Pet Toilet and Excrement Treatment Method Using the Same

Abstract

To provide a pet toilet that can easily and effectively remove excrement without using a complicated mechanism.SOLUTION: A pet toilet 1 comprises a container 10, a vibration adding part 20 for adding vibrations to the container 10, and an inclination adding part 30 for adding an inclination with respect to a horizontal surface to the container 10. The container 10 comprises a housing part 11 for housing a granular excrement treatment material P, and a storage part 12 arranged adjacently to the housing part 11, and for storing excrement. In the pet toilet 1, the housing part 11 and the storage part 12 are arranged so that when the container 10 is inclined by the inclination adding part 30, the storage part 12 is located on the lower side of the housing part 11 in the inclination direction. The present invention also provides an excrement treatment method using the pet toilet 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a toilet for pets and a method for treating excrement using the same.

Background Art

[0002] Toilets for pets are mainly used indoors to treat feces and urine, which are the excrement of pets. Various mechanisms may be provided to efficiently treat this excretion part. Patent Document 1 discloses a method of removing feces that do not fall by applying vibration. Patent Document 2 discloses a pet toilet that transfers and drops pellets containing solid organic matter below a receiver by a rake and stirs the pellets, solid organic matter, and liquid organic matter.

[0003] Patent Document 3 discloses a pet feces automatic treatment toilet having a switch that reacts to the weight of a pet, a flap, and an automatic tilting device, and a mechanism in which feces fall into a storage when tilted. Patent Document 4 discloses an automatic scooping toilet for cats that can scoop up excrement by a carriage provided at an end of a tray.

[0004] Patent Document 5 discloses an animal toilet including a main body, a partition member having holes for allowing urine to pass through, and a vibration unit for vibrating the partition member, for the purpose of suppressing a small sinkage when an animal rides on it.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

Patent Document 5

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] As described above, since the pet toilet is used indoors, in order to prevent the generation of unpleasant odors caused by excreta such as feces and urine, it is desirable that the excreta be removed early without remaining in the toilet. In addition, from the viewpoint of reducing malfunctions caused by entrapment of pets or entrapment of excreta treatment materials, etc., it is desirable that the pet toilet be able to remove excreta with a simpler mechanism. However, the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 to 4 are not sufficient in terms of simply and effectively removing excreta because the removal of excreta is not sufficient or malfunctions are likely to occur due to having a complicated movable mechanism. In addition, since the technique described in Patent Document 5 is intended to minimize the sinking when an animal rides on it, no consideration has been given to simply and effectively removing excreta.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention relates to providing a pet toilet that can simply and effectively remove excreta without using a complicated mechanism.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] The present invention relates to a pet toilet. Preferably, the pet toilet includes a container, a vibration applying unit that applies vibration to the container, and an inclination applying unit that applies an inclination with respect to a horizontal plane to the container. Preferably, the container includes a storage unit that stores granular excreta treatment material, and a storage unit that is arranged adjacent to the storage unit and stores excreta. Preferably, the storage unit and the storage unit are arranged such that when the container is inclined by the inclination applying unit, the storage unit is located on the lower side in the inclination direction than the storage unit.

[0009] The present invention also relates to a method for treating excrement using the pet toilet described above. Preferably, in the treatment method, vibration and inclination are applied to the container, either in this order or in the reverse order, or simultaneously, to move the excrement present in the storage portion toward the storage section.

Advantages of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, there is provided a pet toilet capable of simply and effectively removing excrement without using a complicated mechanism.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings based on its preferred embodiments. Regarding the drawings to be referred to, parts having the same configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description regarding the matters denoted by the same reference numerals is applied as appropriate without particular notice. The drawings are basically schematic, and the ratios of each dimension and the like may be different from the actual ones.

[0013] The pet toilet of the present invention can be used for treating the excrement of pets such as dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, etc., or collecting the excrement. The pet toilet of the present invention is particularly useful as a toilet for pets kept indoors when placed indoors.

[0014] In FIGS. 1 and 2, a pet toilet 1 which is an embodiment of the pet toilet of the present invention is schematically shown. The pet toilet 1 includes a container 10, a vibration applying unit 20 that applies vibration to the container 10, and an inclination applying unit 30 that applies an inclination with respect to the horizontal plane to the container 10. The pet toilet 1 has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view having a longitudinal direction X and a width direction Y orthogonal to the longitudinal direction X. The pet toilet 1 also has a height direction Z orthogonal to the XY plane. In this specification, for convenience of explanation, the XY plane will be described as being synonymous with the horizontal plane.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the container 10 has a bottomed shape with an open top. In the present embodiment, the bottom and the side wall portion of the container 10 are integrally formed, and through holes are not formed in the bottom surface and the side surface. The container 10 forms the outer shape of the pet toilet 1 and has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view having a width direction Y orthogonal to the longitudinal direction X. Each corner portion in the plan view shape of the container 10 is chamfered. The side wall portion of the container 10 may rise in the height direction Z or may rise with a predetermined inclination from the height direction Z.

[0016] The container 10 includes a storage part 11 for storing granular excrement treatment material P and a storage part 12 for storing excrement. The storage part 12 is arranged adjacent to the storage part 11 and typically does not contain the excrement treatment material P. Also, the storage part 11 functions as an excretion area when the pet enters the pet toilet and excretes. In FIG. 2, a schematic cross-sectional view of the state in which the excrement treatment material P is arranged in the storage part 11 is shown. In FIG. 2, the used treatment material, which is the excrement treatment material to which the pet's excrement adheres, is denoted by reference numeral E1, and the pet's feces are denoted by reference numeral E2.

[0017] The container 10 in the present embodiment has, inside thereof, a wall part 15 erected from the bottom surface of the container 10. The wall part 15 is integrally formed with the container 10 so as to extend in the width direction Y from each inner wall along the longitudinal direction X. By forming the wall part 15, the inside of the container 10 is partitioned into the storage part 11 and the storage part 12. As a result, the storage part 11 and the storage part 12 are arranged adjacent to each other along the longitudinal direction X with the wall part 15 interposed therebetween. In the present embodiment, the wall part 15 has a height lower than the height of the outer shape of the container 10 (the length along the height direction Z) and does not have a through hole. Also, the wall part 15 is formed at a position where the planar area of the storage part 11 is larger than the planar area of the storage part 12.

[0018] The pet toilet 1 includes a vibration applying part 20. The vibration applying part 20 is a vibration generating source for continuously or intermittently applying a predetermined vibration to the container 10. Thereby, the pet excrement existing in the storage part 11 is made easier to be separated from the excrement treatment material P by vibration, and the treatment of excrement becomes simpler.

[0019] The vibration applying part 20 in the present embodiment is arranged on the lower surface of the bottom of the container 10, and is configured to transmit the vibration generated from the vibration applying part 20 to the container 10 so as to apply vibration to the container 10. The vibration applying part 20 can be used alone or in a plurality. When a plurality of vibration applying parts 20 are used, it is preferable to configure them so that the phases of the applied vibrations are the same in terms of improving the separation performance of excrement.

[0020] As the vibration applying unit 20, a vibration device or a vibration mechanism capable of generating vibration in a direction intersecting the bottom surface of the container 10 can be preferably used. Thereby, even when the excrement of the pet is buried inside the excrement treatment material P, by taking advantage of the fact that the sizes and densities of the excrement treatment material P and the excrement are different from each other, the excrement can be lifted above the laying surface of the excrement treatment material P in the storage unit 11. As a result, the treatment of excrement becomes simpler.

[0021] As such a vibration applying unit 20, for example, a vibrating feeder, a vibrator, or various vibrators such as a piston type or a ball type are preferably mentioned. Since the structures of these devices or mechanisms are relatively simple, the occurrence of failures due to the mixing of the excrement treatment material P or the like is small, maintenance is easy, and it is advantageous in that the entrapment of the pet can also be reduced.

[0022] Regardless of the device or mechanism used as the vibration applying unit 20, the vibration applying unit 20 is preferably configured such that the vibration frequency of the vibration applied to the container 10 is preferably 45 Hz or more, more preferably 50 Hz or more, and preferably 90 Hz or less, more preferably 80 Hz or less. With such a vibration frequency, it is possible to apply vibration near the resonance point of the excrement treatment material P in a state less affected by the type and shape of the container 10 and the excrement treatment material P, and the separation performance of the excrement is further improved. In addition, it is possible to prevent the excrement treatment material P from scattering outside the container due to vibration. In order to configure to obtain the above-described vibration frequency, for example, it can be achieved by appropriately changing the output or the applied voltage of the vibration applying unit 20 used.

[0023] Also, regardless of the device or mechanism used as the vibration applying unit 20, it is preferable that the vibration applying unit 20 is configured such that the amplitude of the vibration applied to the container 10 is preferably 0.2 mm or more, more preferably 1.0 mm or more, and preferably 2 mm or less, more preferably 1.8 mm or less. With such an amplitude, the excrement can be lifted and efficiently separated in a state less affected by the type and shape of the container 10 and the excrement treatment material P. In order to configure to obtain the above-described amplitude, for example, it can be achieved by appropriately changing the output or applied voltage of the vibration applying unit 20 used.

[0024] The pet toilet 1 includes an inclination applying unit 30. The inclination applying unit 30 is for applying an inclination in a predetermined direction to the container 10. Thereby, the excrement of the pet existing in the accommodating portion 11 can be easily moved to the storage portion 12 side by the inclination, and the contact opportunity with the excrement can be reduced while making the treatment of the excrement simpler. The inclination applying unit 30 in the present embodiment is disposed on the bottom lower surface side of the container 10 and on the bottom lower surface of the vibration applying unit 20. The inclination applying unit 30 can be used alone or in plural.

[0025] As the inclination applying unit 30, a device or mechanism capable of applying an inclination having a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal plane to the container 10 can be used, and a device or mechanism capable of applying an operation or movement of moving in the height direction Z can be preferably used. Thereby, the excrement of the pet existing in the accommodating portion 11 can be easily moved in a predetermined direction (for example, toward the storage portion 12 side) by the inclination, and the treatment of the excrement becomes simpler.

[0026] As such an inclination-imparting portion 30, for example, a cam mechanism or a link mechanism capable of converting rotational motion into linear motion in the height direction Z can be preferably used. These mechanisms may further include a drive source or an actuator (both not shown) that generates rotational motion or linear motion as necessary. Since the structures of these devices or mechanisms are relatively simple and space-saving, they are advantageous in that the occurrence of failures due to the mixing of the excrement treatment material P or the like is small, maintenance is easy, and the entrapment of pets can also be reduced.

[0027] The arrangement relationship between the accommodating portion 11 and the storage portion 12 is preferably determined according to the direction of the inclination imparted by the inclination-imparting portion 30. Specifically, when the container 10 is inclined by the inclination-imparting portion 30, it is preferable that the storage portion 12 is arranged to be located on the lower side in the inclination direction than the accommodating portion 11.

[0028] In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a form including a linear cam mechanism as the inclination-imparting portion 30 is schematically illustrated. The cam mechanism as the inclination-imparting portion 30 has its axis arranged along the width direction Y and is biased toward one end side in the longitudinal direction X on the side where the accommodating portion 11 in the container 10 is located. By operating the cam mechanism in this state, the cam rotates, and one end side in the longitudinal direction X where the inclination-imparting portion 30 is arranged on the container 10 is lifted upward in the height direction Z, and the other end side in the longitudinal direction X of the container 10 is in a state of being located on a horizontal plane. As a result, an inclination having an inclination direction along the longitudinal direction X and intersecting the XY plane and having a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal plane is imparted to the container 10. In the present embodiment, one end side in the longitudinal direction X where the accommodating portion 11 in the container 10 is located is the upper side in the inclination direction, and the other end side in the longitudinal direction X where the storage portion 12 in the container 10 is located is the lower side in the inclination direction.

[0029] The inclination imparted by the inclination imparting portion 30 is represented by the acute angle θ (see FIG. 6) formed between the horizontal plane and the bottom surface of the container 10, preferably 2 degrees or more, more preferably 5 degrees or more, preferably 40 degrees or less, and more preferably 10 degrees or less. When there are a plurality of angles formed between the horizontal plane and the bottom surface of the container 10 such that the inclination direction intersects each of the directions X, Y, and Z, the above-mentioned angle θ is based on the minimum angle among the angles formed between the horizontal plane and the bottom surface of the container 10. By the angle θ being within such a range, only the excrement can be efficiently removed. The above-mentioned angle θ can be appropriately adjusted, for example, by changing the maximum driving radius of a cam mechanism or a link mechanism.

[0030] The pet toilet 1 may further include a control unit (not shown) that controls the operations of the vibration imparting portion 20 and the inclination imparting portion 30. The control unit is electrically connected to the above-mentioned vibration imparting portion 20 and inclination imparting portion 30, and controls the operations of each part by receiving or transmitting signals. This control unit is synonymous with the control unit 50 described later.

[0031] The control unit, for example, transmits and receives an operation signal to / from at least one of the vibration imparting portion 20 and the inclination imparting portion 30 to control the imparting of vibration by the vibration imparting portion 20, the cancellation of vibration, or the maintenance of these states, or to control the start of imparting inclination by the inclination imparting portion 30, the maintenance of the inclination angle, or the cancellation of inclination imparting. The control unit can be, for example, a device constructed based on a computer, and is configured to include a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc. Further, the control unit may be configured such that an interface, a network (both not shown), or a sensor 40 described later is further connected, and it can be controlled based on an electrical signal input manually or automatically via the interface, the network, or the sensor 40.

[0032] FIG. 3 schematically shows another embodiment of the pet toilet 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the pet toilet 1 preferably further includes a sensor 40 for detecting the presence or absence of a pet in the container 10. By providing the sensor 40, when the pet's excretion is completed and at a predetermined timing when the pet exits the pet toilet 1, vibration and inclination are applied to move the excrement toward the storage section 12 earlier, and the excrement can be efficiently separated and processed. Also, as shown in the same figure, the pet toilet 1 preferably includes a control unit 50 having the above-described configuration. The control unit 50 in the present embodiment is electrically connected to the vibration applying unit 20, the inclination applying unit 30, and the sensor 40, respectively, and controls the operations of the respective units by transmitting and receiving signals.

[0033] From the viewpoint of separating and processing the excrement earlier after the pet's excretion, the sensor 40 is preferably configured to be able to operate the vibration applying unit 20 and the inclination applying unit 30 to apply vibration and inclination to the container 10 when it senses that there is no pet in the container 10. To achieve such a configuration, for example, the above-described control unit 50 is provided, the electrical signal transmitted from the sensor 40 is received by the control unit 50, and based on the electrical signal, signals are transmitted from the control unit 50 to the vibration applying unit 20 and the inclination applying unit 30, respectively, to operate the vibration applying unit 20 and the inclination applying unit 30 at a predetermined timing. In this case, the operations of the vibration applying unit 20 and the inclination applying unit 30 may be controlled to be performed simultaneously or may be controlled to be performed sequentially.

[0034] The sensor 40 is not particularly limited as long as it is a device or mechanism capable of detecting the presence or absence of a pet in the container 10. For example, various non-contact sensors such as an optical imaging device such as a camera, a temperature sensor, an infrared sensor, a photoelectric sensor, a laser sensor, and a load sensor can be used.

[0035] FIG. 4, and FIGS. 5(a) and (b) schematically show still another embodiment of the pet toilet 1. In the embodiment described below, the parts different from the above-described embodiment will be mainly described, and the description of the same components will be omitted by appropriately applying the description of the above-described embodiment.

[0036] The pet toilet 1 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 further includes a main body portion 70 in addition to the container 10. The main body portion 70 is higher than the height of the container 10 and has a bottomed shape with an open upper portion. The main body portion 70 preferably has a volume capable of accommodating at least the bottom portion of the container 10. By fitting the container 10 into the main body portion 70 from above, the container 10 is supported by the upper portion of the main body portion 70, and the container 10 can be detachably fixed.

[0037] The main body portion 70 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is partitioned into an upper layer portion and a lower layer portion by the container 10. In the present embodiment, the upper surface of the container 10 and the region above it constitute the upper layer portion of the main body portion 70, and the region below the container 10 constitutes the lower layer portion of the main body portion 70.

[0038] The container 10 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 has a liquid passage portion 17 at least at the bottom of the accommodating portion 11 through which urine excreted from the pet can pass. The liquid passage portion 17 is configured in a net shape having a plurality of wire rods extending parallel to each other. The space between the wire rods in the liquid passage portion 17 has a gap such that excrement treatment material P and excreted feces do not fall, and urine can pass downward, and the gap penetrates the bottom of the liquid passage portion 17.

[0039] In the present embodiment, in plan view, the liquid passage portion 17 has a substantially rectangular plan view shape having a longitudinal direction X and a width direction Y orthogonal to the longitudinal direction X, similar to the plan view shape of the accommodating portion 11. The longitudinal direction of the liquid passage portion 17 and the longitudinal direction X of the pet toilet 1 are arranged to coincide with each other. In the present embodiment, the bottom of the accommodating portion 11 is formed with the liquid passage portion 17, the bottom of the storage portion 12 has no gap, and the passage of urine is disabled.

[0040] The container 10 that constitutes the pet toilet 1 of the present embodiment is formed with a pair of extending portions 19 that horizontally extend outward in the width direction Y from the outer surface of the central region in the height direction (see Fig. 5(a)). The vibration applying portions 20 are arranged in a pair in the end regions in the width direction Y inside the main body portion 70, and are in contact with the above-described extending portions 19 respectively. Thereby, the vibration generated by the vibration applying portions 20 can be transmitted to the entire container 10 via the extending portions 19. Also, a pair of inclination applying portions 30 are arranged below the vibration applying portions 20 inside the main body portion 70, whereby the container 10 can be inclined together with the vibration applying portions 20.

[0041] When a plurality of vibration applying portions 20 are provided as in the present embodiment, from the viewpoint of improving the separation and removal property of excrement, it is preferable that the vibrations applied to the container 10 by the respective vibration applying portions 20, 20 are configured such that the phase, frequency, and amplitude are the same. Also, when a plurality of inclination applying portions 30 having a cam mechanism are provided as in the present embodiment, from the viewpoint of improving the separation and removal property of excrement, it is preferable that the rotation periods of the inclination applying portions 30 are the same.

[0042] It is preferable that an opening 71 having a substantially rectangular shape in a view from the side is formed on one side surface of the main body portion 70. Thereby, the tray 80 described later can be taken in and out of the main body portion 70 through the opening 71, and the tray 80 can be accommodated in the lower layer portion inside the main body portion 70. In the present embodiment, the opening 71 is formed below one of the short side sides of the main body portion 70.

[0043] The tray 80 is for collecting or sampling the urine that has passed through the excrement treatment material P and the storage section 11 and fallen downward. The tray 80 has a bottomed shape and has a substantially rectangular shape with a longitudinal direction X and a width direction Y orthogonal to the longitudinal direction X in plan view, similar to the outer shape of the pet toilet 1 in plan view. The tray 80 of the present embodiment is arranged such that at least the bottom of the tray 80 is positioned below the storage section 11 when it is stored. The planar dimension of the bottom of the tray 80 in the present embodiment is formed larger than the planar dimension of the liquid passage section 17 in the storage section 11. In the pet toilet 1 shown in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b), the urine absorber 81 is arranged on the tray 80, but the urine absorber 81 may not be arranged.

[0044] The pet toilet 1 in each of the above embodiments can be used to treat the excrement of a pet. Hereinafter, the treatment method will be described with reference to FIG. 2 and FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b), taking the pet toilet 1 of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 as an example.

[0045] First, an appropriate amount of granular excrement treatment material P is placed in the storage section 11 in the container 10 to form a fecal bed of the pet toilet 1 (see FIG. 2). At this time, it is preferable to arrange the excrement treatment material P so as to have the same height as the height of the wall portion 15 from the viewpoint that the excrement to be treated can move to the storage section 12 side without being obstructed by the wall portion 15. Further, it is preferable not to arrange the excrement treatment material P in the storage section 12 from the viewpoint of improving the separability between the excrement treatment material P and the excrement.

[0046] Next, the pet is allowed to enter and excrete in the storage section 11 in the pet toilet 1. The urine excreted from the pet adheres to or is absorbed by the excrement treatment material P and becomes the used treatment material E1 in which the excrement treatment materials are aggregated or solidified (see FIG. 2). Since the used treatment material E1 contains the excrement of the pet, it can be treated by this method. Further, the feces E2, which is the excrement excreted from the pet, remains on the excrement treatment material P (see FIG. 2).

[0047] Subsequently, while at least one of the used treatment material E1 and feces E2 remains in the storage portion 11 of the container 10, vibration and inclination are applied to the container 10, respectively (see FIGS. 6(a) and (b)). At this time, it is preferable to apply vibration and inclination in this order, in the reverse order, or simultaneously. In particular, from the viewpoint of facilitating the selective separation of only the excrement from the excrement treatment material P that has not come into contact with the excrement, it is more preferable to apply vibration and inclination simultaneously. As a result, the used treatment material E1 and feces E2, which are excrement present in the storage portion 11, can be moved to the storage portion 12 side and stored in the storage portion 12. The application of vibration and inclination may be performed manually independently, or as shown in FIG. 3, the sensor 40 and the control unit 50 may be arranged so as to be automatically performed in conjunction with the presence or absence of a pet on the container 10. In any form, the application of vibration and inclination is performed with no pet present in the container 10.

[0048] The used treatment material E1 contains urine and is larger in weight and volume than the excrement treatment material P that has not come into contact with the excrement. When vibration is applied to the container 10 in this state, even if the used treatment material E1 is buried in the excrement treatment material P that has not come into contact with the excrement, segregation of the treatment material occurs due to the difference in physical properties, and the used treatment material E1 rises above the laying surface of the excrement treatment material P. In addition, by applying an inclination, the used treatment material E1 and feces E2 present on the laying surface of the excrement treatment material P move on the excrement treatment material P from the upstream to the downstream in the inclination direction (see FIG. 6(a)). Then, the moved used treatment material E1 and feces E2 accumulate in the storage portion 12 located downstream in the inclination direction (see FIG. 6(b)). The used treatment material E1 and feces E2 accumulated in the storage portion 12 can be collected and removed by the breeder by washing or taking them out, and disposed of outside the container 10.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 4 and FIGS. 5(a) and (b), when the liquid passage portion 17 is provided on the bottom surface of the housing portion 11, the urine of the pet that has not adhered to or been absorbed by the excrement treatment material P passes through the liquid passage portion 17 and flows down to the lower layer portion side in the main body portion 70. The urine that has flowed down to the lower layer portion accumulates on the tray 80 or is absorbed by the urine absorber in the tray 80 and then recovered. Also, the feces excreted by the pet remain on the excrement treatment material P. Further, if necessary, a urine absorber 81 such as a urine absorption sheet may be accommodated in the tray 80 so that the urine that has flowed down can be absorbed. As the urine absorber, for example, a material obtained by molding a raw material containing one or more components such as pulp fibers, clay mineral-based materials, and polymer absorption materials into a sheet shape or a plate shape can be used.

[0050] As in each of the above-described embodiments, when the housing portion 11 and the storage portion 12 are arranged adjacent to each other along the longitudinal direction X, the ratio of the length along the longitudinal direction X of the housing portion 11 to the total longitudinal length of the container 10 is preferably 50% or more, more preferably 60% or more, preferably 90% or less, and more preferably 80% or less. With such a configuration, the internal volume and the planar area of the housing portion 11 can be sufficiently ensured, and a sufficient amount of the excrement treatment material P can be laid. As a result, the pet can excrete in a stable posture within the housing portion 11. In addition, since the application of vibration and inclination can be performed while ensuring a sufficient distance, the separability between the usable excrement treatment material P and the excrement is further improved.

[0051] When the housing portion 11 and the storage portion 12 are arranged adjacent to each other along the longitudinal direction X, the ratio of the length along the longitudinal direction X of the storage portion 12 to the total longitudinal length of the container 10 is preferably 10% or more, more preferably 20% or more, preferably 50% or less, and more preferably 40% or less. With such a configuration, the internal volume of the storage portion 12 can be appropriately ensured, making it easier to store the excrement separated and removed from the housing portion 11, and preventing the pet from accidentally entering the storage portion 12.

[0052] The wall portion 15 has a predetermined thickness, and the thickness may be constant from the lower part to the upper part of the wall portion 15, or may gradually decrease upward. In any case, from the viewpoint of ensuring sufficient volumes of the accommodating portion 11 and the storage portion 12 and enhancing the mobility of excrement, the maximum thickness of the wall portion 15 is preferably more than 0% and 5% or less as a ratio to the total longitudinal length of the container 10.

[0053] The materials of the container 10, the main body portion 70, and the tray 80 of the pet toilet 1 are not particularly limited as long as they each independently have corrosion resistance. From the viewpoints of being lightweight, easy to handle, and having good moldability, for example, those integrally molded from general-purpose synthetic resins such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, vinyl chloride, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS), etc. are preferable. Further, it is more preferable to use each constituent member of the pet toilet 1 having a water-repellent process or an antibacterial process applied to its surface.

[0054] In each of the above-described embodiments, as the excrement treatment material P, for example, materials used as cat litter or toilet sand in the relevant technical field can be used without particular limitation. As the excrement treatment material P, preferably, a molded product formed by including one or more of pulverized materials of plant-derived materials such as wood powder or pulp obtained by pulverizing pulverized materials of coniferous trees such as Cryptomeriaceae, Pinaceae, or Cupressaceae, a binder, minerals such as zeolite, salts such as zinc oxide, and components such as glass is mentioned. As the binder, any material can be used without particular limitation as long as it can solidify pulverized materials of plant-derived materials and components contained as necessary into a granular form. For example, synthetic resins such as polypropylene and polyethylene can be used.

[0055] The excrement treatment material P can be, for example, granular matter having a shape such as a cylinder, a sphere, a cube, or a rectangular parallelepiped. When collecting urine as a sample for a urine test, from the viewpoint of improving the reliability of the urine test, it is preferable to use the excrement treatment material P made of a material that does not affect or hardly affects the composition and characteristics of urine. Also, it is preferable to use a material such that the molded body does not collapse due to the presence of moisture for forming the excrement treatment material P.

[0056] Since the pet toilet 1 of each of the above embodiments does not use a complicated mechanism or structure, it is easy to maintain, and it is possible to reduce the involvement of the pet and its breeder in various mechanisms provided in the pet toilet 1, and it has high safety. In addition, even when unevenness occurs on the upper surface of the excrement treatment material P due to the entry and exit of the pet, vibration and inclination are applied, so that the upper surface can be flattened, and the aesthetics of the toilet are improved. Furthermore, by applying vibration and inclination, excrement and used treatment material can be selectively removed and stored, so that excrement and used treatment material can be removed earlier and more simply, and it is possible to prevent the surrounding environment such as indoors where the pet toilet is placed from being filled with an unpleasant odor. As a result, the living environment of the pet breeder can be maintained in good condition.

[0057] As described above, the present invention has been described based on its preferred embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments at all, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention. The housing part 11 and the storage part 12 in the above-described embodiment have been described as being integrally formed and adjacently arranged in the container 10, but are not limited to this form as long as the effects of the present invention are achieved. For example, the housing part 11 and the storage part 12 may be formed separately and independently, and the container 10 may be constituted by arranging one adjacent to the other.

[0058] In addition, the vibration applying unit 20 has been described by taking as an example the form in which it is connected to the bottom surface or the outer surface of the container 10 so as to be able to apply vibration. However, as long as the effects of the present invention are achieved, it is not limited to this form. For example, the vibration applying unit 20 may be arranged at the transition portion between the bottom surface and the side surface of the container 10, or at the upper end portion of the container 10, or may be arranged on the bottom surface, the outer surface, the inner surface or the upper end portion of the main body portion 70, and the vibration may be directly or indirectly applied to the container 10.

Example

[0059] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to such examples.

[0060] 〔Examples 1 to 13〕 Using a pet toilet 1 including a container 10 having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, a vibration applying unit 20, and an inclination applying unit 30, vibration and inclination were applied under the conditions shown in Table 1 below. The storage portion 11 and the storage portion 12 were arranged adjacent to each other along the longitudinal direction X of the container 10 via the wall portion 15. The ratio of the longitudinal length of the storage portion 11 to the total longitudinal length of the container 10 was 80%, and the ratio of the longitudinal length of the storage portion 12 to the total longitudinal length of the container 10 was 20%. Excretement treatment material P (manufactured by Kao Corporation, Nyanko (registered trademark) clean toilet deodorant / antibacterial chip, small-sized grains) was laid in the storage portion 11 of the container 10. As the vibration applying unit 20, a vibration feeder (manufactured by Symphony Technology Corporation, CF-1) was used. At this time, C10-1VCF manufactured by Symphony Technology Corporation was used for the controller.

[0061] 〔Comparative Examples 1 to 6〕 A pet toilet 1 having the same configuration as that of Example 1 was used, except that only one of vibration or inclination was applied under the conditions shown in Table 1 below.

[0062] 〔Evaluation of separation and removability〕 Regarding the pet toilets 1 of each example and comparative example, cat feces were placed as excrement on the excrement treatment material P. In this state, vibration and inclination were applied to the container 10 under the conditions shown in Table 1 below, and the separation and removal property due to the movement of the feces was visually evaluated according to the following criteria. The results are shown in Table 1 below.

[0063] <Evaluation Criteria> A: Without scattering of the excrement treatment material P, the excrement can be quickly moved to the storage part 12 side, and the separation and removal property of the excrement is extremely excellent. B: Some scattering of the excrement treatment material P occurs, but the excrement can be moved to the storage part 12 side, and the separation and removal property of the excrement is good. C: A large amount of scattering of the excrement treatment material P occurs, or the excrement does not move in a predetermined direction and stays, etc., and the separation and removal property of the excrement is poor.

[0064] As shown in Table 1, it can be seen that the pet toilet of the example can separate and remove excrement from the storage part 11 simply and efficiently compared with that of the comparative example.

[0065]

Table 1

Explanation of Reference Signs

[0066] 1 Pet Toilet 10 Container 20 Vibration Application Part 30 Inclination Application Part 40 Sensor 50 Control Part 70 Main Body Part 80 Tray X Longitudinal Direction Y Width Direction Z Height Direction

Claims

1. A toilet for pets, comprising a container, a vibration applying unit configured to apply vibration to the container, and an inclination applying unit configured to apply an inclination with respect to a horizontal plane to the container, wherein the container includes a storage unit configured to store granular excrement treatment material, and a storage unit configured to store excrement, the storage unit being disposed adjacent to the storage unit, wherein the storage unit and the storage unit are arranged such that when the container is inclined by the inclination applying unit, the storage unit is located on the lower side in the inclination direction than the storage unit, wherein the toilet for pets includes the container and a main body unit partitioned into an upper layer portion and a lower layer portion by the container, wherein the container is a toilet for pets, the container including a liquid passage portion at the bottom of the storage unit that allows urine to pass through.

2. The toilet for pets according to claim 1, wherein the vibration applying unit includes a vibratory feeder or a vibrator, wherein the vibration applying unit is configured to be able to apply vibration to the container with a vibration frequency of 45 Hz or more and 90 Hz or less and an amplitude of 0.2 mm or more and 2 mm or less.

3. The toilet for pets according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the inclination applying unit includes a cam mechanism or a link mechanism.

4. The toilet for pets according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a sensor configured to detect the presence or absence of a pet in the container, wherein when the sensor senses that there is no pet in the container, the vibration applying unit and the inclination applying unit are configured to be actuated.

5. A method for treating excrement using the toilet for pets according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein vibration and inclination are applied to the container in this order or in reverse order, or simultaneously, to move the excrement present in the storage unit to the storage unit side.

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