A deodorizing urinal includes a urinal body and a deodorizing device. The deodorizing device is connected to the urinal body, and includes a cooling unit, a releasing unit and a processing unit. The cooling unit is configured to generate a unit of low-temperature deodorizer. The releasing unit is configured to receive and store the unit of low-temperature deodorizer from the cooling unit. The processing unit is coupled to the releasing unit and is configured to generate a releasing signal in response to a trigger condition. The processing unit is configured to send the releasing signal to the releasing unit to enable the releasing unit to release the unit of low-temperature deodorizer stored therein into the urinal body.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority of Taiwanese Application No. 104105064, filed on Feb. 13, 2015.

FIELD

The disclosure relates to a urinal, and more particularly to a deodorizing urinal.

BACKGROUND

Conventional deodorizing urinals that are configured to deodorize unpleasant odor can be categorized into two types, namely a flushing type and a cooling type. The conventional deodorizing urinal of the flushing type is configured to clean and dilute unpleasant odorous liquid (e.g., urine) by a flush. For example, Chinese Patent Application Publication No. CN102071734A discloses a conventional deodorizing urinal of the flushing type including a detector, and a water pipe having water soluble material stored therein. The water soluble material is mixed with water and released from the water pipe for cleaning a urinal body of the conventional deodorizing urinal when the detector detects a user approaching the conventional deodorizing urinal.

The conventional deodorizing urinal of the cooling type is configured to slow diffusion of the unpleasant odor. Taiwanese Utility Model Patent No. TW M306598 discloses a conventional deodorizing device of the cooling type to be mounted to a conventional urinal. The conventional deodorizing device includes a circulation pipe filled with a coolant, and a condenser connected to the circulation pipe and configured to cool down the coolant. The coolant in the circulation pipe can cool down the conventional urinal to alleviate the diffusion of the unpleasant odor. However, since the condenser needs to frequently operate to cool down the coolant for maintaining the conventional urinal at a relatively low temperature, power consumption of the condenser is relatively high.

SUMMARY

Therefore, an object of the disclosure is to provide a deodorizing urinal of the disclosure that can alleviate at least one of the drawbacks of the prior arts.

According to the disclosure, the deodorizing urinal includes a urinal body and a deodorizing device. The deodorizing device is connected to the urinal body. The deodorizing device includes a cooling unit, a releasing unit and a processing unit. The cooling unit is configured to generate a unit of low-temperature deodorizer. The releasing unit is configured to receive and store the unit of low-temperature deodorizer from the cooling unit. The processing unit is coupled to the releasing unit, and is configured to generate a releasing signal in response to a trigger condition attributed to a user. The processing unit is further configured to send the releasing signal to the releasing unit to enable the releasing unit to release the unit of low-temperature deodorizer stored therein into the urinal body.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring toFIGS. 1 to 3, the embodiment of the deodorizing urinal according to this disclosure includes a urinal body1and a deodorizing device2. The deodorizing device2is connected to the urinal body1. The deodorizing device2includes a cooling unit21, a processing unit22and a releasing unit23.

The cooling unit21is configured to generate a unit of low-temperature deodorizer4from a deodorizer cleaning solution6. In detail, the deodorizer cleaning solution6is water, essential oil, cleaner, or the mixture of the above. The cooling unit21is configured to cool the deodorizer cleaning solution6to generate the unit of low-temperature deodorizer4in one of a solid state, a liquid state and a solid-liquid coexistence state.

The processing unit22is coupled to the cooling unit21and the releasing unit23, and is configured to generate a releasing signal in response to a trigger condition attributed to a user5, and to send the releasing signal to the releasing unit23. The processing unit22is further configured to determine a number of times of occurrence of the trigger condition, to generate a preparation signal associated with the number of times of occurrence of the trigger condition, and to send the preparation signal to the cooling unit21to enable the cooling unit21to adjust cooling power for generating the unit of low-temperature deodorizer4according to the preparation signal. Upon receiving the preparation signal, the cooling unit21generates the unit of low-temperature deodorizer4with the cooling power thus adjusted.

In detail, the processing unit22includes a detector221and a processor222. The detector221is configured to detect occurrence of the trigger condition. In this embodiment, the detector221detects the user5approaching the deodorizing urinal by infrared ray as the trigger condition. In other embodiments, the detector221may be a trigger button, and the trigger condition is the trigger button being pressed by a user. The detector221generates a detection signal when detecting the user5approaching the deodorizing urinal. The processor222is coupled to the detector221for receiving the detection signal therefrom. The processor222is configured to generate the preparation signal according to the detection signal, and to send the preparation signal to the cooling unit21. The cooling unit21is enabled by the processor222to generate the unit of low-temperature deodorizer4.

The processor222includes a counting module224and a control module225. The counting module224is coupled to the detector221for receiving the detection signal. The counting module224is configured to count a number of times of receipt of the detection signal, i.e., the number of times of occurrence of the trigger condition. Then, the counting module224generates a number-of-times signal indicating the number of times of receipt of the detection signal. The control module225is coupled to the counting module224for receiving the number-of-times signal. The control module225is configured to generate the preparation signal according to the number-of-times signal and to send the preparation signal to the cooling unit21.

The releasing unit23is configured to receive and store the unit of low-temperature deodorizer4from the cooling unit21, and to release the unit of low-temperature deodorizer4stored therein into the urinal body1upon receipt of the releasing signal.

In this embodiment, the cooling unit21is configured to generate a plurality of the units of low-temperature deodorizer4, and the releasing unit23is configured to receive and store a plurality of units of low-temperature deodorizer4. Upon receipt of the releasing signal from the processing unit22, the releasing unit23is enabled to release one of the units of low-temperature deodorizer4stored therein into the urinal body1. The control module225is further configured to determine whether the releasing unit23still has at least one unit of low-temperature deodorizer4stored therein based on the number of times of receipt of the detection signal indicated by the number-of-times signal and a capacity of the releasing unit23for storing the units of low-temperature deodorizer4.

In this embodiment, the releasing unit23includes two storage boxes231and an actuating module232. The quantity of the storage boxes231may be different according to different requirements in other embodiments. In this embodiment, each of the storage boxes231is configured to store one of the units of low-temperature deodorizer4. One unit of the low-temperature deodorizer4generated by the cooling unit21is an amount sufficient for filling one of the storage boxes231. For example, the unit of low-temperature deodorizer4in the liquid state or the solid-liquid coexistence state may occupy a predetermined volume. The unit of low-temperature deodorizer4in the solid state may have a predetermined number of ice cubes that are shaped, for example, into a crystal shape, a ball shape, or other shapes using an ice tray.

The storage boxes231thermally insulate the units of low-temperature deodorizer4stored therein. In addition, the cooling unit21and a path through which the unit of low-temperature deodorizer4is delivered from the cooling unit21to the storage boxes231are also thermally insulated, for example, by covering an insulation layer (not shown) thereon. Accordingly, the unit of low-temperature deodorizer4can be kept at a relatively low temperature, so that the cooling unit21does not require frequent operation for cooling the unit of low-temperature deodorizer4and power consumption thereof is relatively low. Moreover, the moisture in air will not easily condense on the deodorizing device2, avoiding occurrence of short circuit in interior circuit of the deodorizing device2, and will not condense into a water drop dripping down to the urinal body1and affecting the appearance of the urinal body1.

The actuating module232is coupled to the processing unit22for receiving the releasing signal. The actuating module232is configured to make one of the storage boxes231release the unit of low-temperature deodorizer4into the urinal body1in response to receipt of the releasing signal. The temperature of the unit of low-temperature deodorizer4is capable of cooling urine in the urinal body1to be lower than about 10° C. Under this temperature, diffusion of odor of the urine is significantly slowed down, and the breeding of the bacteria in the urine is restrained. The urinal body1is cleaned and deodorized at the same time. According to statistics, an average volume of the urine per urination is about 350 ml, and an average volume of the residual of the urine in a urinal is about 100 ml. The unit of low-temperature deodorizer4made of about 30 ml of the deodorizer cleaning solution6is sufficient to cool the urine in the urinal body1down to about 10° C. by transferring heat therebetween.

The ambient temperature will influence the cooling unit21and the unit of low-temperature deodorizer4. When the ambient temperature increases, cooling efficiency of the cooling unit21may decrease, the unit of low-temperature deodorizer4may melt and the temperature of the unit of low-temperature deodorizer4may increase and may be insufficiently low for cooling the urine in the urinal body1. Hence, the processing unit22further includes a thermometer223configured to measure the ambient temperature and to output a temperature signal indicating the ambient temperature to the control module225. The control module225is configured to determine a value of cooling power according to the number-of-times signal and the temperature signal, to generate the preparation signal indicating the value of cooling power, and to send the preparation signal to the cooling unit21to enable the cooling unit21to adjust the cooling power for generating the unit of low-temperature deodorizer4and to generate the plurality of the units of low-temperature deodorizer4for filling the storage boxes231in response to receipt of the preparation signal. Upon determining that the releasing unit23is empty, the control module225of the processor222generates a supplying signal, and sends the supplying signal to the cooling unit21to enable the cooling unit21to supply the units of low-temperature deodorizer4generated thereby to the releasing unit23. The counting module224of the processor222is configured to count the number of times of receipt of the detection signal within a predetermined period beginning from a last time when the processor222generates the supplying signal.

The deodorizing urinal further includes an audio output device31configured to sound, for example, to play soft music, for comforting user's mood, and a lighting device32configured to light up the urinal body1and the unit of low-temperature deodorizer4. The audio output device31is set at a case of the deodorizing device2, and the lighting device32is set at the urinal body1. Besides, the audio output device31and the lighting device32are also configured to notify that the deodorizing urinal is out of order, for example, to notify that the urinal body1is clogged or the cooling unit21is out of the deodorizer cleaning solution6, and to warn against use of the deodorizing urinal.

In sum, the effects of the deodorizing urinal according to this disclosure are described below:

1. For saving energy, the control module225is operable to determine the value of the cooling power of the cooling unit21, and the cooling unit21can operate intermittently to provide sufficiently the unit(s) of low-temperature deodorizer4.

2. The unit of low-temperature deodorizer4is capable of efficiently cooling the urine in the urinal body1to be lower than about 10° C. by transferring heat with the urine, and the unit of low-temperature deodorizer4is made of 30 ml of the deodorizer cleaning solution6. Accordingly, the usage of the deodorizer cleaning solution6is relatively low.

3. The audio output device31and the lighting device32may improve user experience, and provide notification that the deodorizing urinal is out of order to prevent a user from using the same.