WO2016035317A1

WO2016035317A1 - Onboard toilet system

Info

Publication number: WO2016035317A1
Application number: PCT/JP2015/004406
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yoshimaro SAWADA; Shuji Yoshizawa
Original assignee: Chodai Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2014-09-04
Filing date: 2015-08-31
Publication date: 2016-03-10

Abstract

An onboard toilet system for installation in a vehicle for treating organic waste produced onboard, includes a container for storing the organic waste　produced; a stirrer for stirring the organic waste stored in the container; a driving mechanism for driving the stirrer; a separator installed in the container for separating liquid from the organic waste and discharging the liquid from the container; and a liquid waste treatment unit for receiving the liquid discharged from the container and rendering the liquid environmentally harmless.

Description

ONBOARD TOILET SYSTEM

The present invention relates to an onboard toilet system for installation in a variety of transportation vehicles such as railroad cars.

Rolling stock such as railroad passenger cars and automobiles such as long-distance buses are equipped with toilets for the comfort of passengers.　In some of these toilets, organic waste such as human excrement from passengers is discharged from the vehicle without any treatment, meaning that various harmful bacteria directly contaminate the environment.　Therefore, a storage container for the waste is provided with the onboard toilet, the waste stored in the container is removed when the vehicle is cleaned at a depot between operations, and the removed waste is rendered harmless by a ground-based waste treatment facility.

However, if the vehicles are in operation while organic waste such as untreated human excrement is stored in the container, the operation of the vehicles is limited by the capacity of the container. In other words, in that case, the organic waste must be discharged from the container before the amount of organic waste reaches the container's storage limit. This results in a problem that flexible operation of the vehicles cannot be fully achieved. Meanwhile, another problem arises in that valuable onboard space cannot be fully utilized since the container is installed.

In order to solve the above and other problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an onboard toilet system enabling decreasing a volume of the organic waste stored onboard and separating a liquid portion of the organic waste from a solid portion thereof and discharging the liquid portion as separated from the vehicle.

In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention is an onboard toilet system for installation in a vehicle for treating organic waste produced onboard, comprising a container for storing the organic waste produced, a stirrer for stirring the organic waste stored in the container, a driving mechanism for driving the stirrer, a separator installed in the container for separating liquid from the organic waste and discharging the liquid from the container, and a liquid waste treatment unit for receiving the liquid discharged from the container and rendering the liquid environmentally harmless.

An onboard toilet system according to an aspect of the present invention enables the volume of the organic waste stored onboard to be reduced and a liquid portion of the organic waste to be separated from a solid portion thereof and discharged from the vehicle.

Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view of a railroad passenger car equipped with an onboard toilet system of an aspect of the present invention. Fig. 2 shows the overall structure of the onboard toilet system. Fig. 3 is an elevation view of the onboard toilet system. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the onboard toilet system. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a waste treatment apparatus of the onboard toilet system. Fig. 6 is a side view of the stirring assembly. Fig. 7 is a front elevation view of the stirring assembly. Fig. 8 is an exemplary plan view of a partition panel. Fig. 9 is a side view of a liquid waste treatment unit of the onboard toilet system. Fig. 10 is a front elevation view of a baffle plate. Fig. 11 shows a front elevation view of a filter plate.

The present invention will be described hereinbelow according to one embodiment thereof with reference to the attached drawings.

Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of a railroad passenger car PC equipped with an onboard toilet system 1 of an aspect of the present invention. Figure 1 shows a plan view of the passenger car PC in which a roof thereof is removed for ease of illustration. The passenger car PC, hereinafter the car PC, has a couple of boarding decks DK at both ends thereof. Between the boarding decks DK, there are arranged an appropriate number of passenger living areas L each equipped with benches, sofas, beds, etc., opposed across a passenger aisle P. In the car PC in Figure 1, a part of the passenger living area L next to the boarding deck DK at a left side of the car PC is used for installing the onboard toilet system 1. As will be described below, a waste treatment apparatus 100 of the onboard toilet system 1 is arranged in a toilet space defined by partition walls and a partition door, which are not shown for clarity. In the example of Figure 1, the onboard toilet system 1 is arranged so that a user of the system 1 sits facing a longitudinal direction of the car PC. However, alternatively the toilet system 1 may be arranged so that a user of the toilet sits facing a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the car PC. The onboard toilet system 1 may also be installed at a position other than an end portion beside the boarding deck DK according to different structures of the car PC depending on seat classes. Furthermore, the onboard toilet system 1 may be installed in types of vehicles other than the railroad passenger car PC as illustrated in Figure 1, such as long-distance buses.

Here, referring to Figures 2-4, the overall structure of the onboard toilet system 1 of the present embodiment will be described.　Figure 2 shows the overall structure of the onboard toilet system 1, Figure 3 is a front elevation view of the onboard toilet system 1, and Figure 4 is a plan view of the onboard toilet system 1.　Figure 2 shows the onboard toilet system 1 seen from a side of the passenger car PC with a side wall and a part of a floor removed for ease of illustration in the passenger car PC of Figure 1.　Figure 2 shows a view of the onboard toilet system 1 along arrows II-II in Figure 1.　Figure 3 shows a view of the onboard toilet system 1 along arrows III-III in Figure 1.

As shown in Figure 2, the waste treatment apparatus 100 of a substantially rectangular shape is disposed on a floor of a toilet space of the passenger car PC.　The waste treatment apparatus 100 has a container configured to be watertight with anti-corrosive panels such as stainless steel panels for storing organic waste such as human excrement therein while avoiding leakage of the same, and has a mechanism for stirring the organic waste stored therein.　An inner construction of the waste treatment apparatus 100 will be described later.　On a top surface of the waste treatment apparatus 100, there are provided an opening 190 (shown in Figure 4) for throwing or letting fall organic waste into the apparatus 100 and a toilet seat assembly 120 surrounding the opening 190.　As in an ordinary toilet, the toilet seat assembly 120 has a toilet seat and a cover for closing the opening of the toilet seat.　The toilet seat assembly 120 is fastened to the top part of the waste treatment apparatus 100 with a hinge mechanism so that the cover itself or the cover and the toilet seat can be raised.　According to Figure 2, it is assumed that a user of the onboard toilet system 1 sits at the waste treatment apparatus 100 facing left or stands before the apparatus 100 facing right.　A height of the apparatus 100 can be determined according to the storage capacity required for organic waste while taking ergonomic considerations into account.　A footstool 400 is provided depending on the height of the waste treatment apparatus 100, and the footstool 400 may be configured with anti-corrosive material such as stainless steel panels.　At the corner of the toilet space, a washbowl 500 is provided.

On the top surface of the waste treatment apparatus 100, there is provided a ventilation pipe 130 extending substantially vertically from the surface.　The ventilation pipe 130 is a hollow tubular component that is made of an appropriate material like metal, the function of which is to discharge gas and/or smell caused by fermentation of the organic waste in the waste treatment apparatus 100.　For the purpose of the above, as shown in Figure 3, an electric blower 132 is provided to the ventilation pipe 130 so as to enable discharging the above gas/smell out of a distal opening part thereof extending from the roof of the passenger car PC.　It is to be noted that, though illustration is omitted for simplicity, the distal opening part of the ventilation pipe 130 may be covered with a roof-like cover for preventing foreign matter like rain water from coming into the ventilation pipe 130.　The electric blower 132 is connected to an appropriate onboard electric power source.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, a driving mechanism D for driving a stirring mechanism to be described later is installed in the waste treatment apparatus 100.　The driving mechanism D includes an electric motor 118 and a transmission mechanism.　A rotary output of the electric motor 118 is converted orthogonally and reduced with a transmission device 110 to drive a driving pulley 112.　The driving pulley 112 rotates two driven pulleys 116 via a transmission chain 114.　As illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, the electric motor 118 and the transmission mechanism are confined within a cover 180 for safety and noise suppression.　The driving mechanism D may be configured in a type other than the example.

Figure 5 shows a front elevation view of the onboard toilet system 1 as seen from the side of the toilet seat assembly 120.　Figure 5 is a view wherein a part of an outer panel of the waste treatment apparatus 100 is rendered transparent.

As described above, the two driven pulleys 116 are driven by the driving pulley 112 via the transmission chain 114.　The driven pulleys 116 are fixed to respective ends of a pair of stirring assemblies 140 that are arranged side by side in the waste treatment apparatus 100.　The electric motor 118 is connected to the onboard power source via an appropriate controller.　The controller can be configured to define an operational pattern for the electric motor 118 according to the specifications of the waste treatment apparatus 100, such as treatment capacity, thereby enabling the organic waste to be stirred by the stirring assemblies 140 as necessary.　Likewise, the specifications of the electric motor 118, such as rated power, may be determined by the specifications of the waste treatment apparatus 100, such as treatment capacity.

Figure 6 shows a side view of the stirring assembly 140 and Figure 7 shows a front elevation view of the same.　The stirring assembly 140 has a pair of bar-shaped rotational shafts 142 and a plurality of stirring bars 144 each extending perpendicularly from the rotational shaft 142 at two points and forming a cross.　At both ends of each stirring bar 144 is fixed a stirring plate 146 having a substantially circular arc shape.　The rotational shaft 142 is rotatably supported at supporting ends 142A, 142B with supporting components such as bearings in the waste treatment apparatus 100.　Accordingly, when the driven pulleys 116 fixed to the ends of the rotational shafts 142 are driven, the rotational shafts 142 with the four stirring bars 144 fixed to each rotational shaft 142 and the stirring plates 146 fixed to the ends of the stirring bars 144 are rotated within the waste treatment apparatus 100 and stir the organic waste stored in the waste treatment apparatus 100.　Since various bacteria existing in nature are included in the organic waste stored in the waste treatment apparatus 100, fermentation proceeds during stirring of the organic waste with the stirring assemblies 140, and both the volume and smell of the organic waste can be reduced.　It is to be noted that, in the waste treatment apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, organic waste material like sawdust and/or straw may be put in the waste treatment apparatus 100 beforehand so that the organic waste can be efficiently stirred from the start of operation of the waste treatment apparatus 100.　In this case, it may be preferable to put aerobic bacteria in the organic waste material beforehand.

In the present embodiment, the stirring assembly 140 is constructed of the rotational shaft 142 and the stirring bars 144 extending therefrom with the stirring plates 146 fixed to the respective stirring bars 144.　However, the configuration of the stirring assembly 140 is not limited to the above, and the stirring assembly 140 may have any configuration as long as the purpose of efficient stirring of the organic waste in the waste treatment apparatus 100 can be accomplished.　For example, in place of the stirring bars 144 and the stirring plates 146, stirring components of other configurations such as a rotational shaft with a propeller-like component may be employed.　The rotational shaft 142, the stirring bar 144, and the stirring plate 146 configuring the stirring assembly 140 are preferably made of anti-corrosive material such as stainless steel.　It is to be noted that, as the configuration for mutual fastening of the rotational shaft 142, the stirring bars 144, and the stirring plates 146, any configuration may be employed, such as fastening components like bolts, welding, or the like, as long as the configuration has anti-corrosive property.

As shown in Figure 5, at a bottom side of an interior of the waste treatment apparatus 100, a partition panel 150 is arranged.　The partition panel 150 has a cross-sectional profile that conforms to the outer peripheries of circles traced by each stirring plate 146 of the two stirring assemblies 140, that is, a combination of circles centered at the respective rotational shafts 142.　The partition panel 150 divides the interior of the waste treatment apparatus 100 into an upper compartment where the stirring assemblies 140 are installed and a lower compartment isolated from the upper compartment by the partition panel 150.　Since the cross-sectional shape of the partition panel 150 is configured to conform to the circle traced by the stirring plate 146, the organic waste stored in the upper compartment of the partition panel 150 can be efficiently stirred by the stirring bars 144 and the stirring plates 146 of the stirring assemblies 140.

Figure 8 shows an exemplary plan view of the partition panel 150.　A plurality of discharge ports 152 each having a plurality of liquid discharge pores 154 are provided to the partition panel 150 immediately below the rotational shaft 142 of each stirring assembly 140.　In the example shown in Figure 8, five discharge ports 152 are arranged in two parallel rows.　Each of the discharge ports 152 is formed of perforated metal.　Only liquid leaking from the organic waste stored in the upper compartment of the waste treatment apparatus 100 is passed through the liquid discharge pores 154 into the lower compartment of the waste treatment apparatus 100 defined by the partition panel 150.

It is to be noted that the arrangement and number of the discharge ports 152 to be provided to the partition panel 150 may be appropriately determined according to design requirements.　Further, dimensions of the liquid discharge pores 154 need only be determined such that only the liquid portion from the organic waste stored above the partition panel 150 of the waste treatment apparatus 100 can pass through while a solid portion of the organic waste can be stopped.

As shown in Figure 5, immediately below each array of the discharge ports 152 provided to the partition panel 150 in the waste treatment apparatus 100, watertight liquid receivers 160 are disposed.　From the liquid receivers 160, conduits 310 extend through the floor of the passenger car PC.　As shown in Figure 2, each conduit 310 is joined to a conduit 300 leading to an end of the liquid waste treatment unit 200 via a cutout cock 320.　Also as shown in Figure 2, a conduit 330 extends from an opening in the floor of the onboard toilet system 1 and is connected to the conduit 300 via a second cutout cock 340.　Liquid spilled on the toilet floor can be discharged through the conduit 330.

As shown in Figures 2 and 9, the liquid waste treatment unit 200 is configured as a substantially cylindrical vessel and has a function of rendering the liquid entering through the conduits 310 from the waste treatment apparatus 100 harmless.　The liquid waste treatment unit 200 is suspended under the floor of the car PC by a plurality of supporting stays 240.　The liquid waste treatment unit 200 as illustrated in Figure 9 is configured by fastening a first member 200A, a second member 200B, a third member 200C and a fourth member 200D with a plurality of nut-and-

bolt combinations

201, 202 at their flanges FL.　The first member 200A and the fourth member 200D define a flow-in end and a flow-out end for the liquid, respectively.　The first member 200A is formed as a cylinder with one end thereof closed and the conduit 310 is connected to the closed end to enable liquid to flow thereto.　On the other hand, like the first member 200A, the fourth member 200D is formed as a cylinder with one end thereof closed and a liquid discharge pipe 230 is connected to the closed end to enable the liquid treated in the liquid waste treatment unit 200 to be discharged to the environment.　Between the first member 200A and the fourth member 200D are arranged the second member 200B and the third member 200C, each formed as a cylinder and mutually connected by the flanges FL.

As illustrated in Figure 9, baffle plates 210 are installed between the first member 200A and the second member 200B, and between the second member 200B and the third member 200C, respectively.　Figure 10 shows a front elevation view of the baffle plate 210.　To the baffle plate 210 at a part of a periphery thereof, an opening 212 shaped in a circular arc is provided.　The baffle plates 210 are installed between the first member 200A and the second member 200B, and between the second member 200B and the third member 200C, such that the opening 212 is positioned at a top of the baffle plate 210.

Further, as shown in Figure 9, a filter plate 220 is installed between the third member 200C and the fourth member 200D.　Figure 11 shows a front elevation view of the filter plate 220.　The filter plate 220 is formed as a substantially circular plate, and, like the baffle plate 210, has an opening 222 of circular arc at a part of a periphery thereof.　The filter plate 220 is different from the baffle plate 210 in that a filter element 224 is fixed at the opening 222 to filter out solid substances included in the liquid.　As the filter element 224, a mesh filter having a screen sufficiently fine to remove the above solid substance may be used.　In the present embodiment, a 100-micrometer mesh filter is employed.　However, the filter element 224 is not to be construed as limited thereto.

In the liquid waste treatment unit 200 thus configured by serially connecting the first member 200A to the fourth member 200D, the space in the first member 200A functions as a precipitating chamber for precipitating out the solid substance in the liquid of the organic waste entering from the waste treatment apparatus 100 via the conduit 310.　When the level of the liquid entering the first member 200A reaches a lower end of the opening 212 of the baffle plate 210, the supernatant of the liquid enters the second member 200B.　The second member 200B is filled with clarifier such as sand and pebbles for further removing the solid substance in the liquid passing through the second member 200B.　The liquid further reaches the opening 212 of the baffle plate 210 and enters the third member 200C from the second member 200B.　In the present embodiment, charcoal particles are put in the third member 200C as an absorbent.　During the liquid's passing through the third member 200C, impurities and/or substances causing smell in the liquid are absorbed by the charcoal, and then the liquid enters the fourth member 200D through the filter element 224 of the filter plate 220.　The fourth member 200D is connected to a disinfectant delivery device 240 for delivering a chlorine disinfectant into the fourth member 200D so that residual chlorine in the liquid to be discharged from the fourth member 200D can be maintained within a predetermined range defined by applicable environmental standards.　It is to be noted that, to keep manufacturing and/or operational costs of the onboard toilet system 1 low, a slow-dissolving chlorine agent may be disposed in the fourth member 200D and added as necessary at prescribed intervals.

As described above, according to the onboard toilet system 1 of the present embodiment, organic waste including human excrement is stored in the waste treatment apparatus 100 and is not released into the environment as is.　Therefore, environmental pollution and/or degradation of roadside equipment along the route of vehicle operation can be prevented.　Further, since the organic waste stored in the waste treatment apparatus 100 is stirred to facilitate fermentation of the organic waste and a volume of the organic waste is reduced, work required for taking the stored organic waste out of the waste treatment apparatus 100 is decreased.　Further, a liquid portion of the organic waste is separated in the waste treatment apparatus 100 and the liquid as separated is rendered harmless by the liquid waste treatment unit 200.　Thus, the liquid portion of the organic waste can be released into the environment without having to be stored onboard.

Claims

An onboard toilet system for installation in a vehicle, for treating organic waste produced onboard, comprising:
　　　　a container for storing the organic waste produced;
　　　　a stirrer for stirring the organic waste stored in the container;
　　　　a driving mechanism for driving the stirrer;
　　　　a separator, installed in the container, for separating liquid from the organic waste and discharging the liquid from the container; and
　　　　a liquid waste treatment unit, connected to the separator, for receiving the liquid discharged from the container and rendering the liquid environmentally harmless.
The onboard toilet system according to claim 1, the liquid waste treatment unit having a hollow tubular shape,
　　　　the liquid waste treatment unit containing a baffle plate for precipitating out solid components in the liquid and a filter plate for filtering out the solid components along a direction of flow of the liquid therein,
　　　　wherein the liquid is purified by a purifier disposed between the baffle plate and the filter plate.
The onboard toilet system according to claim 1, wherein the stirrer includes a rotational shaft and a plurality of stirring bars extending radially from the rotational shaft so that the rotating bars can rotate while stirring the organic waste in the container, and the driving mechanism includes a motor and a transmission mechanism for rotating the rotational shaft.
The onboard toilet system according to claim 1, wherein the separator defines an upper compartment in the container and a lower compartment in the container,
　　　　the separator includes a plurality of discharge pores enabling the liquid separated from the organic waste stored in the upper compartment to flow down into the lower compartment, and
　　　　a first conduit connects the discharge pores of the separator with the liquid waste treatment unit to enable the liquid to flow into the liquid waste treatment unit.
The onboard toilet system according to claim 4, wherein the separator has a partition panel shaped such that a tip of the stirring bar moves along a surface of the partition panel when the stirring plate of the stirrer is rotated.
The onboard toilet system according to claim 1, wherein a floor of the vehicle is provided with a discharge hole where the container is installed to enable liquid spilled on the floor to be discharged, and a second conduit connects the discharge hole with the liquid waste treatment unit to enable spilled liquid to flow into the liquid waste treatment unit.
The onboard toilet system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a railroad passenger car.