Toilet seat device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10736474-B2
Application number	US-201916352950-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2019
Priority date	Mar 23, 2018
Publication date	Aug 11, 2020
Grant date	Aug 11, 2020

Abstract

A toilet seat device includes a main part, a toilet seat, a load sensor, a controller, and a memory. The toilet seat includes a seating part where a user is seated, and a support leg part supporting a load applied to the seating part. The load sensor is provided in the support leg part and detects the load applied to the support leg part. The controller performs at least a body weight measurement of the user based on a detection result of the load sensor. The controller includes a register mode and a normal-use mode in the body weight measurement. The register mode includes determining an estimated value for estimating the total body weight of the user from the seated load. The normal-use mode includes estimating a load value relating to the total body weight of the user based on the estimated value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A toilet seat device, comprising:
a main part;
a toilet seat pivotally supported to be rotatable with respect to the main part, the toilet seat including a seating part and a support leg part, the seating part being where a user is seated, the support leg part supporting a load applied to the seating part;
a load sensor provided in the support leg part, the load sensor detecting the load applied to the support leg part;
a controller performing at least a body weight measurement of the user based on a detection result of the load sensor; and
a memory,
the controller including a register mode and a normal-use mode in the body weight measurement,
the register mode including
a first process of acquiring a first load value relating to a total body weight of the user,
a second process of measuring a second load value relating to a seated load detected by the load sensor in a state in which the user is seated on the toilet seat, and
a third process of determining an estimated value based on the first load value and the second load value and storing the estimated value in the memory, the estimated value being for estimating the total body weight of the user from the seated load,

the normal-use mode including
a fourth process of measuring a third load value relating to the seated load detected by the load sensor in the state in which the user is seated on the toilet seat, and
a fifth process of estimating a fourth load value relating to the total body weight of the user based on the estimated value and the third load value.

2. The device according to claim 1 , further comprising a posture measurement part measuring a seated posture of the user seated on the toilet seat,
the second process measuring a plurality of the second load values relating to the seated loads for each of a plurality of the seated postures detected by the load sensor and the posture measurement part for a state in which the user is seated on the toilet seat and changes the seated posture,
the third process determining a plurality of the estimated values based on the first load value and the plurality of second load values and storing the plurality of estimated values in the memory, the plurality of estimated values being for estimating the total body weight of the user from the seated loads of each of the plurality of seated postures,
the fourth process measuring the seated posture detected by the posture measurement part and the third load value relating to the seated load detected by the load sensor in the state in which the user is seated on the toilet seat,
the fifth process estimating the fourth load value relating to the total body weight of the user based on the plurality of estimated values, the third load value, and the seated posture measured in the fourth process.

3. The device according to claim 2 , wherein
a plurality of the load sensors is provided, and
the posture measurement part measures the seated posture based on a load distribution of the plurality of load sensors.

4. The device according to claim 3 , wherein
at least one of the plurality of load sensors is provided at a front of the toilet seat,
an other at least one of the plurality of load sensors is provided at a rear of the toilet seat, and
the posture measurement part measures the seated posture according to a ratio of a detected value of the at least one of the load sensors provided at the front and a detected value of the other at least one of the load sensors provided at the rear.

5. The device according to claim 1 , further comprising a user identifier identifying the user,
the controller performing at least an operation of the register mode each time the user is identified,
the memory storing the estimated value each time the user is identified,
the controller using the estimated value of each time the user is identified in the normal-use mode.

6. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to update the estimated value by re-performing an operation of the register mode after performing the operation of the register mode.

7. The device according to claim 1 , further comprising an operation part configured to command the controller to perform an operation of the register mode,
the controller being configured to perform the operation of the register mode at any timing corresponding to an operation of the operation part.

8. The device according to claim 1 , wherein in the case where a prescribed condition is satisfied, the controller automatically performs an operation of the register mode.

9. The device according to claim 7 , further comprising a notification part performing at least a prescribed notification,
in the case where a prescribed condition is satisfied, the controller notifying, from the notification part, that the operation of the register mode is performed.

10. The device according to claim 9 , further comprising a timer measuring a time elapsed from performing the operation of the register mode,
in the case where the time measured by the timer is not less than a prescribed period of time, the controller determining that the prescribed condition is satisfied.

11. The device according to claim 9 , further comprising a counter counting a number of operations of the normal-use mode performed after the operation of the register mode is performed,
in the case where the number counted by the counter is not less than a prescribed number, the controller determining that the prescribed condition is satisfied.

12. The device according to claim 9 , wherein the controller stores the first load value in the memory in the first process, and determines that the prescribed condition is satisfied in the case where the fourth load value estimated in the normal-use mode is different from the first load value stored in the memory by not less than a prescribed value.

13. The device according to claim 8 , further comprising a timer measuring a time elapsed from performing the operation of the register mode,
in the case where the time measured by the timer is not less than a prescribed period of time, the controller determining that the prescribed condition is satisfied.

14. The device according to claim 8 , further comprising a counter counting a number of operations of the normal-use mode performed after the operation of the register mode is performed,
in the case where the number counted by the counter is not less than a prescribed number, the controller determining that the prescribed condition is satisfied.

15. The device according to claim 8 , wherein the controller stores the first load value in the memory in the first process, and determines that the prescribed condition is satisfied in the case where the fourth load value estimated in the normal-use mode is different from the first load value stored in the memory by not less than a prescribed value.

16. The device according to claim 1 , further comprising a notification part performing at least a prescribed notification,
the controller storing the fourth load value estimated in the normal-use mode in the memory, and performing a notification from the notification part in the case where the estimated fourth load value is different, by not less than a prescribed value, from the fourth load value of a previous time stored in the memory.

Assignees

• Toto Ltd

Inventors

• Takaki Takeshi
• Tsuboi Hiroshi
• Higuchi Hitoaki
• Sonoda Koji
• Tashiro Keisuke
• Hara Tomohiro
• Morotomi Yo

Classifications

• G01R19/32

  Compensating for temperature change · CPC title

• G01G19/52

  Weighing apparatus combined with other objects, e.g. furniture (with walking sticks A45B3/08) · CPC title

• G01G19/44

  for weighing persons · CPC title

• A47K17/028

  Foot- or knee-rests · CPC title

• A47K13/24 Primary

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