Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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"TOILET FLUSHING SYSTEM USING COMPRESSED AIR"
State of the Art
There is lack of water and too much waste and garbage in the world.
The current world population is of six billion people; in many countries, like
in
Brazil, the urban popuiation reaches 80% of the total amount, that is, Man
gathers in vertical urban constructions, covers the spaces with asphalt and
overpasses for his automobiles and turns the clear rivers on whose edges his
history began into open-air viscous sewers.
The daily average for human waste production is around 2 liters of urine and
700 grams of excrement.
The urine is expelled several times a day, the solid waste material once or
twice. Almost all the times this occurs, the toilets are flushed, which
consists of
a fast, intense jet of water and of a particular geometry of vortex system
that
has three goals:
1 - Remove the waste, liquid or solid, from the place in which it was
deposited,
which includes the toilet paper;
2 - Form a water flow in the public sanitary sewer net so that the waste is
dragged away by the water flow to the sewage plants or to further natural
water
resources such as rivers, sea, etc.
3 - Make the toilet blatantly clean by taking off any waste that might have
adhered to its walls.
Until about 20 years ago, there were two main co-existing systems of water
flush production:
1- In the oldest constructions, boxes of around 30 liters were placed nearly 2
meters higher than the toilets from which the water was withdrawn very fast by
a siphon resource through a tube of a bigger diameter;
2 - In vertical constructions, by special valves connected to pipelines of a
bigger diameter and high pressures, so that such valves, once pressed, would
be kept open for variable time in order to provide water in enough amount to
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drag out the excrement and wash the side walls of the toilets where any matter
could have gotten adhered.
The first system worked satisfactorily and it was kind of economical because
once it was started, the siphon extracted the content from the reservoir
(water
box) in a few seconds but, as the connection to the household water system
was of a small diameter and the level difference between the household water
box were small, it took some minutes until the flush water box was refilled
and
due to the siphon system it did not work during the refilling time or until
its level
had come to a certain height.
In the second system, as the valves could be purposely pressed for long
periods of time and kept open while pressed, according to sanitary workers'
researches, even the playful aspect of the flush operation induced the users
to
a large and unnecessary water consumption.
Nowadays, in domiciliary, commercial and industrial settings, the technical
norms preconize saving water in toilet flushes, limiting it to 6 liters per
cycle in
Brazil, which was technically achieved due to the fact that the water
reservoir
for the flush is juxtaposed with the toilet in its upper back part, it has a
limited
capacity, it works by a siphon system in tubes of big diameters, it is able to
produce a great water flow for some instants, all of this aided by the new
shapes of the toilets and the flush ducts in a way that the flush flow tends
to turn
in vortix and accomplish its work.
For the fact that the water reservoir is filled through a connection of a low
diameter with the internal water system, it requires a considerable time for
its
refilling, which discourages the waste because it prevents from successive
I
flushes.
It is important to note that, unlike the industrial field where there is an
availability
of water of several purity levels, due to its use, the water used in the
toilet flush
in the domiciliary field receives an accurate treatment and is practically
proper
for drinking.
_ So, the State of the Art with regard to the household toilet flushes is set
by the
need of saving water and improving the performance of the whole that even
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with privileged geometries in order to produce the dragging with little water
depends basically on gravity.
However, three sources of widely complex technology demands were imposed:
they are the technologies for planes, ships and submarines that have extremely
peculiar demands.
These demands imply the pressure control in conditions of extreme differences
both in the sense of preventing the toilets to be invaded by great external
pressures, such as in ships and submarines, and, otherwise, on planes with
pressurized cabins flying at altitudes where the external pressures are
minimum.
It is to note that, specially in case of planes where the flight cost is
proportional
to its cargo weight, flush water consumption must be the least and this issue
becomes deeply significant when you think of an intercontinental flight non-
stop
plane, lasting more than 12 hours, carrying hundreds of passengers who have
meals and all kinds of drinks.
Thus, historically, the State of the Art advances related to toilet flushes
have
been awfully sophisticated and, although many technicai solutions developed
for several settings haven't been able to be settled on the market because
they
are always notably more expensive and demanding and they need more
maintenance work than the conventional systems, an evolutive way is already
traced for the Art: - saving water!
This field has been being revealed so subjected to innovative proposals that,
for
this patent manufacture, a research based on the patent data was carried out
and found over 600 documents related to the theme, although not even at least
a project that could make progress in the State of the Art as this patent does
with so much simplicity and getting to save so much water was found.
The two most currently used methods and resources are: - considerable
volumes of water under the gravity effect or the production of low pressures
in
the sewer ducts - such effect known as "vacuum", in which the local
atmospheric pressure presses the water mass and the waste toward the low
pressured ducts.
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There is a less used third one, which employs the water pressurization to
expel
the waste from the toilet.
All these methods - with hundreds of sorts of proposed devices - have
something in common: they are all operated with the toilet lid open!
Advances in the State of the Art performed by this Patent.
The first advance in the State of the Art proposed by this patent is radically
innovative because it operates with the toilet lid hermetically closed, sealed
by
rubber rings or something alike, and the toilet has its interior pressurized
by
compressed air, with relatively low pressures, during the moments of waste
expelling and the hydro seal contaminated by the waste, that is, it uses the
abundant air under pressure to replace great volumes of water subjected
exclusively to the gravity action.
Secondly, for the first time in History, computerization has a place in this
patent
to help Man preserve the water used for the human excreta elimination: - the
object of this patent proposes a mechanism that operates in cycles and isrun
automatically by "PLC".
In third place, by using pressurization for waste removal, this patent
utilizes this
extremely abundant resource without producing remains, to replace another
resource that becomes more rare r and expensive day by day.
In fourth place, this patent, by using the mechanisms described above,
produces a radical saving of water for expelling the waste from the toilets;
with
less than 2 liters for each use, it allows even the objects of a high volume
to be
released through the sewers. It is to take into consideration that 2 liters of
water
are a minimum consumption if compared to what is commended by the most
economical laws at work.
In fifth place, the object of this patent includes a "self-cleaning" function,
which
saves work-force and chemical cleaning products and keeps the whole always
clean and without bad smells.
Figure 1 shows a schematic illustration without details for a global
understanding of the TOILET FLUSHING SYSTEM USING COMPRESSED AIR
(1) operation; in the Figure 1 we can see the specific toilet (21) with its
hydro
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seal (22), the siphon sewer (23), the toilet lid (18) with its latch; we can
also see
the compressed air tank (24), the pressurized water tank (25), the air
compressor (27) and the "PLC" (16).
The TOILET FLUSHING SYSTEM USING COMPRESSED AIR (1) works as
5 follows, according to Figure 1: - after its use, the specific toilet lid
(18) is
hermetically closed and kept in this position by the latch (26). When the user
starts the command button (20), the "PLC" (16) activates the necessary devices
so that the compressed air, under the pressure of 25 "PSI" held inside the
compressed air tank (24), where it was introduced by the air compressor (27),
is
suddenly released into the interior of the specific toilet (21), producing an
air
stroke and a pressure of about 4 "PSi" inside the specific toilet (21), which
expels, with an effective stroke, the water that constitutes the hydro seal
(22), in
which the waste was accumulated, making that, along with the pressurized air,
both of them go down the siphon sewer (23), thus returning the internal
pressure of the specific toilet (21) to the same value as that of the local
atmospheric pressure. Aided by the PLC (16), which was properly programmed,
the automated devices keep working: - the PLC (16) releases part of the
content from the pressurized water tank (25) for the "self-cleaning" function -
which, by means of its non-constant washing tips in Figure 1, washes the
specific toilet (21) walls with under-pressured water, replacing the hydro
seal
(22) with the water contaminated by the waste that, by chance, had adhered to
the specific toilet (21) walls; the next step operated by the PLC (16) is to
produce a new stroke of compressed air by the release of a part of the content
in the compressed air tank (24), which causes, again, the removal of the hydro
seal (22), now composed of water and the waste washed from the walls by the
previous automatic operation, which also lets the compressed air, under low
pressure, go through the siphon sewer (23) recovering the internal pressure of
the specific toilet (21) to the same values as that of the local atmospheric
pressure.
The next operational step, commanded by the PLC (16) is launching a new
amount of water from the pressurized water tank (25) to the hydro seal (22) -
replacement and releasing the specific toilet lid (18) through the latch (26)
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locking mechanism - not shown in Figure 1 - leaving the whole free for a new
use, because the air compressor (27) is also activated to replace the
pressures
involved with the processes as well as the water from the water system which
is
received inside the pressurized water tank (25).
The operation general description made in the Figure 1, in which the
unnecessary devices for understanding how the object of this patent works
were purposely omitted, whose operation, is automatic and can be performed by
anyone just by pressing a single button, takes us now to the complete
conceptual description of the " TOILET FLUSHING SYSTEM USING
COMPRESSED AIR" (1), which is " a thoroughly new system, automated,
manageable just by pressing one single button, self-cleaning, run by a PLC,
for
saving water during the removal of the waste off the toilets as well as work-
force
and chemical cleaning products, which uses compressed air for the waste and
contaminated water removal, replacing the great amounts of water just by being
subjected to the gravity force and operates in cycles of expelling and
replacing
the hydro seal of the toilet".
Figure 2 shows the operational circuit - working diagram - as well as its
devices in a schematic way to serve as reference for the detailed description
of
the "TOILET FLUSHING SYSTEM USING COMPRESSED AIR". We can
clearly see in this Figure 2 the automated operation of the object of this
patent.
In order to make this proposed system work, it is needed to supply it with
water
by linking it to the household plumbing system (1A), air by the entry (27A)
and
electric energy by linking it to the household wiring system (3A).
The water supply was projected considering the solutions for providing
sanitary
pieces used nowadays, that is, it requires a water-feeding spot with the same
technical specifications and characteristics as those of an ordinary toilet
with the
flush clutched to it. As for the compressed air supply, according to the
project, a
compressor (27) will be manufactured, which will fill the tank with compressed
air (24). Finally, a 127V or a 220V electric-power spot has been thought for
the
electric energy demand.
- A single description of the regular basic work cycle is enough for the
perfect
understanding of this patent object operation.
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Regarding that the system is available to work, we will have:
- Pressurized air tank (24) with an internal pressure of 25 PSI;
- Filled pressurized water tank (25);
- Compatible electric-power net connected to the eiectrical feeding
plate (3);
- Programmed and energized PLC (16);
- Hermetically closed lid (18);
- Locked Solenoid latch (17), that is, the electric circuit doesn't apply
tension on it.
By pressing the command button (20), the PLC (16) activates immediately the
solenoid valve (13) that is open for a few seconds and allows the passage of
the compressed air from the pressurized air tank (24) to the interior of the
specific toilet (21) pressurizing it. Such operation expels all the water and
materials contained in the hydro seal (22). The projected pressure in the
internal chamber of the specific toilet (21) at the time of the compressed air
flush is of 4 PSI, measured by the manometer (15). The pressure gauge (14)
will send a signal to the PLC (16) that will keep the solenoid valve (13) and
the
solenoid latch (17) closed in case the pressure in the sanitary basin chamber
goes beyond the value of 5 PSI.
By reducing the pressure in the pressurized air tank (24), the pressure gauge
(10) sends a signal to the PLC (16) that immediately starts the air compressor
(27) activation, thus achieving the first air replacement to it. As the
projected
pressure (25PSI) in the pressurized air tank (24) is reached, the pressure
gauge
(10) sends a new signal to the PLC (16) indicating that the referred tank is
completely filled, this PLC (16) turns off the air compressor (27) and
commands,
at the same time, the opening of the solenoid valve (6) and the solenoid valve
(11), starting the cleaning process of the walls in the specific toilet (21)
interior
through the tips (19) and making the hydro seal (22) replacement.
Again, with the reduction of the internal pressure in the pressurized air
tank_
(24), due to the need of air for the wall cleaning devices and hydro seal
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replacement, the pressure gauge (10) sends a signal to the PLC (16) which
commands immediately the air compressor (27) activation, now starting the
second replacement of air in the pressurized tank (24). Just like it happened
in
the first pressurized air tank (24) refilling, as the projected pressure is
reached
(25 PSI) in it, the pressure gauge (10) sends a signal to the PLC (16)
indicating
that the referred tank is completely filled and it turns off the air
compressor (27).
Once the specific toilet (21) walls cleaning process and hydro seal (22)
replacement are concluded, the solenoid valve (6) and the solenoid valve (11)
will be simultaneously closed by a PLC (16) command.
At this stage, the whole system is found completely replaced and with all its
functions available to operate the second expelling of the hydro seal along
with
its content, which is carried out by the sequential PLC (16) command.
This second expelling is made automatically by the PLC (16) and despite of the
user's manual activation.
With the command signal released by the PLC (16), the solenoid valve (13) is
open and allows the passage of the compressed air, stored in the pressurized
air tank (24), to the interior of the specific toilet (21), pressurizing it.
Such
operation expels all the water and materials, which come from the wall
cleaning
process now contained in the hydro seal (22). The projected pressure inside
the
specific toilet (21), at the time of this operation, must also be that of 4
PSI,
measured by the manometer (15); in case the pressure goes beyond the value
of 5 PSI, the pressure gauge (14) sends a signal to the PLC (16) which will
keep the solenoid valve (13) closed and the solenoid latch (17) locked. By
reducing the pressure in the compressed air tank (24), the pressure gauge (10)
sends a signal to the PLC (16), which immediately starts the third activation
of
the air compressor (27) and, consequently, the third replacement of air in the
pressurized air tank (24). As the projected pressure (25 PSI) in it is
reached, the
pressure gauge (10) sends a new signal to the PLC (16) indicating that the
said
tank in completely filled and this turns off the air compressor (27), as this
operation may last until the end of the next commanded-to-be operation, which
is the replacement of water in the pressurized water tank (25).
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The PLC will provide an operational continuity to the program and the first
replacement of water in the pressurized water tank (25) is initiated through
the
simultaneous opening of the solenoid valve (11) and of the solenoid valve
(12);
the solenoid valve (12) function is to allow the replacement of water in the
pressurized water tank (25), releasing the passage of the residual compressed
air as the water level rises in such tank.
As the maximum level of water in the pressurized water tank (25) is reached,
the level control key (5) sends a signal to the PLC (16), which commands the
simultaneous closing of the solenoid valve (11) and of the solenoid valve
(12),
and it proceeds with the automatic operational cycle of the TOILET FLUSHING
SYSTEM USING COMPRESSED AIR (1). With the pressurized air tank (24)
compietely pressurized and the pressurized water tank (25) replaced, the PLC
(16) commands the opening of the solenoid valve (6) and, simultaneously, the
opening of the solenoid valve (11), beginning the second specific toilet (21)
internal walls cleaning process by the tips (19) and the replacement of the
hydro
seal (22). Again, with the reduction of the pressure inside the pressurized
air
tank (24), now due to the need of air for the second cycle of wall cleaning
and
hydro seal replacement, the pressure gauge (10) sends a signal to the PLC (16)
which immediately commands the air compressor (27) activation, beginning,
thus, the fourth and last air replacement of the pressurized air tank (24)
As the projected pressure (25 PSI) in the interior of the pressurized air tank
(24)
is reached, the pressure gauge (10) sends a signal to the PLC (16) indicating
that the referred tank is totally filled and it turns off the air compressor
(27).
Once the process of wall cleaning and hydro seal (22) replacement is over, the
solenoid valve (6) and the solenoid valve (11) will be closed simultaneously
by a
command from the PLC (16).
Lastly, by concluding the operation basic cycle, the second process of water
replacement in the pressurized water tank (25) is initiated through the
simultaneous opening of both the solenoid valve (11) and the solenoid valve
(12), a process which is commanded by the PLC (16). Like the first replacement
-process, as it reaches the maximum water level inside the- pressurized water
tank (25), the level control key (5) sends a signal to the PLC (16) which
closes,
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at the same time, the solenoid valve (1) and the solenoid valve (12). The
operation basic cycle is finalized. The system, at this stage, is enabled for
a
new operational cycle just by the user's pressing the command button (20).
