The invention relates to a motorised functional unit for a toilet installation and a toilet installation comprising such a unit.
There are known toilet installations which are fitted onboard ships. Such a toilet installation which is, for example, marketed by the company TMC Technology Corp. generally comprises:
- a toilet bowl which comprises a water inlet in order to supply water to the bowl and a discharge in order to discharge waste water and solid waste from the bowl,
- and a motorised functional unit which is connected to the bowl.
The motorised functional unit comprises:
- a motor which is provided with an output shaft,
- a self-starting pump which is mounted on the output shaft of the motor and which is capable of drawing in water via an inlet (connected to a source of water such as seawater on a ship) and to deliver water drawn in via an outlet (connected to the water inlet of the bowl) in order to supply the toilet bowl,
- a comminutor turbine which is mounted on the output shaft of the motor downstream of the pump and which is capable of drawing in, via an inlet (which is connected to the discharge of the bowl), waste water and solid waste originating from the toilet bowl and discharging the waste water and the comminuted waste via an outlet.
When the engine is started, the output shaft rotates and simultaneously drives the pump and the turbine in rotation.
In this manner, the flushing water is drawn in and delivered into the toilet bowl whilst the comminutor turbine at the same time draws in the content of the toilet bowl.
The noise associated with the operation of such an installation is a nuisance for users.
Furthermore, the flushing flow rate has to be sufficiently high in order to allow the simultaneous suction by the comminutor turbine.
In view of the above, it would therefore be advantageous to improve in a simple manner the operation of such an installation and, in particular, to improve in a simple manner the functional unit which is incorporated therein, whether or not it be for use onboard a ship.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 6,085,364 discloses a motorised functional unit for toilets which is, however, not satisfactory in terms of complexity.
The present invention thus makes provision for at least one of the above-mentioned disadvantages to be overcome by proposing a motorised functional unit for toilets, characterised in that it comprises:
- a motor,
- a self-starting pump which is connected to the motor and which is capable of drawing in water via an inlet and delivering the water drawn in via an outlet, for example, in order to supply a toilet bowl, when the motor rotates in a first rotation direction,
- a comminutor turbine which is connected to the motor and which is capable, on the one hand, of drawing in, via an inlet, waste water and solid waste, for example, originating from the toilet bowl, and of comminuting the waste which has been drawn in and, on the other hand, of discharging the waste water and the comminuted waste via an outlet when the motor rotates in a second rotation direction counter to the first rotation direction,
- at least one member for controlling the motor which, when activated by a user, can assume at least two possible control states, that is to say, a first state in which the motor is controlled so as to rotate in the first rotation direction and a second state in which the motor is controlled so as to rotate in the second rotation direction.
The functional unit according to the invention thus performs two functions (on the one hand, filling with water with the pump in a first rotation direction and, on the other hand, pumping and comminuting the waste with the turbine in a second opposing rotation direction) which are dissociated in contrast to the prior art, where the two functions are carried out simultaneously. The comminutor turbine is configured to ensure in a single rotation direction (second rotation direction of the motor) both the pumping or the suction of the waste water and the waste and the comminution of this waste. The comminutor turbine thus comprises, for example, peripheral members which are mounted on a central hub and these members ensure both the pumping or the suction of the waste water and the waste and the comminution of this waste (in the second rotation direction of the motor). This arrangement is particularly simple and efficient compared with an arrangement in which the pumping and the comminution are carried out by members which are separate and remote from each other. Furthermore, each function is carried out using a different rotation direction of the motor so that a single function is carried out at the same time for a specific rotation direction. The noise associated with the operation of such a functional unit is thus considerably reduced. More specifically, the self-starting pump and the comminutor turbine each have a preferred rotation direction (mutually opposed) in which they are each active, that is to say, they produce their full effect or maximum effect in this rotation direction. In contrast, assuming each of them is caused to rotate in the direction counter to the preferred rotation direction thereof, called the “active” direction, it does not produce its full effect in the functional unit. In this manner, for example, the comminutor turbine which rotates in the first rotation direction (first rotation direction of the motor) cannot or almost cannot draw in water and cannot or almost cannot comminute the waste. Such a functional unit in which the comminutor turbine would rotate in the first rotation direction therefore would not enable the function of suction of waste water and waste and comminution of said waste to be carried out in a satisfactory manner. The waste would be incorrectly comminuted, or not comminuted, and this could lead to malfunctions such as a blockage of conduits, etc. Furthermore, the decoupling of the two functions enables the operation of such a functional unit to be optimised and in particular enables toilets which may incorporate it to be installed. This is because the filling of the bowl is first carried out (first rotation direction of the motor), then the pumping and the comminuting of the solid waste mixed with the filling water is carried out (second rotation direction of the motor).
According to other features which are taken in isolation or in combination with each other:
- the self-starting pump is provided at an outlet with a non-return valve system; in this manner, when the pump is driven in the second rotation direction, it is rendered ineffective as a result of the presence of this non-return system which prevents it from drawing in water and/or air from the bowl;
- the self-starting pump is a pump having deformable blades;
- the comminutor turbine comprises comminutor blades which are configured, in the second rotation direction of the motor, to draw in the waste water and solid waste via the inlet thereof and to comminute the waste which has been drawn in; the turbine has a configuration which thus makes it particularly unsuitable for drawing in and comminuting waste from the outlet thereof when the motor rotates in the first rotation direction;
- the comminutor turbine provided with the comminutor blades thereof has a diameter between 8 and 12 cm, the diameter being that of a circle which is tangent to the outer peripheral edge of the blades (in a plane perpendicular to the shaft of the turbine); such a diameter enables a satisfactory comminuting function to be ensured; this is because, if the diameter is excessively large, the waste is not sufficiently comminuted since the flow speed is too low and, if the diameter is too small, the formation of an excessively large number of disruptive occurrences of turbulence is observed and, furthermore, the risk of blockage of the turbine by waste of all kinds (hair, etcetera) is increased;
- the outlet of the comminutor turbine is arranged tangentially to the chamber in which the comminutor turbine is accommodated in order to promote the discharge of the waste water and comminuted waste when the motor rotates in the first rotation direction; the configuration of the outlet of the turbine thus makes it particularly unsuitable for suction from the outlet thereof when the motor rotates in the first rotation direction;
- the outlet of the comminutor turbine extends to the outer side in a bent or curved manner in order to make it difficult to draw in water via the outlet when the motor rotates in the first rotation direction; such an arrangement which makes it very difficult to draw in water via this outlet may, for example, be in the form of a “snail shell”;
- the motor, the self-starting pump and the comminutor turbine are arranged in a rectilinear configuration;
- the self-starting pump is arranged between the motor and the comminutor turbine;
- the motor is arranged between the self-starting pump and the comminutor turbine; this arrangement is, for example, obtained by means of assembly of the pump and the turbine at the two opposing ends of a shaft which is connected to the motor and which opens at one side and the other of said motor, respectively.
The invention also relates to a toilet installation, characterised in that it comprises:
- a toilet bowl which comprises a water inlet in order to supply the filling water to the bowl and a discharge in order to discharge the waste water and the solid waste from the bowl,
- a motorised functional unit for toilets as briefly set out above and in which:
- the inlet of the self-starting pump is connected to a source of filling water and the outlet is connected to the water inlet of the bowl,
- the inlet of the comminutor turbine is connected to the discharge of the bowl.
As already described, such an installation generates less noise than previously when it is used and its operation is optimised.
According to a possible feature, the comminutor turbine comprising comminutor blades which are configured, in the second rotation direction of the motor, to draw in the waste water and solid waste via the inlet thereof and to comminute the waste which has been drawn in, the turbine has a diameter which is at least equal to the inner diameter of the connection between the inlet of the turbine and the discharge of the bowl, the diameter being that of a circle which is tangent to the outer peripheral edge of the blades; such an arrangement allows the waste to be comminuted in a satisfactory manner without becoming blocked; if the diameter is excessively small, the risk of blockage of the turbine by waste which has been drawn in is thus increased and the formation of an excessively large number of disruptive occurrences of turbulence is observed; if the diameter is excessively large, the waste is not sufficiently comminuted since the flow speed is too low.
The invention makes provision for the use of the motorised functional unit for toilets as set out briefly above or the toilet installation as set out briefly above onboard a maritime craft.
However, it should be noted that the functional unit or the toilet installation according to the invention can be used for other purposes and/or in technical fields other than onboard maritime craft, such as ships and submarines.
The invention also relates to a method for implementing a motorised functional unit for toilets, characterised in that the functional unit comprises:
- a motor,
- a self-starting pump which is connected to the motor and which is capable of drawing in water via an inlet and delivering the water drawn in via an outlet, for example, in order to supply a toilet bowl, when the motor rotates in a first rotation direction,
- a comminutor turbine which is connected to the motor and which is capable, on the one hand, of drawing in, via an inlet, waste water and solid waste, for example, originating from the toilet bowl, and of comminuting the waste which has been drawn in and, on the other hand, of discharging the waste water and the comminuted waste via an outlet when the motor rotates in a second rotation direction counter to the first rotation direction,
the method comprising the following successive steps:
- controlling the motor in the first rotation direction so that the self-starting pump draws in water via the inlet thereof and delivers it via the outlet thereof,
- controlling the motor in the second rotation direction so that the comminutor turbine draws in waste water and solid waste via the inlet thereof, comminutes them and discharges the waste water and the comminuted waste via the outlet thereof.
This method affords the same advantages of separation over time of the main functions of the functional unit for toilets according to the invention, as briefly set-out above.
According to one possible feature, the outlet of the self-starting pump is blocked in order to prevent it from drawing in via said outlet. The possible features set out above in relation to the functional unit and/or the toilet installation in which it is incorporated also apply to the method above.
Other features and advantages will be appreciated in the course of the following description, given purely by way of non-limiting example and with reference to the appended drawings, in which:
FIG. 1
a is a schematic view of the assembly of a toilet installation used onboard a ship according to an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 1
b shows a variant of the toilet installation of FIG. 1a;
FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the inner side of a self-starting pump according to an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the inner side of a comminutor turbine according to an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 4 shows the operation of the installation of FIGS. 1a and 1b according to a first operating mode with the motor rotating in a first rotation direction;
FIG. 5 shows the operation of the installation of FIGS. 1a and 1b according to a second operating mode with the motor rotating in a second rotation direction.
As illustrated in FIG. 1a, a marine toilet installation 10 onboard a ship generally comprises:
- a toilet bowl 12 which comprises a filling water inlet 14 in order to supply filling water to the bowl and a discharge 16 in order to discharge waste water and solid waste from the bowl,
- a motorised functional unit 20 for toilets which is connected to the bowl 12.
The motorised functional unit 20 generally comprises:
- a motor 22 which is supplied with electrical power via a source 23 of electrical energy such as a battery;
- a self-starting pump 24 which is connected to the output shaft 22a of the motor (illustrated with dotted lines in FIG. 1a) and which is capable of drawing in filling water via an inlet 24a which is connected to a source of filling water 26 (the source 26 is, for example, sea water or a tank of fresh water) and delivering, via an outlet 24b which is connected to the water inlet 14 of the bowl, the filling water which has been drawn in when the motor 22 rotates in a first rotation direction;
- a comminutor turbine 28 which is also connected to the motor and which is capable, on the one hand, of drawing in, via an inlet 28a which is connected to the discharge 16 of the bowl 12 via a conduit portion 29, waste water and solid waste (faecal matter, etc.) originating from the bowl and comminuting said waste which has been drawn in and, on the other hand, discharging, via an outlet 28b which is connected to a discharge pipe, the waste water and the comminuted waste when the motor rotates in a second rotation direction counter to the first rotation direction;
- a member for controlling the motor 30 which, when activated by a user, can assume at least two possible control states, that is to say, a first state in which the motor is controlled so as to rotate in the first rotation direction and a second state in which the motor is controlled so as to rotate in the second rotation direction.
By way of example, the self-starting pump 24 is a pump having deformable blades, as illustrated in FIG. 2. The control member of the motor 30 is, for example, a switch which has three positions or control states and of which one of the positions corresponds to a stop position of the motor.
This pump 24 comprises a housing to which a water inlet 24a and a water outlet 24b are connected (and conduits or conduit portions for connection to the source 26 and the bowl 14, respectively) and in which a chamber 24c is provided. The pump 24 comprises, in a state accommodated in the chamber 24c, a central hub 24d at the periphery of which a plurality of deformable blades 24e are distributed in a regular manner. The chamber 24c has on a portion 24g of the circumference thereof an oblong shape and, on the diametrically opposed portion 24h, a circular form. The turbine (hub 24d and blades 24e) is mounted in the chamber 24c so that, when the turbine rotates, the blades 24e are flattened against the zone 24g of the inner peripheral wall of the chamber which is closest to the blades, thus permitting a volume of water originating from the inlet 24a to be drawn in between the blades and to be discharged via the outlet 24b. The blades which are in contact with the circular diametrically opposed zone 24h of the wall are relatively slightly curved in that the lifting height required is relatively low and it is desirable to reduce the friction and the wear of the blades against the wall. For example, the blades are produced from 60 shore nitrile rubber in order to confer properties of flexibility and self-lubrication.
It should be noted that the oblong shape of the zone 24g is not very pronounced in order to reduce the generation of noise to the greatest possible extent and to allow the two rotation directions of the turbine of the pump.
The pump 24 is provided at the outlet 24b thereof (outlet of the chamber 24c) with a non-return valve system 24f which is illustrated, by way of example, by a ball and a valve seat.
An example of a comminutor turbine 28 is illustrated in FIG. 3.
The turbine comprises a turbine wheel 32 which comprises a central portion 34 and an annular portion 36 which carries at the periphery thereof a plurality of comminutor blades 38. The blades comprise edges which are sharp in order to be capable of comminuting the solid waste (the edges are more particularly arranged opposite the inlet 28a of the turbine). Each blade is folded relative to the circumference of the annular portion and extends, for example, at an angle in the order of 45° relative thereto. More particularly, each blade is curved inwards and has a generally helical shape. The central portion 34 comprises a cylindrical end-piece 34a which is open at the free end thereof and which is surrounded by a collar 34b which is also cylindrical. The turbine wheel 32 is mounted in the central chamber 40 of a casing 42 which is open at one face which constitutes the inlet 28a of the turbine. This open face of the casing is arranged opposite the open end of the conduit portion 29 (connection between the discharge 16 of the bowl and the inlet 28a) of FIG. 1a when the turbine is installed against it.
The comminutor blades 38 of the turbine are configured to draw in the waste water and the solid waste via the inlet 28a thereof when the motor rotates in the second rotation direction and in order to comminute the waste in the same rotation direction. This dual function is ensured by the single turbine which forms one and the same component, in contrast to the arrangement described in the document U.S. Pat. No. 6,085,364 in which the comminutor members are blades which are rotatably mounted on a shaft and which are axially remote from the turbine used only to pump. The compactness of the arrangement of the comminutor turbine 28 avoids the problems connected with mechanical balancing of a longer drive shaft in document U.S. Pat. No. 6,085,364.
The outlet of the turbine is hydraulically configured in order, on the one hand, to promote the discharge of waste water and comminuted waste when the turbine wheel rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 3 (this direction corresponds to the second rotation direction of the motor) and, on the other hand, to make it difficult to draw in water via this outlet when the motor rotates in the first rotation direction. More specifically, the outlet of the turbine takes the form of an extension of the casing 42, which extension is arranged adjacent to the central chamber 40 in the form of an outlet conduit 42a. The outlet conduit 42a extends towards the outer side of the casing first in a manner tangential to the outlet of the chamber, then changing direction relative to the tangential outlet direction from the chamber in order to close the angle relative to this direction in the direction of the casing (the conduit is curved). The outlet conduit is in a manner wrapped around the casing, thus conferring on the assembly the general shape of a snail shell (a compact assembly which therefore takes up little space is thus obtained). The change of direction (in this instance 90°) between the tangential outlet direction from the chamber and the perpendicular with respect to the outlet hole 28b is such that water cannot be readily drawn via the outlet hole under the action of the rotation of the blades in the first rotation direction of the motor. It should be noted that the length of the conduit 42a is such that the chamber cannot be seen from the outlet hole 28b. However, this length may vary in accordance with requirements and, for example, be wrapped around the casing to a greater extent.
As can be seen in FIG. 1a, the motor 22, the self-starting pump 24 and the comminutor turbine 28 of the motorised functional unit 20 are arranged in a rectilinear configuration in accordance with the alignment of the output shaft 22a of the motor.
In the configuration illustrated, the pump 24 is surrounded by the motor 22 and the turbine 28. The inlet 28a of the turbine is thus directly connected to the conduit portion 29.
The diameter of the turbine provided with the blades thereof (the diameter is that of a circle which is tangent to the outer peripheral edge of the blades in a plane perpendicular to the shaft of the turbine) is at least equal to the inner diameter of the conduit portion 29. This enables the turbine to fulfil in a satisfactory manner the dual function (pumping and comminution) whilst avoiding the problems of blocking which are inherent in the arrangement described in document U.S. Pat. No. 6,085,364 (winding of hair, dirt, contamination, etc., around the blades and the shaft on which they are mounted). This is because the function of comminution is carried out in the region of the blades 38, at the periphery of the collar 36 of the turbine and not, as in the prior art, on blades which are carried by a shaft having a relatively small diameter. In practice, the diameter of the turbine is between 8 and 12 cm and is, for example, 10 cm.
One variant of the installation 10 is illustrated in FIG. 1b. The installation 50 comprises the same elements as those of FIG. 1a, with the exception of the motor 52 (the same reference numerals as in FIG. 1a are retained for the elements which are unchanged). The motor 52 is arranged between the turbine 28 and the pump 24. The output shaft of the motor opens at the two sides of the body of said motor via the two opposing ends 52a, 52b thereof and the turbine 28 and the pump 24 are each mounted on one of the two emerging ends (at the end of the shaft). This arrangement enables the structure of the functional unit to be balanced (variant of the functional unit 20 of FIG. 1a) and facilitates the maintenance.
FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate the two possible operating modes of the installation of FIGS. 1a and 1b.
In FIG. 4, the user actuates the control member 30 in order to control the operation of the motor in a first rotation direction (this direction is indicated schematically on the output shaft 22a of the motor which has been offset to the right in FIGS. 4 and 5 for reasons of clarity). The user thus actuates the switch in a first position (first control state) which closes an electric circuit 50 in order to transmit an electric current into the coils of the direct-current motor in a first direction.
As illustrated schematically in FIG. 4, the rotation of the output shaft 22a in the first direction brings about the rotation of the turbine of the pump 24 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2. This rotation of the turbine creates a suction action, via the inlet 24a, of the filling water originating from the source 26 and a delivery, via the outlet 24b, of the water which has been drawn in, thus supplying water to the bowl 12 in order to fill and flush it (see the circulation direction of the water indicated by the arrows). During this first operating mode, the pump 24 is activated and thus completely performs its function without being disrupted by a parallel and antagonistic operation of the comminutor turbine 28. This is because, during “normal” operation of the pump 24, the wheel 32 of the comminutor turbine is rotatably driven in the reverse direction of the arrow in FIG. 3. Taking into account the configuration and the orientation of the comminutor blades, their rotation in this direction has no effect on the volume arranged upstream, that is to say, the conduit portion 29 and the bowl 12.
Furthermore, the potential pressure reduction which the rotation of these blades could bring about downstream of the blades in the direction of the outlet of the turbine is attenuated by the curved configuration of the outlet conduit 42a so that the turbine draws only little or not at all via the outlet hole 28b thereof (in the first rotation direction of the motor/comminutor turbine which is not activated).
This filling of the bowl 12, in the absence of any suction of the content thereof via the discharge 16 thereof, enables the second operating mode of the installation to be optimised (suction and grinding of waste).
In FIG. 5, the user actuates the control member 30 in order to control the operation of the motor in the second rotation direction. The user thus actuates the switch into a second position (second control state) which closes an electric circuit 50 in order to transmit electric current in the coils of the direct-current motor in a second direction.
As illustrated schematically in FIG. 5, the rotation of the output shaft 22a in the second direction brings about the rotation of the wheel 32 of the comminutor turbine in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 3. This rotation of the turbine wheel 32 creates a suction action, via the inlet 28a thereof which is connected to the discharge 16 of the bowl 12, of waste water and solid waste (faecal matter, etcetera) from the bowl which had previously been filled with water (first operating mode). The solid waste is comminuted/ground by the comminutor blades 38 of the turbine and the waste water and the comminuted waste driven by the rotation of the turbine are then discharged via the outlet conduit 42a and the outlet hole 28b in the direction of the discharge pipe (see the direction of circulation of waste water and waste indicated by the arrows). During this second operating mode, the comminutor turbine 28 is activated and therefore performs completely its function of suction and grinding of the solid waste of the bowl 12 to the extent that it is carried out after the bowl 12 has been filled with water and not during the supply of water.
During this “normal” operation of the comminutor turbine, the turbine of the pump 24 is itself driven in rotation in the reverse direction of the arrow in FIG. 2. In so far as the outlet 24b of the pump 24 is provided with a non-return valve system 24f, the reverse rotation of the turbine of the pump 24 does not create suction in the bowl 12 via the conduit which connects the inlet 14 to the outlet 24b (pump not activated in the second rotation direction).
Since the pumping and grinding of the waste present in the bowl 12 are not carried out at the same time as the bowl is filled, the noise generated by the installation is reduced, for example, to a noise level of approximately 60 dB, whereas the two simultaneous operations generate a noise level in the region of 70 dB. Furthermore, the pump 24 has been configured in order to reduce the level of noise during the operation thereof.
It should be noted that the control member 30 also comprises a third control state in order to stop the motor (central position in dotted lines in FIGS. 4 and 5).
Advantageously, it may be envisaged that, in a variant which is not illustrated, during the first operating mode, when the output shaft 22a rotates in the first rotation direction (FIG. 4), only the turbine of the pump 24 is rotatably driven (the wheel 32 of the comminutor turbine not itself being driven in rotation). This enables any suction via the outlet of the turbine to be prevented. To this end, the wheel 32 of the comminutor turbine is, for example, mounted on a ratchet type ball bearing which permits only one operating direction (for example, a free wheel system which exists on bicycles).
Patent Application
20150322657
