US20080010734A1

US20080010734A1 - Sensor-type flushing system for a toilet tank

Info

Publication number: US20080010734A1
Application number: US11/486,219
Authority: US
Inventors: Frank Chang
Original assignee: Globe Union Industrial Corp
Current assignee: Globe Union Industrial Corp
Priority date: 2006-07-14
Filing date: 2006-07-14
Publication date: 2008-01-17

Abstract

A sensor-type flushing system for a toilet tank includes a pressured tank installed in a toilet tank, both a switch valve and an electromagnetic valve connected to the pressured tank. The pressure tank is provided with a drain valve so that pressured tater stored in the pressured tank may be made to flow out of the drain valve to flush pressed water in the toilet bawl by handling manually an operational device set on an outer wall of the toilet tank. Further, the operational device is provided with a sensor, which senses a human body and emits and receives signals to electrically open the electromagnetic valve so as to open the drain valve for flushing pressured water into the toilet bawl. Thus the sensor-type flushing system has two functions of manual and automatic flushing.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a sensor-type flushing system for a toilet tank, particularly to one operable both automatically and manually.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional toilet tanks have been commonly operated manually, needing a little force and not so hygienic. So sensor-type flushing systems for a toilet tank have been made and in use widely, and one of them is provided with a sensor to be embedded in a wall, and the sensor is electrically connected with the toilet tank with wires also embedded in the wall. The other is provided with a wireless sensor also embedded in a wall, and a receiver installed in the toilet tank so that the sensor can command the receiver to carrying out flushing by means of infrared ray when it senses a person stands before the toilet or leaves the toilet.
However, conventional sensor-type flushing system for a toilet tank needs the sensor to be embedded in a wall, so it needs work to break or dig the wall and repair it again, not convenient for use. If the wireless sensor is used with an independent power, it must use a battery, and then the battery has to be replaced with new ones frequently, in addition, the wires have to be exposed out to impair the appearance or a wall has to be dug for embedding them.

SUMMRY OF THE INVNETION

This invention has been devised to offer a sensor-type flushing system for a toilet tank, which includes a pressured tank installed inside a toilet tank, both a switch valve and an electromagnetic valve connected to the pressured tank so that pressured water stored in the pressured tank may be made to flow through a drain valve fixed in the bottom of the pressures tank for flushing the toilet bawl by manual handling of an operation device fixed on an outer wall of the toilet tank. Further the operational device is provided with a sensor, which can sense a human body coming or leaving and emits and receives signals so as to actuate the electromagnetic valve to open the drain valve for flushing pressured water into the toilet bawl.
The invention functions normally with the automatic flushing by the sensor without need of pushing the operational device of a user, and provided that the automatic flushing should not work owing to some cause such as breakdown of the sensor or power interruption or insufficient power, it could still be flushed by manually handling the operational device. In addition, the sensing structure is hidden in the operational device and the toilet tank, so a wall does not have to be dug for embedding the sensor or electric wires, keeping good appearance of the wall.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

This invention will be better understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sensor-type flushing system for a toilet tank in the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the sensor-type flushing system for a toilet tank in the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of a toilet tank and a pressured tank in the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an operational device, a switch valve, an electromagnetic valve and a control case in the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a partial exploded perspective view of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a partial side cross-sectional view of the operational device and the switch valve in the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view of the electromagnetic valve in the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view of the electromagnetic valve in the present invention, showing it under working condition;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the operational device actuated to move the switch valve in the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the drain valve of the pressured tank under opened condition in the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of an operational device in the present invention;

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the second embodiment of an operational device in the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a side cross-sectional view of the second embodiment of an operational device in the present invention; and,

FIG. 14 is a side cross-sectional view of the second embodiment of an operational device actuated to move the switch valve in the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A preferred embodiment of a sensor-type flushing system for a toilet tank in the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, includes a toilet tank 10, a pressured tank 20, a switch valve 30, an electromagnetic valve 40, an operational device 50, a sensor 60, a power circuit 70 and a control case 80 as main components.
The toilet tank 10 shown in FIG. 3 is made of porcelain, provided with a hollow space 11 for receiving the pressured water tank 20 therein.
The pressured tank 20 is deposited in the toilet tank 10, having a store space 21 for storing pressured water therein, and a drain valve 22 fixed in the bottom for the pressured water to flow through for flushing the toilet bawl.
The switch valve 30, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, is positioned between the toilet tank 10 and the pressured tank 20, consisting of a front housing 31, a rear housing 32 and a stop valve 33. The front housing 31 is provided with an insert hole 311 in the front side, and an inlet 312 in the bottom communicating with the interior of the pressured tank 20. The rear housing 32 is combined with the front housing 31 from behind, provided with a chamber 34 communicating with the inlet 312, and an outlet 321 in a rear side communicating with the drain valve 31. The stop valve 33 is positioned at an upper side of the inlet 312 of the front housing 31, possible to be pressed down to open the inlet 312, as shown in FIG. 9. When the pressure against the stop valve 33 disappears, the stop valve 33 will move up to recover its position to seal the inlet 312 again. When the inlet 312 is opened, the pressured water stored in the store space 21 of the pressured tank 20 is guided by the switch valve 30 to flow to the drain valve 22, which is then forced open to let water flushed out, as shown in FIG. 10
The electromagnetic valve 40 shown in FIG. 7 is positioned between the toilet tank 10 and the pressured tank 20, having an inlet 41 communicating with the store space 21 of the pressured tank 20 to let the pressured water in the stored space 21 guided into the electromagnetic valve 40, and an outlet 42 communicating with the drain valve 22 of the pressured tank 20. In the normal condition of the electromagnetic valve 40 when not powered, the inlet 41 and the outlet 42 are closed up. If the electromagnetic valve 40 is powered to be magnetized, the inlet 41 and the outlet 42 are both opened, as shown in FIG. 78, permitting the pressured water shoot out of the drain valve 22 for flushing the toilet bawl.
The operational device 50 shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 is set at a proper location of the front outer wall of the toilet tank 10, functioning as a swingable grip, consisting of a front cap 51, a rear cap 52 and a press grip 53. The front cap 51 is provided with an insert rod 511 extending backward and inserting orderly through the insert hole 311 of the switch valve 30 and in the chamber 34, and a slot 512 in the front wall. The rear cap 52 is screwed tightly with the front cap 51, with a hollow chamber 54 defined between the both 51 and 52. The press grip 53 is located in the chamber 34, provided with a shaft 531 inserting mutually with the insert rod 511 of the front cap 51 so that the shaft 53 may be turned in case of the front cap 51 is pressed. Further, the pressure grip 53 is also provided with a press member 532 extending sidewise from the shaft 531, pressing down the stop valve 33 in case the shaft 531 is turned for a certain angle, so the inlet 312 may be opened as shown in FIG. 9.
The sensor 60 shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, is fixed in the hollow space 54 of the operational device 50, composed of a sensing circuit 61, a processing circuit 62 and a driving circuit 63. The sensing circuit 61 emits signals through the slot 512 and receives signals coming through the slot 512. The processing circuit 62 is connected with the sensing circuit 61, processing signals coming from the sensing circuit 61, and transmitting an output signal to the driving circuit 63, which then opens or closes the electromagnetic valve 40 in due time. And it should be mentioned that the processing device 50 is in principle to be positioned at a spot, where signals transmitted or received through the slot 512 can avoid the toilet cover (not shown).
The power circuit 70 shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, can receive the power from a power source, and sending it to the sensing circuit 61 and the driving circuit 62. In this embodiment, a battery 1 is used as the power source, but common AC 2 or a generator 3 can also be usable. The generator 3 can be set in a water route (not shown) of the flushing system, generating power by means of the pressure of the water flowing through the water route. As the generator 3 is a well known art, not to be described here.
The control case 80 shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, is positioned between the toilet tank 10 and the pressure tank 20, provided with two chambers 8 for installing the power circuit 70 and the battery 1 respectively therein, and two ends formed with a positioning member 82 respectively for fixing the switch valve 30 and the electromagnetic valve 40 in a protective manner.
Next, FIGS. 11, 12 and 13 show a second embodiment of an operational device 50, which is provided with a rotatable grip, and a pressable member composed of a shell 55 formed with a front cap 551 and a rear cap 552 combined together. Then a hollow space 56 for receiving the sensor 60 is defined between the front cap 551 and the rear cap 552 after combined together. The front cap 551 is provided with a slot 553 for signals to pass through, a hole 554 formed beside the slot 553, and a press member 57 is received in the shell 55, with a central press part 571 formed in one end to expose out of the hole 554 of the front cap 551. Then a compress spring 58 fits around the other (inner) end of the press member 57, so the inner end may be pressed inward to compress the compress spring in case the central press part 571 is pressed inward. And it has to be mentioned that the operational device 50 of the second embodiment of the press-type can match with another switch valve 30 a, which is provided with a valve body 35 formed with an inlet 351, a sidewise outlet 352 and an insert hole 353 all communicating with each other. Further, a stop valve 36 is placed between the inlet 351 and the outlet 352 sealing the inlet 351 and the outlet 352 under the normal condition. The insert hole 353 is for the press member 57 to insert therein, so the stop valve 36 may be shifted by the press member 57 to open the inlet 351, as shown in FIG. 14. Therefore, the pressed water in the store space 212 may be guided to the drain valve 22 for flushing the toilet bawl in case of the drain valve 22 being opened.
Moreover, as shown in FIG. 2, the sensor-type flushing system in the invention carries out sensing normally by the sensor 60 of the operational device 50. When a user has used the toilet and leaves it, the sensing circuit 61 may emit and receive a signal that the user has gone away, and the processing circuit 62 and the driving circuit 63 function to open the electromagnetic valve 40 to permit the pressured water flowing from the pressured tank 20 to flow through to the drain valve 22, which is then forced to open for flushing the toilet bawl. In addition, the operational device 50 is also able to be manually handled for flushing, so when the sensor gets out of order, or the battery 1 is used up or the generator 3 goes awry, or insufficient power occurs, a user can use the manual operation for flushing the toilet bawl, very convenient to handle the sensor-type flushing system for a toilet tank in the invention.
In general, the invention can be used automatically for flushing the toilet bawl without using a hand, and on the other hand, it can also be used manually for flushing the toilet in case of the sensor broken down or power interruption or insufficient power. Besides, the sensing structure is hidden in the toilet tank 10 and the operational device 50, without need of digging in a wall or exposing wires to impair the appearance.
While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described above, it will be recognized and understood that various modifications may be made therein and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications that may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A sensor-type flushing system for a toilet water tank, said system comprising:

A toilet tank;

A pressure tank installed in said toilet tank, storing pressured water in an interior hollow space, provided with a drain valve for being opened for flushing water in a toilet bawl;

A switch valve positioned between said toilet tank and said pressured tank, possible to be opened for said pressured water stored in said pressured water tank to flow out to said drain valve so that said drain valve may be pushed open by said pressured water;

An electromagnetic valve positioned between said toilet tank and said pressured tank, possible to be opened to permit said pressured water coming from said pressured water tank to flow to said drain valve so that said drain valve may be pushed open by said pressured water;

An operational device installed on an outer front wall of said toilet tank, possible to be pressed elastically to actuate said switch valve to open;

A sensor set in said operational device for emitting and receiving signals toward an outer side of said operational device in a certain direction so that said sensor may actuate said electromagnetic valve to open in case said sensor senses a human body leaving.

2. The sensor-type flushing system for a toilet water tank as claimed in claim 1, wherein said operational device is a swingable grip.

3. The sensor-type flushing system for a toilet water tank as claimed in claim 1, wherein said grip is provided with a front cap, a rear cap and press grip, a hollow space is defined by said front cap and said rear cap combined together for receiving said sensor therein, and said front cap has a slot in an front wall for signals to pass through and a insert rod extending backward, said press grip located in said switch valve and inserting mutually with said insert rod of said front cap and pressed together with said front cap in case said front cap is pressed for opening said switch valve.

4. The sensor-type flushing system for a toilet water tank as claimed in claim 1, wherein said operational device is further provided with at least a press member to be elastically pressed for being compressed for opening said switch valve.

5. The sensor-type flushing system for a toilet water tank as claimed in claim 1, wherein said operational device is provided with a shell, which is composed of a front cap and a rear cap, and a hollow space is defined by said front cap and said rear cap combined together for receiving said sensor therein, said front cap provided with a slot for signals to pass through and a hole beside said slot for an outer end of said press member to expose out thereof.

6. The sensor-type flushing system for a toilet water tank as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sensor further has a sensing circuit, a processing circuit electrically connected with said sensing circuit and a driving circuit, so said sensor emits and receives signals through said sensing circuit, and said driving circuit drives said electromagnetic valve to open.

7. The sensor-type flushing system for a toilet water tank as claimed in claim 1, wherein said power circuit gets power from an AC power source.

8. The sensor-type flushing system for a toilet water tank as claimed in claim 1, wherein said power circuit gets power from a battery.

9. The sensor-type flushing system for a toilet water tank as claimed in claim 1, wherein said power circuit gets power from a generator.

10. The sensor-type flushing system for a toilet water tank as claimed in claim 1, wherein said power circuit is installed in a control case, which is positioned between said toilet tank and said pressured tank.

11. The sensor-type flushing system for a toilet water tank as claimed in claim 8, wherein said battery is placed in said control case, which is positioned between said toilet tank and said pressured tank.

12. The sensor-type flushing system for a toilet water tank as claimed in claim 9, said generator is set in a preset portion of a water inlet route, generating power by inner pressure of said water inlet route.