Sanitary washing device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10907334-B2
Application number	US-201916412752-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 15, 2019
Priority date	Jun 1, 2018
Publication date	Feb 2, 2021
Grant date	Feb 2, 2021

Abstract

A sanitary washing device includes a nozzle, a drive device, a casing, a nozzle lid, and an illuminator. The casing includes a nozzle container. The nozzle lid is provided to be openable and closable with respect to an opening provided at a front end of the nozzle container. The nozzle lid is in a closed state in which the opening is closed when the entirety of the nozzle is stored in the nozzle container. The illuminator irradiates sterilizing light into an interior of the nozzle container. The sterilizing light has a sterilizing effect. At least one of the nozzle lid or a vicinity of the nozzle lid is luminous in a state of being visible to the user when the nozzle lid is in the closed state and the sterilizing light from the illuminator is irradiated into the interior of the nozzle container.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sanitary washing device, comprising:
a private part wash nozzle having a water discharge port dispensing washing water toward a private part of a user;
a drive device causing the private part wash nozzle to advance and retract;
a casing including a nozzle container configured to store an entirety of the private part wash nozzle in a state in which the private part wash nozzle is retracted;
a nozzle lid provided to be openable and closable with respect to an opening provided at a front end of the nozzle container, the nozzle lid being in an open state in which the opening is open when the private part wash nozzle is advanced, the nozzle lid being in a closed state in which the opening is closed when the entirety of the private part wash nozzle is stored in the nozzle container; and
an illuminator irradiating sterilizing light into an interior of the nozzle container, the sterilizing light having a sterilizing effect,
wherein the illuminator irradiates the sterilizing light including an ultraviolet light component,
wherein the nozzle lid includes a wavelength conversion material configured to convert the ultraviolet light component into a visible light component, and
wherein the illuminator causes the nozzle lid to be luminous by converting the ultraviolet light component into the visible light component at the nozzle lid when the nozzle lid is in the closed state and the sterilizing light from the illuminator is irradiated into the interior of the nozzle container.

2. A sanitary washing device, comprising:
a private part wash nozzle having a water discharge port dispensing washing water toward a private part of a user;
a drive device causing the private part wash nozzle to advance and retract;
a casing including a nozzle container configured to store an entirety of the private part wash nozzle in a state in which the private part wash nozzle is retracted;
a nozzle lid provided to be openable and closable with respect to an opening provided at a front end of the nozzle container, the nozzle lid being in an open state in which the opening is open when the private part wash nozzle is advanced, the nozzle lid being in a closed state in which the opening is closed when the entirety of the private part wash nozzle is stored in the nozzle container; and
an illuminator irradiating sterilizing light into an interior of the nozzle container, the sterilizing light having a sterilizing effect,
wherein the illuminator irradiates an ultraviolet light component as the sterilizing light and a visible light component,
wherein the at least one of the nozzle lid or a vicinity of the nozzle lid is caused to be luminous by utilizing the visible light component when the nozzle lid is in the closed state and the sterilizing light from the illuminator is irradiated into the interior of the nozzle container.

3. The device according to claim 2 , wherein
the nozzle lid includes a transmissive portion configured to transmit the visible light component, and
the illuminator causes the nozzle lid to be luminous by causing the visible light component to pass through the transmissive portion.

4. The device according to claim 2 , further comprising an other illuminator irradiating light including a visible light component,
the other illuminator irradiating the light including the visible light component on the at least one of the nozzle lid or the vicinity of the nozzle lid when the nozzle lid is in the closed state and the sterilizing light from the illuminator is irradiated into the interior of the nozzle container.

5. The device according to claim 4 , wherein
the nozzle lid includes a transmissive portion configured to transmit the visible light component, and
the other illuminator causes the nozzle lid to be luminous by causing the visible light component to pass through the transmissive portion.

6. The device according to claim 2 , wherein a radiant intensity of the ultraviolet light component is greater than a radiant intensity of the visible light component.

7. The device according to claim 1 , wherein a radiant intensity of the light from the nozzle lid being caused to be luminous is less than a radiant intensity of the sterilizing light irradiated into the interior of the nozzle container from the illuminator.

8. The device according to claim 1 , wherein a peak wavelength of the light from the nozzle lid being caused to be luminous is longer than a peak wavelength of the sterilizing light irradiated into the interior of the nozzle container from the illuminator.

9. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the nozzle lid includes a phosphorescent material.

10. The device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a human body detection sensor detecting the user at a vicinity of the sanitary washing device; and
a controller controlling the illuminator based on detection information of the human body detection sensor,
from a state in which the human body detection sensor does not detect the user, the controller causes the illuminator to operate when the human body detection sensor detects the user.

11. The device according to claim 10 , further comprising:
a toilet seat where the user can contact the seat; and
a seat contact detection sensor detecting the seat contact of the user on the toilet seat,
from a state in which the seat contact detection sensor does not detect the seat contact, the controller stops the operation of the illuminator when the seat contact detection sensor detects the seat contact.

12. The device according to claim 11 , wherein the controller operates the illuminator even in the state in which the human body detection sensor does not detect the user.

13. The device according to claim 12 , wherein the controller controls the illuminator to cause an operation time of the illuminator in the state in which the human body detection sensor does not detect the user to be longer than an operation time of the illuminator in the state in which the human body detection sensor detects the user.

14. The device according to claim 2 , wherein a radiant intensity of the light from the at least one of the nozzle lid or the vicinity of the nozzle lid being caused to be luminous is less than a radiant intensity of the sterilizing light irradiated into the interior of the nozzle container from the illuminator.

15. The device according to claim 2 , wherein a peak wavelength of the light from the at least one of the nozzle lid or the vicinity of the nozzle lid being caused to be luminous is longer than a peak wavelength of the sterilizing light irradiated into the interior of the nozzle container from the illuminator.

16. The device according to claim 2 , wherein the nozzle lid includes a phosphorescent material.

17. The device according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a human body detection sensor detecting the user at a vicinity of the sanitary washing device; and
a controller controlling the illuminator based on detection information of the human body detection sensor,
from a state in which the human body detection sensor does not detect the user, the controller causes the illuminator to operate when the human body detection sensor detects the user.

18. The device according to claim 17 , further comprising:
a toilet seat where the user can contact the seat; and
a seat contact detection sensor detecting the seat contact of the user on the toilet seat,
from a state in which the seat contact detection sensor does not detect the seat contact, the controller stops the operation of the illuminator when the seat contact

Assignees

• Toto Ltd

Inventors

• Yaoka Toshinari
• Sato Minoru
• Tashiro Keisuke
• Matsumoto Satoru
• Kanda Shogo

Classifications

• B05B15/555

  discharged by cleaning nozzles · CPC title

• E03D9/002

  Automatic cleaning devices · CPC title

• 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

• A61L2/10

  Ultraviolet [UV] radiation · CPC title

• A47K7/08

  Devices or hand implements for cleaning the buttocks · CPC title