Method for flushing an automatic cat toilet

Abstract

The invention relates to devices for collecting excrement and urine, in particular to toilets for household pets. A method for flushing an automatic cat toilet includes supplying water to a toilet bowl and shutting off a drain line by means of a controlled butterfly valve, which allows the bowl to fill up, and then opening said butterfly valve partially and subsequently fully in response to a signal from an electronic control system. The water for filling the toilet bowl is fed into a discharge funnel at a tangent, forming a whirlpool above the discharge funnel. The whirlpool catches the excrement floating by and keeps it in the immediate vicinity of the discharge point. While the toilet is being filled, a controller calculates the intensity at which the bowl is being filled with water and opens the butterfly valve just enough to equalize the supply and discharge, thus allowing adaptation to different pressures in different plumbing systems. A pump installed in the supply line increases the intensity of active circulation when the pressure of the mains water is low and has practically no effect on operation when the pressure is high, and a valve of a rear nozzle is only opened or closed in the active circulation stage when the rear nozzle is submerged below the level of the water in the bowl. As a result, the efficacy of flushing away animal excrement is increased.

Description

How to flush an automatic cat toilet

[0001] The invention relates to devices for collecting excrement and urine, in particular, to toilets for pets. The invention relates to devices for supporting the life of pets, in particular, creating the necessary sanitary conditions for their keeping.

[0002] A "Flushable Toilet for a Cat" is known (PCT application WO2024163037A1 dated 08.08.2024). The invention includes: a pool body with a bottom gate; an inflow module located on the pool body and configured to supply water to the pool body; a cat litter supply module located on the pool body; a sensor located in the pool body or the cat litter supply module; and a controller electrically connected to the bottom gate of the pool body, the inflow module, the cat litter supply module and the sensor, wherein in response to detecting the presence of excrement in the pool body or detecting by the sensor that an animal has used the pool body, the controller is configured to control the inflow module to supply water to the pool body, control the bottom gate to open and close, and control the cat litter supply module to supply filler to the pool body.

[0003] The disadvantage is that the device must be installed on the toilet used by a person, making it difficult for both a person and a pet to use the toilet at the same time.

[0004] The "Pet Toilet" (Russian Federation Utility Model Patent No. 166209) is also well-known. The device operates by flushing feces with a stream of tap water into the sewer to which the toilet is connected. The stream is generated immediately upon flushing by a nozzle that distributes the water flow over the entire surface of the toilet's bottom, the shape of which mimics the "torch" of the stream. The water flow is activated by an electromagnetic valve, controlled by an electronic unit, in response to a signal from a pet detection sensor.

[0005] This flushing method has a number of significant drawbacks: flush efficiency is highly dependent on the water supply pressure and potential water consumption; water hammer and increased noise, which can frighten animals, due to the water being supplied by the electromagnetic valve under significant pressure in the supply line; and a sharp, initial burst of water, accompanied by splashes, when the electromagnetic valve is activated.

[0006] The shortcomings of the flushing process used in the toilet according to Russian Patent No. 166209 became apparent during its use. The low flushing rate of animal excrement renders this toilet practically useless and inadequate for its stated purposes and characteristics. This significant drawback prevents the toilet from being used by multiple animals.

[0007] The toilet bowl contains areas that are not cleaned by the nozzle stream, or the effectiveness of the stream in these areas is negligible. Cleaning these areas is only possible manually, which defeats the entire purpose of this prototype's flushing principle. The significant dependence of flushing efficiency on water supply pressure precludes its use in apartments with low water pressure. The small volume of water supplied to the toilet ineffectively flushes the drain, regularly leading to clogs and overflows. The saved water is then wasted in excess on clearing clogs. Regular leaks through the seals of the trap and supply nozzle are observed. The low adoption of automatic cat litter boxes using this flushing method indicates its unsuitability for a wide range of pet lovers.

[0008] The closest analogue is the "Method for Flushing an Automatic Cat Litter Box" (Russian Federation Patent Application No. 2021120464, filed July 12, 2021). It partially solves the problems of the two previous analogues. The invention involves cleaning the bowl by pumping water into it, and is distinguished by the toilet's drain line being shut off by a controlled flap, which ensures the bowl is filled and opens in response to a signal from the electronic control system, facilitating the easy removal of excrement from the bowl.

[0009] However, this method also has its drawbacks. Its effectiveness is reduced when the excrement is highly buoyant. The draft in the discharge funnel is not strong enough to pull it into the water seal, and it is thrown to the rear wall by the nozzle jet and floats back to the funnel. The chance of flushing in this case depends on the location of the excrement relative to the discharge funnel, as fragments that are far from the discharge funnel do not have time to reach it and remain in the bowl. If the pet is large, large fragments can block the discharge funnel and remain after flushing. To increase the chance of flushing, this method was designed with a circulation time of approximately 2 minutes, and the total toilet cycle is approximately 5-6 minutes. When several pets use the toilet, this can be critical, as other animals may simply not wait their turn.

[0010] The method involves supplying water to the toilet bowl at a certain point without discharging the bulk of it into the sewer. The inflow of water into the bowl exceeds the outflow, causing the bowl to fill with water under the control of a level sensor. This, through the use of "Archimedes' force," reduces the adhesion of feces to the toilet bowl. Water is supplied to the toilet from the outlet funnel opening, tangentially to the wall of this opening, causing the water to swirl in the area of ​​the outlet funnel, forming a whirlpool. The accumulated water begins to move in the direction of the whirlpool's rotation, forcing feces toward the outlet funnel, where they are captured by the whirlpool and held close to it. When the toilet bowl fills to the operating level determined by the level sensor, the toilet switches to intensive circulation mode.By this point, the toilet controller has determined the water flow rate from the water supply to which the toilet is connected and calculated the required increase in sewer discharge to stop the water level in the bowl from rising, signaling the toilet to open the wastewater outlet. Almost simultaneously, the water supply valve through the rear nozzle and the circulation pump are activated. The water flow in the toilet bowl increases, and feces are actively sucked into the wastewater outlet. The active vortex directs long feces along the wastewater outlet, preventing blockages and allowing large cats and small dogs to use the toilet. During the final stage of self-cleaning, the controller turns off the rear nozzle and circulation pump, and fully opens the wastewater outlet.The water accumulated in the bowl is actively discharged into the sewer, clearing the toilet's water seal of waste and thoroughly flushing the sewer pipe to which the toilet is connected. This flushing method ensures the highest level of self-cleaning stability, unattainable with the prototype and products built on its principle.

[0011] Since the controller calculates the bowl's fill rate, the toilet can automatically adjust to not only the varying pressures in different living spaces but also account for the "instantaneous" pressure fluctuations in a given room. The fill rate is calculated each time the bowl is filled.

[0012] This flushing method allows for high-quality self-cleaning of the toilet bowl, regardless of water flow rates and pressures. This makes the toilet suitable for use in new buildings, older homes, and summer cottages where water pressures vary widely. This increases the potential number of users. The quality of the toilet's cleaning is not dependent on water pressure.

[0013] The control that enables this flushing method can be varied: hydraulic, magnetic, electromagnetic, mechanical, electrical, etc. The primary technical element enabling this method is a controlled valve installed in the flush system. The purpose of the controlled valve is to reduce the flow area of ​​the toilet drain line when the bowl is filling with water, increase the flow area during intensive circulation, and fully open it when the contents are discharged into the sewer.

[0014] Thus, the claimed technical solution differs from the prototype in the following way: in the prototype, the excrement floats, gradually decreasing in quantity, and is flushed out with the discharge. In the claimed method, however, the excrement moves purposefully toward the funnel and disappears there, and then rinses the empty tray for 20 seconds before being flushed.

[0015] The technical result is an increase in the efficiency of washing away animal excrement.

[0016] The technical result is achieved by the method described below.

[0017] The proposed invention is free from the above mentioned disadvantages.

[0018] The proposed method of flushing a cat litter box is implemented on a different principle and is provided by simple technical means.

[0019] The invention is illustrated by the drawings presented in Figures 1–6. Figure 1

[0020] The toilet is shown in section. Figure 2

[0021] The state of rest is reflected when the water seal is filled. Figure 3

[0022] Shows how to flush the water seal from urine (the valve is open). Figure 4

[0023] The toilet bowl is shown filling (the flapper is closed). Figure 5

[0024] active circulation is shown (the damper is slightly open, the water supply valve, the rear nozzle valve and the circulation pump are working). Figure 6

[0025] The discharge into the sewer is shown (the valve is open).

[0026] The toilet operates as follows: the cat jumps into the toilet bowl and enters the range of the photooptical sensor; if the sensor signals are interpreted by the control controller as an "operating signal", then it goes into the waiting mode for the cat to leave the toilet bowl (the controller waits "infinitely", the cat can lie down in the bowl to sleep, the toilet will not flush); after the cat leaves the toilet, the controller starts the countdown timer before flushing (by default, 2 minutes); if the cat, during the countdown, returns to the toilet, the controller resets the countdown and, after losing sight of the cat, starts the countdown again; at the end of the countdown, the water supply valve opens and supplies water for some time with an open flap into the sewer - this is flushing the water seal from urine; after this, the controller sends a signal to the stepper motor and it closes the flap of the toilet water seal from the sewer, filling the toilet bowl with water;Water is supplied through the circulation nozzle in the drain funnel; since the nozzle is applied tangentially to the wall of the drain funnel, the water spins, creating a whirlpool; the bowl is filled with water until it is detected by the level sensor; the controller makes a series of calculations and calculates the filling intensity and the time required to refill the toilet to the required flushing level; after the refill time has elapsed, the controller opens the flap by the calculated gap to ensure the discharge of some water into the sewer and to maintain a certain water level in the toilet bowl throughout the self-cleaning process; the controller turns on the circulation pump and the rear nozzle to increase the intensity of self-cleaning and lift even heavy excrement; during circulation, excrement moves towards the drain funnel and is captured by the whirlpool, falling inside the water seal;Once circulation is complete, the controller turns off the valves and pump and fully opens the flap, allowing water to flow actively into the sewer, flushing it; the toilet is ready for the next pet.

Claims

A method for flushing an automatic cat litter box, including supplying water to the toilet bowl with the shut-off of the drain line by a controlled flap, which ensures the filling of the bowl, and its subsequent partial and then complete opening by a signal from the electronic control system, characterized in that the water for filling the toilet bowl is supplied to the discharge funnel tangentially, as a result of which a vortex is formed above the discharge funnel, which catches and holds excrement floating by in the immediate vicinity of the discharge point, while during the filling of the toilet, the controller calculates the intensity of filling the bowl with water and opens the flap so as to equalize the supply and discharge, adapting to the different pressures in different water pipes of the toilet users, a pump installed in the supply line increases the intensity of active circulation at low pressures of tap water and has virtually no effect on the operation at high pressures, and the opening and closing of the rear nozzle valve,at the active circulation stage, it occurs only when the rear nozzle is immersed below the water level in the bowl.

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