Toto Ltd.

Tomoyuki Abe

Hiroshi Tsuboi

Kensuke Murata

Masayuki Nagaishi

Katsuhisa Tsuchiya

Shoichi Tsuiki

Masami Tsujita

Kengo Iwata

Naoki Kabe

A urinal includes: a urinal body; a high-frequency sensor which radiates a radio beam obliquely passing through an upper surface of the urinal body toward a bowl and receives a reflected wave from an object so as to generate a detection signal; and a valve which discharges or stops flushing water to the urinal body in response to the detection signal. An angle formed between a first plane including the upper surface of the urinal body and a second plane including a radiation surface of an antenna of the high-frequency sensor is in a range of more than 0 degree to less than 90 degree. A cross line where the first plane and the second plane intersect with each other is substantially parallel to a horizontal direction of the urinal body. The radio beam is a linearly-polarized wave. An excitation direction of the radio beam intersects with the cross line. An intensity of the radio beam passing through the urinal body is larger than that of the radio beam reflected by the upper surface.

Urinal

There is provided a water discharge system. A water discharge system includes a water discharge portion; a sensor unit which acquires movement information about an object based on a radiated electric wave, and outputs a detecting signal; and a control unit which controls water discharge of the water discharge portion based on the detecting signal. When it is detected that the object is decelerated to a first threshold velocity or less, the control unit controls the water discharge portion to start the water discharge.

Water discharge system

A microstrip antenna has feed elementand parasitic elementson the front surface of substrate. Microwave electrical power is applied to feed element. Parasitic elementsare connected via through hole type leads passing through substrate, to switches upon the rear surface of substrate, respectively. By actuating the switches individually, parasitic elementsare individually switched between a grounded state and a float state. The direction of the radio beam emitted from the microstrip antenna is varied by selecting which of parasitic elementsis grounded and floated. A microwave signal source connects to feed elementvia an feed linevery much shorter than the wavelength, accordingly the transmission losses being low and the efficiency being excellent.

Microstrip antenna and high frequency sensor using microstrip antenna

Growing community of inventors

Fukuoka, Japan

Tomoyuki Abe