The present invention relates to an automatic flush device and in particular an automatic flush device applied in a tank toilet.
In the prior art, a tank toilet is usually manual, such as a knob-lifting type tank toilet and a button-piston type tank toilet, for example. A knob-lifting type tank toilet generally includes a rod, a lifting member and a knob. As it is needed to flush, the water in the tank can be released by rotating a knob, thereby moving a rod and lifting a lifting member to pull an outlet plug out so that a flush is completed. A piston-button type tank toilet generally includes a moveable outlet plug and a button structure. As it is needed to flush, a moveable outlet plug is lifted by pressing a button structure to flush.
With the development of technology, the old manual tank toilet can not satisfy people's needs. So, the automatic flush toilet appeared in the prior art. It senses the user by a sensor to control the flush and the automatic flush device controls the water flush by an electric motor to lift the outlet plug instead of handling by hands. This automatic flush toilet is more convenient and sanitary. Its operation principle is as follows. The sensor detects the user entering into a sensing area, and then it detects the user leaving the sensing area after a while. At this time, the sensor sends signals to an electronic sensor controller and then the controller judges that it is required to flush at this time according to a preset program. Thus, the controller drives the electric motor to pull the outlet plug out to release the water in the tank and flush the toilet.
In the prior art, a sensor not only detects the users, but also other things, such as the toilet lid. Generally speaking, when the toilet is used, the toilet lid is opened. Therefore the detection of the toilet lid position is also one of the preferred sensing methods. The sensing methods can be infrared sensing or electromagnet sensing, for example. In the prior art, there also exists microwave sensing and pressure sensing, for example.
However, the automatic flush toilet in the prior art needs extra power to drive the electric motor to rotate and bring out the outlet plug, requiring large power consumption. It is difficult to improve the old manual tank toilet to achieve the object of automatic flush.
Therefore, it is desirable to invent a reliable and energy-saving automatic flush device to be applied to a tank toilet. At the same time, it is desirable that this automatic flush device be easily usable with existing tank toilets, thereby upgrading existing manual tank toilets to achieve an automatic flush.
An aspect or embodiment of this invention is to provide an automatic flush device mounted in the tank toilet, the automatic flush device being energy-saving and reliable. The automatic flush device is mountable in a tank and adapted for receiving outside signals to control the flush. The automatic flush device includes a water filling control module, a lever module and a tank module. The water filling control module includes a water filling part linked to a water inlet tube, a solenoid valve for controlling water current, a water filling tube connected with the solenoid valve, and an electronic sensing controller receiving outside signals, for example. The lever module includes a supporting member, a lever mounted at the supporting member, a cup mounted at one end of the lever and connected to the water filling tube, and a lifting member mounted at the other end of the lever, for example. The tank module includes a water supply component for the tank and an outlet plug connected to the lifting member, wherein the water supply component for the tank has a floater for controlling the water level in the tank, for example.
Another aspect or embodiment of this invention is that the water filling control module further includes a pipe line linked to the water inlet tube and a solenoid valve is set at the pipe line. The lever module for discharging the water includes a cup connected to the solenoid valve by a water filling tube.
Another aspect or embodiments of this invention includes an electronic sensing controller for controlling the opening and closing of the solenoid valve to fill the water into the cup. When the cup is full of water, the lever will slant to control the flush of the water tank.
Compared with the prior art, a useful effect of this invention is that this invention does not need an extra power source, but only needs to fill water to the cup. It has no requirement for hydraulic pressure and it is easy to control water current. Therefore, it needs lower power and saves electric energy.
In addition, the automatic flush device in this invention may also be used to improve an existing manual tank toilet by adding an automatic sensing flush function while retaining the original tank components, which is desirable for upgrading the toilet by saving cost and being practical.
As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriate manner. Further, in reference to the drawings, the same structure parts or functions are marked with the same numbers on the drawings.
As shown in
As shown in
The electronic sensing controller 9 receives outside signals 15, such as signals from an infrared sensing device mounted outside the tank 200 and electronic control signals sent by pressing the keys in the remote control unit 13, for example. For instance, the infrared sensing device may send control signals for flushing water to the electronic sensing controller 9 after the user leaves the toilet. The controller 9 controls the opening and closing to the solenoid valve 7 when receiving the corresponding control signals.
The water filling tube 8 is connected between the solenoid valve 7 and the cup 4. When the solenoid valve 7 opens, the water will flow into the cup 4 through the water filling tube 8.
The cup 4 is mounted rotationally at one end of the lever 1. The lifting member 3 is mounted at the other end of the lever 1, and the bottom of the lifting member 3 is connected to the outlet plug 10. The lever 1 is fixed at the supporting member 2 rotatably. The arm of lever 1 with the cup 4 is longer than the arm of lever 1 with the lifting member 3, which enables the lever 1 to tilt with less water so that the outlet plug 10 is raised more easily.
During operation, the electronic sensing controller 9 receives an outside signal to drive the solenoid valve 7, and then the water goes through the tee joint water filling part 5 and the water filling tube 8 into the cup 4 set at one end of the lever 1. When the cup 4 contains enough water, the lever 1 loses its balance and the lifting member 3 raises the outlet plug 10 of the tank 200, which enables the tank 200 to flush water. When the water in the tank 200 is discharged out, the water supply component for the tank 200 is controlled by the floater 6 to add water to the tank 200 for the next use.
The cup 4 can be a simple cup-shaped structure. A discharge hole 43 (as shown in
After the tank 200 flushes water, the water filling tube 8 stops to fill water to the cup 4. The water in the cup 4 flows out through the discharge hole 43, which enables the lever 1 back to its original position, and the outlet plug 10 closes the outlet. Then water is added to the tank 200.
In the illustrated embodiment of an automatic flush device as shown in
During the process of filling water to the siphon cup 4, the siphon cup 4 begins to discharge water on only when the siphon cup 4 is full of a certain amount of water. The water discharging will not be stopped until the water in the siphon cup 4 is discharged out due to a siphon effect. This structure enables the lever 1 to tilt strongly and quickly. The structure of this siphon cup 4 ensures that the water will not be discharged as soon as it is begins to be filled with water. Therefore, it will not extend the discharged time or negatively influence usage of the toilet.
In another embodiment of this invention illustrated in
In another preferred embodiment of the automatic flush device 100 of this invention, the time that the solenoid valve 7 fills the water into the siphon cup 4 can be controlled to enable the tank 200 to flush water in a small or large capacity corresponding to liquid or solid waste in order to save water. When a small capacity of flushing water is needed, the time that the solenoid valve 7 fills the water into the siphon cup 4 can be shorter, as only the filled water amount can make the lever 1 lose balance. At this time, the lever 1 quickly resets because of the quick water discharging. The lifting member 3 only keeps the plug 10 of the tank 200 raised for a short of time period, so the small capacity of water in the tank 200 is discharged out to flush. When a large capacity of water is needed, the time that the solenoid valve 7 fills the water into the siphon cup 4 can be longer, which enables the lever 1 to lose balance for a longer time. The lifting member 3 will keep pulling the plug 10 of the tank 200 out for longer time, so the water in the tank 200 can be discharged out entirely to effect flushing with a large capacity of water.
The illustrated embodiments of the automatic flush device 100 do not influence the manual lift structure of a manual tank, and therefore the original manual structure can still be used. However, the automatic flush device 100 of this invention can certainly upgrade an existing manual tank. In addition, the automatic flush device 100 of this invention also can be used in a new automatic flush tank.
It is understood that the preceding description is given merely by way of illustration and not in limitation of the invention and that various modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention as claimed.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2007 1 0173418 | Dec 2007 | CN | national |
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2758342 | Feb 2006 | CN |
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Entry |
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International Search Report: PCT/CN2008/002090, Apr. 2, 2009. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20100327201 A1 | Dec 2010 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/CN2008/002090 | Dec 2008 | US |
Child | 12823522 | US |