BIDET

Abstract

A bidet includes: a main body; a board unit disposed inside the main body and including a printed circuit board for mounting an electronic device thereon; and a cleaning agent container that contains a cleaning agent and is detachably inserted into the main body. The cleaning agent container is formed in an approximately square shape when viewed from above, and the cleaning agent container is located adjacent to the board unit when mounted to the main body.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a bidet.

BACKGROUND ART

In general, a toilet seat is a device that allows a user to defecate while seated. A bidet may be installed in such a toilet seat for comfort and hygiene. The bidet may include a control panel that can be manipulated by the user, a nozzle that can spray water through the manipulation of the control panel, and the like. Water sprayed from the nozzle may be provided to the user.

Meanwhile, even after using the toilet and flushing, the water stored inside the toilet may be contaminated by foreign substances remaining during defecation, which may cause microorganisms to proliferate. These foreign substances and microorganisms generate odors and are visually unsatisfactory, which does not provide a pleasant environment to users. To solve this problem, recent bidets are equipped with a cleaning device that can discharge a cleaning agent.

In this regard, Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2018-0076116 entitled “Foam liquid supply device” (Patent Document 1) of the subject applicant discloses a foam liquid supply device including a main body with a holder, and a cleaning liquid tank that is detachably mounted to the holder and contains a cleaning liquid.

However, Patent Document 1 only discloses that the cleaning liquid tank is mounted to a control panel next to a bidet body, but does not disclose the arrangement between the cleaning liquid tank and other parts inside the bidet body. In addition, the cleaning liquid tank of Patent Document 1 is mounted to the control panel and exposed to the outside of the bidet body, which is not aesthetically pleasing, and the cleaning liquid tank may be contaminated with foreign substances and bacteria.

In addition, Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2018-0040236 entitled “Bidet” (Patent Document 2) of the subject applicant discloses a bidet including a bidet body with an installation hole, and a storage container that contains a cleaning agent and is removably inserted into the installation hole.

However, Patent Document 2 simply discloses that the storage container is inserted into the bidet body, but does not disclose the relative positional relationship between the storage container and components such as a printed circuit board provided inside the bidet. Further, since the storage container of Patent Document 2 is formed in a cylindrical shape, dead space is inevitably generated when the storage container is inserted in the bidet body. In other words, in Patent Document 2, the storage container cannot be accommodated compactly in the bidet body, resulting in a bulky bidet.

Prior Art Document

• • (Patent Document 1) Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2018-0076116 (published on Jul. 5, 2018)
  • (Patent Document 2) Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2018-0040236 (published on Apr. 20, 2018)

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

Technical Problems

The present disclosure is based on the above background, and provides a compact and downsized bidet.

In addition, the present disclosure provides a bidet that prevents contamination from foreign substances and bacteria and has a clean appearance.

Technical Solution

In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, there may be provided a bidet including: a main body; a board unit disposed inside the main body and including a printed circuit board for mounting an electronic device thereon; and a cleaning agent container that contains a cleaning agent and is detachably inserted into the main body, wherein the cleaning agent container is formed in an approximately square shape when viewed from above, and the cleaning agent container is located adjacent to the board unit when mounted to the main body.

Further, the square shape may be a rectangular shape, and a long side of the rectangle may be arranged parallel to the board unit when the cleaning agent container is mounted to the main body.

Further, the board unit may further include a board cover covering the printed circuit board.

Further, the electronic device may be mounted on one surface of the printed circuit board, and the cleaning agent container may be located on an opposite side to the one surface when the cleaning agent container is mounted to the main body.

Further, the printed circuit board may include a plurality of printed circuit boards, at least some of the plurality of printed circuit boards may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other, and the cleaning agent container may be disposed in a space between the plurality of printed circuit boards when the cleaning agent container is mounted to the main body.

Further, when the cleaning agent container is mounted to the main body, the cleaning agent container may be inserted in an up-down direction.

Further, the main body may include: a housing that provides an inner space for accommodating the board unit; and a container receiving portion that is recessed downward from an outer surface of the housing to provide a container accommodation space separated from the inner space to accommodate the cleaning agent container.

Further, the main body may further include a cleaning agent discharge portion connected to a lower side of the container receiving portion to discharge the cleaning agent contained in the cleaning agent container to an outside of the main body, the cleaning agent container may include: a container portion for containing the cleaning agent; and a container outlet selectively coupled to the cleaning agent discharge portion to discharge the cleaning agent contained in the container portion to the outside of the main body, and the cleaning agent discharge portion and the container outlet may be coupled to each other such that the cleaning agent contained in the container portion flows to the cleaning agent discharge portion.

Further, the cleaning agent container may further include an opening/closing unit disposed inside the container outlet and configured to move upward to open the container outlet or move downward to close the container outlet, and a protrusion may be formed in the cleaning agent discharge portion to move the opening/closing unit upward when the cleaning agent discharge portion and the container outlet are coupled to each other.

Further, the main body may further include a residual water discharge portion, disposed at a lower side of the container receiving portion, for discharging residual water in the container receiving portion to an outside of the main body

Further, a bidet may include a main body; a board unit disposed inside the main body and including a printed circuit board for mounting an electronic device thereon; and a cleaning agent container that contains a cleaning agent and is detachably inserted into the main body. wherein the cleaning agent container has a length in one direction that is longer than a length in a direction perpendicular to the one direction when viewed from above, and the cleaning agent container is located adjacent to the board unit when mounted to the main body.

Effect of Invention

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, when the cleaning agent container is mounted to the main body, it can be arranged adjacent to the board unit, which makes the main body of the bidet compact and downsized.

In addition, since the cleaning agent container is mounted to the main body and is not exposed to the outside, the cleaning agent container can be prevented from being contaminated by foreign substances and bacteria, and the outer appearance of the main body can have a clean appearance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bidet according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the bidet of FIG. 1 viewed from the upper front side.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the bidet of FIG. 1 viewed from the lower rear side.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the bidet of FIG. 1 taken along IV-IV.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the bidet of FIG. 1 taken along V-V.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of part C of FIG. 4.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

However, in describing the present disclosure, detailed descriptions of known configurations or functions may be omitted to clarify the present disclosure.

When an element is referred to as being ‘connected’ to, ‘supported’ by, or ‘flowed’ to another element, it should be understood that the element may be directly connected to, supported by, or flowed to the other element, but that other elements may exist in the middle.

The terms used in the present disclosure are only used for describing specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

Further, in the present disclosure, it is to be noted that expressions, such as the upper side, the lower side, and the side surface are described based on the illustration of drawings, but may be modified if directions of corresponding objects are changed. For the same reasons, some components are exaggerated, omitted, or schematically illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and the size of each component does not fully reflect the actual size.

Terms including ordinal numbers, such as first and second, may be used for describing various elements, but the corresponding elements are not limited by these terms. These terms are only used for the purpose of distinguishing one element from another element.

In the present specification, it is to be understood that the terms such as “including” are intended to indicate the existence of the certain features, areas, integers, steps, actions, elements, combinations, and/or groups thereof disclosed in the specification, and are not intended to preclude the possibility that one or more other certain features, areas, integers, steps, actions, elements, combinations, and/or groups thereof may exist or may be added.

Hereinafter, a bidet 1 according one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the bidet 1 may be mounted on a toilet to discharge a cleaning agent to clean the toilet or provide water for a user. The bidet 1 may include a main body 100, a board unit 200, a cleaning agent container 300, and a push mechanism 400.

The main body 100 may support the board unit 200 and the push mechanism 400, and may be configured to accommodate the cleaning agent container 300. The main body 100 may be configured to discharge the cleaning agent from the cleaning agent container 300. The discharged cleaning agent may be sprayed toward a toilet bowl or a cleaning nozzle for users through a cleaning agent discharge portion. The main body 100 may include a housing 110, a frame 120, a container receiving portion 130, a cleaning agent discharge portion 140, and a residual water discharge portion 150.

The housing 110 may be coupled with the frame 120 to provide an inner space for accommodating a board cover 220, the push mechanism 400, electronic devices, wires, etc. For example, the housing 110 may be formed to have an open bottom side. In addition, the housing 110 may be connected to the container receiving portion 130.

The frame 120 may be coupled to the housing 110. For example, the frame 120 may be formed to cover the bottom side of the housing 110. In addition, the frame 120 may support the push mechanism 400 and the board cover 220, and may be connected to the cleaning agent discharge portion 140 and the residual water discharge portion 150.

Referring further to FIGS. 4 and 5, the container receiving portion 130 may provide a container accommodation space for accommodating the cleaning agent container 300. In addition, the container accommodation space of the container receiving portion 130 is distinguished from an inner space of the housing 110, so that the cleaning agent can be prevented from flowing into electronic devices provided in the housing 110. The container receiving portion 130 may be recessed downward from the outer surface of the housing 110 toward the frame 120 to provide the container accommodation space. Further, the container receiving portion 130 may be disposed opposite to the board unit 200, but is not limited thereto.

The cleaning agent discharge portion 140 may be connected to the container receiving unit 130 to discharge the cleaning agent contained in the cleaning agent container 300 to the outside of the main body 100. The cleaning agent discharge portion 140 may provide a passage for discharging the cleaning agent. For example, the cleaning agent discharge portion 140 may be connected to a lower side of the container receiving portion 130 and the frame 120. In addition, the cleaning agent discharge portion 140 may be coupled to a container outlet 320 of the cleaning agent container 300 when the cleaning agent container 300 is inserted in the container receiving portion 130. The cleaning agent discharged from the cleaning agent container 300 through the cleaning agent discharge portion 140 may be discharged to the outside of the main body 100. A protrusion 141 may be formed in the cleaning agent discharge portion 140 to move an opening/closing unit 330 to be described later of the cleaning agent container 300 upward. For example, the protrusion 141 may be formed in a central portion of the cleaning agent discharge portion 140 to protrude toward the inside of the container outlet 320 to be described later when the cleaning agent container 300 is inserted. The protrusion 141 can move the opening/closing unit 330 upward when the cleaning agent discharge portion 140 and the container outlet 320 are coupled to each other.

When the residual water or cleaning agent flows into the container receiving portion 130, the residual water discharge portion 150 may provide a passage for discharging the residual water or cleaning agent from the container receiving portion 130 to the outside of the main body 100. For example, the residual water discharge portion 150 may extend from the lower side of the container receiving unit 130 to be connected to the frame 120.

The board unit 200 may be configured to discharge water or cleaning agent to the outside of the main body 100. The board unit 200 may be disposed to face the cleaning agent container 300 when the cleaning agent container 300 is inserted in the container receiving portion 130. The board unit 200 may include a printed circuit board 210 and a board cover 220.

In addition, the board unit 200 may include a plurality of board units. At least some of the plurality of board units 200 may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other. The cleaning agent container 300 mounted to the main body 100 may be disposed in a space between a plurality of printed circuit boards 210 of the plurality of board units 200. The plurality of board units 200 may include a first board unit 201 and a second board unit 202, and the first board unit 201 and the second board unit 202 may have surfaces opposite to each other. The opposite surfaces of the first board unit 201 and the second board unit 202 may be arranged to face one or more of the cleaning agent container 300 and the container receiving portion 130.

The printed circuit board 210 is disposed in the inner space of the main body 100 and may be configured to mount electronic devices thereon. In addition, the printed circuit board 210 may be covered with the board cover 220. The printed circuit board 210 may be arranged to face one or more of the container receiving portion 130 and the cleaning agent container 300 inserted in the container receiving portion 130. Further, the printed circuit board 210 may be arranged so that one surface thereof is parallel to the cleaning agent container 300 inserted in the container receiving portion 130. Electronic devices and electric cables may be mounted on the other surface of the printed circuit board 210, which is opposite to the one surface of the printed circuit board 210.

The board cover 220 may cover the printed circuit board 210. The board cover 220 may be supported on the frame 120 to be disposed in the inner space of the main body 100. In addition, one surface of the board cover 220 may be disposed to face one or more of the container receiving portion 130 and the cleaning agent container 300 inserted therein.

Meanwhile, in the drawings according to the present embodiment, the printed circuit board 210 and the board cover 220 covering it are shown to face the container receiving portion 130 and the cleaning agent container 300 side by side, but only one of the printed circuit board 210 and the board cover 220 may be disposed to face one or more of the container receiving portion 130 and the cleaning agent container 300.

The cleaning agent container 300 may contain a cleaning agent for cleaning the toilet bowl, the cleaning nozzle for uses, etc. The cleaning agent container 300 may be selectively inserted in the container accommodation space of the container receiving portion 130. Meanwhile, in the drawings according to the present embodiment, the cleaning agent container 300 is shown as being inserted in the up-down direction, but the idea of the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto, the bidet 1 may be configured such that the cleaning agent container 300 is moved in the left-right direction or the like to be inserted into the main body 100.

In addition, the cleaning agent container 300 may be disposed adjacent to the board unit 200. For example, the cleaning agent container 300 may be inserted in the container receiving portion 130 to be disposed to face the board unit 200. Further, the cleaning agent container 300 may be coupled with the cleaning agent discharge portion 140 to discharge the cleaning agent.

When viewed from above, the cleaning agent container 300 may have a square shape, for example. That is, the cleaning agent container 300 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with a square cross section. In this case, ‘square’ is a concept that includes not only a square in the strict mathematical sense, but also any shape that can be roughly recognized as a square even if any of the sides is not a strictly straight line or the angle of any vertex is not strictly 90 degrees. When the cross-section of the cleaning agent container 300 is configured to have a roughly square shape, dead space is significantly reduced compared to the case where the cross-section is circular, so it is very advantageous for miniaturization of the bidet body in which a large number of parts are arranged in a limited space.

In addition, when viewed from above, the cleaning agent container 300 may be configured such that, for example, a length of one cross-section in one direction is larger than a length thereof in a direction perpendicular to the one direction. For example, the cleaning agent container 300 may have a shape in which the length in the left-right direction (left-right width) is larger than the length in the front-rear direction (front-rear width). As a more detailed example, the cleaning agent container 300 may be formed as an elongated rectangle in the left-right direction when viewed from above, and its long sides may be arranged parallel to the board unit 200. The cleaning agent container 300 may include a container portion 310, a container outlet 320, and an opening/closing unit 330.

The container portion 310 may be configured to contain a cleaning agent. The container portion 310 may be selectively inserted in the container accommodation space of the container receiving portion 130 in the up-down direction.

The container outlet 320 may be coupled to the cleaning agent discharge portion 140 when the cleaning agent container 300 is inserted in the main body 100 to discharge the cleaning agent contained in the container portion 310 to the outside of the main body 100. The container outlet 320 may extend downward from the container portion 310 when the container portion 310 is inserted in the container receiving portion 130. The container outlet 320 may provide a passage through which the cleaning agent flows to the cleaning agent discharge portion 140. In other words, when the container outlet 320 and the cleaning agent discharge portion 140 are coupled to each other, the cleaning agent can flow into the cleaning agent discharge portion 140.

Referring further to FIG. 6, the opening/closing unit 330 can open and close the container outlet 320. The opening/closing unit 330 may be disposed inside the container outlet 320 and may be configured to move upward to open the container outlet 320 or move downward to close the container outlet 320. When the container outlet 320 and the cleaning agent discharge portion 140 are coupled to each other, the opening/closing unit 330 may be moved upward by contacting the protrusion 141.

The push mechanism 400 may assist in removing the cleaning agent container 300 from the container receiving portion 130. For example, the push mechanism 400 may be a pop-up device including a pop-up button that pops the cleaning agent container 300 to the outside of the main body 100. When the cleaning agent container 300 is inserted into the container receiving portion 130, the push mechanism 400 may be pressed downward as a user presses the cleaning agent container 300. In addition, in a state in which the cleaning agent container 300 is inserted in the container receiving portion 130, when the user presses the cleaning agent container 300, the push mechanism 400 may be moved further downward and moved upward again after the pressing state is released. By this operation of the push mechanism 400, the cleaning agent container 300 can be moved upward. When the cleaning agent container 300 is moved upward by the push mechanism 400, at least a portion of the cleaning agent container 300 may be separated from the container receiving portion 130. In addition, when the cleaning agent container 300 is moved upward by the push mechanism 400, the cleaning agent container 300 and the cleaning agent discharge portion 140 may be separated. The push mechanism 400 may be supported on the frame 120 so that its upper side penetrates the lower space of the container receiving portion 130. In other words, the upper side of the push mechanism 400 may be disposed in the container accommodation space of the container receiving portion 130.

Hereinafter, the operation and effects of the bidet 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

When the cleaning agent container 300 of the bidet 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is accommodated in the container receiving portion 130, the cleaning agent can flow to the cleaning agent discharge portion 140 through the container outlet 320 to be discharged to the outside.

When the cleaning agent container 300 is mounted to the main body 100, it can be disposed adjacent to the board unit 200, which allows the main body 100 to be made compact. In addition, since the container accommodation space of the container receiving portion 130 and the inner space of the main body 100 can be separated from each other, it is possible to block the cleaning agent or residual water from flowing to the printed circuit board.

The examples of the present disclosure have been described above as specific embodiments, but these are only examples, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and should be construed as having the widest scope according to the technical spirit disclosed in the present specification. A person skilled in the art may combine/substitute the disclosed embodiments to implement a pattern of a shape that is not disclosed, but it also does not depart from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, those skilled in the art can easily change or modify the disclosed embodiments based on the present specification, and it is clear that such changes or modifications also belong to the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A bidet comprising: a main body;a board unit disposed inside the main body and including a printed circuit board for mounting an electronic device thereon; anda cleaning agent container that contains a cleaning agent and is detachably inserted into the main body,wherein the cleaning agent container is formed in an approximately square shape when viewed from above, andthe cleaning agent container is located adjacent to the board unit when mounted to the main body.

2. The bidet of claim 1, wherein the square shape is a rectangular shape, and a long side of the rectangle is arranged parallel to the board unit when the cleaning agent container is mounted to the main body.

3. The bidet of claim 1, wherein the board unit further includes a board cover covering the printed circuit board.

4. The bidet of claim 3, wherein the electronic device is mounted on one surface of the printed circuit board, and the cleaning agent container is located on an opposite side to the one surface when the cleaning agent container is mounted to the main body.

5. The bidet of claim 1, wherein the printed circuit board includes a plurality of printed circuit boards, at least some of the plurality of printed circuit boards are arranged to be spaced apart from each other, andthe cleaning agent container is disposed in a space between the plurality of printed circuit boards when the cleaning agent container is mounted to the main body.

6. The bidet of claim 1, wherein when the cleaning agent container is mounted to the main body, the cleaning agent container is inserted in an up-down direction.

7. The bidet of claim 1, wherein the main body includes: a housing that provides an inner space for accommodating the board unit; anda container receiving portion that is recessed downward from an outer surface of the housing to provide a container accommodation space separated from the inner space to accommodate the cleaning agent container.

8. The bidet of claim 7, wherein the main body further includes a cleaning agent discharge portion connected to a lower side of the container receiving portion to discharge the cleaning agent contained in the cleaning agent container to an outside of the main body, wherein the cleaning agent container includes:a container portion for containing the cleaning agent; anda container outlet selectively coupled to the cleaning agent discharge portion to discharge the cleaning agent contained in the container portion to the outside of the main body, andwherein the cleaning agent discharge portion and the container outlet are coupled to each other such that the cleaning agent contained in the container portion flows to the cleaning agent discharge portion.

9. The bidet of claim 8, wherein the cleaning agent container further includes an opening/closing unit disposed inside the container outlet and configured to move upward to open the container outlet or move downward to close the container outlet, and a protrusion is formed in the cleaning agent discharge portion to move the opening/closing unit upward when the cleaning agent discharge portion and the container outlet are coupled to each other.

10. The bidet of claim 7, wherein the main body further includes a residual water discharge portion, disposed at a lower side of the container receiving portion, for discharging residual water in the container receiving portion to an outside of the main body.

11. A bidet comprising: a main body;a board unit disposed inside the main body and including a printed circuit board for mounting an electronic device thereon; anda cleaning agent container that contains a cleaning agent and is detachably inserted into the main body,wherein the cleaning agent container has a length in one direction that is longer than a length in a direction perpendicular to the one direction when viewed from above, andthe cleaning agent container is located adjacent to the board unit when mounted to the main body.