# US 10,309,088 B2 · Urinal apparatus and urinal unit > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,309,088 B2 - Document ID: US10309088B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/806,715 - Filed: 2015-07-23 - Published: 2016-01-28 - Granted: 2019-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2014-07-23 - Assignees: Toto Ltd. - Applicants: TOTO, Ltd. - Inventors: Toshinari Yaoka; Yoichi Murase - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10309088B2 ## CPC - E03D 13/00: Urinals (without flushing devices A47K11/00 ){; Means for connecting the urinal to the flushing pipe and the wastepipe; Splashing shields for urinals} - E03D: WATER-CLOSETS OR URINALS WITH FLUSHING DEVICES; FLUSHING VALVES THEREFOR ## Abstract There is provided a urinal apparatus including: a water supplying device configured to supply water to a bowl section of a urinal; a water sprinkling device including a sprinkling hole configured to sprinkle water to a space inside the bowl section; and a human body sensing device configured to sense use of the urinal. The water sprinkling device not sprinkling the water from the sprinkling hole when the human body sensing device has transitioned from a human body non-sensing state to a human body sensing state. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A urinal apparatus comprising: a water supplying device configured to supply water to a bowl surface of a bowl section of a urinal, and to remove urine attached to the bowl surface of the urinal; a water sprinkling device including a sprinkling hole configured to sprinkle water to a space inside the bowl section; and a human body sensing device configured to sense use of the urinal, the human body sensing device performing urinal standing sensing and urinal surrounding sensing, the human body sensing device sensing presence or absence of a human body within a first sensing distance by the urinal standing sensing, the human body sensing device sensing presence or absence of a human body within a second sensing distance by the urinal surrounding sensing, the second sensing distance being longer than the first sensing distance, the water supplying device supplying the water when the human body sensing device has transitioned from a human body sensing state to a human body non-sensing state by the urinal standing sensing, the water sprinkling device being prohibited from sprinkling the water from the sprinkling hole while the human body sensing device, performing the urinal surrounding sensing, is in a human body sensing state, and an amount of water supplied to the bowl section in one operation by the water supplying device is larger than an amount of water sprinkled to the space in one operation by the water sprinkling device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the water sprinkling device is able to sprinkle the water to the space after the human body sensing device transitions from the human body sensing state to the human body non-sensing state and the water supplying device supplies the water to the bowl section. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the water sprinkling device sprinkles the water from the sprinkling hole at a fixed cycle. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the water supplying device includes a hole configured to sprinkle water to the bowl section. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the apparatus performs a facility protecting flush operation for supplying water to the bowl section at a fixed cycle, and an amount of the water supplied to the bowl section in one operation of the facility protecting flush operation is larger than an amount of water sprinkled to the bowl section in one operation by the water supplying device or an amount of water sprinkled to the space in one operation by the water sprinkling device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a sterilizing water producing device provided on an upstream side of the water sprinkling device and configured to produce sterilizing water, wherein the water sprinkling device sprinkles droplets of the sterilizing water produced by the sterilizing water producing device to the space inside the bowl section. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the sterilizing water producing device is actuated when the water sprinkling device is actuated, and deactuated when the water sprinkling device is deactuated. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein an amount of water supplied to the bowl section in one operation by the water supplying device is larger than an amount of water sprinkled to the space in one operation by the water sprinkling device, and the water supplied by the water supplying device is fresh water excluding the sterilizing water. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising: a flow channel communicating the sterilizing water producing device with the water sprinkling device, wherein sterilizing water in the flow channel is drained a prescribed time after the water sprinkling device is deactuated. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising: a flow channel communicating the sterilizing water producing device with the water sprinkling device, wherein sterilizing water in the flow channel is drained from a drain hole different from the sprinkling hole after the water sprinkling device is actuated. ### Claim 11 (depends on 6) The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the sterilizing water remaining after being produced by the sterilizing water producing device is drained at fixed intervals. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein an amount of water supplied to the bowl section in one operation by the water supplying device is larger than an amount of water sprinkled to the space in one operation by the water sprinkling device, and the water supplied by the water supplying device is fresh water excluding the sterilizing water. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising: a flow channel communicating the sterilizing water producing device with the water sprinkling device, wherein sterilizing water in the flow channel is drained a prescribed time after the water sprinkling device is deactuated. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising: a flow channel communicating the sterilizing water producing device with the water sprinkling device, wherein sterilizing water in the flow channel is drained from a drain hole different from the sprinkling hole after the water sprinkling device is actuated. ### Claim 15 (depends on 6) The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a sprinkling operation of the water sprinkling device is prohibited when it is determined that the sterilizing water producing device is faulty. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the sterilizing water producing device includes an electrolytic bath and an electrode provided inside the electrolytic bath, and it is determined that the sterilizing water producing device is faulty when voltage applied to the electrode is less than or equal to a prescribed value. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the sterilizing water producing device includes an electrolytic bath and an electrode provided inside the electrolytic bath, and it is determined that the sterilizing water producing device is faulty when current flowing in the electrode is less than or equal to a prescribed value. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the sterilizing water producing device includes an electrolytic bath, and it is determined that the sterilizing water producing device is faulty when flow rate of water flowing in the electrolytic bath is less than or equal to a prescribed value. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the sterilizing water producing device includes an electrolytic bath and an electrode provided inside the electrolytic bath, and it is determined that the sterilizing water producing device is faulty when energization time of the electrode is more than or equal to a prescribed value. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein voltage applied to the electrode is increased when the energization time is less than the prescribed value and reaches another prescribed value less than and different from the prescribed value. ### Claim 21 (depends on 15) The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the sterilizing water producing device includes an electrolytic bath, and it is determined that the sterilizing water producing device is faulty when an integrated amount of water flowing in the electrolytic bath is more than or equal to a prescribed value. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the sterilizing water producing device further includes an electrode provided inside the electrolytic bath, and voltage applied to the electrode is increased when an integrated amount of water is less than the prescribed value and reaches another prescribed value less than and different from the prescribed value. ### Claim 23 (depends on 1) A urinal unit comprising: a urinal; and the urinal apparatus according to claim 1.