ES2830042T3 - Non-gravity toilet - Google Patents

Abstract

A gravity-free toilet, comprising a toilet bowl (10) having a water inlet (11) and a flush system that is configured to provide pressurized water to be flushed into the toilet bowl (10) without the need for force gravitational, the discharge system comprising: an outlet port (302) and a water inlet valve (108) to allow pressurized supply water to enter said discharge system (100) being arranged in direct fluid communication with said water inlet valve (108), wherein said discharge system (100) is configured to empty a discharge water flow through the outlet port (302) towards the water inlet (11) of the bowl ( 10) from the toilet when flushing is initiated, the flush system further comprises a first backflow prevention device (150) disposed downstream of the water inlet valve (108), and a second backflow prevention device (350) ebb available downstream of said first backflow prevention device (150) and upstream of the water inlet (11) of said toilet bowl (10), characterized in that said second backflow prevention device (350) forms a gap of air between said outlet port (302) and the water inlet (11) of the toilet bowl (10).

Description

DESCRIPTION

Non-gravity toilet

Technical field

The present invention relates to a gravity-free toilet comprising a flush system that reduces the risk of contamination of the supply water.

Background

There are many different types of toilets available on the market. The flush system can, for example, be designed to allow flush water to enter the bowl by gravity, which can be provided by arranging a flush cistern at a vertical level over an inlet valve to the toilet bowl, therefore located below the level of the discharge cistern. The flushing cistern contains a certain volume of water that is used for flushing, so the flushing cistern is at least partially emptied after flushing. For such toilets, the flush cistern may be arranged within a hollow body integrally formed with the toilet bowl. However, for wall mounted toilets, such a flush cistern may instead be provided within the wall adjacent to the toilet bowl.

In case the flush cistern inside the wall suffers a water leak, serious damage can occur which can be difficult to detect in a short time. Therefore, it is often desirable to arrange the flush cistern so that water leaks can be easily detected visually.

Another drawback of gravity flush toilets is that they are bulky and take up a significant amount of space. However, reducing the size of the toilet bowl will also reduce the operational performance of the flush system, either by reducing the flush water volume, the flush flow, or both. Such a proposed reduction is undesirable also due to the requirements of European standards due to the fact that a reduction in the size of the discharge system operating by gravity will result in performance well below current European requirements as well as expectations. normal consumers.

For this, another type of flush system has been developed, with a flush cistern arranged approximately at the same level as the toilet bowl. To drain water from the cistern during a flush sequence, a pressurized system can be used within the flush cistern. An electric pump or compressor, or any other energy storage device, can thus provide pressurized water that can be emptied into the toilet bowl without the need for gravitational force. An example of a prior art gravityless discharge system is described in EP2161380.

Although such a flush system makes it possible to provide a very compact toilet, a number of disadvantages will adversely affect the overall quality. One of those disadvantages is the need for electricity, so installation costs and additional operating costs will reduce the overall profitability of the toilet. Another and more important disadvantage is that the contaminated water in the toilet bowl can easily escape from the toilet bowl into the supply water through the flush cistern. Attempts have been made to solve this problem by providing a backflow prevention valve before the inlet valve of the flush tank. However, such a system does not meet the demanding requirements and standards of the European authorities, which is why such pressurized systems are very rare in Europe. Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide a pressurized discharge system that meets all water safety requirements.

Resume

Accordingly, the present invention preferably seeks to mitigate or eliminate one or more of the deficiencies in the art identified above and the disadvantages individually or in any combination and solves at least the above-mentioned problems by providing a flush system with two individual prevention devices. reflux.

Therefore, an idea of the present invention is to provide a backflow prevention arrangement for a discharge system in which at least a part of the water in the discharge cistern used for discharge is disposed below the vertical level of the entrance to the toilet bowl.

A further idea of the present invention is to provide a backflow prevention arrangement for a flush system, which backflow prevention arrangement ensures that the water in the toilet bowl can never escape to the main water supply.

In accordance with the invention, a gravity-free toilet is provided having the features of claim 1.

The flush system may further comprise a flush cistern for storing flush water, wherein at least a part of the stored water can be arranged vertically below the water inlet to the toilet bowl. Said discharge cistern may also comprise a tank for storing discharge water.

The tank may be capable of storing pressurized flush water and emptying said flush water into the toilet bowl.

The discharge system may be capable of emptying the discharge water stored in said discharge cistern by means of an ejector.

The ejector can receive a flow of water to draw water from the flush cistern, and the flow of water can be provided by the tank or by the pressurized water supply.

The tank can be arranged inside said discharge cistern, and said discharge cistern can store non-pressurized discharge water.

The first backflow prevention device can be a backflow prevention valve, and an inlet end of the backflow prevention valve can be directly connected to an outlet end of the water inlet valve. Furthermore, the backflow prevention valve can be arranged at a predetermined distance above a maximum water level in the flush tank. The predetermined distance can preferably be at least 20mm.

The first backflow prevention valve may comprise a first check valve, a second check valve and an intermediate chamber connecting said first check valve to said second check valve, wherein said intermediate chamber comprises a drain outlet.

According to the invention, the second backflow prevention device forms an air gap between said outlet port and a water inlet of the toilet bowl. The air gap can have a vertical extent of at least 20mm.

In this context, a non-gravity toilet should be interpreted as covering all toilets that do not require gravity action on the flush water to empty it into the toilet bowl. Therefore, a non-gravity toilet includes pressurized flush systems of which at least part of the stored flush water can be arranged at a vertical level below the entrance to the toilet bowl.

Brief description of the drawings

These and other aspects, features and advantages of which the invention is capable will be apparent and will be clarified from the following description of the embodiments of the present invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

Figure 1 is a schematic view of a discharge system according to a first embodiment. Figure 2 is a schematic view of a discharge system according to a second embodiment. Figure 3 is a schematic view of a discharge system according to a third embodiment. Figure 4 is a schematic view of a discharge system according to a fourth embodiment. Figure 5 is a schematic view of a discharge system according to a fifth embodiment. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of a backflow prevention device for use with a discharge system.

Figure 7a-c shows another example of a backflow prevention device for use with a flush system.

Detailed description

Various embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art may carry out the invention. However, the invention can be carried out in many different ways and should not be construed as being limited to the stated embodiments. in this document. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. The embodiments do not limit the invention, but the invention is only limited by the appended claims. Furthermore, the terminology used in the detailed description of the particular embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the invention.

The following description focuses on embodiments of the present invention.

In an embodiment according to Figure 1, a toilet 10 is connected to a flush system 100. The discharge system 100 is connected to a water supply conduit 102 to provide discharge water through a shut-off valve 104. Preferably, a filter 106 is provided downstream of the shutoff valve 104. An inlet valve 108 is disposed downstream of filter 106 to control the amount of water entering discharge system 100. The water flowing out of the inlet valve 108 will eventually enter a flush cistern 110, which is capable of storing water between flushes.

Turning now to the inlet valve 108, a float 109 disposed within the flush cistern 110 provides purely mechanical control of the operation of the inlet valve 108. That is, inlet valve 108 is configured to open when float 109 is in a downward position corresponding to a lower water level in flush cistern 110. Consequently, when the water level within flush cistern 110 reaches a predetermined upper limit (as indicated by the dashed line LI), a mechanical link between float 109 and inlet valve 108 will cause inlet valve 108 to close. shut off, thus preventing additional water from entering the flush cistern 110.

However, the inlet valve 108 can be replaced in some embodiments by an electronic valve, which has electronic sensors to control the inlet valve opening / closing mechanism. Other valves, mechanical or electrical, may also be provided that use various control systems to open and close the valve.

A tank 200 is disposed within the discharge cistern 110 and has an inlet port 202 connected directly to the water supply. For some embodiments, tank 200 may be a pressure tank so that it is capable of storing a specific volume of water at increased pressure. In addition, the tank can also be part of a mechanical or electrical pump or compressor, or any other suitable means of providing a discharge water flow. However, tank 200 can also be a tank that stores water at ambient pressure, whereby a spring loaded piston is capable of emptying water from the tank upon discharge. Such a tank is, for example, described in co-pending application SE1250132-6 by the same applicant. For that specific tank, when the water level in the pressure tank 200 has reached an upper limit, the excess water will escape through an outlet 204 whereby the flush tank 110 will later be filled with water. Since the inlet valve 108 is controlled by the level of water within the flush tank 110, the pressure tank 200 will always be full of water before the inlet valve 108 closes.

When the tank 200 is opened to release the stored water, an outlet valve 206 is opened whereby the stored water drains from the tank 200. The drained water thus flows through a conduit 300 that terminates in an outlet port 302. . The outlet port 302 is arranged so that water, exiting through the outlet port 302, can enter the toilet bowl 10 to provide a flush.

In a preferred embodiment, as described in the aforementioned pending application, conduit 300 comprises an ejector 304 disposed in close proximity to outlet valve 206 of tank 200. Thus, when tank 200 empties water from valve 206 of outlet, water will enter ejector 304. Ejector 304 will draw water from discharge cistern 110 (thus acting as an auxiliary tank) so that water from tank 200 as well as discharge cistern 110 will flow through the duct 300 and will therefore enter the toilet bowl 10. However, the ejector can be omitted for flushing systems where the tank is capable of providing enough water for flushing, for example by means of a pump, large tank, etc.

A flush mechanism 400 is further provided to trigger a flush sequence. The flush mechanism 400 is preferably provided outside the flush tank 200 so that it can be maneuvered by the user. Preferably, shock buttons 402 are provided to initiate the shock sequence, whereby a first shock button 402a can provide a large shock while a second shock button 402b can provide a small shock. A lever mechanism 404 is further provided to connect the flush mechanism 400 with the pressure tank 200. Thus, when the flush mechanism 400 is activated by a user pressing any of the flush buttons 402a, 402b, the toggle mechanism 404 will cause the tank 200 to open, thereby allowing the flush water to flow through. toilet bowl 10. The mechanical release mechanism can be replaced in some embodiments by an electrical release mechanism, which is responsive to a user and is electrically connected to a shock initiating device.

In accordance with current regulations, the described flush system (including the toilet) can be divided into three different zones. In the first zone, that is, the water supply conduit 102, the quality of the water is called category 1 water. This category can simply be described as high quality drinking water without any bacterial contamination being harmful to humans. In the second zone, that is, the flush cistern 110, the water is referred to as category 3 water. This category can simply be described as high quality water, although not suitable for drinking, but without harmful bacteria. In the third zone, ie toilet bowl 10, the quality of the water is referred to as category 5 water. This category can simply be described as poor quality water that is not suitable for drinking and possibly contains harmful bacteria.

To prevent backflow of Category 5 water from the toilet bowl 10 to the water supply conduit 102, two individual backflow prevention devices 150, 350 are provided. The first backflow prevention device 150 is preferably a device with different pressure zones and an intermediate zone, vented to the atmosphere. The upstream zone and the downstream zone, arranged on either side of the intermediate zone, are forming different uncontrollable pressure zones for the incoming water. In addition, the first backflow prevention device 150 is directly connected to the inlet valve 108 so that the intrinsic pressure of the water supply is maintained within the backflow prevention device 150. The first backflow prevention device 150 is preferably disposed between the inlet valve 108 and the tank 200, and located at a predetermined distance vertically above the maximum water level, indicated by the dashed line L2, in the discharge tank 110 . More preferably, the vertical distance between the maximum water level L2 and a vent of the first backflow prevention device 150 is> 20mm. This is advantageous in that the contaminated water in the flush tank 110 can never escape the backflow prevention device 150. Furthermore, it is preferred to maintain the intrinsic pressure of the water supply within the backflow prevention device 150 in order to use that pressure to charge the tank 200 with water.

Although the first backflow prevention device 150 prevents contaminated water from entering the water supply conduit 102, it has been shown that there is also a need to provide means to prevent Category 5 water (i.e., water in bowl 10 from the toilet) enters the flush cistern 110. For this purpose, a second backflow prevention device 350 is arranged at the outlet port 302 of the discharge system 100. The second backflow prevention device 350 is an air gap formed by a vertical distance between the outlet port 302 and an inlet port 11 of the toilet bowl 10. The vertical extent of the air gap is preferably> 20mm to safely prevent bacteria and other contaminations from spreading into the conduit 300. The outlet port 302 may be inserted into an outer casing, which at its lower end is connected to the toilet bowl inlet port 11. The outer casing may preferably be in fluid connection with an overflow 111 of the flush cistern 110, which overflow 111 is for the purpose of draining excess water from the flush cistern 110 into the toilet bowl 10 in cases where the inlet valve 108 is not working properly. Preferably, the vertical distance between the overflow 111 and the inlet port 11 of the toilet bowl is> 20mm.

Turning now to Figure 2, another embodiment of a discharge system 100 'is shown. This embodiment differs from the embodiment of Figure 1 in that two individual tanks 200a, 200b are provided within the discharge tank 110. Each tank 200a, 200b is directly connected to the water supply conduit 102 through a shut-off valve 104, a filter 106, an inlet valve 108, and a backflow prevention device 150. However, some of these components, except the backflow prevention device 150, may be omitted depending on the particular application and installation requirements. Before the supply water reaches the tanks 200a, 200b, the water conduit is divided so that each inlet port 202a, 202b receives water simultaneously. In addition, each outlet valve 206a, 206b allows water to be drawn from the flush tank 110 during a flush. The conduits 300a, 300b that guide the flush water to the toilet bowl 10 are preferably joined at a common outlet port 302, however, two outlet ports may also be provided. Alternatively, the two conduits 300a, 300b can be joined upstream of the outlet port 302.

Having two individual tanks is advantageous in many ways. For example, since space within the flush tank is extremely limited, it may be advantageous to arrange a larger number of tanks as each of the tanks can be installed in flush tank areas that cannot otherwise accommodate a single tank. larger tank.

Additional embodiments of the discharge system 100 are shown in Figures 3-5. Starting with Figure 3, a tank 200 forms the complete discharge cistern. Optionally, an additional container can be provided to house the tank 200 to prevent leakage, however, since the tank 200 is hermetically sealed against the environment, such an additional container should not be necessary. Tank 200 is capable of storing water from the supply at high pressure so that pressurized water can be emptied into the toilet bowl. In yet another embodiment, tank 200 stores water at ambient pressure but includes a water pump to provide flow. Another discharge system 100 is shown in Figure 4. Here, the flush cistern 110 stores water such that at least a part of the stored water is arranged vertically below the inlet 11 of the toilet bowl. To drain the water from the discharge cistern 110 to the toilet bowl, the flush mechanism 400 is connected to a valve 220 disposed between the first backflow prevention device 150 and an ejector 304. When the valve 220 opens, pressurized water from the main water supply 102 will flow into the ejector 304, thus drawing the water from the flush cistern 110 into the toilet bowl 10. For such operation, inlet valve 108, of course, must also be opened to allow water to flow into ejector 304.

A further embodiment of a discharge system 100 is shown in Figure 5. Here, there is no need for a flush cistern or tank. Instead, the flush mechanism 400 is directly connected to the inlet valve 108, which provides a direct flow of water to enter the toilet bowl when a flush is initiated. For this particular embodiment, using a first backflow prevention device 150 and a second backflow prevention device 350 in a similar manner to the previously described embodiments, the conduit 103 that guides the water from the first backflow prevention device 150 to the Outlet port 302 may have a larger diameter, either constant or increasing along its length. Therefore, higher flow can be achieved to discharge. Inlet valve 108 may in this particular embodiment be a direct acting relief valve, controlled by relief mechanism 400.

It should be noted that the flush system 100 shown in FIG. 5 can be modified so that the first backflow prevention device 150 is omitted, whereby the direct acting flush valve 108 provides a flow of water at direct communication with the second backflow prevention device 350. However, in accordance with the invention, there is provided a first non-gravity toilet backflow prevention device 150 claimed.

Turning now to FIG. 6, an embodiment of the second backflow prevention device 350 is shown. Flush cistern 110 encloses water conduit 300 which serves to supply flush water from cistern 110, as well as from tanks (not shown) to the toilet bowl. Due to the location of the discharge cistern 110, that is, at a vertical level such that the discharge water is disposed at least partially below the vertical level of the inlet port 11, the conduit 300 must extend vertically upward. The conduit 300 terminates at the outlet 302 which is part of the backflow prevention device 350 along with the inlet port 11 of the toilet bowl. As can be seen in Figures 1-5, there is an air gap between the outlet port 302 of the flush system and the inlet port 11 of the toilet bowl, the air gap of which ensures that the contaminated water in the toilet bowl toilet does not flow in the wrong direction, that is, to the flush cistern 110.

Turning now to FIG. 7a-c, an embodiment of the first backflow prevention device 150 will be described. In this embodiment, the first backflow prevention device 150 is a backflow prevention valve that is actuated by the intrinsic pressure of the water supply. The minimum upstream pressure at which the valve will operate is preferably set at approximately 0.5 Bar to comply with current regulations. However, the minimum upstream pressure at which the valve opens is preferably set in accordance with the specific requirements of the particular installation site. Therefore, the minimum upstream pressure at which the valve opens can be between 0.2 and 2 bar, such as 0.5, 0.75 or 1 bar.

Generally, the backflow prevention valve 150 comprises an inlet 152 that is part of a first check valve 156, and an outlet 164 that is part of a second check valve 166. The first check valve 156 and the second check valve 166 are connected by means of an intermediate chamber 176 having a drain outlet 178 for emptying the water that escapes into the discharge cistern 110. Therefore, the backflow prevention valve is preferably disposed above the discharge cistern 110. More preferably, the backflow prevention valve 150 is arranged at a minimum distance of 20 mm above the maximum water level L2 of the discharge cistern 110, so that the water from the discharge cistern 110 can never escape into the drain. backflow prevention valve 150.

From Figure 7a, an exploded view is shown. An inlet body 152 is connected to the water supply conduit to receive pressurized water. Within the inlet body 152 is inserted a stem 154. The stem 154 houses an insert or check valve 156 which is further enclosed within a spring loaded piston 158. Spring 160, acting on piston 158, rests on a flat rubber seal 162 disposed within an outlet body 164. Within the outlet body 164, a second insert or check valve 166 is provided. The first check valve 156 is sealed against the inner surface of the piston 158 by means of an O-ring. Correspondingly, the second check valve 166 is sealed against the inner surface of the outlet body 164 by means of another O-ring. The outlet body 164 is further connected to a conduit that serves to guide the inlet water to the pressure tanks described above. Inlet body 152 and outlet body 164 may be connected to their corresponding conduit by threads, or by a quick-close connection to facilitate replacement of valve 150.

Turning now to Figure 7b, the backflow prevention valve 150 is shown in a closed position, that is, when there is no water flowing into the inlet body 152 (or water flowing at a pressure below the opening pressure). . In this case, the piston 158 will be forced towards the inlet body 152 by the spring 160 and a lip 168 of the first check valve 156 will be pressed towards a bushing 170.

When water flows into valve 150 at a pressure above the opening pressure, preferably between 0.5 and 10 bar, the piston 158 will seal against the flat rubber seal 162 and the check valve 156 will open, as It is shown in Figure 7c. This is accomplished because the force required to compress spring 160 is less than the force required to allow water to flow through a first check valve 156. Therefore, water is allowed to flow through the check valve 156 into a closed conduit formed between the check valves 156, 166 by means of the position of the piston 158. The second check valve 166 is similar to that of the check valve. first check valve, whereby the water pressure will provide a small gap between a lip 172 and a bushing 174 of the second check valve 166. Therefore, the water is allowed to flow out of the backflow prevention valve 150.

Should a backflow possibility occur, for example due to a decreased pressure in the water supply conduit, the water is prevented from flowing through the backflow prevention valve 150 in the opposite direction as the second check valve 166 will not allow water to pass. Even if damage is caused by, for example, an O-ring leak, the first check valve 156 will provide similar backflow prevention functionality. Even if this also malfunctions, spring 160 will open the intermediate chamber to atmosphere and thus prevent any backflow to the water supply. Thus, when the backflow prevention valve 150 is closed, the position of the piston 158 will open the intermediate chamber 176 to atmosphere. As soon as the inlet water applies pressure on the first check valve 156, the piston 158 will move towards the second check valve 166 thus closing the intermediate chamber 176 so as to provide a closed conduit.

As described above, the backflow prevention valve 150 is preferably disposed above the flush cistern, such that any leakage from the backflow prevention valve 150 will result in a flow of water into the discharge cistern. This is advantageous because there will be no damage to the surrounding equipment.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to specific embodiments, it is not intended to be limited to the specific form set forth herein. Rather, the invention is limited only by the appended claims and, within the scope of these appended claims, other embodiments than the specific ones above are equally possible.

In the claims, the expression "comprises / comprising" does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps. Furthermore, singular references do not exclude a plurality.

The expressions "a", a "," first "," second ", etc., do not exclude a plurality. Reference signs in the claims are provided merely as an illustrative example and shall not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims. In addition, any reference to a relative position, such as upper, lower, above, below, etc., should be interpreted as the position during use, that is, when the discharge system is mounted and connected to a associated toilet.

Claims (13)

1. A gravity-free toilet, comprising a toilet bowl (10) having a water inlet (11) and a flush system that is configured to provide pressurized water to be emptied into the toilet bowl (10) without the need for gravitational force, the unloading system comprising: an outlet port (302) and a water inlet valve (108) for allowing pressurized supply water to enter said discharge system (100) being arranged in direct fluid communication with said water inlet valve (108), wherein said flush system (100) is configured to empty a flush water flow through the outlet port (302) towards the water inlet (11) of the toilet bowl (10) when a flush is started, the system download also includes a first backflow prevention device (150) disposed downstream of the water inlet valve (108), and a second backflow prevention device (350) disposed downstream of said first backflow prevention device (150) and upstream of the water inlet (11) of said toilet bowl (10), characterized because said second backflow prevention device (350) forms an air gap between said outlet port (302) and the water inlet (11) of the toilet bowl (10). The toilet according to claim 1, wherein the flush system further comprises a flush cistern (110) for storing flush water, wherein at least a part of the stored water can be arranged vertically below the inlet (11 ) of water from the toilet bowl (10). The toilet according to claim 2, wherein said flush cistern (110) comprises a tank (200) for storing flush water. The toilet according to claim 3, wherein said tank (200) is capable of storing pressurized flush water and emptying said flush water into the toilet bowl (10). The toilet according to claim 2 or 3, wherein said flush system (100) is capable of emptying the flush water stored in said flush cistern (110) by means of an ejector (304). The toilet according to claim 5, wherein said ejector (304) receives a flow of water to extract the water from the flush cistern (110), and wherein said flow of water is provided by the tank (200 ) or by pressurized water supply. The toilet according to claims 3 and 5, wherein said tank (200) is arranged inside said flush cistern (110), and wherein said flush cistern (110) stores non-pressurized flush water. The toilet according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said first backflow prevention device (150) is a backflow prevention valve. The toilet according to claim 8, wherein an inlet end (152) of the backflow prevention valve (150) is directly connected to an outlet end of the water inlet valve (108). The toilet according to claim 8 or 9, wherein said backflow prevention valve (150) is arranged at a predetermined distance above a maximum level (L2) of water in the flush cistern (110). The toilet according to claim 10, wherein said predetermined distance is at least 20mm. The toilet according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein said first backflow prevention valve (150) comprises a first check valve (156), a second check valve (166) and a chamber ( 176) connecting said first check valve (156) to said second check valve (166), wherein said intermediate chamber (176) comprises a drain outlet (178). The toilet according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said air gap has a vertical extension of at least 20mm.