IP Library Granted Patent US 11,326,330
Granted Patent B2
US 11,326,330 · App. 16/971,299 · Granted May 10, 2022

Toilet management system and management device

Inventors: Makoto Saruta (Tokyo, JP); Shoji Ogawa (Tokyo, JP); Hiroki Shigetomo (Tokyo, JP); Hideyuki Ida (Tokyo, JP); Rina Nagai (Tokyo, JP); Keita Matsudate (Tokyo, JP); Misaki Nagata (Tokyo, JP); Sadaaki Shichino (Tokyo, JP); Toshiki Hashida (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: LIXIL Corporation
E03D9/00G01F23/802
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,326,330
App. No.
16/971,299
Granted
May 10, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

A toilet management system includes a toilet bowl device installed in a toilet room, a management device configured to manage a use situation of the toilet bowl device, and a communication device configured 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 configured to acquire the use situation information from the communication device, and an abnormality detector configured 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.

Claims (27)

1. A toilet management system, comprising:

a toilet bowl device installed in a toilet room;

a management device configured to manage a use situation of the toilet bowl device; and

a communication device configured 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 configured to acquire the use situation information from the communication device, and

an abnormality detector configured 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,

wherein the use situation information is information indicating the state of the facility or equipment inside or around the toilet room, and

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.

2. The toilet management system of claim 1 , wherein the use situation information is information indicating the use state of the toilet bowl device.

3. The toilet management system of 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.

4. The toilet management system of 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 of claim 1 , 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 of 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 of claim 1 , 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.

8. The toilet management system of claim 7 , 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.

9. A management device, comprising:

an acquirer configured to acquire use situation information related to a use situation of a toilet bowl device installed in a toilet room; and

an abnormality detector configured 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,

wherein the use situation information is information indicating the state of the facility or equipment inside or around the toilet room, and

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.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program configured to be executed by one or more processors of a management device comprising an acquirer and an abnormality detector, wherein executing the instructions causes the management device to:

acquire, by the acquirer, use situation information related to a use situation of a toilet bowl device installed in a toilet room; and

detect, by the abnormality detector, 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,

wherein the use situation information is information indicating the state of the facility or equipment inside or around the toilet room, and

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.

Assignments (3)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Mar 17, 2021
From: LIXIL GROUP CORPORATION
To: LIXIL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 055715/0001 →
MERGER Recorded Mar 16, 2021
From: LIXIL CORPORATION
To: LIXIL GROUP CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 055614/0640 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 4, 2020
From: SARUTA, MAKOTO; OGAWA, SHOJI; SHIGETOMO, HIROKI; IDA, HIDEYUKI; NAGAI, RINA; MATSUDATE, KEITA; NAGATA, MISAKI; SHICHINO, SADAAKI; HASHIDA, TOSHIKI
To: LIXIL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 053707/0614 →
Priority Claims (5)
JP JP2018-028231 · Feb 20, 2018 · national
JP JP2018-028232 · Feb 20, 2018 · national
JP JP2018-028233 · Feb 20, 2018 · national
JP JP2018-028234 · Feb 20, 2018 · national
JP JP2018-169333 · Sep 11, 2018 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20200392710A1 · Dec 17, 2020
Cited By (1)
US 12,270,191