The present invention relates to a toilet, especially to a flush toilet which generates a strong swirling flow for flushing and waste removal.
The flush toilet available now has certain shortcomings such as poor flushing performance or inefficient waste removal, especially those with water-saving function. In order to meet requirements for water-saving, a swirling flow which is generated by a less amount of water and achieving better flushing and waste removal performance is applied broadly. For example, a is plurality of spray outlets is disposed above the bowl portion to generate swirling effect. By the spray outlets used in combination with spray outlets arranged in front of or at the back of a lower part of the bowl portion, waste removal performance is improved.
Refer to Chinese Pat. No. ZL03819005.2, a flush toilet is revealed. The structure of the flush toilet includes a skirt portion at a lower part of the flush toilet and a bowl portion in front of a lower part of the flush toilet. A water guiding passage and a drain passage are respectively formed on an upper part and a lower part of the back side of the flush toilet. Using a longitudinal axis of the bowl portion as the central axis, a first water, a first spray outlet and a second spray outlet are respectively arranged at each of two sides of the bowl portion. After flowing through the water guiding passage, a certain amount of flush water from a tank is flowing to the first spray outlet and the second spray outlet through an upper and a lower connection holes with protruding rims respectively, along shed portions adjacent to the protruding rims and finally rotating and entering a flushing surface of the bowl portion. Thereby a swirl flow in specific direction is generated for flushing the flushing surface, especially the dry area. Moreover, a part of flush water through the lower connection hole with the protruding rim is flowing to a press water spray outlet is under the water for pushing waste toward the drain passage and discharging the flush water at the same time.
In this prior art, there are three flushing water flows. Two of them are flowing from different positions at the shed portion, not only along the shed portion but also flowing into the bowl portion to generate the swirling flow for flushing the flushing surface while the third flushing water flow is under the water for pressing the waste into the drain passage.
There is no denying that the above design achieves some desired effects yet there are still certain shortcomings. For example, the second water flow from the second spray outlet is used to make up for the deficiency in strength of the first flushing water flow. The path of the second flushing water flow being guided is about the same as the path of the first flushing water flow before coming out from the first spray outlet, after coming out from the first spray outlet and during movement along the shed portion. Both the first and the second flushing water flows are flowing toward the front side of the bowl portion and then turned to the back side of the bowl portion. It is easily understood that the second flushing water flow has a longer guided path so that not only the strength of the water flow is reduced, the flushing effect on the bowl surface is reduced. The time point the second flushing water flow coming out of the second spray is significantly delayed. Thus the strength of the swirling flow generated by combination of the second flushing water flow and the first flushing water flow is dramatically reduced. Under ideal conditions, the first flushing water flow coming out from the first spray outlet should be synchronous with the second flushing water flow coming out from the second spray outlet, or the time points are very close to each other. Thereby the two water flows rotating in the same direction are combined and working together to have synergistic effect and generate the strongest swirling flow. However, the second flushing water flow is still limited and flowing within its own water passage when the first flushing water flow is moving along the shed portion and flushing into the bowl portion at the same time after coming out from the first spray outlet. The second flushing water flow doesn't come out of the second spray outlet until the path of the first flushing water flow along the shed portion is almost completed. There is a huge difference in “coming-out” time of the two flushing water flows and this leads to a poor swirling effect.
Moreover, the third flushing water flow is firstly diverted through the lower connection hole with the protruding rim and flows through an opening on the bottom and then moves along the water passage and comes out from the press water spray outlet under the water in the bowl portion. The path of the third flushing water flow is quite short and a bit inclined. Although the third flushing water flow can press the waste under the water quite well and even generate a siphon effect earlier. However, the time difference between the time of the third flushing water flow coming out and the time of the beginning of the siphon effect is too long. Although the siphon effect occurs, the strength of the following water supply is insufficient and this affects the siphon effect and further has negative effects on waste removal. Under ideal conditions, after the third flushing water flow initiates the siphon effect and the first and the second flushing water flows are combined to generate a swirling flow for concentrating water supply in the shortest time. Thereby the siphon effect is maintained at the optimal state to provide best water removal.
Thus there is room for improvement and there is a need to provide a novel flush toilet.
Therefore it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a flush toilet which improves overall strength of swirling flow effectively for better is flushing and waste removal performance.
In order to achieve the above object, a flush toilet according to the present invention includes a bowl portion, a drain pipe, an inlet channel, a first outlet channel, a second outlet channel, and a jet channel.
The bowl portion consists of a bowl-like waste receiving surface, an inner flange portion projecting from an inner surface on an upper part of the bowl portion, and a shed portion located between the waste receiving surface and the inner flange portion.
An inlet is formed on one end of the drain pipe and connected to the bottom of the bowl portion for waste removal.
The inlet channel includes a water inlet formed on one end for allowing water to flow into the inlet channel and a diversion area formed on the other end.
One end of the first outlet channel is connected to and communicating with the diversion area of the inlet channel for guiding water to pass through a first outlet on the other end of the first outlet channel and flow toward the shed portion of the bowl portion so as to form a first water flow.
One end of the second outlet channel is connected to and communicating with the diversion area of the inlet channel for guiding water to pass through a second outlet on the other end of the second outlet channel and flow toward the shed portion of the bowl portion so as to form a second water flow.
One end of the jet channel is connected to and communicating with the diversion area of the inlet channel for guiding water to pass through a jet hole on the other end of the jet channel and flow down to the water in the bowl portion so as to form a third water flow.
The first outlet channel and the second outlet channel are respectively formed on each of the two sides of the bowl portion divided by a central axis X in the longitudinal direction of the bowl portion. The first outlet is located at a middle portion between the position P1 and the position P2 of the bowl portion.
The position P1 is located at a junction point where the bowl portion is changed from a smaller radius of curvature to a larger radius of curvature while the position P2 is at the back of the bowl portion. The second outlet is located at a middle portion between the position P3 and the position P2 of the bowl portion. is The position P3 is the junction point where the bowl portion is changed from a larger radius of curvature to a smaller radius of curvature. The second outlet channel further includes a curved potion for guiding and changing the direction of the water flow. Thus the direction of the second water flow which moves along the shed portion after flowing from the second outlet to the shed portion is consistent with the direction of the first water flow which moves along the shed portion after flowing from the first outlet to the shed portion so as to generate a swirling flow.
Preferably, an arc length traveled along the shed portion from the first outlet to the position P1 is S1 while another arc length traveled along the shed portion from the position P2 to the first outlet is S2. The ratio of S1 to S2 (S1/S2) ranges from 0.4 to 0.6.
Preferably, an arc length traveled along the shed portion from the second outlet to the position P2 is S3 while another arc length traveled along the shed portion from the position P3 to the second outlet is S4. The ratio of S3 to S4 (S3/S4) is ranging from 0.2 to 0.4.
Preferably, the cross-sectional area of the first outlet is larger than that of is the second outlet.
Preferably, the ratio of the water flowing out of the first outlet, the second outlet and the jet hole is 0.6:0.4:3.8 when the amount of water the inlet channel can supply is 4.8 liter (L).
Preferably, a lower part of the shed portion is inclined downward from the horizontal toward the bottom of the bowl portion and the height difference of the lower part is ranging from 0 mm to 2.5 mm.
Preferably, the width of the shed portion is gradually decreased from the first outlet to the position P1 along the direction of the water flow. The width of the shed portion is fixed from the position P1 to the position P3 along the direction of the water flow. The width of the shed potion is gradually decreased from the position P3 to the second outlet 51 along the direction of the water flow. The width of the shed portion becomes smaller from the second outlet to the first outlet along the direction of the water flow. The width of the shed portion at the position of the first outlet is about the same as that at the position of the second outlet.
Preferably, the width of the inlet channel is getting narrower from the water inlet to the diversion area along the direction of the water flow.
Preferably, the width of the first outlet channel is getting smaller along the direction of the water flow.
Preferably, the width of the second outlet channel is gradually decreased along the direction of the water flow.
Preferably, the width of the jet channel is gradually reduced along the direction of the water flow.
Preferably, the time difference between the time of the first water flow flowing out of the first outlet and the time of the second water flow flowing out of the second outlet is within 1.5 seconds.
Preferably, a part of a side wall of the first outlet channel, a part of a side wall of the second outlet channel and a side wall of the shed portion next to the first and the second outlet channels are formed by a partition assembly which is located and adhered between a bottom wall surface of the first outlet channel/the second outlet channel and a bottom wall surface of a seat.
Preferably, the partition assembly is composed of a first partition plate and a second partition plate. The first partition plate is a curved strip which forms a part of the side wall of the first outlet channel, a part of the side wall of the second outlet channel, and the first outlet. The second partition plate which can be L-shaped, U-shaped or C-shaped forms a part of the side wall of the second outlet channel close to the second outlet. The second partition plate is also in combination with the first partition plate to form a part of the second outlet.
The present invention has the following advantages. By the design of the first outlet channel and the second outlet channel being turned into different directions from the diversion area of the inlet channel in combination with the curved potion of the second outlet channel, the direction of the second water flow after flowing from the second outlet to the shed portion is consistent with the direction of the first water flow. Such design also ensures that the first water flow and the second water flow come out almost synchronously. Thus the first water flow and the second water flow are not only moved along the shed portion but also evenly flowing throughout the bowl portion and combined to form a strong swirling flow. Thereby the flushing performance on the waste receiving is surface is significantly improved. Moreover, the swirling flow can rapidly interact with a third water flow from the jet hole to create an extremely powerful siphon effect for discharging the waste into the drain pipe quickly and efficiently. Therefore the flush toilet offers better waste removal performance.
The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The features of the present invention will be shown by the following embodiments and the accompanying drawings. The same reference numeral or similar reference numerals is/are used to represent the same component or the components with similar functions. However, the embodiments and the accompanying drawings are given only for purpose of illustration and explanation, and not to be taken as limiting the scope of the present invention.
It should be understood that terms such as “length”, “width”, “upper”, “lower”, “front”, “back”, “longitudinal”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom” and “inner” should be constructed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawings. These relative terms are for convenience of description and do not require that the present invention to constructed or operated in a particular orientation.
In addition, terms such as “first”, “second” and “third” are used herein for purposes of description and the components and are not intended to indicate or imply the number of indicated technical features. Thus, the feature defined with “first” and “second” may expressly or impliedly include at least one or more of this feature. In the description of the present disclosure, “a plurality of” means at least two unless specified otherwise.
In the present disclosure, unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted, “coupled”, “connected”, “fixed” and the like are used broadly and may be, for example, fixed connections, detachable connection, or integral connection; may also be mechanical or electrical connections; may also be direct connections or indirect connections via intervening structures; may also be inner communications or interaction of two elements, which can be understood by those skilled in the art according to specific situations.
Refer to
The bowl portion 10 consists of a bowl-shaped waste receiving surface 11, an inner flange portion 12 projecting from an inner surface on an upper part of the bowl portion 10, and a shed portion 13 located between the waste receiving surface 11 and the inner flange portion 12. The bowl portion 10 is disposed in front of an upper part of the flush toilet 1 and a skirt-like portion 100 is formed in front of a lower part of the flush toilet 1.
An inlet 21 is formed on one end of the drain pipe 20 and connected to the bottom of the bowl portion 10 for waste removal. In this embodiment, the drain pipe 20 is formed behind the lower part of the flush toilet 1.
The inlet channel 30 includes a water inlet 31 formed on one end and a diversion area 32 formed on the other end. Water flows into the inlet channel 30 through the water inlet 31 which is formed behind the upper part of the flush toilet 1. The top of the water inlet 31 is connected to and communicating with a cistern 300 which is used for storage of a certain amount of water and operable to control the water flowing into the inlet channel 30 through the water inlet 31.
One end of the first outlet channel 40 is connected to and communicating with the diversion area 32 of the inlet channel 30 for guiding water to pass through a first outlet 41 on the other end of the first outlet channel 40 and flow toward the shed portion 13 of the bowl portion 10 so as to form a first water flow.
One end of the second outlet channel 50 is connected to and communicating with the diversion area 32 of the inlet channel 30 for guiding water to pass through a second outlet 51 on the other end of the second outlet channel 50 and flow toward the shed portion 13 of the bowl portion 10 so as to form a second water flow.
One end of the jet channel 60 is connected to and communicating with the diversion area 32 of the inlet channel 30 for guiding water to pass through a jet hole 61 on the other end of the jet channel 60 and flow down to the water in the bowl portion 10 so as to form a third water flow below the water surface. In this embodiment, the jet hole 61 is located in front of the bowl portion 10 and aligned with the inlet 21 of the drain pipe 20.
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Refer to
It should be noted that the shape of the first outlet 41 is preferably a circle. The shape of the first outlet 41 can also be oblong or rectangular. Similarly, the shape of the second outlet 51 is preferably oblong. The shape of the second outlet 51 can also be round or rectangular.
In this embodiment, when the amount of water the inlet channel 30 can supply is 4.8 liter (L), the ratio of the water flowing out of the first outlet 41, the is second outlet 51 and the jet hole 61 is 0.6:0.4:3.8. That means when the certain amount of water stored in the cistern 300 is 4.8 L, the amount of the water flowing out of the first outlet 41 is about 0.6 L while the amount of the water flowing out of the second outlet 51 is about 0.4 L and the amount of the water flowing out of the jet hole 61 is about 3.8 L. Based on the above design of the amount of the water output, it is ensured that the largest amount of water is flowing out of the jet hole 61 so as to increase the amount of water used for flushing waste and later entering into the sewage inlet. Thus sufficient siphon effect is generated to discharge waste through the drain pipe 20 smoothly. The second most amount of water is flowing form the first outlet 41, along the longer side of the shed portion 13 and then into the bowl portion 10 for flushing most of the waste receiving surface 11. The least amount of water is flowing out of the second outlet 51, along the shorter side of the shed portion 13 and then into the bowl portion 10 for flushing the rest of the waste receiving surface 11.
Refer to
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Based on the above embodiments, it is easily learned that the narrower design of the inner width of the inlet channel 30, the inner width of the first outlet channel 40, and the inner width of the second outlet channel 50 is all for increasing the speed of the water flow. Thus the water flowing out of the first outlet 41 and the second outlet 51 produces a greater impact force on the waste receiving surface 11 while flowing along the shed portion 13 and downward to be distributed throughout the inner surface of the bowl portion 10 synchronously. Therefore the flushing performance is improved. Similarly, the inner width of the jet channel 60 can also be designed to be gradually smaller.
Refer to
In summary, the flush toilet 1 according to the present invention has the following features and advantages:
Thereby the direction of the second water flow out of the second outlet 51 is consistent with the direction of the first water flow after flowing to the shed portion 13. Compared with the structure available now, such design reduces the length of the water flow path significantly so that the first water flow and the second water flow come out almost at the same time. Thus the first water flow and the second water flow are not only moved along the shed portion 13 but also evenly flowing throughout the bowl portion 10 and combined to form a strong swirling flow. The reduction of the strength of the swirling flow caused by a delay in mixing of the water flows will be minimized. Therefore the water is flushing performance on the waste receiving surface 11 is dramatically improved.
Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details, and representative devices shown and described herein. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalent.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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201911102717.6 | Nov 2019 | CN | national |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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7661153 | Nakamura et al. | Feb 2010 | B2 |
9359753 | Hirakawa | Jun 2016 | B2 |
20180195261 | Hashimoto | Jul 2018 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20210140163 A1 | May 2021 | US |