APPARATUS AT A TOILET

Abstract: In a toilet with a toilet bowl (1) with an outlet (2), an activable closing and decomposing device (3, 4) is provided in the outlet (2) to, in its idle state, allow passage of urine but prevent passage of solid substance and collect same, and, in its activated state, decompose and pass on collected solid substance. A liquid film application device (13, 14) is provided to apply a liquid film to the inside of the toilet bowl (1) and on the closing and decomposing device (3, 4), and an ultrasound generator (15) is provided to supply ultrasound waves to the applied liquid film to clean the toilet bowl (1) and the closing and decomposing device (3, 4).

Description: Apparatus at a toilet TECHNICAL FIELD The invention relates to an arrangement at a toilet with a toilet bowl with an outlet. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Separation toilets as such are known per se. One type of known separation toilets consists of a smaller, front bowl for receiving urine, and a larger, rear bowl for receiving solid substance in the form of fecal matter and paper pro¬ ducts. Two separate flushing mechanisms are normally used in such toilets; the larger, rear bowl being flushed with a volume of water corresponding to a conventional WC, while the smaller, front bowl is flushed with only a fraction of the volume of water of the rear bowl. The urine and the flushing water from the front bowl in these known separation toilets are routed either directly to a urine tank for further use, e.g. as fertilizer, or to the public sewage system. Solid substance, i.e. fecal matter and paper products, is separated in a separation device from the flushing water from the larger bowl and can end up in e.g. a compost to be decomposed into soil with the help of e.g. earth worms, while the rest of the flushing water is routed to e.g. the public waste water filtration plant together with other, normal waste water. Thus, the handling of the urine, the fecal matter and the paper products is rather complicated in such known separation toilets at the same time as the flushing water comsumption essentially corresponds to the flushing water consumption in a conventional WC. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The object of the invention is therefore to bring about a separation toilet in which first of all the handling of the fecal matter and the paper products is simplified in compari¬ son with the handling in separation toilets known so far at the same time as the flushing water consumption is reduced to be practically equal to zero. This is attained by the arrangement according to the att ett aktiverbart tillslutnings- och sδnderdelningsorgan ar anordnat i utloppet for att i vilotillstand edge passage av urin men hindra passage av fast substans i och for uppsamling dSrav och i aktiverat tillstand sδnderdela och vidarebefordra uppsamlad fast substans, att ett vStskefilmpafδringsorgan Sr anordnat att pafδra en vStskefilm pa klosettskalens insida sa t pa tillslutnings- och sδnderdelningsorganet och att en ultraljudgenerator Mr anordnad att tillfδra ultraljudvagor till den pafδrda vMtskefilmen i och fδr rengδring av klo- settskalen samt tillslutnings- och sδnderdelningsorganet. FIGϋRBESKRIVNING Uppfinningen beskrives nSrmare nedan under hMnvisning till bifogade ritning, pa vilken den enda figuren schematiskt visar en delvis sektionerad separeringsklosett enligt uppfin¬ ningen. BESKRIVNING AV FOREDRAGNA UTFORINGSFORMER Den enda figuren visar schematiskt en delvis sektionerad separeringsklosett enligt fδreliggande uppfinning. Med 1 betecknas klosettens skal, so uppvisar ett utlopp 2. Enligt uppfinningen &r ett aktiverbart tillslutnings- och sδnderdelningsorgan anordnat i utloppet 2, vilket tillslut- nings- och sδnderdelningsorgan enligt en fδredragen ut- fδringsform av uppfinningen utgδres av en med hjalp av en schematiskt visad motor 3 roterbar spjallskiva 4, vars rota- tionsaxel stracker sig tvars δver utloppet 2. Enligt en alternativ utfδringsform kan tillslutnings- och sδnderdelningsorganet utgδras av en av motorn 3 driven cy- lindrisk kropp (icke visad) , vars axel stracker sig tvars δver utloppet 2 och som uppvisar ISngsgaende spar (icke visa- de) i den cylindriska ytan. Den visade spjallskivan 4 uppvisar en ISngs dess om- kretskant gaende, schematiskt antydd tatningslist 5, exempel- vis av gummi, fδr avtatning gentemot utloppet 2. Spjallskivan 4 Sr anordnad att fungera som luktspSrr och att i sitt vilo¬ tillstand, exempelvis nar klosetten 1 anvandes av en anvanda- re, medge passage av urin men hindra passage av fast substans fecal matter and/or paper products and collect such solid substance on the surface of the butterfly 4, facing the toilet bowl 1. When the motor 3 is activated by the user after using the toilet, as will be described more in detail below, the rotating butterfly 4 will carry the collected, solid substance and decompose it against an edge 6 of the outlet 2 or a flange (not shown) provided at the outlet 2, and pass on the decomposed, solid substance to a microwave unit 7 for sterilization and drying of decomposed, solid substance. The microwave unit 7 comprises a schematically illustra¬ ted microwave generator 8 which is known per se and which is adapted to generate a microwave field in the unit 7 to sterilize and dry the solid substance decomposed by means of the butterfly 4. The microwave generator 8 is preferably adapted to be operated periodically to make it possible for moist steam, produced at the sterilization and drying, to evaporate through a schematically illustrated pipe 9. In its idle state, the butterfly 4 is also adapted to prevent microwaves from the microwave unit 7 to leak into the toilet bowl 1. According to the invention, a grinding unit 10 is provid¬ ed to receive the solid substance sterilized and dried by the microwave unit 7 to pulverize same. The grinding unit 10 can comprise a grinder (not shown) known per se, which is driven by a schematically illustrated grinder drive motor 11. To collect solid substance pulverized by the grinder in the grinding unit 10, in accordance with the invention, a collection unit 12 connected to the grinding unit 10, is provided. For "flushing" the toilet after use, i.e. cleaning of the toilet bowl 1 and the butterfly 4 by removing fecal rests and paper rests stuck on the butterfly 4, on the one hand, a schematically illustrated pump 13 is provided to apply a liquid film on the inside of the toilet bowl 1 and on the butterfly 4 from a container (not shown) with liquid, e.g. oil, water or any other suitable liquid via a couple of schematically illustrated spraying nipples 14 in the upper part of the toilet bowl 1, and, on the other hand, an ultrasound generator 15 is provided to supply ultrasound waves to the liquid film applied to the inside of the toilet bowl 1 and on the butterfly 4 in order to clean these units by means of ultrasound. The depositions of solid substance on the inside of the toilet bowl 1 and on the butterfly 4 removed hereby, fall into the microwave unit 7 and are sterilized and dried by same. To collect and reroute the urine that is allowed to pass the butterfly 4 in its idle state, according to a first embodiment, a pipe 16 is provided to reroute the urine to a urine holding tank 17 for further processing. According to a second, not illustrated embodiment, the butterfly is adapted, in its idle state, to let urine pass to the normal sewage system in a house. In this embodiment which can be used e.g. in an apartment house, the butterfly is adapted, in its activated state, i.e. when the butterfly rotates, to also pass on decomposed solid substance to the microwave unit via the normal sewage system since a single microwave unit (not shown) can be in common for the whole house and be located in e.g. its basement. To prevent urine and normal sewage water from entering the common microwave unit, a urine and sewage water separation device (not shown) is provided between the butterfly and the microwave unit. In this embodiment, the microwave unit is followed by a grinding unit (not shown) which is common to all toilets in the house to pulverize the solid substance sterilized and dried by the microwave unit. According to the invention, a microprocessor 18 is provided to, in a predetermined manner, activate the driving motor 3 for the butterfly 4, the microwave generator 8 for the microwave unit 7, the pump 13, the ultrasound generator 15 and the driving motor 11 for the grinder (not illustrated) in the grinding unit 10 in response to the reception of a control signal which is triggered manually by a user of the toilet 1 after use thereof by operating a switch 19 provided on the toilet. The time intervals during which the different units are to be activated, can in a manner known per se, easily be programmed in the microprocessor 18. In comparison with separation toilets known sc far, the handling of the fecal matter and the paper products will be essentially simplified in the separation toilet according to the present invention. As should be apparent from the above, hardly any flushing water is used but only a small amount of a liquid of any kind for "flushing" the toilet.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Arrangement at a toilet with a toilet bowl (1) with an outlet (2) , characterized in - that an activable closing and decomposing device (3, 4) is provided in the outlet (2) to, in its idle state, allow passage of urine but prevent passage of solid substance and collect same, and, in its activated state, decompose and pass on collected solid substance, - that a liquid film application device (13, 14) is provided to apply a liquid film to the inside of the toilet bowl (1) and on the closing and decomposing device (3, 4) and - that an ultrasound generator (15) is provided to supply ultrasound waves to the applied liquid film to clean the toilet bowl (1) and the closing and decomposing device (3, 4). 2. Arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that a microprocessor (18) is adapted to activate, in a predetermi- ned manner, said closing and decomposing device (3, 4), said liquid film application device (13, 14), and said ultrasound generator (15) in response to the reception of a control signal that is triggered manually by a user of the toilet by operating a switch (19) provided on the toilet (1) . 3. Arrangement according to claim 2, characterized in that the activable closing and decomposing device (3, 4) comprises a rotatable butterfly whose axis of rotation extends across the outlet (2) , and which is adapted to, in its activated state, carry collected solid substance to, on the one hand, decompose it against an edge (6) of the outlet (2) or a flange provided at the outlet (2) , and, on the other hand, pass on the decomposed solid substance to a sterilization and drying unit (7, 8) for sterilization and drying thereof; said sterilization and drying unit (7, 8) being activable by the microprocessor (18) in response to the reception of said control signal. 4. Arrangement according to any of claims 1-3, characterized in that a pipe (16) is provided to collect and reroute the urine that is allowed to pass the closing and decomposing device (3, 4) in its idle state to a urine holding tank (17). 5. Arrangement according to claim 3, characterized in that the closing and decomposing device (3, 4) is adapted, in its idle state, to allow urine to pass to the normal sewage system and, in its activated state, to pass on decomposed solid substance to the sterilization and drying unit (7, 8) via the normal sewage system. 6. Arrangement acccording to claim 5, characterized in that a urine and sewage water separation device is provided between the closing and decomposing device (3, 4), and the steriliza¬ tion and drying unit (7, 8). 7. Arrangement according to any of claims 3-6, characterized in that a grinding unit (10, 11) is connected to the sterili- zation and drying unit (7, 8) to pulverize the solid substan¬ ce sterilized and dried by same; the grinding unit (10, 11) being activable by the microprocessor (18) in response to the reception of said control signal. 8. Arrangement according to claim 7, characterized in that a collection unit (12) is connected to the grinding unit (10, 11) to collect the solid substance pulverized by same. 9. Arrangement according to any of claims 3-8, characterized in that the sterilization and drying unit comprises a micro¬ wave unit (7, 8) .

Inventors: OLESEN LYKKE, OLESEN, LYKKE
Applicants: GUSTAVSBERG VVS AB, OLESEN LYKKE, OLESEN, LYKKE
Application year: 1995
Main classification: E03D11
IPC codes: E03D5