Patent Application
20180135291
The present invention relates to a flush toilet, and more particularly to flush toilet configured to discharge waste by flushing the flush toilet with flush water supplied from a flush water source.
For some time, known toilets in which the toilet is flushed by flush water supplied from a flush water source to discharge waste have included, front elevation, those such as that set forth in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2014-34868), in which the adhesion surface between a body inner wall forming the majority of a bowl surface and a rim inner wall forming a portion of the bowl surface rises from the center region toward the front side region in the front-rear direction, and a rim conduit is formed on the upstream side of a rim spout port by adhesion of the body to the rim.
Also, as set forth in Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2015-168994), flush toilets are known in which, for each of the conduits respectively formed on the upstream side of the two rim spout ports spouting flush water into the bowl, the bottom surface of the inlets thereof is positioned below the bottom surface of the outlet portion thereof.
However, in the above-described conventional flush toilet set forth in Patent Documents 1 and 2, water remaining in the rim conduit after completion of flush water spouting from the rim spout port is discharged from the rim spout port. However, because the time until this residual water stops is relatively long, there is a risk that a user viewing the residual water during discharge would mistake it for a leak. A further problem is that discharged residual water may remain on the bowl surface, or that residual water which has not been fully discharged may remain in the rim conduit. In addition, with the diversification of flush toilet designs in recent years, there has been a growing need to plan for visual simplicity in the appearance of the toilet main unit bowl interior or the rim inside perimeter side, by placing items such as the rim spout port or the rim conduit relative to the rim so that the rim spout port or the upstream side rim conduit is invisible to the user side, and to design so that water is spouted rearward from the rim spout port. In such a form, where water is spouted rearward from a rim spout port, the rim conduit is formed in a limited space within the rim. The length of the flow path to obtain a flush water flow volume in the rim conduit is therefore set to be relatively long, and the size of the rim spout port to obtain a sufficient flush water flow speed (especially the rim spout port height dimension) is set to be relatively small.
Therefore in such a spouting form, in which water is spouted rearward from a rim spout port, the problem arises that the time until residual water stops lengthens as the flow path length used to achieve a specified flow volume in the rim conduit increases. Another problem is that the shorter the rim spout port height dimension used to obtain sufficient flush water flow speed, the more difficult it becomes to provide countermeasures to residual water, such as sloping the bottom surface of the rim conduit.
An issue has thus been how to increase the discharge force used to discharge residual water in the rim conduit from the rim spout port.
The present invention was undertaken to solve the above-described problems with the conventional art, and has the object of providing a flush toilet capable of increasing the discharge force used to discharge residual water in the rim conduit from the rim spout port.
To solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a flush toilet configured to discharge waste by flushing the flush toilet with flush water supplied from a flush water source. The flush toilet comprises a body which includes a body inner wall forming a majority of a bowl surface, an outer wall forming an externally seen surface, and a connecting portion connecting the outer wall and the body inner wall. The flush toilet also comprises a rim which includes a rim inner wall forming a part of the bowl surface, the rim being joined to a top end of the body. The flush toilet also comprises a bowl which forms the bowl surface joining the body inner wall and the rim inner wall. The flush toilet also comprises a rim spout portion disposed on the bowl, the rim spout portion configured to spout the flush water inside the bowl. The rim spout portion includes a rim conduit and a rim spout port. The rim conduit is formed by joining of the body and the rim and is configured to supply with the flush water from the flush water source. The rim spout port is at a downstream end of the rim conduit. A joining surface in a front side of the bowl between the body inner wall and the rim inner wall forming the rim conduit is positioned lower than the joining surface in a rear side of the bowl. A bottom surface in a downstream region of the rim conduit formed by the connecting portion of the body is positioned lower than a bottom surface in an upstream region of the rim conduit.
According to the invention thus constituted, the mutual joining surface between the body inner wall forming the rim conduit and the rim inner wall is positioned lower from the rear side toward the front side of the bowl, and the bottom surface of the rim conduit formed by the body connecting portion is positioned lower from the upstream end to the downstream end of the rim conduit, therefore the overall bottom surface of the rim conduit can be sloped greatly downward along the flow path from the upstream end to the downstream end of the rim conduit.
The discharge force by which residual water in the rim conduit is discharged from the rim spout port can thus be increased.
In the present invention, preferably, the bowl includes a front side region and a rear side region. The front side region is formed on a front side of a center axis extending horizontally in a left-right direction of the bowl so as to divide the bowl equally in a front-rear direction of the bowl. The rear side region is formed on a rear side of the center axis. The rim conduit and the rim spout port are formed on the rim disposed on either a left or right of the front side region of the bowl. The rim conduit includes an inlet, an outside rim conduit, a bent rim conduit, and an inside rim conduit. The outside rim conduit is configured to extend forward from the inlet through an interior of the rim. The bent rim conduit is configured to bend to an inside from a downstream end of the outside rim conduit. The inside rim conduit is configured to extend rearward from the bent rim conduit up to the rim spout port. The bottom surface of the rim conduit is positioned lower from the inlet through the outside rim conduit, the bent rim conduit and the inside rim conduit, toward the rim spout port.
According to the invention thus constituted, the rim conduit and the rim spout port are formed on a rim placed on either the left or right of the front area of the bowl, and the rim conduit includes an external rim conduit extending from the inlet of the rim conduit toward the front through the interior of the rim, a bent rim conduit bending from the downstream end of this outside rim conduit to the inside, and an inside rim conduit extending from this bent rim conduit rearward up to the rim spout port, such that even if the rim conduit can be relatively easily lengthened, the rim conduit bottom surface is positioned lower from the rim conduit inlet through the outside rim conduit, the bent rim conduit, and the inside rim conduit toward the rim spout port, therefore the overall bottom surface of the rim conduit can be sloped greatly downward along the flow path from the upstream end to the downstream end of the rim conduit.
Residual water in the rim conduit can therefore be reliably discharged from the rim spout port.
In the present invention, preferably, a bottom surface of the inside rim conduit is sloped downward toward an inside of the bowl.
According to the invention thus constituted, the bottom surface of the rim conduit is sloped downward toward the inside of the bowl in the inside rim conduit section after bending in the bent rim conduit of the rim conduit, therefore discharge from the rim spout port can be efficiently and reliably accomplished while directing residual water in the rim conduit along the sloped surface to the inside of the bowl.
In the present invention, preferably, the flush water source supplying flush water to the rim conduit is configured to supply the flush water by using water utility supply pressure.
According to the invention thus constituted, the flush water supply supplying flush water to the rim conduit supplies flush water using water utility supply pressure, such that the flush water flow volume in the rim conduit is relatively small, and the flush water source supply pressure tends to exert an effect, therefore the rim spout port height dimension is set to be relatively small in order to assure sufficient flush water flow speed in the rim conduit.
Hence the discharge force on residual water in the rim spout port can also be increased.
With the flush toilet of the present invention, the discharge force by which residual water in the rim conduit is discharged from the rim spout port can be increased.
Next, referring to
First,
As shown in
The flush toilet 1 of the embodiment shown in
Next, as shown in
As shown in
Next, as shown in
A bowl 20 is formed when the bottom end of the inner wall 18 of the rim 6 is joined to the top end of the inner wall 12 of the body 4. The bowl surface is formed on the interior of the toilet main unit 2 by this bowl 20.
In addition, we discuss below further details of the joining portion between the body 4 and the rim 6. As shown in
As shown in
In the plan view of the bowl 20 of the toilet main unit 2, the flush toilet 1 according to the one embodiment of the invention shown in
Further, as shown in
And, as shown in
In addition, as shown in
As shown in
A single rim spout port 26 is formed on the downstream side of the rim conduit 22. The rim spout port 26 performs as a part of the functionality of the rim spout portion by spouting flush water rearward into the bowl 20 to form a circulating flow.
That is, the rim spout portion comprises the single rim spout port 26 disposed in the rim 6 of the bowl 20 for spouting flush water throughout the entire circumference of the rim 6. The rim spout port 26 is disposed on the rim 6 in the right side region R and in the front side region F of the bowl 20 and spouts flush water rearward.
Also, as shown in
Flush water directed to the rim spout port 26 is spouted (rim spouted) toward rearward and circulated inside the bowl 20, thereby forming a circulating flow inside the bowl 20.
The flush toilet 1 of the present embodiment has been described, in which the rim conduit 22 is disposed inside the rim 6 in the right side region R of the bowl 20, and the single rim spout port 26 is opened in the inner periphery of the rim 6 of the front side region F and the right side region R of the bowl 20. However, it is to be noted that the present invention is not limited to the described embodiment, and other variations can be adopted in which the rim conduit 22 is disposed inside the rim 6 in the left side region L of the bowl 20, and the single rim spout port 26 is opened in the inner periphery of the rim 6 in the front side region F and left side region L of the bowl 20 so as to perform spouting (rim spouting) rearward from the rim spout port 26.
Also, as shown in
Note that in the flush toilet 1 according to the present embodiment, rim spouting by the rim spout port 26 is performed using the water supply pressure. Alternatively, a “hybrid” form of flush toilet may be adopted in which a pressurizing pump (not shown) for jet spouting by the jet spout port 30 is used to supply flush water from a reservoir tank (not shown). It should be noted, however, that the invention is not limited to these configurations and other variations may also be adopted. For example, jet spouting by the jet spout port 30 may be dispensed with.
Next, referring to
First,
Next,
First, as shown in
In particular, as shown in
Also, as shown in
Additionally, in the toilet main unit 2 shown in
Next, as shown in
The bottom surface S2 of the outside rim conduit 22b, as shown in
In addition, the bottom surface S2 of the bent rim conduit 22c, as shown in
The rim conduit 22 parts 22a-22d and the bottom surface S2 of the rim spout port 26 are placed so as to face from the upstream end (inlet 22a) toward the downstream end (rim spout port 26) of the rim conduit 22, and at a low position. Thus, notwithstanding that the overall pathway of the rim conduit 22 is prone to become a relatively long pathway from the inlet 22a through the outside rim conduit 22b, the bent rim conduit 22c, and the inside rim conduit 22d up to the rim spout port 26, the entire bottom surface S2 of the rim conduit 22 is greatly downwardly sloped along the flow path from the inlet 22a of the rim conduit 22 to the rim spout port 26.
I.e., as shown in
Note that for a slope angle α of the bottom surface S2 of the rim conduit 22, a setting of, for example, 1° or greater is preferable, and a setting of 3° or greater is most preferable.
Next, as shown in
As shown in
Meanwhile, as shown in
Additionally, as shown in
However, the height of the foot portion 40c gradually increases from t4 shown in
Note that because positions of the height G3 shown in
A reason for making the height of foot portion 40 variable in this way is so that a flow volume within the rim conduit 22 can be secured by the entire rim conduit 22 being formed in a limited space inside the rim 6. Hence the rim conduit 22 reverses in a U-turn from the rim conduit 22 toward the inside rim conduit 22d at the bent rim conduit 22c, and the entire pathway of the rim conduit 22 can be relatively easily elongated. Therefore along with formulating a measure against residual water in the rim conduit 22, there is also a need to slope the bottom surface S2 of the rim conduit 22 downward from the upstream side toward the downstream side to the greatest extent possible.
Regarding the segment after the rim conduit 22 reverses in a U-turn from the outside rim conduit 22b toward the inside rim conduit 22d at the bent rim conduit 22c, as well, the bottom surface S2 of the rim conduit 22 slopes downward toward the rim spout port 26. By varying the heights t1-t7 of the foot portion 40 from the bottom surface S2 of the rim conduit 22 to the joining surface S1 in response to the position heights H1-H7 of the bottom surface S2 of the rim conduit 22, the entire bottom surface S2 of the rim conduit 22 along the flow path from the upstream end (inlet 22a) to the downstream end (rim spout port 26) of the rim conduit 22 can therefore be made to slope downward to the greatest extent possible.
For example, in the present embodiment the heights t1-t4 of the foot portion 40 shown in
The height t6 of the foot portion 40 shown in
In addition, the height t7 of the foot portion 40 shown in
As shown in
Thus residual water in the rim conduit 22 can be efficiently and reliably discharged from the rim spout port 26 while directing [the conduit] to the inside of the bowl 20 along the sloped surface (bottom surface S2) sloped downward at a slope angle β relative to a horizontal plane toward the inside of the bowl 20.
Note that for the slope angle β of the bottom surface S2 of the rim conduit 22, a setting of, for example, 1° to 10° is preferable, and a setting of 2° to 3° is most preferable.
In addition, as discussed above, in the present embodiment the upstream side of the water passageway 28 shown in
The flow volume of flush water in the rim conduit 22 is thus relatively small, and the flush water source supply pressure can easily exert influence. For this reason, the height d of the rim spout port 26 (see
Here the height dimension d of the rim spout port 26 is preferably set from 6 mm to 20 mm, and most preferably is set from 8 mm to 15 mm.
Next the operation of the flush toilet 1 according to the above-described one embodiment of the invention will be explained.
First, using the flush toilet 1 according to the one embodiment of the invention, the joining surface S1 between the inner wall 12 of the body 4 forming the rim conduit 22 and the inner wall 18 of the rim 6 is set at a low position from the rear side toward the front side of the bowl 20. At the same time, the bottom surface S2 of the rim conduit 22 formed by the connecting portion 16 of the body 4 is set to a low position from the upstream end (inlet 22a) toward the downstream end (rim spout port 26) of the rim conduit 22. This enables the entire bottom surface S2 of the rim conduit 22 to be tilted greatly downward along the flow path from the top end (inlet 22a) to the downstream end of the rim conduit 22.
The discharge force by which residual water in the rim conduit 22 is discharged from the rim spout port 26 can thus be increased.
Next, in the flush toilet 1 according the present embodiment, the rim conduit 22 and the rim spout port 26 are formed on the rim 6 disposed on the front side region F and right side region R of the bowl 20. Also, the rim conduit 22 includes an outside rim conduit 22b extending from the inlet 22a thereof toward the interior of the rim 6 toward the front, the bent rim conduit 22c bending to the inside from the downstream end of this outside rim conduit 22b, and the inside rim conduit 22d extending from this bent rim conduit 22c toward the rear, up to the rim spout port 26. By this means, the bottom surface S2 of the rim conduit 22 is set to a low position from the inlet 22a of the rim conduit 22 through the outside rim conduit 22b, the bent rim conduit 22c, and the inside rim conduit 22d toward the rim spout port 26, even if the rim conduit 22 is a relatively easily elongated pathway. Therefore the entire bottom surface S2 of the rim conduit 22 can be sloped greatly downward along the flow path from the inlet 22a of the rim conduit 22 to the rim spout port 26.
Hence residual water in the rim conduit 22 can be reliably discharged from the rim spout port 26.
In the flush toilet 1 according to the present embodiment, the bottom surface S2 in the inside rim conduit 22d segment after bending at the bent rim conduit 22c of the rim conduit 22 forms a sloped surface sloping at the slope angle β toward the inside of the bowl 20. Thus residual water in the rim conduit 22 can be efficiently and reliably discharged from the rim spout port 26 while directing it to the inside of the bowl 20 along the sloped surface (bottom surface S2).
Moreover, with the flush toilet 1 according to the present embodiment, the upstream side of the water conducting pipe 28 shown in
Therefore since the flow volume of flush water in the rim conduit 22 is relatively small, and the flush water source supply pressure can easily exert influence, a sufficient flow sped in the rim conduit 22 can be fully secured by setting the height dimension d of the rim spout port 26 to be relatively small.
Hence the residual water discharge force in the rim spout port 26 can also be increased.
Although the present invention has been explained with reference to specific, preferred embodiments, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that modifications and improvements can be made while remaining within the scope and spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is determined solely by appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-223230 | Nov 2016 | JP | national |
