GB2158475A

GB2158475A - Automatic photoelectric flushing apparatus for urinals

Info

Publication number: GB2158475A
Application number: GB8411682A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Wen C Lee
Original assignee: CHEN CHI ELECTRO CHEMICAL; Chen Chi Electro Chemical Co Ltd
Current assignee: CHEN CHI ELECTRO CHEMICAL; Chen Chi Electro Chemical Co Ltd
Priority date: 1984-05-08
Filing date: 1984-05-08
Publication date: 1985-11-13
Also published as: FR2564121B3; GB2158475B; GB8411682D0; FR2564121A3

Abstract

An automatic photoelectric flushing apparatus for urinals comprises: a housing (2) fixed over the water pipe at the top area of a stall urinal (1) with a flushing device (21) such as an electromagnetic valve installed therein; a control circuit (3) disposed in the housing (2) in connection with the flushing device (21); a photoelectric emitting device (30) provided in the housing (2) for producing a light beam therefrom; and a photoelectric sensing device (31) disposed in the housing (2) in conjunction with the photoelectric emitting device (30); thereby, automatic water flushing operations will be effected in a predetermined duration upon the departure of the person forming the light reflecting object. The specification includes a flow diagram and control circuit. The photoelectric emitter and sensor are provided with lenses and concentrating tubes. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Automatic photoelectric flushing apparatus for urinals This invention relates to an automatic photoelectric flushing apparatus for urinals, particularly to that type of flushing apparatus with photoelectric emitting and sensing devices so arranged that fixed flushing operation will be automatically effected without incurring any error action.

At present, conventional flushing apparatus for man's stall urinal are confined to the following three types: 1) Manual typo using hand to press the flushing valve fixed on the water pipe thereof for flushing operation. The problems of this type are that: if the water pressure is low, flushing cannot be made therewith; most users usually either forget to flush or do not know how to use it; and it is easily infected with contageous diseases through hand operation.

2) Timing typeusing a timer to open and close a water valve for time-fixed flushing operation. The problems of this type are: it is ineffective to keep the urinal clean because of the fixed time interval; and it consumes too much water during the time the urinal is not used at all.

3) Automatic flushing typo using supersonic or infrared devices to effect flushing operation. In the supersonic type, error actions often occur for flushing operation since the stall urinals are installed in a public lavatory with close array, which is susceptible to erroneous sound reflection and causes error operation. As to the infrared type, problems are: if the distance between the transmitting body and the reflecting body is too close, error action is easily produced; and if the urinals are installed in a close array, interference often occurs, resulting in erroneous flushing operations.

It is accordingly a primary object of this invention to provide an automatic photoelectric flushing apparatus that improves the known flushing apparatus and overcomes the problems associated with the prior art.

With the obove and other objects in mind, the present invention provides an automatic photoelectric flushing apparatus which comprises: a housing body fixed on the water pipe over the top over the top area of a stall urinal with a flushing device provided therein; a control circuit disposed in the housing body in connection with the flushing device; a photoelectric emitting device provided in the housing body for producing light beams therefrom; and a photoelectric sensing device installed therein in conjunction with the photoelectric emitting device; so that, automatic water flushing operation will be effected upon the departure of the light reflecting object without incurring any error action.

These advantages and other features of the present invention will become clear from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a sectional view of a preferred embodiment of an automatic photoelectric flushing apparatus according to this invention; Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a photoelectric emitting device and a photoelectric sensing device arranged in the preferred embodiment; Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the operational relationship of the preferred embodiment; and Figure 4 is a circuit diagram of a control circuit disposed in the preferred embodiment.

Referring to Fig. 1, there is shown a preferred embodiment of an automatic photoelectric flushing apparatus for urinals according to this invention, which apparatus comprises: a housing body 2 fixed over the water pipe at the top area of a stall urinal 1 with a flushing device 21 such as an electromagnetic valve installed therein; a control circuit 3 disposed in the housing body 2 for controlling the open and close of the flushing device 21; a photoelectric emitting device 30 arranged in the housing body 2 for generating light beam therefrom; and a photoelectric sensing device 31 disposed in the housing body 2 in conjunction with the control device 3 and the photoelectric emitting device 30 for effecting water flushing operation.

The arrangement of the photoelectric emitting device 30 and the photoelectric sensing device 31 is shown in Fig. 2, wherein the device 30 includes a concentrating tube 301 and a lens 302 which is capable of concentrating the light beam produced by the photoelectric emitting device 30, and the device 31 also includes a concentrating tube 311 and a lens 312 which is capable of dispersing the light bean produced by the photoelectric emitting device 30. The two light beams respectively produced by the device 30 and the device 31 intersect at point P which is about 40cm away from the center point R defined by the concentrating tubes 301 and 311.

Referring to Fig. 3, the operational relationship of the preferred embodiment of the photoelectric flushing apparatus are as follows: A timing and oscillating device 40 provides stimulating pulses to the photoelectric emitting device 41 for producing the light beam and concentrated through the concentrating action 42 of the concentrating tube and the lens thereof. If the concentrated light beam is reflected by a light reflecting object 43, the concentrated light beam will undergo a dispersing action 44 through the concentrating tube and the lens thereof and being sensed by a photoelectric receiving device 45 for being fed into an amplifying circuit 46.The amplified light signals are developed across a sync and comparing circuit 47 and an integrating circuit 48, and are fed into driving circuit 51 through a delay action 49 and a timing and oscillating circuit 50 for actuating the flushing device 52 so as to effect the water flushing operation.

Referring to Fig. 4, there is shown a circuit diagram of the control circuit 3 disposed in the preferred embodiment of Fig. 1, wherein a pair of timing oscillators 60 and 61 are disposed at both ends thereof for performing flushing control functions. The first oscillator 60 is an astable oscillator while the second oscillator 61 is a monostable type. The oscillating signals generated by the first oscillator 60 will cause a light source 62 combined thereto to produce a light beam to undergo a light concentrating action through lens 63 and concentrating tube 64.If the concentrated light beam meets a reflecting object presenting in the area within 40cm range, it will be relayed to the photoelectric sensing device 68 through the concentrating tube 66 and the lens 67 whose function is to turn the concentrated light beam into its original form for facilitating the sensing action of the photoelectric sensing device 68 where the sensed signals will be strengthened through a transistor 69 and an operation amplifier OP. If the strengthened signals are in synchronization with the signals outputted from the pin 3 of the oscillator 60, they will be transfered to the time-delay circuit 71 through a NAND gate, an integrating circuit R1, C11 (which is used for preventing error action), and an inverter 601.As the resistance of the resistor R3 is much smaller than that of the resistor R2 in the time-delay circuit 71, most of the signals will pass through the diode D3 and the resistor R3 to charge the capacitor C2 whose charging time can be set in advance. After the charging is done, the signals thereof will be impressed across the pin 2 of the second oscillator 61 through a pair of inverters 602 and 603 connected in series between the time-delay circuit 71 and the oscillator 61. At this time, however, the oscillator 61 will remain unactuated thereat. When the light reflecting object departed from the place, the pin 2 of the oscillator 61 will be changed into a low-potential state, and the oscillator 61 is therefore actuated to conduct therefrom and drive the flushing device 73 to effect water flushing operation.The duration of the drive signals produced by the oscillator 61 can also be set in advance. When the predetermined time is met, no signals will be fed into the flushingh device 73, and the water flushing operation is ceased accordingly. On the other hand, if no light reflecting object is present to reflect the light bean to the photoelectric sensing device 68, the imput of the NAND gate will be in a reverse direction to that before the presence of the light reflecting object. Therefore, the flushing device 73 remains unactuated thereat.

Referring to Fig. 2 again, there is an included angle defined by the concentrating tube 301 of the photoelectric emitting device 30 and the concentrating tube 311 of the photoelectric sensing device 31. The purpose of this included angle is to ensure that only the light reflecting object is present within the effective range (40cm), can the control circuit 3 be actuated so as to avoid error action- in flushing operation.

It shall be appreciated that the frequency required f6r the time and oscillating device can be arranged with different ranges, particularly when a plurality of stall urinals have to be installed in one place, so that no interference will occur for producing error action.

While a preferred embodiment has been illustrated and described, it is to be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be mede therein without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.

Claims

1. An automatic photoelectric flushing apparatus for urinal having a flushing device (21) such as an electromagnetic valve connected to the water pipe thereof characterized by: a housing body (2) fixed on the water pipe over the top of the urinal (1) in connection with the flushing device (21); a control means (3) disposed in the housing body (2) in conjunction with the flushing device (21); a photoelectric emitting means (30) arranged in the housing body (2) for generating light beam therefrom; and a photoelectric sensing means (31) provided in the housing body (2) in connection with said control means (3) and said photoelectric emitting means (30) for automatically effecting water flushing operations without incurring any error action.

2. An automatic photoelectric flushing apparatus according to Claim 1 wherein said control means (3) is characterized by: a first oscillator (60) disposed for generating stimulating signals to said photoelectric emitting means (30) in producing the light beam thereof; a photoelectric sensing circuit (68) provided in connection with said first oscillator (60); a transistor (69) coupled with said sensing circuit (68); an operation amplifier (70) connected to said transistor (69); a NAND gate circuit combined with an inverter (601) connected to said operation amplifier (70); a time-delay circuit (71) combined with a pair of inverters (602, 603) coupled with said NAND gate circuit; and a second oscillator (61) connected to said inverters (602, 603) and the flushing device (73) for automatically effecting water flushing operations.

3. An automatic photoelectric flushing apparatus according to Claim 1 wherein said photoelectric emitting means (30) is characterized by: a first light concentrating tube (301) provided in said housing body (2); and a first lens (302) installed in said first light concentrating tube (301) for concentrating the light beam produced thereat.

4. An automatic photoelectric flushing apparatus accaording to Claim 1 wherein said photoelectric sensing means (31) is characterized by: a second light concentrating tube (311) provided in said housing body (2) in conjunction with said first light concentrating tube (301) of said photoelectric emitting means (30); and a second lens (312) installed in said second concentrating tube (311) for dispersing the light beam produced by said photoelectric emitting means (30).

5. An automatic photoelectric flushing apparatus according to Claim 4 wherein the arrangement of said second concentrating tube (311) is characterized in that an included angle is formed between said first concentrating tube (301) and said second concentrating tube (311).

6. An automatic photoelectric flushing apparatus according to Claim 5 wherein said included angle is characterized in that the distance between the intersect point and the center point of said first and second lenses (302, 312) is preferably 40 centimeters.

7. An automatic photoelectric flushing apparatus according to Claim 2 wherein said oscillators (60, 61) are characterized in that different frequencies can be arranged for meeting the requirement of a plurality of urinals installed in one place so as to eliminate possible interference thereof.

8. An automatic photoelectric flushing apparatus according to Claim 2 wherein said oscillators (60, 61) are characterized in that the first oscillator (60) is an astable type while the second oscillator (61) is a monostable type.

9. An automatic photoelectric flushing apparatus for urinal substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings of Fig. 1 through Fig. 4.