Patent Description:
Conventionally, animal toilets used by animals such as pets (for example, dogs) are known. As animal toilets, there are also known toilets that give a stimulus (such as food, sound, or smell) when animals excrete in the toilets to train (toilet-train) the animals to spontaneously excrete in the toilets. For example, a toilet described in Patent Literature <NUM> includes: a urination detection sensor provided in a bottom portion; and a feeder (operating device) that operates on the basis of a detection result of the urination detection sensor. When the urination detection sensor detects excretion by an animal, the feeder operates to supply food.

[Patent Literature <NUM>] <CIT>. Further prior art in this technical field is disclosed in documents <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT> and <CIT>. <CIT> discloses a pet toilet according to the preamble of claim <NUM>.

However, in the toilet described above, there is a risk that the conducting state of the urination detection sensor continues after urination and causes the feeder to operate erroneously. Specifically, when the urination detection sensor conducts in response to the first urination, the conducting state continues until urine dries naturally. Consequently, there is a risk that the time at which urination completes cannot be determined, causing the feeder to continue operating. Further, there is a risk that continuation of the conducting state causes to fail detection of the second and subsequent urinations.

The present invention was achieved in light of conventional problems such as that described above, and an aspect of the present invention is to provide a dog toilet capable of preventing erroneous operation of an operating device.

A main aspect of the present invention for achieving the above-described aspect is defined in claim <NUM> and comprises features as follow.

Features of the present invention other than the above will become clear by reading the description of the present specification with reference to the accompanying drawings.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a dog toilet capable of preventing erroneous operation of an operating device.

At least the following matters will become clear with the description of this specification and the attached drawings.

With such a dog toilet, it becomes less likely for electricity to conduct except during the time of urination, making it possible to suppress the occurrence of erroneous operation of the operating device.

In such a dog toilet,
an insulating member is arranged between the receptacle and at least either one of the first electrode and the second electrode.

With such a dog toilet, conduction of electricity between the first electrode and the second electrode through urine in the receptacle does not occur, making it possible to suppress the occurrence of erroneous operation of the operating device.

In such a dog toilet, it is according to the invention that
the insulating member is arranged between the first electrode and the second electrode in the vertical direction.

With such a dog toilet, it is possible to prevent the first electrode and the second electrode from continuing conducting electricity through urine, making it possible to suppress the occurrence of erroneous operation of the operating device.

In such a dog toilet, it is acceptable that
a non-absorbent material is used as the insulating member.

With such a dog toilet, urine is not held by the insulating member, making it possible to suppress the occurrence of erroneous operation of the operating device.

In such a dog toilet, it is acceptable that.

With such a dog toilet, since urine is absorbed by the absorbent member, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of erroneous operation caused, for example, by splashing of urine held in the receptacle due to vibration that occurs when a dog moves around wildly.

In such a dog toilet, it is acceptable that
at least either one of the first electrode and the second electrode is in contact with the absorbent member.

With such a dog toilet, it is possible for the absorbent member to absorb urine adhered to the electrodes. This can suppress the smell of urine, for example.

In such a dog toilet, it is acceptable that
the first electrode and the second electrode are arranged on a liquid-permeable layer that covers the absorbent member.

With such a dog toilet, urine is quickly absorbed by the absorbent member. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of urine remaining on the electrodes. Consequently, it is possible to correctly detect the urination timing.

With such a dog toilet, the first electrode and the second electrode can certainly conduct electricity through urine that moves downward (flows downward) in the vertical direction.

With such a dog toilet, urine covering a portion between the electrodes is more likely to undergo flued thread breakup, making it possible to increase the accuracy of the urination detection sensor.

In such a dog toilet, it is acceptable that
a plurality of pairs of the first electrode and the second electrode are arranged side-by-side in a horizontal direction.

With such a dog toilet, the electrodes can be arranged densely, making it possible to increase the accuracy of the urination detection sensor.

With such a dog toilet, the electrodes can be arranged more densely, making it possible to increase the accuracy of the urination detection sensor.

A dog toilet <NUM> will be described as an example of a dog toilet according to the present embodiment. <FIG> is a schematic perspective view of the dog toilet <NUM>. <FIG> is a plan view of the dog toilet <NUM> viewed from above. In addition, <FIG> is a sectional view illustrating an example of a configuration of a bottom portion <NUM>. Further, <FIG> is a sectional view illustrating an arrangement of individual electrodes (a positive electrode <NUM> and a negative electrode <NUM>) in the bottom portion <NUM>. In addition, <FIG> is a plan view of a portion around a grate <NUM> viewed from above, <FIG> is a perspective view of <FIG> is a sectional view. Note that, in <FIG>, apertures 24a of the grate <NUM> are omitted to clarify the arrangement of the individual electrodes, and viewable portions of the electrodes are denoted by solid lines and hidden portions of the electrodes are denoted by broken lines. Further, <FIG> is a block diagram illustrating configurations of a urination detection sensor <NUM> and a feeder unit <NUM>.

The dog toilet <NUM> is a toilet capable of being used for toilet-training a dog and is placed on the floor or the like for use. In the following description, "front-rear direction", "left-right direction", and "up-down direction", which denote three directions perpendicular to one another, are defined as illustrated in <FIG>. The up-down direction is the vertical direction. A placement surface (a bottom surface of a bottom-portion main body <NUM>) side is denoted as "lower side", and the opposite side is denoted as "upper side". In addition, the front-rear direction and the left-right direction denote directions of a horizontal plane (horizontal direction). As illustrated in <FIG>, a central position in the front-rear direction is denoted as a center position C1. A side where an access opening <NUM> is provided relative to the center position C1 is denoted as "front side", and the opposite side is denoted as "rear side". In addition, a central position in the left-right direction is denoted as a center position C2. A side where the access opening <NUM> is provided relative to the center position C2 is denoted as "left side", and the opposite side is denoted as "right side".

The dog toilet <NUM> includes the bottom portion <NUM>, a wall portion <NUM>, the urination detection sensor <NUM>, and the feeder unit <NUM>.

As illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, the bottom portion <NUM> has a rectangular shape in plan view, and respective sides of the bottom portion <NUM> extend in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. In addition, as illustrated in <FIG>, the bottom portion <NUM> includes the bottom-portion main body <NUM> (corresponding to a receptacle), a protruding portion <NUM>, an absorption sheet <NUM> (corresponding to an absorbent member), the grate <NUM> (corresponding to an insulating member and a liquid-permeable layer), and a cover <NUM>.

The bottom-portion main body <NUM> is the lowest portion (base) of the bottom portion <NUM> and is a portion that constitutes a toilet structure. An area surrounded by the protruding portion <NUM> in the bottom-portion main body <NUM> (in other words, an area where the absorption sheet <NUM> is arranged) is an area where a dog excretes. In the following description, this area is also referred to as an excretion area.

The protruding portion <NUM> is a portion that protrudes upward from the bottom-portion main body <NUM> and is provided so as to surround the absorption sheet <NUM>. The bottom-portion main body <NUM> is provided with the protruding portion <NUM> in this manner, and the absorption sheet <NUM> is arranged inside the protruding portion <NUM>. Consequently, the absorption sheet <NUM> is less likely to be displaced (the absorption sheet <NUM> is less likely to be moved) even if the dog walks around, for example.

The absorption sheet <NUM> is a liquid-absorbent sheet member that absorbs urine or the like excreted by an animal (herein, a dog), and the absorption sheet <NUM> includes a liquid absorbent material (corresponding to an absorbent body) such as pulp fiber or superabsorbent polymer. In addition, in the present embodiment, the absorption sheet <NUM> contains deodorant microcapsules and an antibacterial agent, masking the smell of absorbed urine and suppressing the propagation of bacteria from occurring. The absorption sheet <NUM> is arranged in the excretion area (the area surrounded by the protruding portion <NUM> in the bottom-portion main body <NUM>). As a result of the absorption sheet <NUM> being arranged in the excretion area in this manner, urine is absorbed by the absorption sheet <NUM>. This makes it possible to suppress erroneous operation of the urination detection sensor <NUM> and a feeder <NUM> due to dispersal of urine caused by vibration that occurs when the dog moves around wildly, for example.

Note that, in the present embodiment, the absorption sheet <NUM> (as well as the grate <NUM>) is arranged to be lopsided with respect to the center position C1 in the front-rear direction. Specifically, the absorption sheet <NUM> is arranged such that the area of a portion on the rear side with respect to the center position C1 is larger than the area of a portion on the front side with respect to the center position C1 (see <FIG>). This is because the possibility of the dog approaching a feeding plate <NUM> is high because of the smell of food remaining in the feeding plate <NUM> when the dog enters the dog toilet <NUM>, and therefore the possibility of the dog urinating on the rear side relative to the center position C1 is high. Thus, making the area of the rear-side (feeding-plate-<NUM>-side) portion larger than the area of the front-side (access-opening-<NUM>-side) portion relative to the center position C1 makes it possible for the absorption sheet <NUM> to be arranged efficiently.

The grate <NUM> is arranged so as to cover the absorption sheet <NUM> (that is, in the excretion area). The grate <NUM> has the plurality of apertures 24a penetrating in the up-down direction and enables urine or the like excreted by the dog to pass through the apertures 24a from the upper side to the lower side (toward the absorption sheet <NUM>) in the up-down direction. That is, the grate <NUM> corresponds to a liquid-permeable layer. The grate <NUM> in the present embodiment is formed into a rectangular grating shape, and the apertures 24a each have a rectangular shape in plan view. However, the configuration is not limited to this, and a grate having circular or hexagonal apertures may be used. As described later, the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> of the urination detection sensor <NUM> are arranged on the grate <NUM>.

As a material of the grate <NUM>, an insulator, particularly, a non-liquid-absorbent insulator that does not absorb liquid (for example, polypropylene, silicone, or the like) is used. This is because, if an absorbent insulator (for example, sponge) is used, the insulator absorbs urine. The absorbed urine causes the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> to continue conducting electricity, which hinders accurate determination. That the grate <NUM> is composed of a non-liquid-absorbent insulator makes it less likely for the grate <NUM> to hold urine. This makes it possible to prevent a first electrode and a second electrode from continuing conducting electricity. In addition, as the material of the grate <NUM>, a hydrophobic material having a surface that increases surface tension is preferably used.

The cover <NUM> is attached above the bottom-portion main body <NUM> and covers the bottom-portion main body <NUM> and the protruding portion <NUM>. In addition, the cover <NUM> has an opening in a portion corresponding to the position where the absorption sheet <NUM> is arranged (the excretion area). Consequently, the cover <NUM> constitutes an upper surface of the bottom portion <NUM> except for the excretion area. In addition, the grate <NUM> is suspended on the cover <NUM> in such a manner to move in the up-down direction.

The wall portion <NUM> is provided so as to surround the four sides of the bottom portion <NUM> (in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction). In the following description, an inner side of the wall portion <NUM> is also referred to as inside the toilet. The wall portion <NUM> in the present embodiment includes a plate wall <NUM>, a fence <NUM>, and the access opening <NUM>.

The plate wall <NUM> is a plate-shaped wall that is continuous and is erected on the bottom portion <NUM>. The plate wall <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> has side faces that are perpendicular to the horizontal plane and that have a constant thickness irrespective of the position in the up-down direction. However, the configuration of the plate wall <NUM> is not limited to this. For example, the plate wall <NUM> may be an inclined surface having a thickness that decreases from the lower side to the upper side in the up-down direction. Conversely, the plate wall <NUM> may be an inclined surface having a thickness that increases from the lower side to the upper side in the up-down direction.

The fence <NUM> is a mesh-like barrier having voids and is provided above the plate wall <NUM>.

Thus, the wall portion <NUM> of the dog toilet <NUM> according to the present embodiment has a combined configuration of the plate wall <NUM> and the fence <NUM>. The plate wall <NUM> constitutes the lower portion of the wall portion <NUM>, and this ensures that food or urine of the dog are less likely to spill to an area outside the toilet. In addition, the fence <NUM> constitutes the upper portion of the wall portion <NUM>, and this enables the dog to have good visibility, making it possible for the dog to urinate in the toilet with peace. In addition, a feeding tube <NUM> is easily drawn through the wall portion <NUM> to the inner side of the wall portion <NUM>. Note that as materials of the plate wall <NUM> and the fence <NUM>, any material, such as metal, plastic, or wood, may be used.

The access opening <NUM> is a portion where the dog enters and exits the toilet (the inner side of the wall portion <NUM>) and is formed at the left side of a portion (front-side portion) of the wall portion <NUM> that demarcates the front side of the bottom portion <NUM>. That is, the access opening <NUM> is provided on the front side relative to the center position C1 in the front-rear direction and on the left side relative to the center position C2 in the left-right direction. The access opening <NUM> in the present embodiment is formed by making an opening at the above-described portion of the wall portion <NUM> (the plate wall <NUM> and the fence <NUM>) surrounding the bottom portion <NUM> (making the above-described portion discontinuous).

The urination detection sensor <NUM> is a sensor that detects whether there is urination by a dog (specifically, the presence of liquid). The urination detection sensor <NUM> includes the positive electrode <NUM> (corresponding to a first electrode), the negative electrode <NUM> (corresponding to a second electrode), and a liquid sensor <NUM>.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the positive electrode <NUM> is arranged on (the upper surface of) the grate <NUM>. Note that as a material of the positive electrode <NUM>, a material having high conductivity (for example, copper or rust-resistant stainless steel) is preferable.

The negative electrode <NUM> is also formed of a material having high conductivity, similarly to the positive electrode <NUM>, and is arranged under (on the lower surface of) the grate <NUM>.

Thus, the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> are provided on the grate <NUM> that covers the absorption sheet <NUM>. This make urine be quickly absorbed by the absorption sheet <NUM>, making it possible to reduce the amount of urine that remains on the electrodes. Consequently, it is possible to correctly detect the urination timing.

In <FIG>, in order to clarify the arrangement, the grate <NUM> and the individual electrodes (the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM>), and the negative electrode <NUM> and the absorption sheet <NUM> are illustrated as spaced apart from each other. However, they are actually in contact with each other. By keeping the negative electrode <NUM> in contact with the absorption sheet <NUM>, urine adhered to the negative electrode <NUM> can be absorbed by the absorption sheet <NUM>. This can suppress, for example, the occurrence of the smell of urine. Since the grate <NUM> is suspended on the cover <NUM> to be vertically movable as described above, the negative electrode <NUM> is vertically movable together with the grate <NUM> even if the absorption sheet <NUM> expands due to absorbing urine.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the positive electrode <NUM> is divided into a plurality of branches on the grate <NUM>, and the plurality of branches are linearly arranged extending along the front-rear direction with spaces therebetween in the left-right direction to be parallel to one another. In addition, the negative electrode <NUM> is also divided into a plurality of branches on the grate <NUM>, and the plurality of branches are linearly arranged extending along the front-rear direction with spaces therebetween in the left-right direction to be parallel to one another (to form pairs with the positive electrode <NUM>). A plurality of pairs of the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> are arranged side-by-side in the horizontal direction (the left-right direction). Consequently, the electrodes can be arranged densely, making it possible to increase the accuracy of the urination detection sensor <NUM>. Note that the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> forming a pair are spaced apart in the up-down direction and superpose in terms of position in the horizontal direction (the left-right direction herein).

Although the positive electrode <NUM> is arranged on the grate <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> is arranged under the grate <NUM> in the present embodiment, the arrangement may be reversed. That is, the negative electrode <NUM> may be arranged on the grate <NUM> and the positive electrode <NUM> may be arranged under the grate <NUM>. In addition, although each of the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> that constitute a pair is linearly arranged along the front-rear direction in the present embodiment, the arrangement is not limited to this. For example, each of the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> may be arranged in the left-right direction. In addition, each of the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> may be arranged to be bent in a zigzag shape on the horizontal plane in accordance with the shape of the grate <NUM>. A distance d between the electrodes that are adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction may be arbitrary. However, since urine needs at least to be directly in contact with the electrodes, the distance is desirably <NUM> or less. In addition, if the distance is too short, it is difficult to remove feces soiling. Therefore, the distance is desirably <NUM> or greater.

In addition, a width W2 of the grate <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> is greater than a width W1 of the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM>. This is because, if the width W2 of the grate <NUM> is less than the width W1 of the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM>, there is a risk that urine remains on a side wall of the grate <NUM> owing to surface tension of the urine and the conducting state continues, and decreases the accuracy of the urination detection sensor <NUM>. In the present embodiment, the width W2 of the grate <NUM> is set greater than the width W1 of the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM>. Thus, urine covering a portion between a pair of the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> is more likely to undergo fluid thread breakup, making it possible to increase the accuracy of the urination detection sensor <NUM>.

The liquid sensor <NUM> amplifies an electric signal (voltage) when the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> conduct electricity, and outputs the amplified signal to a microcomputer <NUM>. Note that, in the present embodiment, a method for controlling the liquid sensor <NUM> (and the microcomputer <NUM> described later) involves analog control using an analog voltage value. However, the control method is not limited to this, and digital control using H (high)/L (low) digital signals may be used.

When a dog urinates above the grate <NUM>, urine passes through the positive electrode <NUM>, the grate <NUM> (the apertures 24a), and the negative electrode <NUM> and is absorbed by the absorption sheet <NUM> as illustrated in <FIG>. At this time, the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> conduct electricity through the urine as illustrated in <FIG>, and an output voltage of the liquid sensor <NUM> rises. After the dog finishes urinating, an electrical conductor no longer exists between the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> because the grate <NUM> is a non-liquid-absorbent insulator. Therefore, the negative electrode <NUM> and the positive electrode <NUM> no longer conduct electricity (enters non-conducting state), decreasing the output voltage of the liquid sensor <NUM>.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the feeder unit <NUM> includes the feeding plate <NUM>, the feeder <NUM>, the feeding tube <NUM>, a power supply <NUM>, the microcomputer <NUM>, and a relay circuit <NUM>.

The feeding plate <NUM> is a container in which dog food is held. The feeding plate <NUM> includes a bottom wall 51a having a circular shape in plan view, and a peripheral side wall 51b that is erected upward on the periphery of the bottom wall 51a. As a result of the feeding plate <NUM> including the peripheral side wall 51b, food supplied from a feeding port 53a (described later) of the feeding tube <NUM> is prevented from rolling out onto the excretion area. Note that food is stored in a food container <NUM> (described later) of the feeder <NUM> and is supplied to the feeding plate <NUM> from the feeder <NUM> through the feeding tube <NUM>.

As illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, the feeding plate <NUM> (in other words, the feeding port 53a) is arranged in a corner portion (that is, a corner portion on a left rear side in the wall portion <NUM>), and this corner portion is formed by a portion of the wall portion <NUM> on the rear side in the left-right direction and a portion of the wall portion <NUM> on the left side in the left-right direction. This can ensure a wide space (excretion area) in the toilet.

The feeder <NUM> is an electrically powered apparatus that automatically supplies food on the basis of a detection result of the urination detection sensor <NUM>. The feeding tube <NUM> is attached to the feeder <NUM>. Note that the feeder <NUM> is arranged outside the wall portion <NUM>, and that the feeding tube <NUM> attached to the feeder <NUM> is drawn to the inner side of the wall portion <NUM> through the fence <NUM>. The configuration of the feeder <NUM> will be described later.

The feeding tube <NUM> is a hollow tubular member (for example, a tube) for supplying food ejected from the feeder <NUM> to the feeding plate <NUM>, and the feeding tube <NUM> has the feeding port 53a. The feeding port 53a is an outlet of the feeding tube <NUM> and is arranged above the feeding plate <NUM> in the toilet. That is, the feeding port 53a is arranged on the rear side relative to the center position C1 in the front-rear direction. As described above, in the present embodiment, the feeding plate <NUM> is arranged on the rear side in the front-rear direction and the access opening <NUM> is provided in the wall portion <NUM> on the front side in the front-rear direction. If the positions of the feeding port 53a and the access opening <NUM> are close to each other, the dog may discharge residual urine in an area outside the toilet while eating food. However, in the present embodiment, the positions of the feeding port 53a and the access opening <NUM> are apart from each other. This makes it possible for the dog who is eating food to stay in the toilet after urination, making it possible to prevent an area outside the toilet from being soiled with urine.

The power supply <NUM> supplies electric power to each of the components (the feeder <NUM>, the microcomputer <NUM>, and the relay circuit <NUM>) of the feeder unit <NUM>.

The output of the urination detection sensor <NUM> (the liquid sensor <NUM>) is input to the microcomputer <NUM>. The microcomputer <NUM> performs control described below, in accordance with a change in voltage of the urination detection sensor <NUM>. That is, when the voltage falls below a predetermined voltage (because the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> stop conducting electricity) after the voltage rises (because the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> conduct electricity), the microcomputer <NUM> causes the relay circuit <NUM> to operate.

In accordance with the output of the microcomputer <NUM>, the relay circuit <NUM> operates (is active) for a certain period according to controlling of the time in seconds, and thereby the relay circuit <NUM> causes the feeder <NUM> to operate (specifically, a motor <NUM> described later is driven to rotate a rotational body <NUM>). Consequently, food is supplied from the feeder <NUM>.

<FIG> is a schematic sectional view illustrating an example of a configuration of the feeder <NUM>, and <FIG> is a top view of a scale <NUM> illustrated in <FIG>.

The feeder <NUM> includes the food container <NUM>, the scale <NUM>, and the motor <NUM>.

The food container <NUM> is a hollow cylindrical member provided in an upper portion of the feeder <NUM> and stores dog food therein. In addition, a through hole 100a is provided in a bottom portion of the food container <NUM>, so that food drops from the through hole 100a due to its weight.

The scale <NUM> is a weigh scale arranged under the food container <NUM> and includes the rotational body <NUM> and a periphery wall portion <NUM>.

The rotational body <NUM> includes a bottom portion 111a and a plurality of partition plates 111b.

The bottom portion 111a is a plate-shaped member having a circular shape in plan view. Note that an upper surface of the bottom portion 111a is an inclined surface where the height of an outer portion is lower than the height of the center position.

The partition plates 111b are provided on the upper surface of the bottom portion 111a. The plurality of partition plates 111b are provided radially at an equal interval, with respect to an axis located at the center of the bottom portion 111a. Consequently, the partition plates 111b partition a space above the bottom portion 111a into a plurality of spaces.

The periphery wall portion <NUM> is provided to surround the outer side of the rotational body <NUM>. An opening 112a is formed in the periphery wall portion <NUM> at a position corresponding to one of partitioned portions formed by the partition plates 111b. In addition, outside the opening 112a, the feeding tube <NUM> is arranged. Food ejected from the opening 112a is supplied to the feeding plate <NUM> through the feeding tube <NUM>.

The motor <NUM> is driven in accordance with the output of the relay circuit <NUM>, rotating the rotational body <NUM> of the scale <NUM>. That is, the motor <NUM> rotates the rotational body <NUM> in a circumferential direction around the axis located at the center of the rotational body <NUM>.

Operation of the urination detection sensor <NUM> and the feeder unit <NUM> will be described below.

When a dog urinates above the grate <NUM> and urine reaches the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> of the urination detection sensor <NUM>, the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> conduct electricity through the urine, which is an electrical conductor. The conducted voltage is amplified by the liquid sensor <NUM> and is sent to the microcomputer <NUM>. When the output of the urination detection sensor <NUM> (the liquid sensor <NUM>) falls below a predetermined voltage as a result of the dog finishing urinating, the microcomputer <NUM> causes the relay circuit <NUM> to operate for a certain period. Consequently, the motor <NUM> of the feeder <NUM> is driven to rotate the rotational body <NUM> of the scale <NUM> by a certain amount. As a result of the rotational body <NUM> rotating, food located between the adjacent partition plates 111b of the scale <NUM> is ejected from the opening 112a of the periphery wall portion <NUM> and is supplied to the feeding plate <NUM> through the feeding tube <NUM>. In this manner, food is automatically supplied in response to urination by the dog. In addition, food stored in the food container <NUM> is dropped through the through hole 100a to the scale <NUM> located below (to a portion which has become empty as a result of food having ejected from the opening 112a).

Although the absorption sheet <NUM> and the grate <NUM> are arranged above the bottom-portion main body <NUM> in the dog toilet <NUM> according to the present embodiment, the absorption sheet <NUM> and the grate <NUM> may be omitted (not part of the invention). In this case, however, there is a risk that the urination detection sensor <NUM> fails to correctly detect urination, causing the feeder <NUM> to erroneously operate.

<FIG> is a conceptual diagram illustrating a comparative example of the arrangement of the electrodes that does not form part of the invention.

In <FIG>, the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> are arranged on the bottom-portion main body <NUM> to be in contact with the bottom-portion main body <NUM>. Also in this case, the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> conduct electricity through urine when a dog urinates. In this comparative example, however, the conducting state continues until urine dries naturally. For this reason, the time at which urination completes cannot be determined, and there is a risk that the feeder <NUM> continues operating. Further, as a result of continuation of the conducting state, there is a risk that detection of the second and subsequent urinations fail.

In contrast, the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> are spaced apart from the bottom-portion main body <NUM> in the dog toilet <NUM> according to the present embodiment. This makes it possible to suppress the occurrence of erroneous operation of the feeder <NUM>.

<FIG> is a conceptual diagram illustrating a first modification of the arrangement of the electrodes. <FIG> is a conceptual diagram illustrating an improved example of <FIG>. In the first modification illustrated in <FIG>, neither the absorption sheet <NUM> nor the grate <NUM> is provided as in the comparative example (<FIG>). In addition, in the first modification, the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> are arranged above the bottom-portion main body <NUM> such that the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> are adjacent to each other in the up-down direction (vertical direction) and overlap in terms of position in the horizontal direction. Specifically, the negative electrode <NUM> is in contact with the bottom-portion main body <NUM>, and the positive electrode <NUM> is provided above the negative electrode <NUM>. That is, the positive electrode <NUM> is spaced apart from the bottom-portion main body <NUM>. Although the positions of the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> in the horizontal direction are completely coincident in <FIG>, the positions may be at least partially coincident (may be slightly shifted from each other in the horizontal direction). With this configuration, when urine makes contact with the positive electrode <NUM>, the urine drips to the negative electrode <NUM> along the positive electrode <NUM> due to its weight. Therefore, the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> conduct electricity, and urination can be detected. In this case, however, there is a risk that the urine continue dripping from the positive electrode <NUM>, causing the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> to continue conducting electricity.

In the improved example illustrated in <FIG>, an insulating member <NUM>' is arranged between the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM>. The insulating member <NUM>' is a non-absorbent insulating member composed of the same material as the grate <NUM>. By arranging the insulating member <NUM>' between the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> in this manner, it is possible to prevent the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> from continuing conducting electricity.

In the embodiment described above and in the first modification, the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> forming a pair are disposed vertically adjacently. However, the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> forming a pair are disposed horizontally adjacently in the second modification.

<FIG> is a conceptual diagram illustrating a second modification of the arrangement of the electrodes, which does not form part of the invention. <FIG> is a conceptual diagram illustrating an improved example of <FIG>.

In the second modification illustrated in <FIG>, neither the absorption sheet <NUM> nor the grate <NUM> is provided as in the comparative example (<FIG>). In addition, the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> are arranged adjacently in the horizontal direction. Both the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> are spaced apart from the bottom-portion main body <NUM>. Also in the second embodiment, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of erroneous operation, compared with the comparative example (<FIG>). However, there is a risk that the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> continue conducting electricity due to urine dripping from the positive electrode <NUM>, or urine accumulated in the bottom-portion main body <NUM>, or urine dripping from the negative electrode <NUM>.

In the improved example illustrated in <FIG>, the insulating member <NUM>' is arranged between the positive electrode <NUM> and the bottom-portion main body <NUM> and between the negative electrode <NUM> and the bottom-portion main body <NUM>. The insulating member <NUM>' is a non-absorbent insulator similar to the grate <NUM>. By arranging the insulating member <NUM>' between the positive electrode <NUM> and the bottom-portion main body <NUM> and between the negative electrode <NUM> and the bottom-portion main body <NUM>, the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> can be prevented from continuing conducting electricity through urine on the bottom-portion main body <NUM>. Consequently, erroneous operation of the feeder <NUM> can be suppressed from occurring. The insulating member <NUM>' is arranged both between the positive electrode <NUM> and the bottom-portion main body <NUM> and between the negative electrode <NUM> and the bottom-portion main body <NUM> in this improved example. However, the insulating member <NUM>' may be arranged only either between the positive electrode <NUM> and the bottom-portion main body <NUM> or between the negative electrode <NUM> and the bottom-portion main body <NUM>. In addition, the electrode for which the insulating member <NUM>' is not arranged may be in contact with the bottom-portion main body <NUM>. Also in this case, the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> can be prevented from continuing conducting electricity, and consequently erroneous operation of the feeder <NUM> can be suppressed from occurring.

In addition, the absorption sheet <NUM> may be provided below the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> in <FIG>. In this case, both the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> may be in contact with the absorption sheet <NUM>. In this way, urine adhered to each of the electrodes can be absorbed by the absorption sheet <NUM>, and the occurrence of the smell of urine or the like can be suppressed.

<FIG> is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an arrangement in the case where the plurality of positive electrodes <NUM> and the plurality of negative electrodes <NUM> are arranged side-by-side horizontally. The positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> forming a pair are arranged side-by-side (spaced apart from each other) in the up-down direction in <FIG>. In contrast, the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> forming a pair are arranged side-by-side in the horizontal direction (in the left-right direction herein) in <FIG>. A plurality of pairs of the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> are arranged side-by-side with spaces therebetween in the horizontal direction (the left-right direction). By arranging the plurality of pairs in this manner, the density of the electrodes can be increased, making it possible to increase the accuracy of the urination detection sensor <NUM>.

<FIG> is a conceptual diagram illustrating a third modification of the arrangement of the electrodes. In <FIG>, the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> are denoted by solid lines of different thicknesses.

In the third modification, both the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> are configured to have a grating shape. That is, the positive electrode <NUM> includes portions intersecting with each other and the negative electrode <NUM> includes portions intersecting with each other. The positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> having a grating shape are arranged to be spaced apart from each other in the up-down direction. Consequently, the electrodes can be arranged more densely, and the accuracy of the urination detection sensor <NUM> can be increased.

Although the embodiment of the present disclosure has been described hereinabove, the above embodiment of the present disclosure is simply to facilitate understanding of the present disclosure and are not in any way to be construed as lim iting the present disclosure. The present disclosure may variously be changed or altered without departing from its gist and encompass equivalents thereof. For example, modification which will be described below is possible.

In the embodiment described above, the wall portion <NUM> is constituted by the plate wall <NUM>, and the fence <NUM>. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. Any configuration of the wall portion <NUM> may be employed. Also, it is acceptable that the wall portion <NUM> (including the access opening <NUM>) is not provided.

In the embodiment described above, food is supplied to the feeding plate <NUM>. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, food may be scattered on the bottom portion <NUM>.

In the embodiment described above, though the feeder <NUM> is arranged outside the wall portion <NUM>, the present invention is not limited thereto. The feeder <NUM> is arranged within the wall portion <NUM>. However, in the case where the feeder <NUM> is arranged outside the wall portion <NUM>, it is possible to widen an area in the toilet (excretion area). In addition, it is possible to prevent the dog from eating food stored in the feeder <NUM> (specifically, the food container <NUM>).

Claim 1:
A dog toilet comprising:
a receptacle (<NUM>) in which a dog urinates;
a urination detection sensor (<NUM>) including a first electrode (<NUM>) and a second electrode (<NUM>); and
an operating device (<NUM>) configured to operate based on a conducting state of the first electrode (<NUM>) and the second electrode (<NUM>) of the urination detection sensor (<NUM>),
at least either one of the first electrode (<NUM>) and the second electrode (<NUM>) being spaced apart from the receptacle (<NUM>), wherein
an insulating member (<NUM>) is arranged between the receptacle (<NUM>) and at least either one of the first electrode (<NUM>) and the second electrode (<NUM>),
wherein the insulating member has a plurality of apertures (24a) penetrating in the vertical direction and enables urine excreted by the dog to pass through the apertures (24a) from an upper side of the insulating member (<NUM>) to a lower side thereof,
said pet toilet being characterized in that the insulating member is arranged between the first electrode (<NUM>) and the second electrode (<NUM>) in a vertical direction.