TWI827458B - Flush toilet for cats - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a flushing toilet for cats, which mainly includes a basin body, a water inlet module, a cat litter supply module, a sensor, and a controller. The basin body includes a bottom opening gate, the water inlet module is used to provide water to the basin body, the cat litter supply module is used to provide cat litter to the basin body, and the sensor is used to detect the use of the basin body. When the sensor detects that the basin body has been used, the controller will control the water inlet module to supply water to the basin body, control the bottom opening gate to open and close, and then control the cat litter supply module to supply cat litter into the basin body. Accordingly, the present invention can be perfectly integrated into a general household toilet, and can be used by cats through quick installation or direct placement, and the cat's excrement can be discharged from the toilet, keeping the toilet, toilet and surrounding environment clean and odor-free.

Description

Flush toilet for cats

The present invention relates to a pet toilet, in particular, a cat flush toilet that can be perfectly integrated into a general household toilet and can be quickly disassembled and automatically cleaned.

Cleaning up pet excrement has always been a headache for pet owners. The best solution currently on the market is a toilet dedicated to each pet. Taking pet cats as an example, the CatGenie ^® fully automatic flushing cat toilet is currently more popular in the market. Its processing process is to pick up the excrement, crush it and mix it with water, and then discharge it into the toilet through a special pipeline; Then, the special cat litter and bedpan are washed three times by constantly stirring and washing with clean water; finally, the cat litter and bedpan are dried.

However, this cat toilet seems convenient but has the following shortcomings: (1) It is bulky and will occupy a lot of toilet space; (2) The main material of the special cat litter is PP, which is completely insoluble in water and easily Blocking pipelines and toilets; (3). It often happens that the cat litter is not cleaned properly and excrement remains in the cat litter. Coupled with subsequent washing and drying, the smell of excrement will pervade the entire cat litter and even the entire environment; (4). Each actuation stroke is quite time-consuming and energy-consuming. Due to the numerous cleaning steps after a single use, it takes more than half an hour. The cleaning process cannot be used by other cats, and it also consumes a lot of time. Water and power resources; (5). The overall composition is quite complex, the cost is high, and the reliability and service life are low.

Furthermore, after checking the existing patent documents, there are also related patent cases for integrating pet toilets into toilets. For example, my country's New Patent Announcement No. M456694 "Structure Improvement of Cat Flushing Toilet Seats" discloses a device placed in the toilet However, this new patent does not use cat litter, which would violate the cat's habit of using cat litter to cover excrement. This habit may be difficult to completely change through training. In addition, this patented technology does not have automatic cleaning, and excrement still needs to be cleaned manually, which is really inconvenient.

In addition to the above-mentioned Chinese patent documents, there is also Chinese Invention Patent Publication No. CN106305438A "A flip-type flushing unattended cat toilet" which discloses a device integrated into the toilet and capable of automatically replenishing cat litter. However, this device does not Practical, because cat urine and cat litter will stick to the floor and cannot be cleaned; moreover, this previous patent apparently converted a human toilet into a special toilet for pet cats, which can no longer be used by humans.

It can be seen from this that a flushing toilet for cats that can achieve automatic flushing, fully automatic cleaning, can be shared by pet cats and owners, saves water and electricity resources, and is highly reliable has become an eager expectation of the public. By.

The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a cat flushing toilet that can be integrated into a general household toilet, which not only does not affect the normal use of personnel, but also can automatically clean pet cat excrement and automatically clean the toilet.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a flush toilet for cats, which includes a basin body, a water inlet module, a cat litter supply module, a sensor, and a controller; the basin body includes a bottom opening gate, a water inlet module The system is installed on the basin body and used to supply water to the basin body. The cat litter supply module is installed on the basin body. The sensor is installed on at least one of the basin body and the cat litter supply module. The controller is electrically Sexually connected to the bottom opening gate, flushing module, cat litter supply module and sensor of the basin body; among them, when the sensor detects excrement in the basin body or detects that a pet has used the basin body , the controller controls the water inlet module to supply water to the basin body, controls the bottom opening gate to open and then close, and controls the cat litter supply module to supply cat litter to the basin body.

Accordingly, the cat flushing toilet of the present invention can be quickly installed or placed directly on a general household toilet. When a person wants to use a general household toilet, he only needs to move the toilet without affecting the normal use of the general household toilet. In addition, the flushing toilet for cats of the present invention can also automatically flush and clean. In addition to automatically cleaning pet excrement, it can also automatically clean the toilet synchronously to keep the device clean and eliminate odors; it can also take advantage of the situation to remove excrement contained in it. The sewage is discharged through the toilet.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the present invention can adopt two different stages of flushing steps. The first stage directly flushes the excrement, and the second stage collects the water level and discharges it all at once. Furthermore, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the present invention can also adopt multiple stages of the same flushing steps, that is, each stage is filled with water and then discharged at once. In the one-time discharge step after the water level is filled, in addition to fully flushing the entire toilet, the force of gravity falling from the full water level can also synchronize the discharge of excrement from the toilet to maintain the cleanliness of the toilet and toilet.

Before the flush toilet for cats of the present invention is described in detail in this embodiment, it should be noted that in the following description, similar components will be represented by the same component symbols. Furthermore, the drawings of the present invention are only for schematic illustration and are not necessarily drawn to scale, and not all details may be presented in the drawings.

Please refer to Figures 1, 2, and 3 at the same time. Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention in a usage state, Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention in a non-use state, and Figure 3 shows the present invention. A perspective view of the internal components of the preferred embodiment. As shown in the figure, the cat flush toilet 1 of this embodiment mainly includes a basin body 2, a water inlet module 3, a cat litter supply module 4, a sensor 5, and a controller 6.

The basin body 2 can be installed or directly placed on a general household toilet T, and the basin body 2 includes a bottom opening gate 21 and a water outlet 22 . After the basin body 2 is installed or placed in the toilet T, the bottom opening gate 21 is directly connected to the urinal in the toilet T. In this way, the cat flush toilet 1 and the toilet T can share the connected septic system without the need for erection. Additional waste lines.

The water inlet module 3 includes a water pipe 31 and a water cut-off valve 32. One end of the water pipe 31 is connected to an external water source Wo, and the other end is connected to the water outlet 22 of the basin body 2. The water cut-off valve 32 is provided on the water pipe 31. , and electrically connected to the controller 6. The water inlet module 3 is assembled but not limited to the inside of the basin body 2, and is mainly used to provide clean water into the basin body 2 for flushing. As for the source of water supply, in this embodiment, it is connected to the external water source Wo, that is, connected to the faucet in the toilet or the three-way joint of the toilet T, or the water storage tank shared with the toilet T, that is, from the toilet T The water tank pumps water or provides water through other means.

The cat litter supply module 4 is installed above the basin body 2 and can directly deliver cat litter into the basin body 2 to comply with the excretion habits of pets using cat litter. The sensor 5 is an infrared switch and is integrated under the cat litter supply module 4 for detecting the use of the basin body 2 by pets. In addition, the sensor 5 can also be assembled on the basin body 2 , or simultaneously assembled on the basin body 2 and the cat litter supply module 4 . In addition, the sensor 5 can also be an image sensor for identifying pets or excrement.

The controller 6 is installed on the cat litter supply module 4 and is electrically connected to the bottom opening gate 21 of the basin body 2, the water inlet module 3, the cat litter supply module 4 and the sensor 5, and can control the components for control. Accordingly, when the sensor 5 detects excrement in the basin body 2 or detects that a pet cat has used the basin body 2, the controller 6 immediately controls the water inlet module 3 to supply water to the basin body 2, and controls The bottom opening gate 21 is opened and then closed, and the cat litter supply module 4 is controlled to supply cat litter into the basin body 2 . The cat litter used in this embodiment is water-soluble cat litter, such as tofu litter, paper sand, etc.

Specifically, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the sensor 5 detects that there is excrement in the basin body 2 or detects that the pet cat has used the basin body 2, the controller 6 then controls the bottom opening. The gate 21 opens and controls the water inlet module 3 to supply water to the basin body 2 for a specific time. The purpose of this step is to directly flush the basin body 2 with a large amount of water and flush most of the cat litter and excrement into the toilet. Subsequently, the controller 6 controls the bottom opening gate 21 to close and the water inlet module 3 continues to supply water for another specific time. This step is to store water and wash away the remaining cat litter and excrement by soaking.

In addition, the controller 6 controls to open the bottom opening gate 21 for a specific time. This step quickly discharges sewage into the toilet, and through the gravity acceleration of the sewage, cat litter, excrement and other sewage in the toilet are also released. Discharges through the toilet and into the septic line. However, in order to thoroughly clean the toilet and toilet T, this step can be performed multiple times. Finally, the controller 6 controls to close the water inlet module 3 and the bottom opening gate 21, and controls the cat litter supply module 4 to supply cat litter into the basin body 2. The purpose of this step is to finish and reset for next use.

In another embodiment of the present invention for cleaning the toilet, when the sensor 5 detects that there is excrement in the basin body 2 or detects that the pet cat has used the basin body 2, the controller 6 immediately controls the water inlet module 3 Supply water to the basin body 2 for a specific period of time, allowing the water to fill the basin body 2 first. The purpose of this step is to directly soak the basin body 2 to prevent excrement and cat litter from sticking to the basin body 2. Then, the controller 6 controls to open the bottom opening gate 21 to allow the sewage to be discharged quickly.

Subsequently, the controller 6 controls the bottom opening gate 21 to close and the water inlet module 3 continues to supply water for another specific time, that is, the above soaking steps are repeated, and the controller 6 controls the bottom opening gate 21 to be opened again to allow a large amount of sewage to be discharged again. Into the toilet. Similarly, in order to thoroughly clean the toilet and toilet T, this step can be performed multiple times. Finally, the controller 6 controls to close the bottom opening gate 21 and the water inlet module 3, and controls the cat litter supply module 4 to supply cat litter into the basin body 2. Accordingly, this modified embodiment mainly uses water storage, cleaning, and drainage for more than two times. Because a large amount of water is discharged into the toilet at one time, it will ensure that all cat litter and excrement can be discharged from the basin body 2 and the toilet. Can be maintained clean.

Please refer to FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C simultaneously. FIG. 4A shows a perspective view of a cat litter supply module according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4B shows a cross-section of a cat litter supply module according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4C shows a perspective view of the internal components of the cat litter supply module according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the figure, the cat litter supply module 4 of the preferred embodiment of the present invention mainly includes a fixed frame 41 and a cat litter discharge device 42. The fixed frame 41 of this embodiment is an arch-shaped bracket and is connected to the basin body 2. The cat litter discharging device 42 is arranged on the fixed frame 41 . The cat litter discharging device 42 is located above the basin body 2 and is separated by a height. A fixed frame 41 of a suitable height can be selected according to the height of the pet. Furthermore, the cat litter discharging device 42 includes a litter outlet 420 facing the basin body 2 and located at the bottom of the cat litter discharging device 42 . Thereby, the cat litter can be poured into the basin body 2 through gravity.

The cat litter discharging device 42 further includes a cat litter chamber 421, a conveying chamber 422, a discharge channel 423, and a conveying device 424 in order from top to bottom. Among them, the conveying chamber 422 is connected to the cat litter chamber 421 and is located below the cat litter chamber 421. The cat litter stored in the cat litter chamber 421 can be directly thrown into the conveying chamber 422 through gravity to facilitate subsequent follow-up. The amount is then transported.

Furthermore, one end of the discharge channel 423 is connected to the conveying cavity 422, and the other end is connected to the sand outlet 420. The discharge channel 423 is located below the conveying cavity 422, so that the cat litter can be directly discharged from the conveying cavity 422 through gravity. Throw it into the discharge channel 423, and finally discharge it to the sand outlet 420.

In addition, the conveying device 424 is electrically connected to the controller 6 and is adapted to convey cat litter from the cat litter chamber 421 to the conveying chamber 422 and the discharge channel 423 . To further explain, the conveying device 424 includes a stirring wheel 425, a dividing wheel 426, and an actuator 427. Among them, the mixing wheel 425 is connected in series to the material distribution wheel 426 and is located at the bottom of the cat litter chamber 421. The mixing wheel 425 is mainly used to stir the cat litter stored in the cat litter chamber 421 so that it can smoothly fall into the lower conveyance. Cavity 422.

Furthermore, the material dividing wheel 426 is connected to the actuator 427 and is located in the conveying chamber 422. The material dividing wheel 426 includes a plurality of dividing plates 428 distributed radially and equidistantly, which divide the conveying chamber 422 into a plurality of sub-sections. The chamber 429 and the sub-chamber 429 are mainly used for rationing to avoid an unexpected amount of cat litter delivered downwards.

In this way, when the actuator 427 rotates the distributing wheel 426 and drives the mixing wheel 425, the mixing wheel 425 drives the cat litter to fall from the cat litter chamber 421 into a sub-chamber 429, and the distributing wheel 426 will drive the cat litter from another sub-chamber 429. A sub-chamber 429 falls into the exhaust channel 423 . In other words, through the operation of the conveying device 424, the cat litter will be smoothly discharged from the cat litter chamber 421, through the conveying chamber 422, and the discharge channel 423, from the litter outlet 420, and fall into the basin body 2.

Finally, please refer to Figure 5A, Figure 5B, Figure 6A, and Figure 6B at the same time. Figure 5A shows a perspective view of the bottom opening gate of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5B shows a cross-sectional view of line AA in Figure 5A. Figure 6A and Figure 6B respectively shows the bottom view of the bottom opening gate with the slider in the first position and the second position in the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The purpose is to present the two states of the bottom opening gate 21 when actuated by the motor.

As shown in the figure, the bottom opening gate 21 of the preferred embodiment of the present invention mainly includes a flip cover 211, a slider 212, and a driver 213. One end of the flip cover 211 is pivotally connected to the lower surface of the bottom plate 20 of the basin body 2, and can selectively close or open the opening 200 of the bottom plate 20. In other words, the opening direction of the flip cover 211 is toward the bottom of the bottom plate 20 so that cat litter and excrement can naturally fall into the bowl of the toilet T after the flip cover 211 is opened.

As for the slider 212, it is slidably disposed on the lower surface of the base plate 20, and the driver 213 is disposed on the side of the baseplate 20 that does not affect the action of the flip cover 211, and is used to drive the slider 212 to slide to the first position P1 (such as 6A) and the second position P2 (the position shown in FIG. 6B), and the flip cover 211 is in a fully open or fully closed state at the two positions.

Specifically, when the slider 212 slides to the first position P1, the slider 212 blocks below the flip cover 211, and the flip cover 211 is blocked by the slider 212, thereby closing the opening 200 of the bottom plate 20. On the contrary, when the slider 212 slides to the second position P2, the slider 212 is away from the bottom of the flip cover 211, and the flip cover 211 is subject to natural gravity to open the opening 200 of the bottom plate 20. In this way, through the reciprocating sliding of the slider 212 at the first position P1 and the second position P2, the flip cover 211 can be switched between opening and closing.

In addition, the bottom opening gate 21 further includes two sliding latches 214. The two sliding latches 214 are slidably disposed on the lower surface of the base plate 20 and are located on the corresponding sides of the flip cover 211, and each sliding latch 214 includes a sliding slot. 218, and the sliding block 212 is coupled to the sliding slot 218. In this way, the slider 212 can exert a pushing force on one bottom side of the two sliding slots 218 to push the sliding latch 214, and exert a pulling force on the other bottom side of the sliding slot 218 to pull back the sliding latch 214.

Furthermore, the flip cover 211 further includes two protruding portions 210 that protrude toward the two sliding grooves 218 respectively. The lower surface of the base plate 20 includes two sockets 219, which respectively correspond to the two sliding pins 214. In this way, when the slider 212 is located at the first position P1, the sliding latch 214 is pushed by the slider 212 and inserted into the corresponding socket 219. At this time, the sliding latch 214 resists the protruding portion 210 of the flip cover 211. On the contrary, when the slider 212 is located at the second position P2, the sliding latch 214 is pulled back by the slider 212 to exit the corresponding socket 219, and the cover 211 is lifted to open the opening 200 of the base plate 20.

Accordingly, the sliding latch 214 of this embodiment further strengthens the structural strength between the flip cover 211 and the slider 212, allowing the bottom opening gate 21 to be sufficient to support the weight of cat litter, excrement and sewage in the basin body 2. Moreover, because when the slider 212 approaches the second position P2, the sliding latch 214 will be pulled instantly to exit the socket 219, so the flip-up cover 211 can be opened instantly, and there will be no water leakage caused by the slow opening of the flip-up cover 211.

In addition, the driver 213 specifically includes a motor M and a crank 216. The motor M serves as a power source, and the crank 216 serves as a linkage component that drives the slider 212 to slide. Therefore, one end of the crank 216 is connected to the motor M, and the other end is coupled to the motor M. A long through slot 215 is connected to the slider 212 .

In this way, when the motor M drives the crank 216 to rotate, the other end of the crank 216 slides in the through-long groove 215, thereby driving the slider 212 to slide between the first position P1 and the second position P2. In other words, the crank 216 can convert the output torque of the motor M into a linear motion thrust or pulling force, thereby pushing the slider 212 or pulling back the slider 212, and finally driving the slider 212 at the first position P1 and the second position. Reciprocating slip between P2.

The above-mentioned embodiments are only examples for convenience of explanation. The scope of rights claimed by the present invention shall be subject to the scope of the patent application and shall not be limited to the above-mentioned embodiments.

1: Flush toilet for cats 2: Basin body 3: Water inlet module 4:Cat litter supply module 5: Sensor 6:Controller 20: Bottom plate 21: Bottom opening gate 22:Water outlet 31:water pipe 32:Water cut-off valve 41:fixed frame 42:Cat litter discharging device 200:Open your mouth 210:Protrusion 211:Lift the lid 212:Slider 213:drive 214:Sliding latch 215:Through long slot 216:Crank 218:Sliding long slot 219:Socket 420:Sand outlet 421:Cat litter chamber 422:Conveying cavity 423:Exhaust channel 424:Conveyor device 425: Stirring wheel 426:Dividing wheel 427: Actuator 428:Divider 429: Subchamber M: Motor P1: first position P2: second position T:Toilet Wo: external water source

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention in use. Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the internal components of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4A shows a perspective view of a cat litter supply module according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4B shows a cross-sectional view of a cat litter supply module according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4C shows a perspective view of the internal components of the cat litter supply module according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5A shows a perspective view of a bottom opening gate according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5B shows a cross-sectional view of line segment AA in Figure 5A. Figure 6A shows a bottom view of the bottom opening gate with the slider in the first position in a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6B shows a bottom view of the bottom opening gate with the slider in the second position in a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

1: Flush toilet for cats

2: Basin body

4:Cat litter supply module

5: Sensor

T:Toilet

Claims (10)

A flush toilet for cats, which includes: a basin body including a bottom opening gate; A water inlet module is assembled on the basin body and used to supply water to the basin body; A cat litter supply module is assembled on the basin body; A sensor that is assembled on at least one of the basin body and the cat litter supply module; and A controller electrically connected to the bottom opening gate of the basin body, the water inlet module, the cat litter supply module and the sensor; When the sensor detects excrement in the basin body or detects that a pet has used the basin body, the controller controls the water inlet module to supply water to the basin body and controls the bottom opening. The gate is opened and then closed, and the cat litter supply module is controlled to supply cat litter into the basin body. For example, the cat flush toilet of claim 1, wherein when the sensor detects the excrement in the basin body or detects that the pet has used the basin body, the controller controls the bottom opening gate Turn on and control the water inlet module to supply water to the basin body for a specific time; the controller controls the bottom opening gate to close and the water inlet module continues to supply water for another specific time; the controller controls to open the bottom opening gate again At a specific time; the controller controls to close the water inlet module and the bottom opening gate, and controls the cat litter supply module to supply the cat litter into the basin body. For example, the cat flush toilet of claim 1, wherein when the sensor detects the excrement in the basin body or detects that the pet has used the basin body, the controller controls the water inlet mode. The group supplies water to the basin body for a specific time; the controller controls the opening of the bottom opening gate; the controller controls the bottom opening gate to close and the water inlet module continues to supply water for another specific time; the controller controls the opening of the bottom opening gate. Bottom opening gate; the controller controls to close the bottom opening gate and the water inlet module, and controls the cat litter supply module to supply the cat litter into the basin body. For example, the cat flush toilet of claim 1, wherein the basin body includes a water outlet, and the water inlet module includes a water pipe and a water cut-off valve; one end of the water pipe is connected to an external water source, and the other end is connected to to the water outlet of the basin body; the water cut-off valve is provided on the water pipe and is electrically connected to the controller. For example, the cat flush toilet of claim 1, wherein the cat litter supply module includes a fixed frame and a cat litter discharging device, the fixed frame is connected to the basin body; the cat litter discharging device includes a litter outlet , the cat litter discharging device is arranged on the fixed frame and located above the basin body, and the litter outlet faces the basin body. For example, the cat flush toilet of claim 5, wherein the cat litter discharging device includes a cat litter chamber, a conveying chamber, a discharge channel and a conveying device; the conveying chamber is located below the cat litter chamber, And connected to the cat litter chamber; the discharge channel is located below the conveying chamber, one end of the discharge channel is connected to the conveying chamber, and the other end is connected to the sand outlet; the conveying device is electrically connected to the controller , and is suitable for transporting the cat litter from the cat litter chamber to the conveying chamber and the discharge channel. For example, the cat flush toilet of claim 6, wherein the conveying device includes a mixing wheel, a dividing wheel and an actuator; the mixing wheel is connected in series to the dividing wheel and is located at the bottom of the cat litter chamber ; The material dividing wheel is connected to the actuator and is located in the conveying chamber. The material dividing wheel includes a plurality of dividing plates distributed equidistantly in a radial manner, which divide the conveying chamber into a plurality of sub-chambers; When the actuator rotates the material distribution wheel and drives the mixing wheel, the mixing wheel drives the cat litter to fall from the cat litter container into the plurality of sub-chambers, and the material distribution wheel drives the cat litter to fall from the plurality of sub-chambers. The chamber falls into this discharge channel. For example, the cat flush toilet of claim 1, wherein the bottom opening gate includes a flip cover, a slider, and a driver; one end of the flip cover is pivotally connected to the lower surface of the bottom plate of the basin body, and can Selectively close or open an opening of the base plate; the slider slides on the lower surface of the base plate; the driver is provided on the base plate and is used to drive the slider to slide between a first position and a second position ; When the slider is in the first position, the slider blocks below the flip cover, prompting the flip cover to close the opening of the base plate; when the slider is in the second position, the slider moves away from Below the flip cover, the flip cover opens the opening of the bottom plate. The cat flush toilet of claim 8, wherein the bottom opening gate further includes at least one sliding latch, which is slidably provided on the lower surface of the bottom plate, and the at least one sliding latch includes a sliding slot, and the slider is coupled to to the sliding slot; the flip cover includes a protrusion; the lower surface of the base plate includes at least one socket; when the slider is in the first position, the at least one sliding latch is driven by the slider and inserted into the At least one socket, the at least one sliding latch blocks the protruding portion of the flip cover; when the slider is in the second position, the at least one sliding latch is driven by the slider to exit the at least one socket, Lift the cover to open the opening of the base plate. For example, the cat flush toilet of claim 9, wherein the driver includes a motor and a crank; the slider is provided with a through-long slot; one end of the crank is connected to the motor, and the other end is coupled to the slider. A through-long slot; the motor drives the crank to rotate, one end of the crank slides in the through-long slot, and drives the slider to slide between the first position and the second position.