FR3046837A1 - MOBILE TOILET AND PROCESSING METHOD - Google Patents

Abstract

Mobile toilets (1) comprising means (2) for receiving fecal matter and means for actively drying (4) said fecal material in order to reduce its volume.

Description

MOBILE TOILET AND PROCESSING METHOD GENERAL TECHNICAL FIELD AND PRIOR ART

The present invention relates to the field of mobile toilets which are used, for example, temporarily during an event (concert, show, etc.).

When an event attracts a large number of people, for example a concert, it is necessary to provide many toilets for the public. In a known manner, mobile toilets with chemical treatment are generally installed for the duration of the event and then removed. Such temporary toilets are practical but have a negative impact on the environment given the chemicals used to treat urine and fecal matter.

To eliminate this disadvantage, it has been proposed so-called "dry" toilets in which urine and faeces are treated naturally, that is to say, without the use of chemicals. In practice, urine and fecal matter are stored in a sealed tank placed under the dry toilets. Urine and faeces are covered with sawdust - or other carbonaceous matter - deposited by each dry toilet user. Such dry toilets require earthworks to set up the sealed tank, which has a negative impact on the installation area. In addition, dry toilets require significant maintenance in order to regularly empty the tank, which increases the cost of operation. Then, the mixture of sawdust, urine and fecal matter must be collected and transported to its place of treatment, which requires specific equipment and increases the cost of exploitation. The invention therefore aims to overcome these disadvantages by providing mobile toilets that are environmentally friendly, maintenance is easy and do not change the installation area (no earthworks).

GENERAL PRESENTATION OF THE INVENTION To this end, the invention relates to mobile toilets comprising means for receiving fecal matter and means for actively drying said fecal matter in order to reduce its volume.

Thanks to the invention, the fecal matter is actively dried and directly in the mobile toilets, which allows to dehydrate and therefore reduce its volume. Since the amount of faeces is reduced, the maintenance of such mobile toilets is simplified. In addition, fecal matter can be stored directly in the toilet without the need for earthworks. Finally, following its dehydration, the fecal matter is not very fragrant. Active drying provides fast drying, the toilets can be used with great efficiency.

Preferably, the active drying means are situated at a vertical height greater than the vertical height of the receiving means so as to make it possible to increase the space available for the drying means while enabling the gravity-dried fecal matter to be collected. . The greater the drying space, the more efficient the drying. In addition, such an arrangement allows to bring potential energy to allow drying and bag evacuation by gravity.

Preferably, the toilets comprise faeces conveying means from the receiving means to the active drying means. Thus, the fecal matter is transported away from the receiving means, which increases the space available for the drying means while allowing to collect the fecal matter dried by gravity near the drying means.

Preferably, the conveying means comprise a treadmill, preferably inclined. Thus, the fecal matter is received on a flat surface to be transported. The incline of the treadmill is advantageous because it allows gravity to be removed by urine, only the fecal matter is then transported up the treadmill. Preferably, the treadmill comprises, in the lower part, filtering means configured to allow the passage of liquid materials down the treadmill while preventing the passage of solids. Preferably, the filtering means are in the form of a squeegee or flap.

Preferably, the conveying means comprise an elevator comprising a container adapted to be moved between a low position and a high position. Thus, the active drying means are supplied by the elevator. Such an elevator makes it possible to vertically move the fecal matter while maintaining a small footprint.

Preferably, the container comprises evacuation means adapted to evacuate the fecal matter out of the container. Preferably, the evacuation means are configured to push the faecal material or to tilt.

Preferably, the evacuation means are adapted to scrape the bottom of the container during evacuation in order to optimally empty said container.

More preferably, the treadmill includes a squeegee adapted to scrape the treadmill at its output. Thus, the treadmill is optimally emptied to prevent the treadmill from getting dirty. In addition, the squeegee allows for the junction between the treadmill and the container.

Preferably, the active drying means comprises a rotatable drying drum about an axis to dry the faeces in the manner of a tumble dryer. In addition, such a drying drum makes it possible to fragment the fecal matter into aggregates which are simple and quick to dry. The drying efficiency is thus important.

Preferably, the drying drum having an inlet opening and an outlet opening, the outlet opening is at a vertical height lower than the inlet opening so as to remove the aggregates of fecal matter which located in the upper part of the drying drum. Indeed, the dehydrated aggregates are partly higher because of the buoyancy and are evacuated first as filling of the drying drum. These can then be easily collected by gravity.

According to a preferred aspect, the toilets comprise humidification means configured to inject liquid, preferably urine, into the active drying means in order to homogeneously moisten the fecal matter and the toilet paper to facilitate their fragmentation. in aggregates and thus reduce their volume. Preferably, the humidifying means are connected to a urine recovery system, the water then being saved. Preferably, between 40% and 60% of the urine collected is used for moistening the fecal matter.

According to a preferred aspect, the active drying means comprise a fan so as to improve the drying of the fecal matter. Preferably, the fan is configured to emit a stream of air into the drying drum. More preferably, the fan is secured to the conveying means to limit the size of the toilet, advantageously, the fan is secured to the elevator container. The invention also relates to a method for treating fecal matter in mobile toilets, the method comprising: a step of receiving fecal matter, a step of conveying said fecal matter in height and an active drying step of said fecal material; fecal matter.

Thus, the faeces are dried in the toilet to limit its volume and reduce maintenance. In addition, the conveying of the fecal material allows to provide a larger space for drying.

PRESENTATION OF THE FIGURES The invention will be better understood on reading the description which will follow, given solely by way of example, and referring to the attached drawings in which: FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of toilets according to an embodiment of the invention, Figure 2 is a schematic representation of an embodiment of active drying means. FIGS. 3 and 4 are diagrammatic representations of a mobile container according to the invention, and FIGS. 5 to 8 are diagrammatic representations of stages of treatment of faecal matter in the toilets according to one embodiment of the invention. .

It should be noted that the figures disclose the invention in detail to implement the invention, said figures can of course be used to better define the invention where appropriate.

DESCRIPTION OF ONE OR MORE MODES OF REALIZATION AND IMPLEMENTATION

Referring to Figure 1, there is shown the toilet 1 according to one embodiment of the invention. The toilet 1 preferably comprises a passenger compartment (not shown) comprising a floor, side walls, a roof and a door allowing access to the interior of the passenger compartment. The cockpit makes it possible to house the equipment of the toilets 1 which will be presented thereafter. Preferably, the passenger compartment has a paved shape so as to facilitate its handling and transport. Nevertheless, it goes without saying that the cabin could have a different shape. Preferably, the passenger compartment comprises means for locking the door when using the toilet 1 and an external display to indicate whether the toilet 1 are in use.

According to the invention, the toilets 1 comprise means 2 for receiving fecal matter, means for actively drying 4 of said fecal matter in order to reduce its volume, and means for conveying fecal material 5 from the receiving means 2 to the active drying means 4.

Referring to Figure 1, the receiving means 2 is in the form of a horizontal seat on which a user can sit. The horizontal seat has an opening 20 in which are received the urine and fecal matter of the user. For the sake of brevity, fecal material is any solid element, in particular toilet paper mixed with fecal matter.

In this example, the toilet 1 also comprises urine recovery means which comprise a receiving tank, located under the receiving means, a storage container and a pump adapted to conduct the urine received in the receiving tank until 'to the storage can. Thus, it is sufficient for an operator to replace the storage container for the maintenance of the toilet. The storage can can then be routed to a treatment center.

In this embodiment, with reference to Figures 1 and 2, the active drying means 4 comprise a drying drum 40, also called dryer, rotatably mounted about an axis X40. Preferably, with reference to FIG. 2, the drying drum 40 has a length L of between 50 cm and 150 cm and a diameter D of between 40 cm and 80 cm. The drum 40 has an inlet opening 40a from which the fecal matter to be dried is introduced and an outlet opening 40b from which the dried fecal matter is removed. Referring to Figure 2, each opening 40a, 40b is pierced in a side face of the drying drum 40 so as to define outer annular surfaces 41a, 41b limiting the lateral movement of faecal material during the rotation of the drying drum 40 Preferably, the outlet opening 40b is lower than the inlet opening 40a by a vertical distance of between 2 and 15 cm, preferably 5 cm. Such a configuration makes it possible to empty the drying drum 40 by gravity. Advantageously, the light materials, i.e. dehydrated, are located in the upper part in the drying drum 40 because of the buoyancy. Also, because of the difference in height between the openings 40a, 40b, the lightweight materials are discharged first out of the drying drum 40, which is advantageous. Preferably, the drying drum 40 may comprise filtering means (not shown) between its inlet opening 40a and its outlet opening 40b.

In a preferred aspect, the X40 axis of the drying bath 40 is inclined relative to the horizontal axis by an inclination angle β as shown in FIG. 2 in order to improve the evacuation of the fecal matter. Preferably, the angle of inclination β of the drying drum 40 is between -15 ° and 15 ° so as to allow a compromise between optimal drying and filtration of the dried feces. In this example, the drying drum 40 is inclined by about 10 °. Preferably, the angle of inclination β of the drying drum 40 is adjustable to take into account a possible lack of flatness of the installation area on which the toilet 1 rests.

In this example, the drying drum 40 is rotated mechanically, in particular by means of an electric motor. The speed of rotation is adapted to allow the aeration of the fecal matter and therefore its drying. By way of example, the drying drum 40 is driven at an angular velocity of between 10 rpm and 20 rpm.

Referring to Figure 2, the toilet 1 comprises a bag 8 configured to collect the dried fecal matter at the outlet of the drying drum 40 at its outlet opening 40b. Thus, during maintenance operations, it is sufficient for the operator to remove the bag 8 full of dried fecal matter and to install a new empty bag 8. Such maintenance is thus fast and economical since only the dry matter is collected. Preferably, the bag 8 is disposed in a bin opposite the outlet opening 40b of the drying drum 40. Preferably, the bag 8 is made of biomaterial so that it can be treated directly with the dried fecal matter. Advantageously, the packaging in bags 8 facilitates maintenance and logistics since they can be recovered without specific equipment and be directly treated with their container.

Advantageously, the bag 8 is located in the toilet 1, the bag 8 remaining nevertheless inaccessible to the user.

Preferably, as illustrated in FIG. 1, in order to accelerate the drying, the active drying means 4 further comprise a fan 41 in order to increase the flow of air flowing in the drying drum 40, preferably along the axis Xüo of said drying drum 40. Optionally, the fan 41 is also configured to heat said air flow, in particular by means of a heating resistor. It goes without saying that the active drying means 4 may comprise only a drying drum 40 or a fan 41. Preferably, the active drying means 4 are housed in a part of the passenger compartment whose surface The outer surface is dark in color so as to increase the temperature in the active drying means 4 during sunshine of the toilet 1.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the active drying means 4 are situated at a height greater than that of the receiving means 2 so as to have a larger space for the treatment of faeces by drying while avoiding earthwork. In this example, with reference to FIG. 1, the toilets 1 comprise a rigid frame 10 on which is fixed the drying drum 40 and / or the fan 41. Preferably, with reference to FIG. 2, the drying drum 40 has an inlet opening 40a at a height of about 70 cm and an outlet opening 40b at a height of about 65 cm. Such a height makes it possible to optimize the space for the active drying means 4. An output height of between 50 cm and 80 cm also makes it possible to adapt to conventional bin height to set up a bag 8.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the toilets comprise humidification means configured to inject liquid, in this case urine, into the drying drum 40 to homogeneously moisten the fecal matter and the toilet paper in order to facilitate their fragmentation. in aggregates and thus reduce their volume. Preferably, the humidifying means are connected to a urine recovery system so as to use a liquid resource present in the toilet, the volume of urine collected being lower.

In this example, with reference to FIG. 2, the humidification means comprise an injector 9 adapted to inject urine via the inlet opening 40a of the drying drum 40. The injector 9 is connected to a pump which in turn feeds the user's urine into the drying drum 40. In this example, 50% of the collected urine is used for moistening the faeces and toilet paper while 50% is stored in the drying drum. a storage tank.

Still with reference to FIG. 1, the lavatory 1 comprises conveying means 5 for moving the faecal material from the receiving means 2 to the active drying means 4. As the active drying means 4 are arranged at a height greater than that reception means 2, a gravity transport as in the prior art is not possible.

In this embodiment, the conveying means 5 comprise, on the one hand, a treadmill 6 and, on the other hand, an elevator 7 which will henceforth be presented.

The conveyor belt 6 extends partially under the receiving means 2, in particular, under the opening 20 as illustrated in FIG. 1. In this example, the conveyor belt 6 makes it possible to move the collected fecal matter backwards. 'user. Alternatively, the treadmill 6 could be oriented laterally.

As illustrated in Figure 1, the treadmill 6 is inclined to allow the runoff of liquids (water, urine, etc.) and thus prevent them from being conveyed in the active drying means 4 dedicated to the dehydration of fecal matter. In this example, the liquids are stored in a tank (not shown) located at the bottom of the treadmill 6. The treadmill 6 is adapted to raise the faecal matter to its upper part.

Referring to Figure 1, the treadmill 6 has two side baffles 60 at its upper part to guide the fecal matter in the center of the treadmill 6 so that it is easily deposited in the elevator 7. To facilitate evacuation of the fecal matter of the conveyor belt 6, the latter advantageously comprises a squeegee 61 mounted at the upper part of the conveyor belt 6 and adapted to scrape its surface. The escape squeegee 61 extends perpendicular to the direction of travel to clean the treadmill 6 over its entire width. Preferably, the discharge squeegee 61 is mounted in a floating manner by means of springs in order to optimally constrain the squeegee against the treadmill despite the wear of said squeegee 61 or the presence of defects. on the treadmill surface 6. With the squeegee 61, even a sticky fecal material can be separated from the treadmill 6 optimally. In addition, the squeegee 61 makes it possible to ensure the junction between the conveyor belt 6 and the elevator 7.

More preferably, the treadmill 6 comprises, in the lower part, filtering means (not shown) configured to allow the passage of liquid materials down the treadmill 6 while preventing the passage of solids. Preferably, the filtering means are in the form of a squeegee or bib to filter the liquids of the fecal matter. This prevents solid fecal matter from being conveyed with the urine.

In this example, the treadmill 6 is driven by a band but it goes without saying that any type of training could be suitable.

As indicated above, the conveyor belt 6 conveys the fecal material of the receiving means 2 to the elevator 7. In this embodiment, the elevator 7 is chain but it is obvious that other types of training could suit. In this example, the elevator 7 is balanced with counterweights (not shown) to limit energy consumption.

With reference to FIGS. 1,3 and 4, the elevator 7 comprises a container 70, here in the form of a block open by an upper face 70a and by a lateral face 70b, and a chain system 71 configured to move the container 70 vertically between a low position, at the conveyor belt 6, and a high position, at the drying drum 40. Preferably, the container 70 is also adapted to move laterally to partially extend into the drying drum 40 (Figure 7). The elevator 7 further comprises means for evacuation of the fecal matter in the active drying means 4. In this embodiment, the evacuation means are in the form of a pusher 72 mounted in the container 70 and adapted to translate therein to evacuate fecal matter through the open side face 70b of the container 70. When the container 70 partially extends into the drying drum 40, the fecal matter can not be removed. than falling in the drying drum 40.

In this example, with reference to FIG. 1, the pusher 72 is moved by a system of chains 73, but it goes without saying that it could be driven differently.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 3 and 4, the system of chains 73 is configured to drive, in a forward path, the pusher 72 in translation towards the open lateral face 70b by keeping said pusher 72 against the bottom of the container 70 of In contrast, during a return trip, the pusher 72 is kept at a distance from the bottom of the container 70 so as to avoid coming into contact with fecal matter M not evacuated. as shown in Figure 4.

In this example, the container 70 is connected to the fan 41 by a pole so that the fan 41 can emit a stream of air into the drying drum 40 when the container 70 is in the down position. Such an embodiment conveniently allows the insertion of fecal matter in the high position and its drying by the fan 41 in the low position. The compactness of the toilet 1 is thus improved.

In this example, the toilet 1 comprises a power source (connection to the electricity network, electric battery, photovoltaic panel, etc.). The toilet 1 also comprises coordination means (not shown) configured to coordinate the movements of the conveying means 5 and the activation of the active drying means 4 in order to automate the operation of the various members so as to dry and dehydrate fecal matter by consuming a minimum of electrical energy. Preferably, the coordination means are in the form of a computer.

An example of implementation of the invention will now be presented when using the toilet 1.

First, a user enters the interior of the toilet 1 via his door and closes it to preserve its privacy. Then, he sits on the seat of the reception means 2 which extend above the treadmill 6. The user's urine sprinkles the treadmill 6 and trickles down due to its inclination in a receiving tank located under the seat of the receiving means 2. The filtering means in the lower part of the treadmill 6 allow to pass only the liquids in the receiving tank. In this example, the urine from the receiving tank is pumped into a storage can.

The fecal matter, which has a high water content, is received on the treadmill 6 and then moved to the container 70 of the elevator 7 with the aid of the deflectors 60. The squeegee 61, positioned at the output of the treadmill 6, detaches the fecal matter so that the latter is received in the container 70 which is in the lower position in the elevator 7 and whose pusher 72 is in the retracted position as shown in Figure 5. The fecal matter M is introduced through the open upper face 70a of the container 70.

With reference to FIG. 6, the container 70, filled with faeces M, can then move in the up position so as to be aligned with the inlet opening 40a of the drying drum 40. The chain system 71 of the The elevator 7 moves the container 70 from its low position to its high position. Preferably, the container 70 is also partially displaced in the drying drum 40 via its inlet opening 40a as illustrated in FIG. 7.

With reference to FIG. 7, the pusher 72 then moves from its retracted position to its extended position to evacuate the fecal matter out of the container 70, via its lateral face 70b, in the drying drum 40. The pusher 72 moves in translation along the length of the container 70 so as to remove any residue in the drying drum 40 via its inlet opening 40a. Once the evacuation is complete, the pusher 72 moves in the retracted position and the container 70 is moved back to its lower position as shown in FIG. 8.

Still with reference to FIG. 8, the drying drum 40 is rotated about its axis X40, which makes it possible, on the one hand, to dry the fecal matter M in the manner of a tumble dryer and, d on the other hand, to separate the fecal matter M into small aggregates M1 whose drying is easy. In this example, when the container 70 is in the down position, the fan 41 is aligned with the inlet opening 40a of the drying drum 40, which allows a flow of air to be sent into the drying drum 40. increase the drying.

Preferably, during the rotation, a jet of urine is sent to the fecal matter which is mixed with toilet paper so as to moisten the mixture homogeneously, which allows fragmentation of the fecal matter and toilet paper. aggregates as they dry. Such humidification makes it possible to limit the volume of the toilet paper in the bag 8.

The aggregates of fecal matter M1 of larger mass are in the lower part of the drying drum 40 while the aggregates of fecal matter M2 of lower mass are in the upper part. As the drying drum 40 is filled, the aggregates of lower mass M2, that is to say, dehydrated, are discharged through the outlet opening 40b of the drying drum 40 and fall into the bag. 8 as shown in Figure 8.

Thus, thanks to the invention, the fecal matter is collected in a practical manner. The dehydration of the fecal material makes it possible to reduce its mass and therefore the frequency of replacement of the bag 8. In addition, the management of fecal matter packaged in bags 8 is particularly practical. Finally, such mobile toilets 1 do not require any preliminary earthworks, which saves time and does not impact the installation area.

Claims (10)

1. Mobile toilets (1) comprising means (2) for receiving fecal material (M) and means for actively drying (4) said fecal material (M) in order to reduce its volume. 2. mobile toilets (1) according to claim 1, wherein the active drying means (4) are located at a vertical height greater than the vertical height of the receiving means (2). 3. mobile toilet (1) according to one of claims 1 to 2, comprising conveying means (5) of fecal matter (M) from the receiving means (2) to the active drying means (4). 4. mobile toilets (1) according to claim 3, wherein the conveying means (5) comprise a treadmill (6), preferably inclined. 5. mobile toilets (1) according to one of claims 3 and 4, wherein the conveying means (5) comprise an elevator (7) having a container (70) adapted to be moved between a low position and a high position . 6. mobile toilets (1) according to claim 5, wherein the container (70) comprises evacuation means adapted to evacuate the fecal matter out of the container (70). 7. mobile toilets (1) according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the active drying means (4) comprise a drying drum (40) rotatable about an axis (X40). Mobile toilets (1) according to claim 7, wherein the drying drum (40) having an inlet opening (40a) and an outlet opening (40b), the outlet opening (40b) is at a vertical height lower than the inlet opening (40a). 9. mobile toilets (1) according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the active drying means (4) comprise a fan (41). A method of treating fecal matter (M) in mobile foileffs (1), the method comprising: - a faecal receiving step (M); a step of conveying the fecal matter (M) in height; a step of actively drying said fecal matter (M).