U.S. patent application number 12/449131 was filed with the patent office on 2010-01-21 for self-closing mechanism.
This patent application is currently assigned to Pressalit Group A/S. Invention is credited to Frits Lauridsen, Martin Wiig.
Application Number | 20100011493 12/449131 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39523757 |
Filed Date | 2010-01-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100011493 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wiig; Martin ; et
al. |
January 21, 2010 |
SELF-CLOSING MECHANISM
Abstract
Automatic self-close mechanism, in particular for closing a
toilet bowl seat and/or a toilet bowl lid, where said closing of
the seat and/or lid may be separated into two movements, a first
movement bringing the seat and/or lid from a position resting
against a back stop into a position where gravity will propel the
seat and/or Hd downwards, and a second movement where gravity
propels the seat and/or lid towards the toilet bowl, where the
energy necessary for the first movement is stored in a resilient
member during the opening of the seat/lid, and that the energy is
released by releasing a locking arrangement, where said locking
arrangement is actuated by an actuating wire, said wire pulling the
locking arrangement out of locking engagement, where said wire is
actuated by electrical means.
Inventors: |
Wiig; Martin; (Viby, DK)
; Lauridsen; Frits; (Silkeborg, DK) |
Correspondence
Address: |
JAMES C. WRAY
1493 CHAIN BRIDGE ROAD, SUITE 300
MCLEAN
VA
22101
US
|
Assignee: |
Pressalit Group A/S
|
Family ID: |
39523757 |
Appl. No.: |
12/449131 |
Filed: |
January 24, 2008 |
PCT Filed: |
January 24, 2008 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/DK2008/000026 |
371 Date: |
August 14, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
4/246.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47K 13/10 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
4/246.1 |
International
Class: |
A47K 13/10 20060101
A47K013/10 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jan 24, 2007 |
DK |
PA 2007 00105 |
Claims
1. An automatic self-close mechanism, in particular for closing a
toilet bowl seat and/or a toilet bowl lid, where said closing of
the seat and/or lid is separated into two movements, a first
movement bringing the seat and/or lid from a position resting
against a back stop into a position where gravity will propel the
seat and/or lid downwards, and a second movement where gravity
propels the seat and/or lid towards the toilet bowl, where the
energy necessary for the first movement is stored in a resilient
member during the opening of the seat/lid, and that the energy is
released by releasing a locking arrangement, where said locking
arrangement is actuated by an actuating wire, wherein the actuating
wire is a shaped memory alloy, and that an electrical source
activates the wire, causing the wire to contract, thereby pulling
the locking arrangement out of locking engagement, where said wire
is actuated by electrical means.
2. (canceled)
3. The mechanism according to claim 1 wherein an electronic
circuitry is arranged on a printed circuit board, and that means
for fastening the wire to the circuit board in electrical contact
with the source of energy is provided, and furthermore that the
wire is arranged around a pulley in the locking arrangement and
back to the printed circuit board, such that the length of the wire
is substantially twice or more of the length between the wire
fastening point on the printed circuit board and the locking
arrangement.
4. The mechanism according to claim 1 further comprising a housing,
where said housing comprises means for attaching the housing to a
toilet bowl, and that further a first damper is arranged inside
said housing for dampening the movement of the toilet seat, and a
second damper also arranged inside the housing is provided for
dampening the movement of the toilet bowl lid, where engagement
means are provided in either end of the housing for attaching said
toilet bowl seat and lid to said dampeners, and that the releasable
locking arrangement is provided between the second dampener and the
toilet bowl lid.
5. The mechanism according to claim 1 wherein a time delay circuit
is included in the electronic circuitry, whereby a predefined time
may pass between activation of the locking arrangement and release
of said locking arrangement.
6. The mechanism according to claim 5 wherein a proximity sensor is
provided, which sensor may detect the presence of a user in the
vicinity of the mechanism, and where said sensor is connected to
the circuitry in such a manner that the activation of the time
delay, causing the locking arrangement to release, is activated by
input from said sensor.
7. A method for controlling the closing of a toilet bowl seat an
lid, where the seat and lid are engaged in a closing mechanism,
where said mechanism comprises a first dampener which dampener is
engaged with the seat such that the dampener will slow down the
closing movement of the seat, and a second dampener engaged with
the lid such that the second dampener will slow down the movement
of the lid, and where the opening of the lid will increase the
torsional force in a torsion member, and furthermore that a
releasable locking mechanism is provided which locking mechanism
will, until released maintain the lid in its open position, and
after release transfer the stored energy in the torsion member to
the lid for moving the lid towards its closed position in contact
with the seat, where the locking mechanism has access to a source
of electrical energy, such that the release of the locking
mechanism is achieved by electrically heating a shaped memory alloy
wire, which thereby contracts and pulls the locking mechanism out
of locking engagement.
8. The method according to claim 7 wherein a time delay circuitry
is provided, such that the locking mechanism will release and allow
the torsion member to initiate the closing of the lid after a
predetermined time period.
9. The method according to claim 7 wherein the locking mechanism
has access to a source of electrical energy, and that a sensor is
provided, whereby the sensor may detect the presence of a user in
the vicinity, and only release the locking mechanism after a user
has left the vicinity or after a predetermined time period has
lapsed after a user has left the vicinity.
10. A locking mechanism for use in a self-close mechanism according
to any preceding claims, wherein said mechanism is particular in
that: means for mounting a toilet seat and/or lid are provided,
where said means are arranged in a substantially tubular member,
defining an axis of rotation for the seat and/or lid; the means for
mounting the toilet seat and/or lid are arranged separately such
that means in one end of the tubular member by means of a torsional
connection with a first dampener is provided for dampening the
movement of the seat, and that means in the opposite end of said
tubular member by means of a torsional connection with a second
dampener is provided for dampening the movement of the lid; the
means in one end comprises a locking mechanism, where said locking
mechanism comprises a hollow cylindrical section, where said
cylindrical section is integral with the means for mounting the
seat or lid; inside the cylindrical section a piston having a cone
shaped section is moveably arranged such that the piston may move
along the axis of rotation; one or more balls are arranged in one
or more slits in the cylindrical section, such that the balls may
move radially relative to the axis of rotation in or out of
engagement with the tubular member, depending on the position of
the piston, optionally locking recesses may be provided on the
inner surface of the tubular member corresponding to the balls; the
piston is moved by activating a shaped memory alloy pulling the
piston in one direction and a resilient member biasing the piston
in the opposite direction along the axis of rotation.
11. The locking mechanism according to claim 10 wherein the shaped
memory alloy is in the shape of a wire, and that the wire is
mounted fastened to an interior part of the cylindrical section in
one end, threaded around a pulley arranged in the piston and the
other end of said wire being mounted to an interior part of the
cylindrical section adjacent the mounting of the first end.
12. The locking mechanism according to claim 9 wherein the wire is
mounted to flanges on a circuit board, where said board further
comprises a source of energy and a proximity sensor, where an
aperture through the tubular member and said cylindrical section
allows the proximity sensor to sense if a user is present in the
proximity of the locking mechanism, and that the circuitry on the
board comprises a time delay circuit, such that a predetermined
delay time may be programmed into the circuitry whereby input from
the sensor, after the predetermined period, will activate the
self-close mechanism, by inducing a current I the wire which
thereby contracts and retracts the cone shaped part of the piston,
allowing the balls to disengage from the cylindrical section,
allowing the cylindrical section to rotate, and thereby close the
seat and lid.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic self-closing
mechanism, a method for controlling the closing of a toilet bowl
seat and lid and a locking mechanism for use in a self-closing
mechanism, particularly for a closing mechanism used for closing
the toilet seat and/or lid in a toilet construction.
[0002] Toilet seat lid and seat raising and lowering devices of
various designs and configurations are well-known in the prior art.
Numerous such devices have been constructed and used for the
purpose of lowering toilet seats and lids; and, in some cases for
also raising toilet seats and lids. The prior art includes for
example:
[0003] U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,281 issued to Wiklund, et. al.,
discloses a toilet seat having a mechanism for automatically
lowering the seat after a time interval in the raised position.
This mechanism has a hydraulic section and a dry-spring section
contained within a hollow rotor which is constructed as part of the
rear of the toilet seat. The time interval is the result of fluid
escaping from the hydraulic mechanism (referred to as the dashpot).
The coil spring provides the energy to urge the seat downward after
the time interval has passed. Fluid pressure and valves dampen the
closing so that the seat descends slowly to the closed position.
This mechanism is constructed such that it can be adapted to
existing toilet seats to provide an unobtrusive closing mechanism
to existing fixtures.
[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 5,546,612 issued to Johnson discloses an
automatic toilet seat lowering device integrated into a seat hinge
assembly. Initial lowering action results after a coiled spring is
released causing the seat to free fall for a partial distance.
Descent is controlled thereafter by a friction caused between a
combination of rotating and non-rotating brake discs mounted within
the device. Interaction between these brake discs, the compression
of a disc spring, and a reverse resistance on a torsion spring
within the device serve to slow the initial free fall of the seat
into a controlled soft landing to the seat's resting place.
[0005] Other patents include U.S. Pat. No. 4,551,866 to Hibbs
(utilizing an operating cylinder and a piston); U.S. Pat. No.
4,912,783 to Shafer (utilizing a torsional coil spring, dampening
cylinders, and a circumferential groove for engagement with a
spring biased locking pin); U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,120 to Tager
(utilizing an electric motor, a ratchet clutch mechanism, and a
timer); U.S. Pat. No. 5,349,703 issued to Mocilnikar, et. al.
(utilizing a toothed sprocket which engages a rotatable sleeve
having corresponding teeth); U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,192 issued to
Hodges (utilizing a manually operated control lever for raising and
lowering a toilet seat); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,504,947 issued to
Robello, et. al. (utilizing an air controlled cylinder secured to a
toilet bowl and seat).
[0006] From WO 2006/053560 is the applicants own earlier
construction known addressing the problem of automatically
releasing and lowering the seat and/or lid after a user has left.
The mechanism operates by storing energy in a torsion spring while
the lid and/or seat are being opened. As the hinge construction is
lowered due to a load placed on the seat and/or lid, two pins will
engage a locking mechanism, thereby avoiding the force in the
torsion spring being released. As the load is removed the pins are
released from their engagement, and a dampener will delay the
release of the torsion springs energy. As this energy is released
the seat and/or lid will move towards the closed position, during
which the dampener controls the speed of the movement.
[0007] Each of these prior art patents have attempted to solve a
long-felt problem; automating the lowering of a toilet seat and lid
whether singly or in combination in a most efficient, effective,
and inexpensive means with the least amount of moving parts while
preserving the aesthetics of the surroundings to the extent
practicable. None of the prior art patents has accomplished each of
these objects and objectives.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
[0008] It is an object of the present invention to provide an
automatic self-close mechanism which in addition to providing a
highly reliable self-close mechanism also provides a locking
arrangement such that the toilet seat and/or toilet lid will
securely remain in the open position due to the activation of a
locking arrangement.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The present invention addresses this by providing an
automatic self-close mechanism, in particular for closing a toilet
bowl seat and/or a toilet bowl lid, where said closing of the seat
and/or lid may be separated into two movements, a first movement
bringing the seat and/or lid from a position resting against a back
stop into a position where gravity will propel the seat and/or lid
downwards, and a second movement where gravity propels the seat
and/or lid towards the toilet bowl, where the energy necessary for
the first movement is stored in a resilient member during the
opening of the seat/lid, and where the energy is released by
releasing a locking arrangement, where said locking arrangement is
actuated by an actuating wire, said wire pulling the locking
arrangement out of locking engagement, where said wire is actuated
by electrical means.
[0010] The provision of an actuating wire being activated by
electrical means in combination with a locking arrangement ensures
that no unwanted closing of the seat or lid occurs. Furthermore, in
this manner it is possible to provide a very effective locking
arrangement in that prior art arrangements all relied on some kind
of mechanical or biasing member slowly releasing its force after
which it was possible to lower the seat and/or lid. With the
present invention, however, it is possible to maintain the open
seat and lid in an open position until the electrical means are
activated, whereby the wire will release the locking
arrangement.
[0011] In a further advantageous embodiment the actuating wire is a
shaped memory alloy, where the electrical source activates the
wire, causing the wire to contract, thereby pulling the locking
arrangement out of locking engagement.
[0012] In this particular configuration the material
characteristics of a shaped memory alloy are used in order to
provide the force necessary to disengage the locking arrangement
which, due to the characteristics of shaped memory alloys will be a
pulling action in that the shape memory alloy will contract when a
current is guided through the shape memory alloy. The pulling
action thereby releases the locking arrangement out of locking
engagement, whereby the energy stored in the resilient member is
released so that the lid and/or seat is commencing on a first
movement. Once the first movement has been completed, gravity will
propel the seat and/or lid further downwards into the closed
position.
[0013] In a further advantageous embodiment an electronic circuitry
is arranged on a printed circuit board, and means for fastening the
wire to the circuit board in electrical contact with the source of
energy is provided, and futhermore the wire is arranged around a
pulley in the locking arrangement and back to the printed circuit
board, such that the length of the wire is substantially twice or
more of the length between the wire fastening point on the printed
circuit board and the locking arrangement.
[0014] In this configuration a number of advantages are achieved in
that in order to save space and thereby better be able to
accommodate the mechanism inside the relatively narrow space
provided in a mechanism of this type, the circuit board is used as
a fastening point for the wire and at the same time the size of the
circuit board is used in order to provide a wire of a certain
length.
[0015] The pulley provided in the locking arrangement allows the
wire to influence the locking arrangement in a linear movement
along or parallel to the axis of rotation, i.e. along the axis
around which the seat and lid turns in order to go from the open to
the closed position and vice versa.
[0016] Particularly in the embodiment where the wire is a shaped
memory alloy the provision of a wire having a length being
substantially twice the distance between the fastening point and
the engagement point with the locking mechanism, provides the
possibility of first of all increased dimensional change of the
wire in that e.g. a Flexinol wire provided by Dynalloy Inc. when
heated due to the electrical current lead through the wire will
change dimension corresponding to approximately 3% of the entire
length. The further advantage is that the wire having to be
relatively thin in order to attain the flexibility for these types
of application will be able to handle a force in the case where the
wire is double, which is twice the force of a single wire. For
example for a Flexinol wire of 0.006 inches the force which the
wire may be exposed to is approx. 660 gr. This force is sufficient
in order to allow the locking arrangement to be released so that
the lid and/or seat may proceed through the first movement.
[0017] A further advantage of having the wire arranged around the
pulley in the locking arrangement is the fact that it is possible
to fasten the wire by similar means in the printed circuit board,
whereas if the wire had been single, fastening means in the circuit
board as well as fastening means in the locking arrangement had to
be provided. This could cause a more complicated assembly of the
mechanism of the invention.
[0018] In a further embodiment of the invention the mechanism
comprises a housing where said housing comprises means for
attaching the housing to a toilet bowl, and where further a first
damper is arranged inside said housing for dampening the movement
of the toilet seat, and a second damper also arranged inside the
housing is provided for dampening the movement of the toilet bowl
lid, where engagement means are provided in either end of the
housing for attaching said toilet bowl seat and lid to said
dampeners, and where the releasable locking arrangement is provided
between the second dampener and the toilet bowl lid.
[0019] The housing will typically be the visible part of the
invention and hide all the electrical and mechanical parts making
up the mechanism. The housing may typically be a tubular member, on
the outside of which fastening means are provided so that the
housing may be fastened to a toilet bowl. Typically, the housing is
fastened by means of bolts going through the material of the toilet
bowl so that a firm engagement between the toilet bowl and the
mechanism is provided. In either end of the housing attachment
means are provided such that the toilet seat and lid may be
attached to the mechanism in such a way that the movement of the
toilet seat and lid is determined by these engagement means'
ability to move. There is therefore a non-rotational connection
between the engagement means provided in the mechanism and the
corresponding engagement means on the toilet seat and lid. The
connection and engagement means will, however, allow the seat and
lid to be raised manually from the closed position to the open
position.
[0020] In order to further provide a smooth closing of the seat and
lid, dampeners are provided, so that the toilet seat and lid's
second movement will be dampened, whereby a slamming of the seat
and lid is avoided. Typically, hydraulic dampeners may be provided
for these purposes. A number of dampeners are commercially
available and a skilled person would select an appropriate dampener
in order to achieve the desired controlled closing of the lid and
seat during the second movement.
[0021] In a further advantageous embodiment a time delay circuit is
included in the electronic circuitry, whereby a predefined time may
pass between activation of the locking arrangement and release of
said locking arrangement.
[0022] By providing a time delay before the closing mechanism is
activated, it becomes possible to predefine the time which it is
desirable to have the seat and lid in its open position. The time
delay circuit may e.g. be activated once the lid and/or seat is in
its open position so that after a predetermined number of minutes
an automatic self-close of the seat and lid will commence. In this
connection it will naturally be understood that the time delay
should be of such a length that a user may complete his or her
business without being surprised by the seat and/or lid
accidentally closing.
[0023] In a further advantageous embodiment a proximity sensor is
provided, which sensor may detect the presence of a user in the
vicinity of the mechanism, and where said sensor is connected to
the circuitry in such a manner that the activation of the time
delay, causing the locking arrangement to release, is activated by
input from said sensor. The proximity sensor is coupled to the time
delay circuit in such a manner that instead of using a
predetermined fixed time between the moment when the seat and or
led is raised and the activation of the self-closing mechanism the
sensor will be able to detect when a user is no longer in the
vicinity of the self-closing mechanism after which the
predetermined time delay commences. In this manner it is assured
that a user will be able to use the necessary time in the vicinity
of the self-closing mechanism without the lid and/or seat
commencing its closing movements. The length of the time delay in
this instance may naturally be shorter or there may be a time delay
of 0 seconds in that the closing movements may commence directly
after a user has left the area in which the sensor is able to
detect a user.
[0024] The proximity sensor in combination with the time delay
circuit, make it possible to pre-design various closing/activation
routines. For example it may be contemplated that in situations
when the seat and lid are raised but the proximity sensor fails to
detect anything inside its detection zone, the delay circuit will
not activate the closing routines until a certain period of time
has lapsed. The sensors detection zone will typically be set to
from 10 cm to 80 cm from the sensor, and in an angle of +/-30. This
facility may be desirable when for example cleaning is carried out,
or the toilet is used as a trash can, for example in connection
with hair brushing, trimming and the like.
[0025] The invention is also directed to a method for controlling
the closing of the toilet bowl's seat and lid where the seat and
lid are engaged in a closing mechanism, where said mechanism
comprises a first dampener which dampener is engaged with the seat
such that the dampener will slow down the closing movement of the
seat, and a second dampener engaged with the lid such that the
second dampener will slow down the movement of the lid, and where
the opening of the lid will increase the torsional force in a
torsion member, and furthermore that a releasable locking mechanism
is provided which locking mechanism will, until released maintain
the lid in its open position, and after release transfer the stored
energy in the torsion member to the lid for moving the lid towards
its closed position in contact with the seat,
[0026] The method in a further advantageous embodiment is arranged
so that the locking mechanism has access to a source of electrical
energy whereby the release of the locking mechanism is achieved by
electrically heating a shaped memory alloy wire, which thereby
contracts and pulls the locking mechanism out of locking
engagement, and further optionally that a time delay circuitry is
provided, such that the locking mechanism will release and allow
the torsion member to initiate the closing of the lid after a
predetermined time period.
[0027] By providing the source of electrical energy, e.g. in the
shape of a battery, it becomes possible to heat a shaped memory
alloy wire which by contraction will cause the movement necessary
in order to disengage the locking mechanism so that the toilet lid
and seat may close. The torsional force stored in a torsional
member such as e.g. a helical spring, is generated as described
above by the manual opening of the lid and seat. The locking
mechanism therefore needs to have a locking power sufficiently
large in order to overcome the torsional force stored in e.g. the
helical spring arranged inside the mechanism. Once the wire is
heated and thereby contracts, the locking mechanism will disengage
and thereby release the energy stored in the torsional member such
that the movement of the seat and lid will commence as already
described above. This mechanism thereby assures a very safe and
stable mechanism which is able to avoid accidental closing of the
seat and lid by a relatively simple and reliable mechanism.
[0028] The invention is furthermore directed to a locking mechanism
for use in a self-close mechanism according to any preceding
claims, wherein said mechanism is particular in that: [0029] means
for mounting a toilet seat and/or lid are provided, where said
means are arranged in a substantially tubular member, defining an
axis of rotation for the seat and/or lid; [0030] the means for
mounting the toilet seat and/or lid are arranged separately such
that means in one end of the tubular member by means of a torsional
connection with a first dampener is provided for dampening the
movement of the seat, and that means in the opposite end of said
tubular member by means of a torsional connection with a second
dampener is provided for dampening the movement of the lid; [0031]
the means in one end comprises a locking mechanism, where said
locking mechanism comprises a hollow cylindrical section, where
said cylindrical section is integral with the means for mounting
the seat or lid; [0032] inside the cylindrical section a piston
having a cone shaped section is moveably arranged such that the
piston may move along the axis of rotation; [0033] one or more
balls are arranged in one or more slits in the cylindrical section,
such that the balls may move radially relative to the axis of
rotation in or out of engagement with the tubular member, depending
on the position of the piston, optionally locking recesses may be
provided on the inner surface of the tubular member corresponding
to the balls; [0034] the piston is moved by activating a shaped
memory alloy pulling the piston in one direction and a resilient
member biasing the piston in the opposite direction along the axis
of rotation.
[0035] The combination of balls engaging a cone-shaped member which
cone-shaped member is a piston movable by means of the shaped
memory alloy provides for a mechanical locking mechanism that is
extremely reliable. By moving the piston in one direction the balls
will be urged outwards and thereby forced into engagement with the
rotatable cylindrical section and thereby prevent this section from
rotating so that an effective lock is provided. By moving the
cone-shaped piston in the opposite direction the balls will be
provided with a free space so that the engagement between the balls
and the rotatable cylindrical section will be released so that a
closing action may commence. Once the piston is in the position
where the balls are in firm engagement with the rotatable cylinder
and thereby preventing the cylinder from rotating in relation to
the rest of the construction a very stable lock is in place
preventing the lid and seat from rotating and thereby from closing.
As no torsional forces are involved in order to maintain this
relationship a very rigid construction is achieved simply by urging
the piston to move in one direction so that the balls due to the
cone-shaped section on the piston will be urged into engagement
with the rotatable cylindrical section. This engagement is
maintained as long as the piston is in the position where it urges
the balls into locking engagement with the rotatable cylindrical
section. By releasing, i.e. allowing the wire to relax whereby the
piston will be able to move, the balls will be provided with more
space so that they will disengage from the cylindrical section and
thereby unlocking and allowing the cylindrical section to rotate in
relation to the locking mechanism.
[0036] In a further advantageous embodiment the shaped memory alloy
is in the shape of a wire and the wire is mounted fastened to an
interior part of the cylindrical section in one end, threaded
around a pulley arranged in the piston and the other end of said
wire being mounted to an interior part of the cylindrical section
adjacent the mounting of the first end. The double wire
construction provides the advantages which have already been
explained above and by doubling the force which the wire may be
exposed to without breaking the conical section of the piston may
be exposed to quite large loads. In practice, the loads on the wire
are largest when the piston is being moved from the unlock position
to the lock position; i.e. where the balls are out of engagement
with the rotatable cylindrical section, and due to the movement of
the conical part of the piston the balls are urged into engagement
with the rotatable cylindrical section the forces are largest in
that the resistance by the balls on the conical surface of the
piston will be the largest. Once the piston has reached its end
position, that is to say the position where the balls are urged
into locking engagement with the rotatable cylindrical section, the
load on the wire diminishes in that the piston shall only be
maintained in this particular position and no dynamic forces are
being transferred to the wire.
[0037] These features are further elaborated in a further
advantageous embodiment wherein the wire is mounted to flanges on a
circuit board, where said board further comprises a source of
energy and a proximity sensor, where an aperture through the
tubular member and said cylindrical section allows the proximity
sensor to sense if a user is present in the proximity of the
locking mechanism, and that the circuitry on the board comprises a
time delay circuit, such that a predetermined delay time may be
programmed into the circuitry whereby input from the sensor, after
the predetermined period, will activate the self-close mechanism,
by inducing a current I the wire which thereby contracts and
retracts the cone shaped part of the piston, allowing the balls to
disengage from the cylindrical section, allowing the cylindrical
section to rotate, and thereby close the seat and lid.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0038] FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-section through an embodiment of
the invention.
[0039] FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate details relating to the locking
mechanism.
[0040] FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of the invention with a
proximity sensor.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0041] In FIG. 1 is illustrated a mechanism according to the
invention. The mechanism 1 is provided with engagement means 2,3 in
each end of the tubular member 4. The engagement means 2,3 are
suitable for detachably connecting a toilet seat and/or lid
construction (not illustrated). Typically, the connections 2,3 will
engage the lid and seat in a non-rotatable manner so that only when
the engagement means 2,3 are rotated will the seat and/or lid be
able to move from an open position to a closed position. The
opening of the lid and seat is not blocked by any features of the
invention, but during the opening mechanical energy is stored in a
helical spring 5 arranged inside the mechanism 1. The energy is
transferred to the helical spring by the connection means 3, and as
the seat (not illustrated) is opened, a rotation will occur in the
engagement means 3, whereby the helical spring 5 will store an
amount of torsional energy. As the movement of the seat reaches its
top position, the locking mechanism will engage and block further
movement until the locking mechanism 6 has been released. The
locking mechanism will be explained in more detail below.
Engagement of the locking mechanism will occur due to the fact that
the balls 8 are urged radially outwards due to the piston's 9
movement to the right in FIG. 1, urged by the spring 10. The balls
may move in that the rotation of the seat and/or lid also rotates
the member 11 so that a recess in the member 11, see FIG. 2, is
able to accommodate the ball 8 and thereby lock and prevent further
movement.
[0042] During the closing of the seat and lid the movement may be
split into two separate movements. A first movement moving the seat
and lid from a rest position into a position where gravity will be
able to propel the seat and lid into closing engagement with the
toilet bowl. The first movement is powered by the torsional energy
stored in the helical spring 5 so that once the locking mechanism 6
releases and allows for rotation, the energy stored in the helical
spring 5 is also released and will propel the seat and lid from
their rest position into a position where gravity will force the
seat and lid down-wards towards their closed position.
[0043] In order to avoid that a sudden movement of the seat and lid
occurs, dampeners 12,13 are provided so that the dampener 12 will
dampen the engagement means' 3 ability to rotate and thereby
provide for at control and relatively slow closure of the seat. The
same is true for the dampening means 13 which will due to the
connection members' 2 cylindrical sections 2' be dampened by the
dampener 13.
[0044] The locking mechanism 6 is activated by a shaped memory
alloy wire 14 where the ends of the wire 14 is fastened
approximately in the same position at fastening points 15,16. The
fastening points 15,16 also serve as electrical connectors so that
the energy necessary in order to make the shaped memory alloy wire
change dimensions is supplied via these connectors 15,16. In this
example the connectors 15,16 are arranged on a printed circuit
board 17.
[0045] In the position indicated in FIG. 1 the balls 8 are out of
engagement with the members 11 so that the engagement means 2,3 are
free to rotate, i.e. the seat and lid may be opened. When they are
rotated to a position as indicated with reference to FIG. 2, the
balls 8 may be accommodated in recesses 20, see FIG. 2, arranged in
the member 11. The spring 10 will in this position urge the piston
9 forward whereby the flange 18 on the piston 9 will prevent the
ball 8 from disengagement of the member 11.
[0046] Turning to FIG. 2 the outer member 4 has been removed for
illustrative purposes only. The flange 18 is maintaining the ball 8
in connection with the recess 20 of the member 11, so that rotation
of the engagement member 2 is prevented.
[0047] In FIG. 3 is illustrated a detailed view of the locking
mechanism according to the invention. The wire 14 is attached to
the piston 9 so that as the wire 14 contracts due to the material
characteristics of a shaped memory alloy, the spring member 10 will
be compressed. The compression will thereby urge the piston 9 to
the right as depicted in FIG. 3. The piston is equipped with a
cylindrical section 19 which is dimensioned so that the balls 8
(typically there will be two or more balls) may be accommodated as
indicated in FIG. 3 without engaging the member 11. The member 11
is therefore in the illustrated embodiment free to rotate relative
to the engagement means 2. In the member 11 is provided recesses 20
as indicated above with reference to FIG. 2 so that the ball may be
able to move radially, whereby the tension force in the spring
member 10 will urge the piston to the right in FIG. 3, and by the
cone-shaped section 21 force the ball through the opening 22 in the
engagement means 2 so that the ball will enter the recesses 20
provided in the member 11. This will happened when the shaped
memory alloy is deactivated, i.e. when the current is shut off, and
the wire regains it original length. During this process the piston
9 will move to the right so that as the ball has been forced into
the recess 20 the flange 18 will maintain the ball in this
position. The locking mechanism may only be disengaged, i.e. the
lock released by allowing the piston to move to the left, i.e. so
that the ball by means of the cone-shaped section 21 of the piston
9 is allowed to move radially into the position where it rests on
the cylindrical surface 19 of the piston 9 and thereby releases the
member 11 which may thereafter freely rotate. The movement of the
piston is achieved by providing an electrical current in the shaped
memory alloy 14 which thereby contracts and compresses the spring
10 at the same time.
[0048] As an alternative to a shaped memory alloy the locking
mechanism could also be activated by a regular steel wire being
wound around an electrical motor so that the contraction occurs as
the motor is rotated in one direction and the release of the
engagement section 2 occurs when the electrical motor is either
decoupled or brought to rotate in the opposite direction so that
the spring member 10 will release its force and urge the piston 9
into the position as illustrated with reference to FIG. 2.
[0049] Turning to FIG. 4 the same construction is illustrated with
the addition of a proximity sensor 23. As the outer member 4
rotates due to the opening of the seat and lid, an aperture will be
superposed the centre so that the sensor will be able to detect
whether a user is in the vicinity of the device. In this embodiment
the sensor is a light detecting sensor, but any type of sensor may
be used within the context of the present invention. The sensor may
be coupled to en electrical circuitry placed on the printed circuit
board 17 so that a pre-programmed time delay may be activated once
the sensor detects that a user is not in the vicinity of the device
so that the closing action as described above may commence.
[0050] Above the invention has been described with reference to a
construction comprising both a toilet seat and a toilet lid (or
cover). It should however be understood that the principles of the
invention also are applicable to seats or lids alone.
[0051] The invention has now been described with respect to one
particular embodiment, but the scope of protection shall only be
limited to what is defined in the appended claims.
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