MXPA00010023A - Toilet apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Toilet apparatus comprises a toilet pan (11), an outlet pipe (78) for the contents of the pan, a closeable lid (21) on the pan forming with the pan a waste receptacle chamber, a seal (22) between the lid (21) and the pan (11), means (12) for introducing water into the chamber to wash the internal surface of the pan, and means (2) for subsequently increasing the air pressure in the chamber to force the contents of the pan through the outlet pipe.

Description

TOILET APPLIANCE This invention relates to a toilet apparatus and in particular to an apparatus that uses little water in each cleaning cycle. A conventional toilet or toilet is disposed of waste matter by a hydraulic means only by relying on a sufficiently large volume of water to generate sufficient force to expel the waste from the toilet bowl. There are many toilet systems that remove waste matter with negative pneumatic pressure, for example, by dragging the waste from the toilet through a toilet. outlet pipe using various valves, pumps, vacuum chambers, transfer tanks and the like. These systems reduce the consumption of water but in general they are difficult to manufacture and inconvenient to install, use and maintain.

US-A-4, 306, 321 discloses a toilet for boats and caravans in which a sealed chamber, including the toilet bowl, is pressurized to discharge the contents of the bowl through a discharge valve into a container. holding tank, the chamber that is subsequently pressurized another ^ g ^ once to discharge the cleaning water through the outlet tube to clean the valve. DE-A-19 623 331 and FR-A-2, 696, 200 provide both cleaning water under pressure to a sealed cup / chamber to wash the contents of the cup through an outlet tube, but do not make provision to increase the pressure in the chamber. It is an object of the present invention to avoid or alleviate these difficulties by providing a toilet apparatus that uses a positive pressure to discharge waste matter from the bowl to an outlet tube, thereby reducing water consumption. This apparatus has the additional advantage that since the outlet tube is not clogged by valves or other equipment, the toilet can also be used in a conventional manner. The present invention is a toilet apparatus comprising a toilet bowl, an outlet tube for the contents of the bowl, a sealable lid in the bowl that forms with the bowl a waste receptacle chamber, a seal between the lid and the cup, a means to introduce water into the chamber to wash the inner surface of the cup and a means for subsequently increasing the air pressure in the chamber to force the contents of the bowl through the outlet tube. Preferably, means are provided to estimate the introduced water to wash the inner surface of the bowl. provide with a clamping mechanism to secure the lid in its closed position A clamping sensor can be associated with the clamping mechanism to detect the clamping of the lid and start operation of the apparatus In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the tube of The outlet is formed with an S-curve water trap. The means for increasing the air pressure in the chamber may include an air displacement unit connected to the chamber and preferably also to the water tank. The unit may comprise a piston that can be moved in a cylinder The piston that moves in the cylinder in a stroke displaces a volume of air sufficient to proportion the pressure in the chamber required to expel the contents of the bowl The piston can be double actuated, the other stroke of the piston that provides the air to pressurize the cistern and in this way the water that cleans the internal surface of the bowl before the contents of the bowl are expelled. The cup is provided with entries for water to wash its surface, these entrances that are located in the upper part of the cup and that are connected to the cistern by means of which the escape of air from the chamber is prevented. Preferably, a cistern is connected to the cup by two tubes each incorporating a siphon. A tube is normally closed, but can be opened manually to operate the siphon, while the other tube is open and can act as an overflow outlet. The tank is provided with a sufficient opening to delay the pneumatic pressure and is connected to the air displacement unit. When the air displacement unit is activated, the displaced air pressurizes the cistern and all the outlets and pipes to the outside are closed, the water in the cistern is forced through the open siphon and into the bowl. When the overflow tube is discharged when the water level falls to a predetermined level, the Pressure in the tank can be released while allowing continuous syphonic flow from the tank to the cup. The operation of the air displacement unit can be activated by the clamping of the cover, the clamping action that is detected by a sensor. The toilet can be equipped with a containment / retention / siphon tank that can be pneumatically operated / emptied. An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a partially sectioned perspective view of the toilet apparatus according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the chamber and air displacement unit of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a perspective view in partial section of the tank and cup used in Figure 1. Referring now to the drawings, the Figure 1 shows the complete toilet apparatus indicated generally at 1. A unit 2 of air displacement shown installed on the guide rails 3 secured to the chassis guides 4 w? by fasteners (not shown) thus allowing unit 2 to be easily removed and install as required. A power supply 5 enters a control box 6 containing a proximity sensor 7 and the control apparatus (not shown) and is connected to a second proximity sensor 8 by a cable 9. The cable 9 9 10 passes through a guide tube 10 which places the sensor 8 inside the toilet bowl 11 near a suction pin 34 as will be described later. A tank 12 has a lid 13 secured in a seal 14 by bolts passing through holes 15. An air hose 16 connects the air displacement unit 2 to the tank 2 through a connector 17, thereby allowing the tank to be pressurized. A float valve inlet 18 is connected to a supply suitable for water and an overflow / vent pipe is shown at 71. The cup 11 has a seat 20, a cover 21 and a removable cover seal / holder assembly 22. The lid 21 is provided with supports 23 of hinge and rises and falls around chassis rockers 24 (Figure 2) as will be explained later. The hinge brackets 23 have a recess 25 sufficient to receive the cover of the seal / holder assembly at the guide points 26. The seal / holder assembly 22 is additionally provided with a hook 27, thus allowing it to slide under the cover 21 and secured by a pin 28 in the holes 29, while simultaneously engaging the guide points 26 of the cover in the recesses 25 of the hinge supports. The lid seal 30 is fixed to the clamping assembly 22 and constitutes an air tight seal with the edge 31 of the cup 11 when the lid is closed. A handle 32 of the clamping assembly drives the clamping mechanism with a pushing / pulling action through internal cams (not shown) rotating a shaft 33, thus transmitting the movement to a clamping bolt 34 (Figure 2) . It will be appreciated that with this arrangement, a conventional toilet lid can be converted to a sealable, clamped lid. The clamping bolt 34 is provided with a magnetic tip 35 which allows the bolt to activate the sensor 8 when in the clamped position. The clamping action of the lid also initiates a cleaning cycle by actuating the air displacement unit 2. Figure 2 shows the air displacement unit 2 and its connection to the cup 11 through the connectors 36 and 37 which are a male and female taper fit and have between them a seal to form an air tight connection. It will be appreciated that, with this arrangement, according to the unit 2 slides towards the position in the chassis guides 4, the connectors are automatically aligned to form an air-tight connection capable of transmitting air under pressure from unit 2 to the cup. The air displacement unit 2 consists of a terminal plate 39 fastened to a cylindrical housing 40 in which a fixed electromagnet 41 is located around a central guide tube 42. A second electromagnet 43 is fixed to a piston 44 and has a rod 45 central way that forms a tight air adjustment in the guide tube 42. The piston is provided with a pneumatic seal 47 and is free to travel along the hole 40 of the cylinder. In Figure 2, unit 2 is shown in its rest position. It will be appreciated that when the polarities of the electromagnets 41 and 43 are such that they attract each other, the piston 44 is withdrawn along the cylinder bore 40 in the direction of the arrow A, thereby displacing the air in the cylinder 40 and forcing it through a opening 48 and through the hose 16 to the tank 12. Once the piston has reached the end of its travel, the proximity sensor 7 detects this and changes the polarity of one of the electromagnets 41 and 43 so that now they repel each other. The piston 44 is then withdrawn along the hole of the cylinder in the direction of the arrow B thus moving the air again in the cylinder 40. This displaced air is forced through the connectors 36 and 37 and into the sealed chamber of the cup. Once the piston 44 has reached the end of its travel, a proximity sensor 50 detects this and causes the electromagnets 41 and 43 to de-energize. The air displacement unit 2 is readjusted once if the sensor 8 senses that the cover 21 has been opened. The air outlets 51 are of the tongue valve type and allow an inflow of air into the cylindrical chamber 43 sufficient to prevent a vacuum developing behind the piston 44. The piston 44 can be manually operated by a handle 52 (Figure 1) which is connected to the guide rod 45. The hinge brackets 53 and the hinge brackets 23 of the lid are connected to the rockers 24 of chassis by hinge pins and are free to rotate around them. Figure 3 shows the cistern 12. A primary siphon 55 is connected to the water tube 56 which in turn is connected to the cup 11 in the connector 57. The connector 57 is provided with a tab valve 58 allowing the flow of air and water only in the direction of arrow C. This allows the tank to discharge into the cup while blocking the escape of air from the cup. The primary trap 55 is provided with a flap valve 59 to prevent the flow of water from the tank 12. The flow of water through the trap 55 is achieved by raising the plunger 60 which is connected to a siphon actuator 61 and a lever 62 of tongue valve that is provided in a fulcrum 63. It will be appreciated that with this arrangement, the siphon is blocked normally, but when raising the plunger 60, the tongue valve is opened by the lever 62 and the syphonic flow is initiated by the actuator fc 65, thereby depositing the contents of the tank in the cup 11 in a sufficient amount to clean the cup. Conveniently, the means for raising the plunger 60 is provided by the handle 64, which connects the rod 65 and the lever 66. A secondary piston 67 consists of an open tube P 10 provided with a bell mouth 68 to facilitate the breaking cash from your siphon. The siphon 67 is connected to a water pipe 69 which enters the cup 11 and distributes water on the surface of the cup through the nozzles 70 located 15 under the edge of the cup 11, thus providing a spray pattern efficient to clean the cup. With this arrangement, an open overflow path is always provided to the cup 11. The nozzles 70 and the tube 69 can be equipped with valves to inhibit the escape of air from the cup 11. An overflow tube 71 is connected to the cistern 11 and is provided with an additional opening around its circumference 72. It connects a sleeve to a float 75 for a rod 76 and fits over the overflow tube 71 where it is free to spin on it. Two openings 74 are provided such that as the sleeve 73 rotates the opening can be exposed or concealed by the openings 74 of the sleeve. A terminal cap 77 is an air tight fitting on the tube 61 retains the sleeve 73 in place. In this way, as the level of water in the tank changes, the float 75 rises and falls, consequently, thereby rotating the sleeve 63 in the tube 61 that opens and closes the vent of the tank through the openings 72 and 74. It will be appreciated that with this arrangement the waste is deposited in the cup 11 and the lid is closed and locked. The clamping action of the lid 22 drives the sensor 8 to activate the air displacement unit 2 causing the piston to be driven forward to force air towards the tank through the hose 16. Since the water level in the cistern is high, the tube opening 72 is blocked and there is no vent for the displaced air. Consequently, water is forced through the open secondary siphon 67 and into the cup 11 where the nozzles 70 They provide a spray pattern to wash the surface of the cup. As the water level of the tank drops, the float 75 drops thereby exposing the opening 72 after which the pressurized air is vented via the opening 72. The air resistance to the piston 44 drops and the piston quickly reaches the end of your trip. The water is still able to flow through the open siphon at a reduced speed due to gravity. The direction of the piston 44 now reverses and the air within the sealed chamber of the bowl is pressurized, after which the waste is forced through the outlet tube 78. The piston 44 reaches the end of its journey and completes the cleaning cycle. However, the siphon 67 is still active and a sufficient amount of water to fill the seal 78 of the water trap is deposited in the cup 11 before the water level falls to the level of the mouth of the bell 68 and break the siphon. The water level of the tank is then replenished via the float valve and the float 75 is lifted, thereby closing the vent 72. In the case of failure of the inlet valve, the float 75 is lifted by aligning this mode the opening 72 of the tube with the second opening 74 of the valve, allowing the water to drain. Alternatively, the water lift can be drained through the siphon open to the cup 11. Other embodiments of the invention can provide an overflow via the tank hose 16 and the displacement equipment of the tank.

It will be appreciated that the toilet apparatus can be used in a manual, conventional, hydraulic cleaning mode by using the handle 64.

While the air displacement unit as described is operated electrically or manually, it can be modified to operate mechanically, hydraulically or pneumatically. In a further modification of the described mode, the tank is not pressurized and the piston can be operated either individually, in which case the return stroke serves only to readjust the unit, or be double actuated in which case the Return stroke serves to pressurize the chamber in a second cleaning cycle. The air displacement unit can take other forms including a diaphragm, a air pump or a compressed air tank. In a further modification of the mode, the air displacement unit takes the form of a compressor, diaphragm or pressurized gas reservoir container.

Claims (20)

1. CLAIMS • 1. Toilet appliance comprising a toilet bowl, an outlet tube for the contents of the bowl, a sealable lid on the bowl that forms with the bowl a waste receptacle chamber, a seal between the lid and the bowl. cup, a means for introducing water into the chamber to wash the inner surface of the cup, and a means for 10 supply air under pressure to the chamber to force the contents of the bowl through the outlet pipe, characterized by a water trap seal in the outlet pipe and by a means for supplying water to replenish the water to the outlet. 15 water trap after the contents of the cup have been ejected and compressed air is not being supplied to the chamber any longer.
2. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the means for increasing the 20 air pressure in the chamber comprises an air displacement unit.
3. The apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the air displacement unit comprises a piston in a cylinder.
4. 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the piston can be operated electromagnetically.
5. The apparatus according to claim 3, or claim 4, characterized in that the air displacement unit has an outlet at one end of the cylinder connected to the chamber, by which the movement of the piston towards that end of the cylinder increases the air pressure in the chamber.
6. The apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the air displacement unit has a second outlet at the second end of the cylinder, the second outlet also being connected to the chamber.
7. The apparatus according to any of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the means for introducing water into the chamber includes the air displacement unit.
8. The apparatus according to claim 7, when dependent on claim 3, characterized by a cistern for retaining the cleaning water.
9. The apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that the air displacement unit has a second outlet at the second end of the cylinder, whereby the movement of the piston towards the second end pressurizes the cistern and forces the water from the cistern towards the cup.
10. The apparatus according to claim 8 or claim 9, characterized in that the cistern includes a siphon for distributing water to the bowl to wash the inner surface of the bowl.
11. The apparatus according to claim 10, when dependent on claim 9, characterized in that the operation of the air displacement unit forces the water through the siphon to the bowl.
12. The apparatus according to claim 8, characterized by a float valve in the tank, the float valve that is sensitive to the water level to the tank to release the pressure in the tank to a predetermined level of water.
13. The apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that the siphon continues to distribute water to the cup after the pressure in the tank has been released.
14. The apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lid is provided by a clamping mechanism to secure the lid in closed clamping.
15. 15. The apparatus according to claim 14, when dependent on claim 2, characterized in that a clamping sensor is associated with the clamping mechanism to detect the clamping of the lid and start the operation of the air displacement unit.
16. 16. The apparatus according to claim 15, characterized in that the sensor initiates the movement of the piston. f9! 0
17. 17. The apparatus according to claim 16, characterized in that a piston sensor is provided at one end of the cylinder to detect the piston at that end and initiate the movement of the piston towards the other end.
18. 18. The apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lid and the seal are a removable unit.
19. 19. The apparatus according to the preceding claim, further characterized by means 20 to supply the chamber with a sufficient volume of water to clean the contents of the cup through the outlet tube without increasing the pressure of the chamber.
20. 20. The apparatus according to claim 3 or 25 any of claims 4 to 19, when is dependent on claim 3, in which the piston is a stroke displaces a volume of air sufficient to expel the contents of the cup. ^ ES ^^^^^ H ^^.