Bidirectional Motor Toilet Unit for Noise Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing toilet installations on ships suffer from noise and inefficiency due to simultaneous operation of pumping and shredding functions, leading to discomfort and potential malfunctions like clogging.
Innovation Solution
A motorized functional unit with a self-priming pump and shredding turbine that operate in opposite directions of rotation, allowing for dissociated functions of filling and shredding, reducing noise and optimizing operation by performing each function separately.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the pump and macerator turbine operate simultaneously in the same rotation direction, then both functions can be performed at the same time, but the noise level increases and operational efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically changes the rotation direction of the motor based on operational requirements. The motor can rotate in a first direction to drive the pump for water supply, and in a second opposite direction to drive the macerator turbine for waste processing. This dynamic direction reversal allows the system to perform different functions sequentially rather than simultaneously, reducing noise while maintaining operational capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The operational cycle is divided into periodic phases: first the pump operates in one rotation direction to supply water, then the motor reverses direction and the macerator turbine operates to process waste. This periodic alternation between opposite rotation directions ensures that only one function is active at a time, significantly reducing noise levels while completing both tasks in sequence.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the pump and macerator turbine are driven by the same motor in opposite directions, then noise is reduced and function separation is achieved, but the device complexity increases due to bidirectional control requirements
Solution Approach 1:
A single motor is designed to perform multiple functions by reversing its rotation direction. The same motor drives both the pump (in one direction) and the macerator turbine (in the opposite direction), eliminating the need for separate motors for each function. This multi-functionality approach reduces the overall number of components while achieving noise reduction through function separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system extracts and separates the control signals for different functions. The control unit sends specific directional commands to the motor - one signal pattern for pump operation, another for macerator operation. This extraction of directional control allows independent optimization of each function while using a single motor, managing complexity through structured control rather than additional hardware.
3Productivity
If the macerator turbine rotates in the opposite direction to the pump, then shredding function is activated, but the pump cannot perform suction function
Solution Approach 1:
The operational functions are segmented into distinct time phases based on motor rotation direction. During the first phase, the motor rotates in one direction activating only the pump for water supply. During the second phase, the motor reverses direction activating only the macerator turbine for shredding. This temporal segmentation ensures that each component operates in its optimal direction without interference, maintaining reliability of each function when activated.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution significantly reduces noise and optimizes the toilet installation's operation by ensuring effective filling and shredding of waste without simultaneous operation, preventing clogging and improving overall performance.
Implementation Method 1
a self-priming pump connected to the motor and which is capable of sucking water through an inlet and discharging the sucked water through an outlet
Implementation Method 2
a macerator turbine connected to the motor and which is capable, on the one hand, of sucking, through an inlet, waste water and solid waste and of shredding the sucked waste
Data Source
Figure 1a~5
Figure 2~3
AI summary
The invention relates to a motorized functional unit (20) for a toilet, the functional unit comprising: - a motor (22), - a self-priming pump (24) connected to the motor and which is capable of sucking water through an inlet (24a) and of discharging it through an outlet (24b) when the motor is controlled to rotate in a first direction of rotation, - a macerator turbine (28) connected to the motor and which is capable of sucking, through an inlet (28a), waste water and solid waste, of macerating the waste and of discharging the waste water and the macerated waste through an outlet (28b) when the motor is controlled to rotate in a second direction of rotation opposite to the first direction of rotation, - at least one motor control member which can take two possible control states: a first state in which the motor rotates in the first direction of rotation and a second state in which the motor rotates in the second direction of rotation.