WO2012141664A1

WO2012141664A1 - Waterless urinal drain with magnetic drive

Info

Publication number: WO2012141664A1
Application number: PCT/TR2011/000230
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mustafa MANAVOĞLU; Erhan DÜVENCIOĞLU
Original assignee: Eczacibaşi Yapi Gereçleri̇ Sanayi̇ Ve Ticaret Anonim Şi̇rketi̇
Priority date: 2011-04-15
Filing date: 2011-10-19
Publication date: 2012-10-18
Also published as: TR201103695A2

Abstract

The present invention pertains to a waterless urinal drain system. A plug (2) moves upwards (39) by a pushing force created between magnetic elements on the plug and a moveable shaft, thus allowing the fluid from the inlet opening (33) to pass to the drainage pipe (10). Upon the cessation of fluid entry from the inlet opening (33) the plug (2) is closed again by the interaction of the magnetic elements and the emittance of the unpleasant odor from the drainage pipe (10) is blocked. A capacitive sensor (34) detects fluid input to the urinal and a drive moves the shaft (38) such that the polarity of the magnetic elements on the shaft facing the magnetic element on the plug changes.

Description

DESCRIPTION

WATERLESS URINAL DRAIN WITH MAGNETIC DRIVE

Subject of the Invention The present invention pertains to a waterless urinal drain system wherein the flow of fluid is realized magnetically without using water by means of the interaction of the magnetic elements present in the system, which provides the expelling of urine from the urinals without using water, serves as a barrier against unpleasant odors coming from the main installation and when necessary, allows the use of water for cleaning purposes without any problems.

Present State of the Art

The use of waterless urinals is becoming increasingly common as they provide advantages of cost savings by reducing water consumption and as they are environment-friendly. Numerous studies are made in order to eliminate the below mentioned problems met with the waterless urinals that are increasingly becoming widespread and to eliminate the detected disadvantages of this system by means of certain improvements.

The basic principle in the waterless urinal drain systems is to realize its cleaning or to prevent any unpleasant odors that may occur by the use of cartridges . In the present waterless urinal drains, gel or dry cartridges are used. The gel cartridges operate on the basis of using the difference of density between the liquids. Many problems have been encountered when using this type of cartridges. For example, during a general cleaning of such waterless urinals, pouring water on them results in the overflow of the gel present in the cartridge, thus ending the service life of the cartridge and causing the spread of unpleasant odors . Considering the disadvantages of the gel cartridges such as, the difficulties in installing and removing the used gel cartridges, their short service-lives, and their failure to prevent the unpleasant odors, dry cartridges have been developed. In principle, the dry cartridges operate on the basis of passing the urine between two thin silicone tongues which then stick to each other and prevent the unpleasant odors from the drainage pipe. The dry cartridges have no such problems as loosing their functionality when water is poured on them. They are easy to install and have a longer service- life. However, in case they are not used even for a short time (i.e. about a week) the silicone tongues contained in them, dry and loose their sticking ability, thus fail to prevent the bad odors coming out from the drainage pipe. As a solution to this problem, more flexible tongues are used and the urine outlet opening is consistently kept closed in order to prevent the spreading of unpleasant smells. However, the above- mentioned systems cannot prevent the unpleasant odors after a certain time. These elements need to be replaced periodically. In the state of the art there are many studies conducted to overcome the unpleasant odors at the waterless urinals, coming from the main installation. In the US Patent No. 5711037, a waterless urinal system is mentioned, which has an oily liquid sealant that allows the passage of urine to the drainage pipe and serves as an odor barrier for the unpleasant odors .

In the US Patent No. 2002/0166162 pertains to a waterless urinal system wherein the inlet funnel leads to a pipe with a reduced inner diameter in order to reduce the speed of the propagation of unpleasant odors, whereas said pipe leads into an expanded area the surface of which allows the condensation of the substances that cause the unpleasant odor. The US Patent No. 2004/0181861 is about a waterless urinal siphon system comprising an element that prevents unpleasant odors that may occur and wherein the unpleasant odors in the air moving upwards in the siphon, are eliminated by a deodorizing element; and the US Patent No. US 2005/0229971 is related to a waterless urinal system in which the pressure at the inlet and outlet openings are equalized by using a separator and the flow rate is inreased by means of a baffle positioned at the lower part of the cartridge, and the unpleasant odors are blocked.

Given the current status, many trials are made to prevent unpleasant odors also by giving various shapes to the drainage pipes, water contained in the pipes acting as a buffer, however in such systems, clean water has to be used after each use of the urinal drain, which in turn leads to an increase in water consumption.

Description of the Figures;

Figure 1 : The closed view of the plug assembly in the urinal drain Figure 2 : The open view of the plug assembly in the urinal drain

Figure 3 : Exploded view of the urinal drain

Figure 4 : Exploded view of the plug assembly

Figure 5 : The view of the magnetic element in the plug

assembly

Figure 6: Detailed view of the capacitive sensor, magnetic element assembly and the engine

Figure 7 : Exploded view of the housing in which the magnetic element shaft and gear wheels are positioned Figure 8: Detailed view of the gear wheels References :

A: The waterless urinal drain according to the present

invention

1: Sealing element 2: Plug Assembly

3 : The pole facing downwards of the magnet located in the plug assembly

4 : Siphon Connection Nut 5 : Form Joint Ring 6 : Reservoir 7 : Nut

8 : V- j oint ring 9 : Upper cover 10: Drainage Pipe 11: Lower Cover

12: Screw ST 2.5 X 13 13 : Housing

14 : Magnetic element positioned around the shaft 14a: Another magnetic element positioned around the shaft 15: PCB (electronic circuit card) 16 : Booster

17, 17a, 17b: Gear wheels 18 : Nut M4 19: Ring Bearing

20 : Safety Ring

21: 6V DC motor

22 : Screw Ml .5X6 23 : Motor and PCB connection housing

24 : Screw ST 2.5X13

25: Plug lower part

26: Plug upper part

27: Sealing element 28: Magnetic element

29: Sealing element

30: Magnetic element slot

31: Positive (+) or negative (-) pole of the capacitive sensor magnet positioned around a shaft 32: Positive (+) or negative (-) pole of the capacitive sensor magnet positioned around a shaft

33 : Inlet Opening

34: Capacitive and similar sensors

35: Silicone joint ring slot 36: Siphon drainage assembly

37: Siphon body

38: Magnetic element assembly (14,14a) shaft

39: Plug assembly direction of movement

40: Connection Element Description of the Invention:

The present invention pertains to a waterless urinal drain system wherein the flow of fluid is realized magnetically without using water by means of the interaction of the magnetic elements present in the system, which provides the expelling of urine from the urinals without using water, serves as a barrier against unpleasant odors coming from the main installation and when necessary, allows the use of water for cleaning purposes without any problems. The components of the drain system of the present invention and the connections of these parts are shown in detail in the figures. Basically, the drain system of the present invention consists of a moving plug assembly (2), a capacitive sensor (34) that detects fluid input to the urinal, an engine (21) giving the first movement to the system, the magnetic elements (14, 14a) positioned around a shaft (38) that controls the up- and-down movement of the plug assembly (2) as a result of the shifting of poles (31, 32) upon the first movement of the system, another magnetic element (28) positioned in a slot (30) located within the plug assembly (2) and the sealing elements. The drain system of the present invention can be fixed to the urinal by means of at least one fastener (40) .

The exploded view of the plug assembly (2) in the drain system according to the present invention, is shown in figure 4. The plug assembly (2) consists of; a lower part (25) , an upper part (26), sealing elements (27, 29), at least one magnetic element (28) and a slot (30) in which the magnetic element is positioned. The sealing element (29) in the plug assembly (2) is preferably an o-ring and is attached to the plug upper part (26) . The magnetic element (28) is placed in the slot (30) and attached to the plug lower part (25) together with the plug upper part (26) . A sealing element (27) , preferably a silicone joint ring, is positioned in its slot (35) on the plug lower part (25) . The plug assembly (2) consisting of the mentioned elements is installed on the reservoir (6) on siphon body. The magnetic element (28) of the plug assembly (2) is located in a housing (30) so that its polarization does not change in connection with the magnetic element assembly (14, 14a) located on body (37) . The magnetic element (28) of the plug assembly (2) is positioned in such a configuration that a power of attraction is created between the magnetic elements (14, 14a) on the body (37) . Figure 7 shows the exploded view of the housing (13) comprising the major parts of the drain system according to the present invention, such as a capacitive and similar sensor (34), gear wheel (17), magnetic element assembly (14, 14a), a DC engine (21), etc. All these parts are mounted on the housing (13) by means of auxiliary elements. The magnetic elements (14, 14a) are positioned around a shaft (38) in such a configuration that opposite poles attract each other. The magnetic element shaft (38) is located in its slot on the housing (13) with the ring bearing (19) installed on it. One of the gear wheels are positioned on the magnetic element group and fixed to their places by installing the safety ring (20) on the slots. Other two gear wheels are positioned in their slots on the housing and fixed into their places with the help of the ring bearing (19) and the safety ring (20) . The booster (16) is positioned on the slot on motor and the electronic printed circuit board connection housing (23) and secured by a nut (18) . The engine (21) is positioned on the motor and printed circuit board (PCB) connection housing (23) and secured by a screw (22) in its place. This assembly is positioned on the housing (13) and again, is secured by a screw (24) . The printed circuit board (PCB) (15), can be fixed on the booster (16) by a screw or by another fastener. The booster (16) prevents the contact of the printed circuit board (15) with other parts. In the urinal drain system of the present invention, first the installation of the plug assembly (2) is realized, then the housing (13) comprising the capacitive or similar sensor (34) and the magnetic elements (14, 14a) , are installed. The upper cover (9) , the sealing element which is preferably an o-ring (1) and the plug assembly (2) are placed in the reservoir (6) as shown in figure 3. The V- joint ring (8) is attached to the reservoir (6) as shown in figure 3. The capacitive or similar sensor (34) and the magnetic elements (14, 14a) in other words the housing (13) is located in the reservoir (6) and the lower cover (11) is mounted on the reservoir and fixed by screws (12) . The above mentioned assembly and elements are positioned on the main-housing (37) . The siphon drainage assembly (36) is also placed in the reservoir (6) as shown in figure 3. The prevention of the unpleasant odor thay may occur in the drain system of the present invention, is based on the principle that the plug assembly (2) is opened by moving upwards (39) in connection with the change of the polarization of the magnetic elements in the system, and closed by moving in the opposite direction, again under the impact of the said magnetic elements. The plug assembly (2) , with the interaction between the magnetic elements, opened so that the the fluid from the inlet opening (33) passes to the fluid drainage pipe (10) , and closed in order to prevent the passage of the odor (gases) from the drainage pipe (10) , to the inlet opening (33) and from the inlet to the environment. Figure 1 and figure 2 show the open and closed views of the plug assembly.

The magnetic elements (14, 14a) in the reservoir (6) and the magnetic element (28) in the plug assembly (2) , are mounted in such a configuration that the opposite poles attract each other when the plug assembly is closed and that similar poles push away each other to open the said plug assembly. In this line, the magnetic element (28) of the plug assembly (2) can be located in its slot (30) either the pole facing downwards (3) is positive (+) or is negative (-), and the magnetic element assembly (14, 14a) on the housing can be mounted by adjusting the direction of their poles according to the magnetic element (28) pole (3) of plug assembly (2) either the positive pole (+) faces upwards (31) or the negative pole (-) faces upwards (31), within the scope of the present invention. The important issue for the magnetic elements (14, 14a) positioned around the shaft (38) is their positioning around the said shaft (38) so that opposite poles of them (14, 14a) attracts each other.

The first movement in the drain system of the present invention is given by the detection of the capacitive or similar sensor (34) of the change in the environment depending on the fluid entering the reservoir (6) . After the capacitive sensor (34) detects the fluid entering the reservoir (6), the engine (21) gives the first movement to the system. With this first movement started by the engine, the gear wheels (17) rotate the shaft (38) 180°, to which the magnetic elements (14, 14a) are connected, thus enabling the magnetic elements (14, 14a) and their poles to change their directions. In case the pole (31) of the magnetic element (14) having impact on the magnetic element (28) of the plug assembly (2) is positive ( +) , the negative (-) pole (32) which faces downwards and if the pole (31) effecting the magnetic element (28) is negative (-), this time the positive ( +) pole (32) moves to the upper position by the rotation of the shaft (38) and creates a pushing force on the magnetic element (28) of the plug assembly (2) . In other words, the pole (32) of the magnetic element (14a) moved to the upper position by the rotation of the shaft and the pole (3) of the magnetic element (28) of the plug assembly become the same and push each other. As stated above when the shaft (38) rotates 180°, the magnetic element (14) located at the upper position shifts to the lower position and the magnetic element (14a) at the lower position shifts to the upper position as the poles (31,32) .

In this way, the plug assembly (2) moves upwards (39) due to the displacement of the magnetic element poles (31, 32) and by the pushing force created by the magnetic elements (14, 14a) positioned on the housing (37) over the magnetic element (28) of the plug assembly (2) . Upon the opening of the plug assembly (2) fluid flow is enabled and the fluid coming from the inlet opening (33) reaches the fluid drainage pipe (10) . After the cessation of the fluid flow is detected by the capacitive or similar sensor (34) , the engine (21) and the gear wheels (17) turn 180° in the reverse direction also causing the rotation of the shaft (38) , in the opposite direction this time, to which the magnetic elements (14, 14a) are connected. Consequently, the magnetic elements (14, 14a) and their poles (31, 32) changing their directions again, come back to their initial positions and the pushing force created on the magnetic element (28) of the plug assembly (2) disappears. Thus, the plug assembly comes back from the opened position to the closed position, both by the formation of attraction force between the opposite poles (3,31) upon each other and by the impact of the gravitational force.

For the drain system according to the present invention, electrical installations are not required, the system operates by a 6V battery. A periodical replacement of the elements are also not necessary, as it was in the state of the art systems. There is no reason to prevent the use of water during the general cleaning of the drain system. None of the electronic parts and sections in the system have any contact with water, which in turn extends the service life of the product.

As mentioned above, working principle of the drain system developed within the scope of the present invention is based on the principle that, the plug assembly (2) opened and closed upon the interaction of the magnetic elements with respect to the change in their polarization. The magnetic element (28) positioned within a slot (30) in the plug assembly (2) is a magnet. Similarly, the magnetic elements (14, 14a) positioned on the body, consist of two magnets, positioned around a shaft (38) so that the opposite poles will attract each other.

Claims

CLAIMS A waterles urinal drain (A) including an inlet opening (33) , a drainage pipe (10) , a main housing (37) ,

characterized in that it comprises; a movable plug assembly (2) positioned on the reservoir (6) on the siphon housing (37) at least one capacitive sensor (34) on the siphon housi: (37) a group of magnetic elements (14, 14a) positioned around shaft (38) within the the reservoir (6) on the siphon housing (37) at least one magnetic element (28) located in its slot (30) on the plug assembly (2) gear wheel (17)

DC engine (21) printed circuit board (PCB) (15) booster (16) at least one connection element (40) . A urinal drain (A) as described in Claim 1; characterized in that plug assembly (2) comprises at least one sealing element (27) that prevents the passage of the fluid coming from the inlet opening (33) to the drainage pipe (10) as well as the passage of gas coming from the drainage pipe (10) to the inlet opening (33) . A urinal drain (A) according to the previous claims, characterized in that; the plug assembly (2) comprises least one sealing element (29) between the lower part ( and the upper part (26) .

4. A urinal drain (A) according to the previous claims, characterized in that; it comprises at least one sealing element (1) between the upper cover (9) and the plug assembly (2) .

5. A urinal drain (A) according to the previous claims, characterized in that; the plug assembly (2) comprises a slot (30) in which the said magnetic element (28) is located .

6. A urinal drain (A) according to the previous claims, characterized in that; it comprises a V- joint ring (8) installed to the reservoir (6) .

7. A urinal drain (A) as described in Claim 1, characterized in that; the magnetic element (28) in the plug assembly (2) is a magnet.

8. A urinal drain (A) as described in Claim 1, characterized in that; the magnetic elements (14, 14a) positioned around a shaft (38) in the reservoir (6) on the siphon housing (37) are magnets.

9. A urinal drain (A) according to the claim 8, characterized in that; the magnetic elements (14, 14a) positioned around the shaft (38) in such a manner that the opposite poles attract each other.

10. A urinal drain (A) as described in Claim 1, characterized in that; the magnetic element (28) is fixed into the slot (30) so that its polarization does not change in the plug assembly (2) .

11. A urinal drain (A) according to the previous claims, characterized in that; the poles (31,32) of the magnetic elements (14, 14a) located in the reservoir within the housing can change their direction by movement of the magnetic element (14) at the upper position to the lower position and the magnetic element (14a) at the lower position to the upper position by the rotation of the shaft (38) 180 degrees.

12. A urinal drain (A) as described in Claim 3, characterized in that; the sealing element (29) is an o- ring.

13. A urinal drain (A) as described in Claim 4, characterized in that; the sealing element (1) is an o- ring.

14. A urinal drain (A) as described in Claim 2, characterized in that; the sealing element (27) is a silicone joint ring.

15. A method for opening the plug assembly (2) of the urinal drain (A) according to the previous claims, characterized in that ;

• the capacitive or similar sensor (34) detects the fluid entering the reservoir (6)

• the engine (21) gives the first movement to the system

• with this first movement given by the engine, the gear

wheels (17) start to rotate with the rotation of the gear wheels (17), the shaft (38) to which the magnetic elements (14, 14a) are connected, rotates 180° rotation of the the shaft (38) enabling the displacement of the magnetic elements (14, 14a) and their poles (31, 32), causes the pole facing upwards (31) to turn downwards and the pole facing downwards (32) to turn upwards by the displacement of the poles (31, 32) of the magnetic elements positioned on the housing, the downward facing pole (3) of the magnetic element (28) of the plug assembly (2) becomes the same as the upward facing pole (32) of the magnetic element (14a) and they apply a pushing force to each other the plug assembly (2) opened by moving upwards (39) under the pushing force applied by the magnetic element (14a) positioned on the housing (37) to the magnetic element (28) positioned in the plug assembly (2) .

.A method for closing the plug assembly (2) of the urinal drain (A) according to the previous claims, characterized in that ; the capacitive or similar sensor (34), detecting the cessation of the fluid flow the engine (21) and the gear wheel (17) turning in the reverse direction upon the rotation of the shaft (38) again 180° in the reverse direction, the magnetic elements (14, 14a) and the poles (31, 32) also displaces and the magnetic element (14a) at the top moves downwards and the pole facing up (32) shifts down again the magnetic element (28) in the plug assembly (2) becomes free of the pushing force applied by the magnetic element (14a) on the housing (37) the magnetic element (14) on the housing (37) applies an attraction force on the magnetic element (28) in the plug assembly (2) the plug assembly (2) closed by moving downwards A urinal drain (A) according to the previous claims, characterized in that; the plug assembly (2) magnetic element (28) is positioned in line with the poles (31, 32) of the magnetic element assembly (14, 14a) positioned on the body (37) , when the plug (2) is closed, so that the pole facing down (3) of the magnetic element (28) is positioned in such a manner that it is opposite to the pole (31) to be effected by the pole (31) of the magnetic elements (14, 14a) located on the housing.