Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E03—WATER SUPPLY; SEWERAGE
  • E03D—WATER-CLOSETS OR URINALS WITH FLUSHING DEVICES; FLUSHING VALVES THEREFOR
  • E03D5/00—Special constructions of flushing devices, e.g. closed flushing system
  • E03D5/10—Special constructions of flushing devices, e.g. closed flushing system operated electrically, e.g. by a photo-cell; also combined with devices for opening or closing shutters in the bowl outlet and/or with devices for raising/or lowering seat and cover and/or for swiveling the bowl
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E03—WATER SUPPLY; SEWERAGE
  • E03D—WATER-CLOSETS OR URINALS WITH FLUSHING DEVICES; FLUSHING VALVES THEREFOR
  • E03D1/00—Water flushing devices with cisterns ; Setting up a range of flushing devices or water-closets; Combinations of several flushing devices
  • E03D1/30—Valves for high or low level cisterns; Their arrangement ; Flushing mechanisms in the cistern, optionally with provisions for a pre-or a post- flushing and for cutting off the flushing mechanism in case of leakage
  • E03D1/32—Arrangement of inlet valves
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E03—WATER SUPPLY; SEWERAGE
  • E03D—WATER-CLOSETS OR URINALS WITH FLUSHING DEVICES; FLUSHING VALVES THEREFOR
  • E03D5/00—Special constructions of flushing devices, e.g. closed flushing system
  • E03D5/02—Special constructions of flushing devices, e.g. closed flushing system operated mechanically or hydraulically (or pneumatically) also details such as push buttons, levers and pull-card therefor
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01F—MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME
  • G01F23/00—Indicating or measuring liquid level or level of fluent solid material, e.g. indicating in terms of volume or indicating by means of an alarm
  • G01F23/30—Indicating or measuring liquid level or level of fluent solid material, e.g. indicating in terms of volume or indicating by means of an alarm by floats
  • G01F23/56—Indicating or measuring liquid level or level of fluent solid material, e.g. indicating in terms of volume or indicating by means of an alarm by floats using elements rigidly fixed to, and rectilinearly moving with, the floats as transmission elements
  • G01F23/62—Indicating or measuring liquid level or level of fluent solid material, e.g. indicating in terms of volume or indicating by means of an alarm by floats using elements rigidly fixed to, and rectilinearly moving with, the floats as transmission elements using magnetically actuated indicating means
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
  • H01H36/00—Switches actuated by change of magnetic field or of electric field, e.g. by change of relative position of magnet and switch, by shielding
  • H01H36/02—Switches actuated by change of magnetic field or of electric field, e.g. by change of relative position of magnet and switch, by shielding actuated by movement of a float carrying a magnet

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a toilet flush equipped with a leak prevention device to avoid wastage due to improper adjustment or malfunction of the functional organs of this flush (drain valve, supply valve, float, ).
• a flush typically has a tank forming a reservoir of a certain amount of water which is kept ready for use. This means that after opening a manually raised exhaust valve, which allows the tank to empty with a flushing effect, most often by gravity, a valve opens to connect the tank to a source of heat. 'food. The released valve is pressed against its seat after the total or partial emptying of the tank depending on whether the flush has one or two modes of operation. The filling valve is in turn controlled in response to the position of a float that follows the level of the free surface of the water contained in the tank. This command, in the simplest flushing of water, is the fact of a mechanical connection between the float and the valve of the supply valve.
• flushing is a major water consumer. To reduce this consumption in a spirit of respect for the environment, one can act on two types of factors: those relating to the adjustment of the consumption to the just need and those relating to the means of fight against the waste, that is to say ie unnecessary consumption due to leaks or malfunction of the flush.
• US 3,908,204 illustrates an electronic flush in which the controls of the feed valve and the drain valve are programmed and their operation electrically motorized.
• the document DE 10 222 193 illustrates meanwhile an "intelligent" flush whose two valves are motorized with operation controlled by an electronic unit that meets many parameters.
• This type of device is not suitable for the market waiting to maintain the rustic operation of a simple flush while being as water efficient as possible, in order to comply with a respectful attitude to the environment. environment.
• the analysis shows that the main cause of waste is the faulty operation of the flushing organs.
• the first reason for this malfunction is, of course, the leak at the drain valve.
• a leak in the drain valve can be characterized in several ways: either a desired level of filling never reached, or a feed time too high compared to a value corresponding to a filling without leakage tank, or a frequency of opening closing of the feed valve too large compared to that corresponding to normal use of the flush. The necessary measure is then to close the feeding of the hunt until the voluntary intervention of the user
• the goal is, first, to stop a flow of water at a loss because a leak exists at the drain valve.
• Another object of the invention is to alert the user if the valve the power supply is defective in order to provoke its intervention.
• Another object of the invention is to allow the use of flushing despite defects it has.
• the invention therefore relates to a device for securing in the event of leakage of a flush comprising a reservoir, a supply valve whose inlet channel passes through the wall of the tank and a support for vertically guiding a float which acts on means for controlling the opening and closing of the supply valve, the aforesaid control means comprising an electromagnetic actuator of the valve and at least one sensor for the presence of the float at a determined level corresponding to the normal filling level of the tank, characterized in that, between the detector and the actuator, the control means comprise an electronic control unit of the actuator of the valve having two modes of operation, 'One says' normal operating mode', in which the electronic unit drives the actuator of the valve according to the state of the detector and the other says' safe 'of the water tank, wherein the electronic unit maintains the actuator in the closed state of the valve regardless of the state of the detector, the control means further comprising a resetting member responding to an intervention of the user on the flush to act on the electronic unit and change the mode "safe"
• the detector emits a first signal output when the float is at the aforesaid level and a second signal when the float is not present at this level.
• the electronic unit comprises, for example in the form of integrated circuits, logical functionalities which enable it to process the signals emitted by the detector to derive a control instruction from the actuator for controlling the supply valve.
• the signal emitted by the detector while the float is present at the determined level, is treated as a filling end of the flush tank and the electronic unit controls the actuator for the valve to be piloted. in the sense of interrupting the power supply. In the absence of the float at this level, the electronic unit controls the control actuator so that the valve is open to fill the tank.
• the electronic unit contains in memory setpoint values, either introduced from the beginning or acquired by in situ learning, and a simple program makes it possible to automatically perform the comparison between the parameters observed and the setpoint values. these parameters.
• the electronic unit contains a clock; it can therefore count down the time that elapses after each signal emitted by the float presence detector. If the observed time is too long compared to the set value while the signal of the detector is a signal of opening of the supply, the actuator of piloting of the valve is commanded with the closing and the supply s' stopped.
• the elapsed time is the sign of either a leak at the drain valve, or a lack of power at the inlet of the valve, or a defect of the float, abnormal situations anyway which require to isolate the flush of water from the supply network.
• This stop of the diet can no longer to be influenced by a change in the position of the float which for example would have descended as the tank empties due to the leak.
• the electronic unit has gone into "safe" mode. This mode can also be activated by the observation of a too fast frequency in the succession of the signals emitted by the detector which is the manifestation of a small leak at the level of the drain valve, of flow rate lower than the filling rate which causes a beat in the opening and closing of the valve that must be stopped.
• the reset member acts on the electronic unit to move the electronic unit from "safe” mode to "normal operating mode” of the flush.
• the manual resetting member comprises a movable element which passes through the wall of the tank by means of the orifices already formed therein.
• the mobile element is immediately accessible to the user.
• this movable element is formed by a pusher movably mounted along the inlet channel of the valve through the tank wall.
• the electronic unit comprises a light-emitting diode (LED) whose light rays are led outside the tank by a waveguide formed by the pusher which is made of material suitable for the conduction of light.
• LED light-emitting diode
• the device according to the invention comprises a switch They integrated in the electronic unit, associated with a permanent magnet carried by a support, movable between a first rest position in which the magnet is away from this ILS and a second position in which the magnet is located close to it, the support being subjected to the antagonistic effects of an elastic member of its return in the first of the aforesaid positions and a force applied to the pusher, manoeuvrable from outside the tank, to move the support towards its second position.
• the movable member of the resetting member is constituted by a manual actuating member of the flush discharge valve.
• the tank is empty due to leakage.
• the user having found that one actuation of the zipper has not been followed effect, hear a filling of the tank. He waits therefore that this filling is complete or sufficient to again operate the hunt. This one then makes its office. And in the absence of next user, for example in a time given, the electronic unit switches to its safe mode to turn off the power.
• the resetting member may be a push button flush or protruding from the surface of the tank, which like the previous push button, changes color or position at the change of mode of the electronic unit. The user is then alerted to the state in which the flush is and can act if necessary on the rearming of the electronic unit by simply pressing the button.
• the device of the invention comprises a remote control unit, for example by radio waves, of a rocker of the electronic unit which makes it change mode and resets a normal operating mode. flush.
• the remote control means could also put the electronic unit in the "safe" mode.
• the float is equipped with a permanent magnet placed at the end of a mast carried by the float at the top and the detector of the presence of the float at the aforesaid determined level is integrated in the electronic unit and is a soft blade switch
• the electronic unit is enclosed in a housing which is located in the vicinity of the path of the magnet.
• the housing may include a guide for the mast in which it slides.
• the supply valve is a diaphragm valve having a control chamber, the electromagnetic actuator being associated with a valve for controlling the pressure in the control chamber.
• This valve is particularly advantageous because its opening and closing are obtained by driving forces that vary freely, which places the valve in one or the other of its states instantaneously, eliminating the progressive cut-off of the supply as it is found in the usual valves, which is the cause of the scaling and the deterioration of the valve, as previously discussed.
• the control of its operation is simple electrically and requires an extremely low energy.
• the safety setting of the flush firstly, for the electronic unit, to control the valve actuator actuator so as to place the latter in its cut-off state of the supply or to confirm this state and this, irreversibly irrespective of the position of the float. It is accompanied (in option) by the lighting of the aforesaid diode whose light rays are led outside the tank to be visually detectable by the user.
• the electronic unit includes an additional switch S 1, offset vertically with respect to the detector. It determines the position of the float so as to be influenced when the mounted permanent magnet passes. by the mast integral with the float. This extra They can be placed above or below the detector.
• the electronic unit places the flush "safe” possibly accompanied by an alert signal specific to this specific operating fault.
• the operation of the signal of this detector by the unit electronics allows for example to know the direction of movement of the float.
• FIGS. 1 and 2 are external partial views of the device according to the invention.
• FIG. 3 is a partial top view of the device according to the invention.
• FIG. 4 illustrates in a diagram the arrangement of the various elements involved in the operation of the device of the invention
• FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the various sensors implemented in the device of the invention
• FIG. illustrates by a diagram an embodiment of the invention applied to a flush fed from the bottom.
• the flush comprises a tank 1 having a side wall 2 crossed by a supply pipe 3 which leads to the device 4 for controlled supply of the tank according to the invention. invention, located inside this reservoir in the vicinity of the wall 2.
• the pipe 3 is the inlet pipe of a valve 5 for cutting or setting the supply of the tank.
• This valve will preferably be bistable and of any nature capable of being controlled electrically or by means of a fluid under pressure. It will be mentioned the solenoid valves or preferably the diaphragm valves controlled by the supply pressure, the control chamber being itself controlled by filling or emptying by an electromagnetic actuator. A schematic representation of such a valve is illustrated in FIG.
• the outlet 6 of the valve is connected to a tubular sleeve 7 which conducts the feed water to the bottom of the tank to limit the filling noise.
• This tubular duct constitutes a vertical guide for a float 8 to which a mast 9 is fixed.
• the mast has an upper head 10 which carries a permanent magnet 11. The distance of this magnet to the float is adjustable through the connection of the screw type (the mast portion 9a) nut (the float) which combines the mast and the float.
• This device 4 is in the form of a unitary assembly with regard to the elements already described.
• This assembly is fixed to the tank by the only means of the inlet pipe of the valve 5 with which a device passes wall cooperates to grip the wall 2.
• Control means (control) of the valve (5) comprise an electromagnetic actuator and an electronic unit which will be described in more detail below enclosed in a housing 12.
• the housing 12 is removably attached to the unit unit above.
• tank emptying means which comprise a seat provided at the bottom of the tank and a valve which can be moved away from or close to this seat by manual control.
• the electronic unit 13 comprises a card which carries components necessary for its operation such as a battery, a light-emitting diode 14, circuits not shown and flexible blade switches (They) such that 15, 16 and 17.
• the representation of FIG. 4 is a diagram whose function is to locate in space those which cooperate with external magnets.
• the control function of the supply valve is provided by the program or programs installed in microcontrollers which is provided with the card.
• the electronic unit is connected to the pilot valve 5 by any appropriate means.
• FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic section showing a diaphragm valve (5) 18 with a pilot chamber 19 which is in permanent communication with the water under the pressure of the distribution network by means of an orifice 18a of the diaphragm 18 and with the atmospheric pressure by means of a valve 20 and a seat 21, a bistable electromagnetic actuator 22 being integral with the valve 21.
• the section of the orifice 18a is smaller than the useful section of the seat 20.
• the actuator 22 comprises a spring 23 which pushes the valve 21 against the seat 20 and a coil 24 which surrounds the tail of the valve acting as a movable core of the actuator.
• This coil can be powered by a pulse of an electric current whose first direction is such that, during the pulse, the core is moved towards the seat and the opposite direction causes the displacement of the core away from the seat, to against the effect of the spring 23 and towards a permanent magnet 25 for holding the valve away from the seat.
• the pipe 3 (or the connection piece of the valve to this pipe) supply is the support of a partially tubular pusher 30.
• This pusher can thus be accessible from the outside of the tank 1 through the wall 2 with the pipe 3.
• This pusher 30 cooperates with a lever 32 forming a support of a second permanent magnet 33, articulated on the unitary unit valve 5, support 7, about an axis 34 substantially perpendicular to the card 13 of the unit electronic.
• a spring 35 acts on the pusher 30 and tends to place this pusher in its most protruding position relative to the partition 2 of the reservoir.
• the lever 32 is connected to the pusher 30 by a cleat 30a, 30b of its maneuver pivoting about the axis 34.
• the second switch 16 is placed in such a way that the magnet 33 is opposite this switch when the pusher 30 is in maximum projection out of the wall 2 of the reservoir, under the effect of the spring 35.
• the change of state of Ils 16, under the influence of the change of the magnetic flux, which results from an action on the pusher 30 is recognized by the electronic unit as a reset signal functions of this unit and thus becomes sensitive and reactive to the relative position of the magnet 11 and the one or more of them 15 and 17.
• the user begins by setting the level of filling that he wants to obtain in the tank. For this purpose, it screws or unscrews the mast 9 (threaded part 9a) in the float 8.
• the distance separating the magnet 11 from the float is fixed. Since the level of the is fixed by construction, the fixing of this distance determines the level of the float at which the closure of the feed valve is controlled. It should be noted in this regard that the stroke of the float will be relatively low because after a certain degree of emptying, the float remains suspended from the unitary supply unit by means for example of the fork 26 belonging to this set.
• the supply valve opens (due to the purge of its control chamber 19 by moving valve 21 from seat 20 away from spring 23 by pulse of current in the coil 24) and the admission of water into the tank is started.
• the emptying rate, to create a hunting effect is necessarily very important and well above that of the admission.
• the tank bottom valve closes and filling begins.
• the level filling is achieved in a known time by the electronic unit, either by programming, or preferably by learning to take into account the initial setting made by the user. The actual filling time will not be less than that set in the electronic unit.
• the magnet 11 reaches the changing state 15, which controls the valve 5 upon closing (reverse current pulse in the coil 24 which takes off the core of the magnet 25 and the spring propels towards the seat 20 of the valve). If, on the other hand, it is longer than the latter, the electronic unit controls the closing of the valve, not in response to the change of state of the But 15 but in response to an instruction from the microcontroller of the unit which will have noted the exceeding of the set time. The flush is then "safe".
• the microcontroller of the electronic unit controls the ignition of the light-emitting diode 14.
• the light beam thus emitted is directed towards a light guide 27 which belongs to the pusher 30, preferably in one piece with him.
• the pusher being made of a transparent or translucent material, precisely for the purpose of being traversed by the light emitted by the diode 14 becomes the indicator light of the state in safety of the flush.
• the user will then be notified.
• the state of the valve 15 or a change thereof is then of no effect on the state of the valve which remains closed. It is only by action on the pusher 30 that the user can restart the normal operation of the electronic unit in the form of, for example, a reset of the operation of its microcontroller. This reset results from the tilting of the lever 32 in the direction which moves the permanent magnet 23 away from the pin 16 which then changes state. This rearming will do at the same time stop the emission of light.
• the electronic unit In the event of a malfunction of the inlet valve, which, for example, no longer correctly interrupts the intake of water into the tank despite being in its closed state, the level continues to rise in the tank .
• the electronic unit then sees a change of state of the 15 but does not see a new change of state of the 15 in the time provided for the realization of a drain and a new filling. This event does not intervene, the flush is "safe" which closes the valve 5, which remains nevertheless fugitive and lights led 14. The user is then alerted again but he can not distinguish the l origin of the breakdown.
• the electronic unit comprises a third flexible blade switch 17 located above the switch 15.
• this third 17 is subjected to the magnetic field of the magnet 11 and changes state.
• This change is information for the electronic unit that immediately flush safe, that is to say, closing the valve 5 and issuing an alert signal.
• the valve 5 may, moreover, have not changed state and be closed again, if the Ils 17 is relatively close to the 15. In this case, even closing the faulty valve is final except to reset the system.
• the signal may be specific to the failure, namely the impossibility of completely cutting off the power of the flush. The action on the pusher allows a new normal filling of the tank after use, which will be followed again by a safety setting of the flush.
• the third 17a is located under the first detector 15. This 17a allows to determine the direction of movement of the float and as above, distinguish between a filling difficulty from a drain leak and an excess filling from a defective supply valve. It is thus possible to provide two levels of alert, one for example merely light indicating that there is a lack but that the consumption of water is controlled, the other combining light and sound to demonstrate the existence of a defect that can not be taken into account without the intervention of the user (leaky inlet valve).
• the flush is very little different from a simple flush. Indeed, in a simple flush, there are all the elements for feeding a water tank from a simple connection to the network. Only the functional connection of the float and the control elements of the valve are modified.
• the pilot chamber of a diaphragm valve is purged by a valve which is removed from its seat by the float down. This valve is then recalled to its seat by any appropriate means.
• the functional connection between this valve and this seat has simply been changed, the valve becoming electromagnetic and its control, an electronic microcontroller.
• the bulkhead passage of the inlet pipe has also been slightly modified in order to accommodate the pusher around this pipe.
• the invention can be realized with many variants. First of all, it is not outside the scope of the invention to provide sensors, associated with the electronic unit, different from the switches described. Filling level sensors cooperating with floats that open and close electrical circuits can indeed be implemented. connected to the electronic unit.
• FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment in which the tank 1 of the flush is fed from below, through the bottom wall 1a thereof.
• the bottom wall 1a of the tank is provided with a relief valve 40 connected to an operating puller 41 equipped with a handle 42 above the tank lid.
• the permanent magnet 33a fixed to the pull tab 41 plays the same role as the permanent magnet 33 of the resetting member 32.
• the resetting member is formed by the pull itself.
• the switch 16a secured to the fixed structure 4,5,7 and 8, like the detector 16 previously described, serves as a detector of the movement of the permanent magnet 33a, the maneuver therefore has the effect of resetting the electronic unit 13.
• the reset mechanism for example, either in the form of a push button protruding from the wall of the tank and being a light conductor of the light-emitting diode in case of safety, or colored and protruding from the outer surface of the tank when the electronic unit is safe.
• This button can also be turned, mounted through the wall of the tank and pivotally connected to a permanent magnet to move relative to a proximity sensor belonging to the electronic unit, either in the form of an integrated through rod in the supply pipe 3 pressing a waterproof microswitch placed in the housing 12.
• a reset member which, instead of being directly associated with the pull tab as described in FIG. 6, may be sensitive to a vibration of the reservoir, resulting from a user's action on an organ of any kind of hunting, a vibration that will change the state of a sensor which will cause a reset of the electronic unit.
• An alternative remote control can also be envisaged especially as in some cases the supply of electrical energy to the device can be obtained by a connection to the network.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Water Supply & Treatment (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Hydrology & Water Resources (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Sanitary Device For Flush Toilet (AREA)
• Float Valves (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=40257220

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Families Citing this family (5)

Family Cites Families (7)

• 2008
  • 2008-06-25 FR FR0803562A patent/FR2933111B1/fr active Active
• 2009
  • 2009-06-24 WO PCT/FR2009/000762 patent/WO2010007237A2/fr not_active Ceased
  • 2009-06-24 EP EP09784223A patent/EP2300669A2/de not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events