Toilet arrangement

Abstract

Toilet arrangement, which includes a gravity toilet bowl (1) provided with a water trap (11) and an outlet (12). The arrangement further includes a water valve (5), a flush water tank (4), and a flush valve (6) arranged between the flush water tank (4) and the toilet bowl (1), and an activating means (8) for activating a flushing sequence. In order to allow for the use of a standard gravity toilet bowl in connection with a vacuum sewage system, the toilet arrangement comprises an adapter (13) which is arranged between the gravity toilet bowl (1) and a discharge valve (2) connected to a vacuum sewer piping (3). A control mechanism (7) is connected to the vacuum sewer piping (3), the discharge valve (2), the water valve (5) and the flush valve (6), whereby the control mechanism (7) is arranged to be activated by means of the activating means (8).

Claims

1. A toilet arrangement, comprising: a gravity toilet bowl provided with a water trap and an outlet having a diameter corresponding to a given first diameter of a gravity sewer pipe; a flush water tank-connected to a source of water by a water valve and to the gravity toilet bowl by a flush valve for providing flush water to the gravity toilet bowl during a flushing sequence; a push button; a vacuum sewer piping with a given second diameter, the given second diameter being less than the given first diameter of the gravity sewer pipe; a discharge valve having a diameter corresponding to the given second diameter of the vacuum sewer piping; a vacuum unit connected to the vacuum sewer piping for generating vacuum in the vacuum sewer piping; an adapter fluidly coupled between the outlet of the gravity toilet bowl, having the given first diameter of the gravity sewer pipe, and the discharge valve, having the given second diameter of the vacuum sewer piping, wherein a first end of the discharge valve is directly connected to the outlet of the gravity toilet bowl by the adapter, and a second end of the discharge valve, opposite to said first end, is directly connected to the vacuum sewer piping; a controller configured to be activated by the push button and operatively connected to the vacuum sewer piping, the discharge valve, the water valve, the flush valve, and the vacuum unit whereby sewage disposed in the gravity toilet bowl is arranged to be directly discharged from the gravity toilet bowl through the water trap and the outlet provided with the adapter into the vacuum sewer piping through the discharge valve in connection with the flushing sequence.

2. The toilet arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the water valve, the flush water tank, the flush valve, the controller and the push button are located above the gravity toilet bowl.

3. The toilet arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the discharge valve is located above the gravity toilet bowl.

4. The toilet arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the flush water tank has a volume between 2-3 liters.

5. The toilet arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the gravity toilet bowl is of a wall mounted type.

6. The toilet arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the gravity toilet bowl is of a floor supported type.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) In the following, the invention will be described, by way of example only, in more detail with reference to the attached schematic drawings, in which

(2) FIG. 1 illustrates a standard gravity toilet system,

(3) FIG. 2 illustrates a standard vacuum toilet system,

(4) FIG. 3 illustrates a standard gravity toilet system with a traditional connection to a vacuum sewer system,

(5) FIG. 4 illustrates a toilet arrangement according to the present invention, and

(6) FIG. 5 illustrates the toilet arrangement according to the present invention seen from a user perspective.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(7) Known types of toilet arrangements are discussed above in connection with prior art and shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.

(8) The toilet arrangement according to the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5.

(9) The toilet arrangement includes a gravity toilet bowl 1 provided with a water trap 11 and an outlet 12 having a diameter corresponding to a given diameter of a gravity sewer pipe. The toilet arrangement further includes a water valve 5, a flush water tank 4 and a flush valve 6, and an activating means 8 for activating a flushing sequence of the gravity toilet bowl.

(10) The outlet 12 of the gravity toilet bowl 1 is provided with an adapter 13 which enables to connect the outlet 12 having a diameter corresponding to a given first diameter, usually between 90 mm to 110 mm, of a standard gravity sewer pipe to a vacuum sewer piping 3 with a given second diameter, usually between 40 or 50 mm.

(11) The adapter 13 is directly connected to a vacuum sewer piping 3 by means of a discharge valve 2. In other words a first end of the discharge valve 2 is directly connected to the adapter 13 connected to the outlet 12 of the gravity toilet bowl 1 and a second end of the discharge valve 2, opposite to said first end, is directly connected to the vacuum sewer piping 3.

(12) The direct connection indicates that there is no intermediate collecting or storage tank or other receptacle or other corresponding arrangement between the adapter 13 and the gravity toilet outlet 12. In a corresponding manner, there is no intermediate collecting or storage tank or other receptacle or other corresponding arrangement between the adapter 13 and the discharge valve 2. The adapter can include a piping section. The flow of sewage and flush water is thus directly out of the gravity toilet bowl 1 into the vacuum sewer piping 3 when the discharge valve 2 is open, i.e. normally during a discharge and flushing sequence.

(13) In other words, there is a direct connection, without any intermediate receptacle, between the first end of the discharge valve and the adapter, and a direct connection, without any intermediate receptacle, between the second end of the discharge valve, opposite the first end, and the vacuum sewer piping.

(14) Thus, the gravity toilet bowl can be of any standard gravity toilet bowl design. In order to make the connection to a vacuum sewer piping the adapter 13 is used for providing a reduction of the diameter of the outlet of the gravity toilet bowl to the diameter of the vacuum sewer piping with the discharge valve. Normally, there is a pipe section as indicated by reference numeral 14 between the outlet 12 of the gravity toilet bowl 1 and the discharge valve 2. The adapter can be included in the pipe section between the outlet of the gravity toilet bowl and the discharge valve. Alternatively the adapter can be directly connected to the outlet of the gravity toilet bowl, whereby the pipe section 14 continues from the adapter to the discharge valve. In other words the adapter is arranged between the outlet of the gravity toilet bowl and the discharge valve, advantageously at the outlet of the gravity toilet bowl. The sewage can freely flow through the pipe section 14, if such a pipe section is deployed.

(15) The terms direct and directly are thus to be understood so that the connection between the gravity toilet bowl and the vacuum sewer piping is simply through the discharge valve, which is the standard manner of connection of a vacuum toilet to a vacuum sewer piping in a vacuum sewage system, and through the adapter, which in fact is only a part of the piping as such.

(16) The toilet arrangement is provided with a flushing arrangement, which includes a flush water tank 4 connected to a source of water by means of a water valve 5. The flush water tank 4 is connected to the toilet bowl 1 by means of a flush valve 6. The discharge valve 2, the water valve 5 and the flush valve 6 are controlled by a control mechanism 7 provided with an activating means 8 for activating a flushing sequence. In this embodiment, the control mechanism 7 is pneumatically or electrically governed using vacuum drawn from the vacuum piping 3 as indicated by a broken line. Vacuum is generated in the vacuum piping 3 by means of a vacuum unit 9.

(17) The operation of the vacuum sewage system, comprising carrying out the flushing sequence, i.e. a discharge of the gravity toilet bowl, according to the invention is as follows. When sewage has been disposed in the gravity toilet bowl 1, the activating means 8 is activated (by pressing a push button), whereby the control mechanism 7 receives a pneumatic or electric signal from the activating means. Vacuum is thus conveyed from the vacuum sewer piping 3 to the discharge valve 2, the water valve 5 and the flush valve 6 for opening these three valves. The vacuum connection between the control mechanism 7 and the water valve 5, the flush water tank 4 and the flush valve 6 is indicated by broken lines.

(18) Consequently, the sewage disposed in the toilet bowl 1 is directly discharged from the gravity toilet bowl 1 through the water trap 11 and the outlet 12, provided with the adapter 13, into the vacuum sewer piping 3 through the discharge valve 2 as the small amount of flush water from the flush water tank 4 at the same time is flushed into the gravity toilet bowl 1 by way of gravity.

(19) After the flushing sequence, the discharge valve 2 and the flush valve 6 are closed. The flush water 6 closes with a given delay in order to ensure that the water trap 11 is filled with water in the same manner as in connection with a standard gravity toilet system. After a predetermined delay, i.e. when the flush water tank 4 has been filled with water to a predetermined degree, the water valve 5 is closed. Thus, the system is ready for a new flushing sequence.

(20) The toilet arrangement according to the present invention only requires a small amount of flush water, in an amount between 2-3 liters, whereby the flush water tank can be dimensioned significantly smaller than in a standard gravity system. This provides an important advantage in view installation space compared to a standard gravity system. Clearly, this also has an important water saving aspect. It also reduces the total amount of waste to be handled.

(21) Also the complicated flush system of a standard gravity system, which is apt to failure and leakage, e.g. because of the float system in the flush water tank, can be replaced by a single valve with a controlled delay function as described above. A further important aspect is the water trap, which functions as a labyrinth significantly reducing the flushing noise normally associated with vacuum toilets.

(22) Taking into account that the other operational components are of a small size, all necessary operational components can practically be installed in a space above the toilet bowl as illustrated in FIG. 5. FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment with a so-called upwards connection, whereby the discharge valve 2 is also identified as being above the toilet bowl 1. In this embodiment, the adapter 13 would be connected to the outlet 12 of the toilet bowl 1, and the pipe section, indicated with reference numeral 14 in FIG. 4, would rise up to a position above the toilet bowl 1 in order to connected to the discharge valve 2, which in this embodiment would be directly accessible from above the toilet bowl 1. The pipe section 14 would thus preferably have a diameter corresponding to a vacuum sewer piping, i.e. the above mentioned given second diameter.

(23) In connection with a so-called downwards connection, the discharge valve would be arranged in the vicinity of the outlet of the toilet bowl.

(24) This allows for easy access, installation, replacement and maintenance. Furthermore, the toilet bowl together with the operational components can be assembled as a package that can easily just be connected to the vacuum sewer piping. Advantageously, the operational components would be mounted on a frame structure arranged on the back side of the toilet bowl.

(25) Furthermore, the vacuum sewer piping only has a diameter of about 40-50 mm, which requires less space than a traditional gravity sewer. A vacuum sewer piping, as known in the art, can be flexibly installed, with e.g. an upwards connection (riser pipe) form the toilet bowl, or alternatively e.g. a downwards connection. The vacuum sewer piping can be installed and changed as desired with a considerably degree of flexibility.

(26) By deploying a simple pipe connection, an adapter as discussed above, the toilet bowl type is not limited to a specific vacuum toilet bowl. Any gravity toilet bowl type can be used, which gives freedom of design and installation, which are important criteria in the building and housing sectors.

(27) The drawings and the description related thereto are only intended for clarification of the basic idea of the invention. The invention may vary in detail with the scope of the ensuing claims.