Waterless toilet
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing waterless toilets are time-consuming to assemble and disassemble, and lack efficient odor containment and maintenance features, such as quick belt replacement and effective odor management.
Innovation Solution
A waterless toilet design featuring a feed mechanism with laterally spaced roller sets and feed belts with angled fins that progressively draw a flexible tubular liner from a roll over the bowl rim, into a waste collection chamber, incorporating an odor-blocking valve mechanism and anti-muncher gear covers for easy maintenance and odor control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the feed mechanism uses fixed belts and rollers for waste delivery, then the structure is simple, but the maintenance time increases and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic adjustability in the feed mechanism by allowing belts to be easily removed and repositioned on rollers. The rollers can be independently adjusted along the belt's length, enabling quick maintenance without complete disassembly. This dynamic configuration resolves the contradiction by maintaining simple construction while enabling rapid maintenance intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The feed mechanism is segmented into independent rollers and belts that can be separately accessed and maintained. Each roller can be independently removed from the belt, allowing maintenance personnel to service specific components without affecting the entire system. This segmentation enables quick maintenance while keeping the overall structure simple and modular.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the roller axles are securely retained in fixed channels, then the structure is stable, but the ease of repair worsens due to difficult belt replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The roller axles incorporate adjustable positioning mechanisms that allow rollers to be securely fixed during operation for stability, yet easily repositioned or removed when maintenance is required. The channels accommodate axial movement of the rollers, enabling quick removal and replacement of belts without permanent fixation, thus resolving the contradiction between operational stability and maintenance accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The channel design includes pre-configured clearance and positioning features that guide roller installation and removal. The axles are designed with preliminary alignment features that facilitate easy insertion into channels during assembly, and easy extraction during maintenance. This preliminary design consideration enables both stable operation and simple repair procedures.
3Ease of manufacture
If the feed fins are fixed at standard angles, then manufacturing is easier, but waste liquid drainage efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The feed fins are designed with adjustable angular positioning relative to the belt surface, allowing optimization of drainage angles for different waste types and flow conditions. The fins can be repositioned or replaced at different angles without requiring complete manufacturing retooling, thus achieving efficient drainage while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through modular fin designs.
Solution Approach 2:
Different sections of the feed mechanism can have fins at different angles optimized for local drainage requirements. The fin angle can be varied along the belt length or between different belts to match specific waste flow patterns in different regions of the system, achieving optimal drainage efficiency while using standard manufacturing techniques for each fin type.
4Strength
If the toilet uses traditional assembly methods, then structural integrity is maintained, but assembly time increases and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The toilet assembly is divided into modular components including the bowl, feed mechanism with independent rollers and belts, collection chamber, and odor containment system. These segments can be pre-assembled and tested separately, then quickly connected using simplified coupling mechanisms that maintain structural integrity while dramatically reducing overall assembly time compared to traditional monolithic construction methods.
Solution Approach 2:
Critical subassemblies such as the feed mechanism with rollers and belts are pre-assembled and pre-adjusted before final installation in the complete toilet unit. This preliminary assembly allows quality control and adjustment to be performed on manageable components, ensuring structural integrity while reducing the complexity and time of final system assembly.
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 design allows for quick assembly and disassembly, efficient waste delivery, effective odor containment, and simplified maintenance, making the toilet more reliable, inexpensive, and easy to use.
Implementation Method 1
When waste liquid coats the inner surfaces of the tubular liner, the liquid surface tension causes opposing regions of the tubular liner to releasably cling to each other, closing the notch
Implementation Method 2
the weight of the liquid causes the clinging areas of the tubular liner to separate and thereby open the toilet valve to the flow
Data Source
AI summary
A waterless toilet is provided including a toilet bowl having bowl rim and mounted on top of a feed mechanism which in turn is mounted on top of a collection chamber. The feed mechanism progressively draws a flexible tubular liner from a roll, over the bowl rim and downwardly through the bowl so that it lines the bowl, through the feed mechanism and delivers the liner and any waste the liner contains into a waste collection chamber when the toilet is flushed.