
Grant date	Jun 9, 2020

Abstract

A toilet device is provided and includes a toilet seat, a main part, and an electric opening/closing mechanism; the toilet seat includes a toilet seat main body, and a hinge part provided at a rear center of the toilet seat main body; the toilet seat is rotatable by being pivotally supported by the main part at two sides of the hinge part; the electric opening/closing mechanism performs an electric opening/closing of the toilet seat and is provided in the main part; the electric opening/closing mechanism includes a motor and a transmission mechanism; the motor is disposed to have a rotation axis offset from a rotation axis of the hinge part; and the transmission mechanism connects the motor and one end of the hinge part and transfers a drive force of the motor to the hinge part.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A toilet device, comprising:
a toilet seat including a toilet seat main body and a hinge part, the hinge part being provided at a rear center of the toilet seat main body, the hinge part having a rotation axis extending to a right and left direction;
a main part, the toilet seat being rotatable by being pivotally supported by the main part at two sides of the right and left direction of the hinge part; and
an electric opening/closing mechanism performing an electric opening/closing of the toilet seat and being provided in the main part,
the electric opening/closing mechanism including
a motor disposed to have a rotation axis offset from the rotation axis of the hinge part, and
a transmission mechanism connecting the motor and one end of the right and left direction of the hinge part and transferring a drive force of the motor to the hinge part,

the main part including a toilet, the toilet having a bowl, pair of sidewall portions, and a space, the pair of sidewall portions being provided on two side parts of the toilet and provided rearward of the bowl, a height of each of the pair of sidewall portions being higher than a height of a front end part of the toilet, the space being provided rearward of the bowl and provided between the pair of sidewall portions, the space having a hollow configuration and being opened upward,
the motor being disposed under the hinge part and being provided in the space and provided between the pair of sidewall portions, and
at least a part of the motor overlapping with at least a part of the hinge part when viewed in a vertical direction.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the rotation axis of the motor is offset from the rotation axis of the hinge part in a height direction.

3. The device according to claim 1 , further comprising an assist unit being provided inside the hinge part, the assist unit including an elastic body and urging the toilet seat in an open direction by an elastic force of the elastic body.

4. The device according to claim 2 , further comprising an assist unit being provided inside the hinge part, the assist unit including an elastic body and urging the toilet seat in an open direction by an elastic force of the elastic body.

5. The device according to claim 3 , wherein
the assist unit includes:
a case part provided inside the hinge part;
an output shaft received inside the case part, the output shaft protruding outward from one end of the right and left direction of the case part and from another end of the right and left direction of the hinge part and being pivotally supported by the main part;
a lid part mounted to another end of the right and left direction of the case part, the lid part suppressing a detachment from the case part of the output shaft and the elastic body; and
a screw holding the lid part to the case part,

the elastic body received inside the case part, the elastic body urges the toilet seat in the open direction by applying the elastic force to the output shaft,
the lid part being held to the case part by only the screw,
the screw being disposed between the rotation axis of the hinge part and the toilet seat main body.

6. The device according to claim 4 , wherein
the assist unit includes:
a case part provided inside the hinge part;
an output shaft received inside the case part, the output shaft protruding outward from one end of the right and left direction of the case part and from another end of the right and left direction of the hinge part and being pivotally supported by the main part;
a lid part mounted to another end of the right and left direction of the case part, the lid part suppressing a detachment from the case part of the output shaft and the elastic body; and
a screw holding the lid part to the case part,

the elastic body received inside the case part, the elastic body urges the toilet seat in the open direction by applying the elastic force to the output shaft,
the lid part being held to the case part by only the screw,
the screw being disposed between the rotation axis of the hinge part and the toilet seat main body.

7. The device according to claim 1 , wherein
the transmission mechanism includes a shaft part and a gear, the shaft part rotating in conjunction with the motor, the gear having an insertion through-hole for inserting the shaft part,
the shaft part including an engaging part,
the gear including an engaged part engaging in a rotation direction with the engaging part of the shaft part inserted into the insertion through-hole, the gear rotating with the shaft part due to the engagement between the engaging part and the engaged part, and
a gap is provided between the shaft part and the insertion through-hole, the gap being for tolerating a positional shift in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis of the shaft part while allowing the engaging part and the engaged part to engage.

8. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the motor is disposed within a width of the hinge part.

9. A toilet device, comprising:
a toilet lid including a toilet lid main body and a hinge part, the hinge part being provided at a rear center of the toilet lid main body, the hinge part having a rotation axis extending to a right and left direction;
a main part, the toilet lid being rotatable by being pivotally supported by the main part at two sides of the right and left direction of the hinge part; and
an electric opening/closing mechanism performing an electric opening/closing of the toilet lid and being provided in the main part,
the electric opening/closing mechanism including
a motor disposed to have a rotation axis offset from the rotation axis of the hinge part, and
a transmission mechanism connecting the motor and one end of the right and left direction of the hinge part and transferring a drive force of the motor to the hinge part,

the main part including a toilet, the toilet having a bowl, pair of sidewall portions, and a space, the pair of sidewall portions being provided on two side parts of the toilet and provided rearward of the bowl, a height of each of the pair of sidewall portions being higher than a height of a front end part of the toilet, the space being provided rearward of the bowl and provided between the pair of sidewall portions, the space having a hollow configuration and being opened upward,
the motor being disposed under the hinge part and being provided in the space and provided between the pair of sidewall portions, and
at least a part of the motor overlapping with at least a part of the hinge part when viewed in a vertical direction.

Assignees

• Toto Ltd

Inventors

• Onodera Naoyuki
• Hata Hiroki
• Konomi Yosuke
• Aratsu Yoshikazu
• Tone Yusuke

Classifications

• A47K13/24

  Parts or details not covered in, or of interest apart from, groups A47K13/02 - A47K13/22 · CPC title

• A47K13/10 Primary

  Devices for raising and lowering {; Collapsible or rotating seats or covers} · CPC title

• A47K13/12

  Hinges · CPC title

• E03D9/08

  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