Pivotable Flush Reservoir for Low-Volume Urinal Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Low flush volume urinals face challenges in achieving effective cleansing due to insufficient water volume and pressure, leading to incomplete sidewall cleaning, as existing systems were designed for higher flush volumes and struggle to distribute water evenly across the manifold.
Innovation Solution
A urinal design featuring a pivotable flush reservoir with a nonsymmetrical housing that shifts center of gravity to control water flow, allowing efficient water distribution across the manifold, ensuring thorough cleaning by pivoting from a fill position to a flush position when a threshold volume is reached, and returning to the fill position when empty.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If low flush volume fixtures are used, then water consumption is reduced, but cleansing effectiveness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The flush reservoir is designed to pivot dynamically between a fill position and a flush position. During normal operation, the reservoir remains in the fill position. When a flush is activated, the reservoir pivots to the flush position, allowing stored water to be rapidly discharged through the manifold. This dynamic positioning enables the system to maintain low water consumption during idle periods while delivering high-volume flushes when needed, thereby resolving the contradiction between water conservation and cleaning effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
Water is continuously stored in the flush reservoir during idle periods (fill position), preparing a supply of water for future flushes. This preliminary accumulation of water allows the system to deliver high-volume flushes without requiring high continuous flow rates from the water supply, thus maintaining low water consumption while ensuring adequate water availability for effective cleaning when required.
2Loss of substance
If low flush volume is used, then water consumption is reduced, but head pressure in manifold deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically switches from a low-flow fill mode during normal operation to a high-flow flush mode when the reservoir pivots to the flush position. This dynamic transition allows the system to maintain low water consumption during idle periods while generating sufficient head pressure during flush events. The rapid discharge of stored water through the manifold creates the necessary pressure to ensure complete drainage from all holes, resolving the contradiction between low water consumption and adequate head pressure.
3Ease of operation
If water flows through vacuum breaker with narrow outlet, then water distribution is limited, but sidewall cleaning is incomplete
Solution Approach 1:
The manifold is designed with multiple holes distributed across its surface, including at the outer edges. The flush reservoir's wide opening allows water to be distributed simultaneously to all these segmented locations. This segmentation of water discharge points ensures that water reaches all areas of the urinal, including the sidewalls, thereby resolving the contradiction between ease of water distribution and complete sidewall cleaning.
Solution Approach 2:
The flush reservoir features a nonsymmetrical housing with a wide opening that is asymmetrically positioned to optimize water distribution. This asymmetric design allows water to flow efficiently to both the center and outer edges of the manifold, ensuring complete coverage of all discharge holes and thorough cleaning of the entire urinal surface, including sidewalls.
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
This design enhances cleaning efficiency by ensuring water reaches all areas of the urinal, including the sidewalls, with a low gallon-per-minute fill rate and a high gallon-per-minute flow rate during flush cycles, maintaining effective head pressure and complete drainage from all holes.
Implementation Method 1
The flush reservoir includes a housing having an opening and being pivotable, in relation to the manifold, about a pivot axis, the housing being nonsymmetrical about the pivot axis. The flush reservoir has a fill position and a flush position; the flush reservoir configured to remain in a fill position when empty and move to the flush position when a threshold volume of water is in the reservoir.
Implementation Method 2
The manifold is positioned above the receptacle and comprises a chamber having a floor that includes a plurality of holes positioned adjacent the backstop, allowing fluid from the manifold to flow from the manifold down the backstop into the receptacle.
Data Source
AI summary
A flush mechanism for use in a urinal. The flush mechanism includes a flush reservoir pivotally mounted within a flush frame. The flush mechanism receives water from an inlet above the flush reservoir. The flush reservoir is pivotable from a fill position to a flush position whereby the water is dispensed to a manifold within the urinal for flushing of the urinal. The flow of water into the flush reservoir and the actuation of the flush reservoir may be directed by a controller.