U.S. patent application number 13/808915 was filed with the patent office on 2013-07-04 for temporary toilet.
The applicant listed for this patent is Masayuki Nakaya. Invention is credited to Masayuki Nakaya.
Application Number | 20130167293 13/808915 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45469075 |
Filed Date | 2013-07-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130167293 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Nakaya; Masayuki |
July 4, 2013 |
TEMPORARY TOILET
Abstract
A compact and easily transportable temporary flush toilet can be
installed where the toilet cannot be connected to a water supply
system and no frequent maintenance is possible. The temporary
toilet includes a toilet bowl, a flush water tank for storing flush
water used to flush the toilet bowl, a sewage tank for storing
sewage from the toilet bowl, a water vapor separator for separating
water from gas containing water vapor vaporized from sewage in the
sewage tank, an exhaust pipe through which gas is guided from the
top of the sewage tank to the water vapor separator, and a
distilled water pipe through which water separated from the gas in
the water vapor separator is supplied to the flush water tank.
Thus, storage of the sewage, microbial decomposition of waste, and
evaporation of the sewage take place in the sewage tank alone.
Inventors: |
Nakaya; Masayuki; (Suita,
JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Nakaya; Masayuki |
Suita |
|
JP |
|
|
Family ID: |
45469075 |
Appl. No.: |
13/808915 |
Filed: |
July 16, 2010 |
PCT Filed: |
July 16, 2010 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/JP2010/062101 |
371 Date: |
March 25, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
4/321 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y02W 10/10 20150501;
C02F 2203/008 20130101; C02F 1/048 20130101; C02F 2209/42 20130101;
Y02W 10/15 20150501; Y02W 10/37 20150501; B01D 53/261 20130101;
E04H 1/1216 20130101; B01D 2258/06 20130101; E03D 5/016 20130101;
B01D 2253/106 20130101; E03D 5/00 20130101; Y02A 20/212 20180101;
C02F 3/1242 20130101; B01D 53/265 20130101; C02F 2201/009 20130101;
E03D 7/00 20130101; B01D 53/26 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
4/321 |
International
Class: |
E03D 5/00 20060101
E03D005/00 |
Claims
1. A temporary toilet comprising a toilet bowl, a flush water
toilet which keeps flush water to be supplied into the toilet bowl,
a sewage tank which keeps sewage discharged from the toilet bowl, a
water vapor separator capable of separating water from a gas
containing a water vapor which has been evaporated in the sewage
tank, an exhaust pipe through which a gas is guided from a top of
the sewage tank to the water vapor separator, and a water supply
pipe through which water separated in the water vapor separator is
supplied into the flush water tank, wherein storage of sewage,
microbial decomposition of waste, and evaporation of sewage take
place in the sewage tank only.
2. The temporary toilet of claim 1, further comprising a blower
diffuser tube provided in the sewage tank and capable of
discharging a gas which agitates sewage in the sewage tank.
3. The temporary toilet of claim 1, further comprising a heater
provided in the sewage tank and capable of heating sewage in the
sewage tank.
4. The temporary toilet of claim 3, wherein the heater is capable
of heating the sewage in the sewage tank to a temperature of
25.degree. or higher and 30.degree. C. or lower, and wherein the
temporary toilet further comprises a control unit configured to
deactivate the heater when the temperature of the sewage reaches a
predetermined upper limit.
5. The temporary toilet of claim 1, further comprising a floating
water level sensor provided in the sewage tank so as to be movable
in the sewage tank as the level of sewage in the sewage tank, a
switch connected to the floating water level sensor, wherein the
floating water level sensor and the switch are configured such that
the switch is opened or closed when the level of the sewage in the
sewage tank rises to a predetermined level, and a use prohibition
display provided outside of the toilet and configured such that the
indication on the display changes to indicate that the toilet
cannot be used when the switch is opened or closed.
6. The temporary toilet of claim 1, further comprising a solar cell
panel and a battery for storing electricity generated by the solar
cell panel, wherein the electricity generated by the solar cell
panel constitutes a total electricity consumed by the toilet.
7. The temporary toilet of claim 2, further comprising a heater
provided in the sewage tank and capable of heating sewage in the
sewage tank.
8. The temporary toilet of claim 2, further comprising a floating
water level sensor provided in the sewage tank so as to be movable
in the sewage tank as the level of sewage in the sewage tank, a
switch connected to the floating water level sensor, wherein the
floating water level sensor and the switch are configured such that
the switch is opened or closed when the level of the sewage in the
sewage tank rises to a predetermined level, and a use prohibition
display provided outside of the toilet and configured such that the
indication on the display changes to indicate that the toilet
cannot be used when the switch is opened or closed.
9. The temporary toilet of claim 3, further comprising a floating
water level sensor provided in the sewage tank so as to be movable
in the sewage tank as the level of sewage in the sewage tank, a
switch connected to the floating water level sensor, wherein the
floating water level sensor and the switch are configured such that
the switch is opened or closed when the level of the sewage in the
sewage tank rises to a predetermined level, and a use prohibition
display provided outside of the toilet and configured such that the
indication on the display changes to indicate that the toilet
cannot be used when the switch is opened or closed.
10. The temporary toilet of claim 4, further comprising a floating
water level sensor provided in the sewage tank so as to be movable
in the sewage tank as the level of sewage in the sewage tank, a
switch connected to the floating water level sensor, wherein the
floating water level sensor and the switch are configured such that
the switch is opened or closed when the level of the sewage in the
sewage tank rises to a predetermined level, and a use prohibition
display provided outside of the toilet and configured such that the
indication on the display changes to indicate that the toilet
cannot be used when the switch is opened or closed.
11. The temporary toilet of claim 2, further comprising a solar
cell panel and a battery for storing electricity generated by the
solar cell panel, wherein the electricity generated by the solar
cell panel constitutes a total electricity consumed by the
toilet.
12. The temporary toilet of claim 3, further comprising a solar
cell panel and a battery for storing electricity generated by the
solar cell panel, wherein the electricity generated by the solar
cell panel constitutes a total electricity consumed by the
toilet.
13. The temporary toilet of claim 4, further comprising a solar
cell panel and a battery for storing electricity generated by the
solar cell panel, wherein the electricity generated by the solar
cell panel constitutes a total electricity consumed by the
toilet.
14. The temporary toilet of claim 5, further comprising a solar
cell panel and a battery for storing electricity generated by the
solar cell panel, wherein the electricity generated by the solar
cell panel constitutes a total electricity consumed by the toilet.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a flush toilet which can be
continuously used without supplying additional water from
outside.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] Toilets are essential in order to maintain hygiene of an
environment where humans live. In order to maintain high standards
of living where the population density is high, flush toilets are
indispensable, instead of toilets of the type which are eventually
simply dumped into the environment. But in rural communities which
are far from cities and cannot afford to construct a sewage system,
toilets are often used having a sewage treatment tank in which
waste is decomposed utilizing microorganisms. It is also being
considered to use sewage as flush water for flush toilets so that
flush toilets can be installed in areas where it is difficult to
construct a water supply system.
[0003] For example, Patent document 1 discloses a
heating/evaporation type toilet system including a flow type waste
tank in which waste from a toilet bowl is crashed, an evaporation
oven in which the crashed waste is evaporated, two deodorizing
pipes for deodorizing water vapor from the evaporation oven, and a
filtering tank in which water is recovered from the water vapor in
the flow type waste tank, wherein a large amount of waste is
circulated to soften it. In the evaporation oven, the waste is
heated until it disappears. That is, by crashing waste in the waste
tank and then heating it in the evaporation oven, nothing remains
in the oven (see paragraph [0015] of Patent document 1). Since
water vapor is deodorized in multiple stages, foul odor is
substantially reduced.
[0004] Patent document 2 discloses a circulation type flush toilet
system including a biological decomposition tank in which waste is
biologically decomposed, a filtering tank in which the biologically
decomposed water is separated into solid and liquid components, and
a decoloring tank in which the water separated in the filtering
tank is decolored, wherein the water decolored in the decoloring
tank is used as flush water, while water overflowing the decoloring
tank is returned to the biological decomposition tank. This toilet
system further includes an evaporation tank in which a portion of
the filtered water is evaporated. The water vapor thus produced is
condensed back into water and returned to the biological
decomposition tank (FIGS. 1 and 2 of Patent document 2). Blowers
are connected to the filtering tank, biological decomposition tank
and evaporation tank, respectively, to supply compressed air into
these respective tanks (see e.g. [0020] of Patent document 2). An
electric power pump is used to draw water from the biological
decomposition tank into the filtering tank. The pump is controlled
by upper and lower float switches so that the water level can be
finely adjusted (see paragraphs [0021] to [0024] of Patent document
2). This system is a large-scale system which can be used not only
as a toilet but also as an industrial sewage treatment system (see
paragraph [0064] of Patent document 2).
[0005] Patent document 3 discloses a temporary toilet unit
including a urinal and a toilet bowl. If this toilet unit is used
in a civil engineering site, the toilet bowl is almost exclusively
used for defecation and thus is less frequently used than the
urinal. Thus, by biologically decomposing the waste from the toilet
bowl, it is not necessary to empty the tank storing the waste from
the toilet bowl for a prolonged period of time (see paragraph
[0010] of Patent document 3). On the other hand, sewage from the
urinal is aerated in an aeration tank and then evaporated by
heating with a heating device so that a very small amount of solid
content remains. This makes it possible to extend the intervals
between maintenances of this toilet unit to about one year
(paragraph [0009] of Patent document 3).
PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS
Patent Documents
[0006] Patent document 1: JP Patent Application 2001-336195A [0007]
Patent document 2: JP Patent Application 2005-131536A [0008] Patent
document 3: JP Patent Application 2006-328786A
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Object of the Invention
[0009] While the toilet system disclosed in either of Patent
documents 1 and 2 can sufficiently deodorize and decolor waste
produced, it is large in size. Washing and replacement are
considered necessary for the deodorizing pipes and the filtering
tank of Patent document 1. This shortens the intervals between
maintenances. The toilet system of Patent document 2 also requires
a plurality of treatment tanks, in which the respective water
levels have to be adjusted. Thus, the treatment mechanism of this
toilet system, including treatment tanks, is inevitably larger in
size than the toilet body itself. There are a large number of
component parts that need periodical maintenance. It is therefore
troublesome and time-consuming both to install this toilet system
and to maintain it. For these reasons, neither of these toilet
systems can be installed in areas where once the toilet system is
installed, it has to be left unattended for a long period time,
such as on riverbeds, campsites, mountain trails, etc. These toilet
systems are therefore cannot be practically used as temporary
toilets in view of the difficulty in storage, transportation and
operation. These toilet systems may be used in civil engineering
sites, because there is heavy traffic of people in civil
engineering sites. But even in such places, because the above
toilet systems are heavy and large in size, locations where they
can be installed are limited.
[0010] The temporary toilet of Patent document 3 can achieve its
expected advantage only if it is used mostly by men. If a large
number of women use this toilet, the waste from the toilet bowl
dramatically increases, thus shortening the intervals between
maintenances. Since sewage is simply evaporated and not reused as
flush water, flush water has to be supplied from outside. Thus,
this toilet cannot be installed where it cannot be connected to a
water supply system.
[0011] An object of the present invention is to provide a temporary
flush toilet which is compact in size and thus is easily
transportable, and which can be installed where the toilet cannot
be connected to a water supply system and no frequent maintenance
is possible.
Means to Achieve the Object
[0012] In order to achieve the object, the present invention
provides a temporary toilet comprising a toilet bowl, a flush water
tank which keeps flush water to be supplied into the toilet bowl, a
sewage tank which keeps sewage discharged from the toilet bowl and
decomposes the sewage by microorganisms, a water vapor separator
capable of separating water from a gas containing water vapor which
has been evaporated in the sewage tank, an exhaust pipe through
which the gas is guided from a top of the sewage tank to the water
vapor separator, and a water supply pipe through which the water
separated in the water vapor separator is supplied into the flush
water tank.
[0013] Only up to about 80% of flush water used to flush the toilet
bowl can be evaporated and reused as flush water, and the remaining
water is discharged into the atmosphere in the form of water vapor.
Thus, if only flush water were evaporated and recycled, the total
amount of water stored in various parts of the toilet according to
the present invention would decrease gradually. But according to
the present invention, since sewage containing not only flush water
used to flush the toilet bowl but also human waste, which contains
a large amount of water, is evaporated and reused, the total amount
of water stored in the various parts of the toilet according to the
present invention can be maintained at the same level, without the
need to receive water from outside such as from a public water
supply system or from a water supply tank car. This is the most
important feature of the present invention.
[0014] Another important feature of the present invention is that
sewage stored in the sewage tank is biologically decomposed in the
sewage tank and also evaporated in the sewage tank. Thus, the
sewage tank also serves as a biological decomposition tank and a
water vaporization tank. Since the sewage tank according to the
present invention serves the above-mentioned triple purposes, the
toilet according to the present invention is simpler in structure,
less likely to malfunction, and smaller in size, than the devices
disclosed in Patent documents 1 and 2. For smoother and quicker
biological decomposition of sewage, the interior of the sewage tank
is preferably kept at 25.degree. C. or over. As long as enough
water is stored in the sewage tank, a sufficient amount of water
can be evaporated without the need to heat sewage in a separate
oven or furnace. Since the sewage tank can keep a sufficient amount
of water, it is possible to maintain the total amount of water kept
in the entire toilet at a sufficient level.
[0015] Microbial decomposition itself produces heat. But a heater
may be added to further heat the sewage tank. Further, means may be
provided for supplying gas for aeration into the bottom portion of
the sewage tank to accelerate decomposition by aerobic bacteria and
to agitate sewage, thereby preventing formation of masses in
sewage.
[0016] When human waste is decomposed by microorganisms at a
temperature range of 25 to 30.degree. C., particularly at a
temperature range of 28 to 30.degree. C., odor will not be
particularly strong. Gas containing water vapor evaporated from the
sewage in the sewage tank is trapped in the water vapor separator
to separate water from the gas, and the gas deprived of water is
released into the atmosphere. Thus, the toilet according to the
present invention produces far less odor than the temporary toilet
disclosed in Patent document 3, in which water vapor from sewage is
directly released into the atmosphere. Since temporary toilets,
including the one according to the present invention, are installed
at places where humans do not live on a permanent basis, slight
odor from the temporary toilet according to the present invention
will hardly stay or accumulate to such an extent as to offend
people around the toilet, but will easily diffuse even by light
winds.
[0017] In order to provide electricity for the water vapor
separator, pump for flushing the toilet, heater, aerator, etc., the
temporary toilet according to the present invention may further
includes solar cells and a battery for storing the electricity
generated by the solar cells. With this arrangement, it is not
necessary to connect the toilet according to the present invention
even to the public electricity network, which makes it possible to
use the toilet as a completely stand-alone toilet unit.
Advantages of the Invention
[0018] The temporary flush toilet according to the present
invention can be installed at any location where there is neither a
water supply system nor a sewage system, because the toilet
according to the invention can be used for an indefinite period of
time without the need for any willful supply of water from outside.
Once installed, this toilet is virtually maintenance-free. But if
it is desirable or necessary, water such as rainwater may be
supplied from outside, for example, if a large amount of flush
water is consumed during a short period of time.
[0019] Specifically, the toilet according to the present invention
can be installed on riverbeds, in campsites, along mountain trails,
in or by beach houses, and in other places where there are usually
no water supply system and no sewage system. The toilet according
to the present invention can also be installed in civil engineering
or construction sites or any other places where conventional
temporary toilets are usually installed. When installing the toilet
according to the present invention in one of these places, and when
removing it, it is not necessary to connect and disconnect the
toilet to and from a water supply system or a sewage system. Thus
the toilet according to the invention can be easily installed,
removed and/or relocated to another place.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] FIG. 1 shows the outer appearance of a temporary toilet
according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
[0021] FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical sectional view of the
temporary toilet of the first embodiment;
[0022] FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of a portion of the
temporary toilet of the first embodiment, including its tank.
[0023] FIG. 4 shows the flow of water in the temporary toilet of
the first embodiment.
[0024] FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a toilet bowl of the temporary
toilet of the first embodiment.
[0025] FIG. 6 is a wiring diagram of the temporary toilet of the
first embodiment.
[0026] FIG. 7 is a schematic vertical sectional view of a temporary
toilet of a second embodiment.
[0027] FIG. 8 is a horizontal sectional view of the temporary
toilet of the second embodiment.
[0028] FIG. 9 shows the flow of water in the temporary toilet of
the second embodiment.
[0029] FIG. 10 schematically shows an embodiment having a rainwater
storage tank.
BEST MODE FOR EMBODYING THE INVENTION
[0030] Now the embodiments are described in detail.
[0031] First, the temporary toilet of the first embodiment is
described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.
[0032] FIG. 1 shows the outer appearance of a toilet unit 100 of
the temporary toilet of the first embodiment. The toilet unit
includes a toilet booth 101 which can be occupied by a user, a
separate control booth 102 which houses e.g. a control device, and
a base 103 having a front end portion protruding from the front end
of the toilet booth 101. Users can use the front end of the base
103 as a step when accessing the toilet booth 101. Standing on the
step of the base 103, a user can open the door 105. A toilet bowl
body 104 including a flush water tank 11 is mounted on the floor of
the toilet booth 101 with a predetermined space left between the
toilet bowl body 104 and the door 105.
[0033] FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the toilet unit 100
of the temporary toilet of the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is its
partially schematic horizontal sectional view. FIG. 4 shows the
relationship between the flow of water and various structural
elements. Referring to FIG. 4, the flow of water is now
described.
[0034] The flush water tank 11 is mounted in the toilet bowl body
104. Flush water used to flush the toilet bowl 18 after use is
stored in the flush water tank 11. A foot pump chamber 12 is
provided in the toilet bowl body 104 at its front right corner so
as to be completely isolated from the flush water tank 11. A foot
pump 13 is mounted in the foot pump chamber 12. A foot pedal switch
14 protrudes from the front side of the toilet bowl body 104. When
the foot pedal switch 14 is depressed, the foot pump 13 is
activated to suck flush water through a pump suction pipe 15
extending from the foot pump chamber 12 into the flush water tank
11, and then feed the thus sucked flush water into a pump feed pipe
16. The flush water in the pump feed pipe 16 is injected into the
toilet bowl 18 through a nozzle 17. The injection angle of the
nozzle 17 is adjusted such that the injected water circulates
around the surface of the bowl 18 before dropping into the hole of
the bowl 18 so that the entire bowl 18 can be washed with a minimum
amount of water. FIG. 5, which is a top plan view of the toilet
bowl body 104, shows the details of this arrangement.
[0035] When the foot pedal switch 14 is depressed and flush water
is injected, a bottom lid 21 provided at the bottom of the toilet
bowl 18 also opens. Thus, the flush water used to wash the toilet
bowl 18 drops into a waste storage tank 22, together with waste.
The waste storage tank 22 is partitioned from the flush water tank
11. The letter A in FIG. 2 indicate sewage dropped from the toilet
bowl 18. Once the sewage drops into the tank 22, the lid 21 closes,
preventing the odor of the waste in the tank 22 from rising into
the toilet bowl. Sewage A in the tank 22 drops into a sewage tank
24 in the base 103 through a sewage discharge pipe 23. Thus, sewage
A scarcely remains in the waste storage tank 22.
[0036] Sewage B, which is organic, in the sewage tank 24 is
decomposed by microorganisms, while its water content gradually
evaporates. Air containing water vapor C produced in the tank 24 is
supplied through an upwardly extending air exhaust pipe 31 into an
air pressurizing pump 32 in the control booth 102, where the air
pressurizing pump 32 pressurizes the air containing water vapor C
to reduce the amount of saturated water vapor, thereby allowing the
water vapor C in the air to be condensed into water. The water is
separated in a water vapor separator 33 and then supplied back into
the flush water tank 11 through a distilled water pipe 34 so that
the water is reused as flush water D.
[0037] Dry exhaust air E which has been separated from the water
vapor C and thus is low in water content is discharged to outside
through a discharge tube 35 by means of an exhaust fan 36 provided
at an upper portion of the toilet unit 100.
[0038] The water vapor separator 33 may be an ordinary
dehumidifier, a cooling air compressor, or a dry separator of the
cyclone type. Alternatively, the water vapor separator may be of
the type which contains porous particles of e.g. silica gel which
can adsorb water and includes means for releasing the adsorbed
water by heating. But the separator 33 may be of any other type
which can separate water from air and take out the thus separated
water. In view of the object of the present invention, however, a
water vapor separator is preferably selected which is sufficiently
compact in size and consumes less electricity.
[0039] Most part of water held by this temporary toilet exists in
the sewage tank 24. The sewage tank 24 occupies substantially the
entire interior of the base 103 to ensure a sufficiently large
contact surface area of water and air. With this arrangement, water
in the sewage tank 24 evaporates naturally to a certain extent,
without the need to heat the tank 24 to such an extent as to cause
excessive evaporation. Also, because the tank 24 is large in
volume, microbial decomposition occurs in a large volume of water
in the tank 24. The sewage tank 24 thus serves the triple purposes
as a microbial decomposition tank, evaporation tank, and water
storage tank. This makes it possible to minimize the volume of the
entire temporary toilet.
[0040] Most temporary toilets are mainly used only during the
daytime or only during the nighttime. Thus, water accumulated in
the sewage tank 24 during the busy hours is evaporated, separated
from air, and returned to the flush water tank 11 during the less
busy hours. The water thus returned to the tank 11 can be used
during the next busy hours.
[0041] The sewage tank 24 includes a mechanism which accelerates
microbial decomposition of organic matter. This mechanism is
described with reference to FIG. 6.
[0042] This mechanism includes a blower pump 41 in the control
booth 102, and a blower diffuser tube 42 extending from the blower
pump 41 and uniformly covering the entire bottom surface of the
sewage tank 24. Aerating air is supplied from the blower pump 41
into the blower diffuser tube 42 and is discharged through a large
number of discharge holes formed in the underside of the tube 42,
thus agitating, while aerating, the sewage B in the tank 24 from
below. Thus, aerating air supplies oxygen into sewage B, prevents
organic solid substances from remaining on the bottom of the tank
24, and crashes organic solid substances into small pieces, thereby
accelerating decomposition of organic solid substances.
[0043] A branched heater 43 is further provided in the sewage tank
24 which is submerged in sewage B and capable of uniformly heating
the sewage B. By heating the sewage with the heater 43, organic
substances can be decomposed at a practically acceptable speed even
during the wintertime, when the ambient temperature is low and thus
microorganisms tend to be inactive. In order to keep the heat
produced by the heater 43 in the tank 24, its inner surface is
covered with a heat insulating material 44, or such a heat
insulating material 44 is embedded in the wall of the tank 24.
[0044] However, excessive heating of the sewage B may slow down,
rather than accelerate, microbial decomposition, and also may cause
excessive evaporation of sewage B exceeding the capacity of the
water vapor separator 33. Thus, an electronic control unit 51 is
used to optimally control the heater 43 according to various
conditions. In particular, the control unit 51 includes a
temperature regulator 52 which receives temperature information of
sewage B from a temperature sensor 53 which is at least partially
submerged in sewage B and which adjusts the output of the heater 43
based on the temperature information from the temperature sensor
53. Preferably, the temperature regulator 52 is configured to stop
heating by the heater 43 when the temperature of the sewage B as
measured by the temperature sensor 53 reaches or exceeds an upper
threshold, which is set at a temperature between 25 and 30.degree.
C., and to restart heating when the temperature of the sewage drops
below a lower threshold. With this arrangement, microbial
decomposition of organic substances takes place in the tank 24 at a
substantially constant rate throughout the year, so that the
temporary toilet of the invention can be operated in a stable
manner. Most preferably, the temperature of the sewage B is kept at
28 to 30.degree. C. because at this temperature range, microbial
decomposition is most active and odor is low.
[0045] The control unit 51 controls the output of the blower pump
41 too. Aeration may be carried out continuously or intermittently.
If enough electric power is available, continuous aeration may be
elected because continuous aeration more effectively prevents
accumulation of organic solid substances on the bottom of the
sewage tank 24, and allows stable supply of oxygen to
microorganisms. If, on the other hand, saving electric energy is
more important, aeration may be intermittently repeated each for
the duration of several minutes, with the intervals of several
minutes.
[0046] A floating water level sensor 61 is provided in the sewage
tank 24, which is connected to a use prohibition display 62 through
a switch. The use prohibition display 62 is attached to a portion
of the door 105 where a person who tries to open the door 105 can
never miss. When the level of the sewage B in the tank 24 rises to
a predetermined point, which is typically the upper limit of the
capacity of the tank 24, together with the floating water level
sensor 61, the switch is adapted to be closed or opened, thereby
changing the indication on the display 62 such that the display 62
now indicates that the toilet cannot be used (e.g. by
distinguishing the sign "USABLE", changing the sign "USABLE" to
"UNUSABLE", or turning off a green light and turning on a red
light.
[0047] Behind the sewage tank 24, an overflow drain 64 is provided
which allows overflow of sewage B if the toilet is used after the
level of the sewage B has exceeded the upper limit of the capacity
of the tank 24 and the indication on the display 62 has changed
such that it indicates that the toilet is not usable.
[0048] If the level of the sewage in the tank 24, as detected by
the floating water level sensor 61, falls below a predetermined
lower limit, the control unit 51 is configured to turn off the
heater 43, air pressurizing pump 32 and water vapor separator 33 to
prevent any further reduction in water content in the tank 24 by
stopping evaporation and escape of water vapor.
[0049] An air intake port 63 is formed in the floor of the toilet
booth 101, which is located over the sewage tank 24. When air in
the sewage tank 24 is sucked by the air pressuring pump 32, outer
air can be introduced into the tank 24 through the air intake port
63. The air intake port 63 is sized such that no odor in the sewage
tank 24 rises into the toilet booth 101 through the air intake port
63 while a negative pressure is being produced in the tank 24 by
the air pressurizing pump 32.
[0050] Electric power may be supplied to this temporary toilet
through electric wires as shown, or may be entirely from a separate
solar cell panel (not shown). If a solar cell panel is used, it is
necessary to additionally provide a secondary battery (not shown)
such as a lead battery so that the blower pump 41, the heater 43,
etc can be kept in operation on rainy days and during the
nighttime. If a secondary battery is used, the control unit 51 may
be programmed to compare the electric power stored in the battery
with the power consumed by heater 43 and the blower pump 41 and to
stop the aeration by the blower pump 41 if it is determined that
the electric power stored in the battery is insufficient compared
to the power consumption.
[0051] FIGS. 7 to 9 show the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a
schematic vertical sectional view of the temporary toilet of the
second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a schematic horizontal sectional view
of a portion of the temporary toilet of the second embodiment
including a toilet bowl body 104'. FIG. 9 shows the flow of water
through the temporary toilet of the temporary toilet of the second
embodiment. In this embodiment, the sewage tank 24, which is
provided in the base 103 of the toilet unit 100 in the first
embodiment, is housed in an expanded control booth 102. The tank 24
of this embodiment can thus have a larger capacity and thus a
larger throughput than the tank 24 of the first embodiment. Even
though the tank 24 of this embodiment is large in size, the entire
toilet of this embodiment is still sufficiently compact in size
compared to conventional such toilets, which include three separate
tanks, i.e. an evaporate tank, a microbial decomposition tank and a
storage tank.
[0052] The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in
the following points too. First, since the sewage tank 24 is not
located under the toilet bowl 18, and thus its inlet port is
located at a point higher than the toilet bowl 18, a waste feed
pump 73 is provided to pump up the waste in the bowl 18 to the
inlet port of the tank 24. The pump 73 is directly connected to the
center hole 74 of the toilet bowl 18. In particular, this pump 73
is provided instead of the waste storage tank 22 of the first
embodiment at the same location where there is the waste storage
tank 22 in the first embodiment. This pump 73 is preferably a power
pump because it is considered difficult to pump up waste in the
toilet bowl to a higher point with a manual pump.
[0053] The power waste feed pump 73 is activated, not all the time,
but only when flushing the toilet bowl 18. Flush water in a flush
water tank 11 is supplied into the toilet bowl 18 through a pump
suction pipe 15 by a water suction pump 72 which is also a power
pump.
[0054] The water suction pump 72 and the waste feed pump 73 are
activated by depressing a switch button 71 provided in the toilet
booth 101. In particular, when a user depresses the switch button
71 after use, the water suction pump 72 is first activated to
inject flush water into the toilet bowl 18 through the nozzle 17,
thus dropping any waste remaining in the toilet bowl 18 into its
center hole. Simultaneously when the button 71 is depressed, or
several second after the button 71 is depressed, the waste feed
pump 73 is activated to pump up sewage dropped from the toilet bowl
through a sewage discharge pipe 23 under pressure until it is fed
into the sewage tank 24. The control unit 51 is preferably
programmed to also control the pumps 72 and 73 in the above manner,
to eliminate the need for an extra control unit.
[0055] Since the sewage tank 24 of the second embodiment is larger
in size than the tank 24 of the first embodiment, and thus the
surface area of the water in the tank 24 is larger, air supplied to
the water vapor separator 33 of the second embodiment contains a
larger amount of water vapor in order to more effectively and
sufficiently condense such a large amount of water vapor into
water, it is necessary to produce as high a pressure as possible in
the water vapor separator 33. For this purpose, in the second
embodiment, a compressor 75 is connected to the water vapor
separator 33.
[0056] Some of the elements used in the second embodiment only may
be used in the first embodiment too. For example, the compressor 75
may be used in the first embodiment too. Also, the water suction
pump 72 and the switch button 71 for activating the pump 72 may be
used in the first embodiment. In this case, the bottom lid 21 of
the toilet bowl is operatively coupled to the switch button 71 so
as to open temporarily when the button 71 is depressed.
[0057] A plurality of the toilet booths 101 of either of the first
and second embodiments may be coupled together. In this case, the
number of the sewage tanks 24 used with these toilet booths 101 may
be smaller than the number of these toilet booths 101, which each
include one toilet bowl 18. If a plurality of the toilet booths 101
of the first embodiment are coupled together, since the sewage tank
24 of the second embodiment has a larger capacity, the number ratio
of the toilet booths 101 coupled together to the sewage tanks 24
used with these toilet booths may be from about 1:1 to about 4:1.
Also, the toilet booth 101 and the control booth 102 may be
integrated into a single toilet unit. In any of these arrangements,
the entire structure is sufficiently compact in size, because the
sewage tank or each of the tanks 24 serves the triple purpose as
conventional evaporation tank, microbial decomposition tank and
storage tank.
[0058] The toilet unit of either of the embodiment may further
include at least one urinal. In this case, at least one toilet
booth may include a plurality of urinals. The toilet bowls shown
are of the Japanese style. But a western style toilet bowl may be
used instead.
[0059] Flush water may be injected into the toilet bowl in a manner
different from the manner shown. If the toilet is what is known as
a light flushing type toilet, 400 to 500 cc of flush water is
consumed per use. If a "Shatore" type
(suction-and-pressurized-water-feed type) flush toilet (which is
high in cleaning power) is used, the water consumption per use
would be about twice that of a light flushing type toilet, and thus
the throughput will be about twice.
[0060] The heater 43 may be provided, not in the sewage tank 24 as
in the embodiments, but around the sewage tank 24 to heat the
interior of the tank 24. Maintenance of the heater is easier with
this arrangement. But from the viewpoint of heat efficiency, it is
preferable to provide the heater 43 in the sewage tank 24 and
further provide the insulating material.
[0061] Water may be supplied from outside. For example, rainwater
may useful especially if the temporary toilet according to the
present invention is installed outdoors and can be connected to
neither a sewage system nor a water supply system. FIG. 10
schematically shows a modification of the first embodiment which
includes a rainwater supply mechanism. For clarification, some
elements that are not related to the supply of rainwater are
omitted in FIG. 10.
[0062] In this modified embodiment, an open-topped rainwater
storage tank 106 is provided on the rooftop of the toilet booth 101
of the toilet unit 100. A rainwater discharge port 81 is formed in
the bottom of the tank 106. Rainwater collected in the tank 106 is
fed downward through a rainwater supply pipe 82. A rainwater
regulating valve 83 is provided in the rainwater supply pipe 82.
Downstream of the valve 83, the pipe 82 has a rainwater supply port
84 through which rainwater is supplied into the flush water tank
11. A flush water level sensing float 85 is provided in the flush
water tank 11. The control unit 51 determines whether the level of
the flush water in the tank 11 is higher than an upper limit and
lower than a lower limit, and throttles and opens the rainwater
regulating valve 83 if the water level is higher than the upper
limit and lower than the lower limit, respectively.
[0063] However, when such rainwater is supplied or if flush water
is supplied into the flush water tank from outside in order to make
up for temporary overuse of flush water, the total amount of water
present in the various locations of the entire toilet unit 100
increases. The control unit 51 determines such total amount based
on the positions of the floating water level sensor 61 and the
flush water level sensing float 85, and if the control unit 51
determines that the total water amount is excessive, the control
unit 51 reduces the amount of water supplied back into the flush
water tank 11 through the water vapor separator 33, while
temporarily increasing the amount of water discharged to
outside.
EXAMPLES
[0064] Description is made of the specific amounts of water used in
the various locations of each of the first and second embodiments.
First regarding the first embodiment, 500 cc of water was flushed
per use. The water content in the sewage tank 24 was 400 liters.
The toilet was used about 60 times over a period of one week. 40
liters of waste was introduced into the sewage tank 24 per day on
the average, and 30 liters of water was returned to the flush water
tank 11 as flush water, whose capacity was 40 liters, per day on
the average. 75% of the sewage introduced into the sewage tank 24
was recovered as flush water. During the one-week period, the total
amount of water stored in various locations of the entire toilet
unit 100 changed little.
[0065] Now regarding the second embodiment, 500 cc of water was
flushed per use as in the first embodiment. The water content in
the sewage tank 24 was 600 liters. The sewage tank 24 was used for
two of the toilet booths 101 over a period of one week. 300 liters
of water was returned to the flush water tank 11 per day. During
the one-week period, the total amount of water stored in the
various locations of the entire toilet unit 100 remained
substantially unchanged.
DESCRIPTION OF THE NUMERALS
[0066] 11. Flush water tank [0067] 12. Foot pump chamber [0068] 13.
Foot pump [0069] 14. Foot pedal switch [0070] 15. Pump suction pipe
[0071] 16. Pump feed pipe [0072] 17. Nozzle [0073] 18. Toilet bowl
[0074] 21. Lid [0075] 22. Waste storage tank [0076] 23. Sewage
discharge pipe [0077] 24. Sewage tank [0078] 31. Air exhaust pipe
[0079] 32. Air pressurizing pump [0080] 33. Water vapor separator
[0081] 34. Water supply pipe [0082] 35. Discharge tube [0083] 36.
Exhaust fan [0084] 41. Blower pump [0085] 42. Blower diffuser tube
[0086] 43. Heater [0087] 44. Heat insulating material [0088] 51.
Control unit [0089] 52. Temperature regulator [0090] 53.
Temperature sensor [0091] 61. Floating water level sensor [0092]
62. Use prohibition display [0093] 63. Air intake port [0094] 64.
Overflow drain [0095] 71. Switch button [0096] 72. Water suction
pump [0097] 73. Waste feed pump [0098] 74. Center hole [0099] 75.
Compressor [0100] 81. Rainwater discharge port [0101] 82. Rainwater
supply pipe [0102] 83. Rainwater regulating valve [0103] 84.
Rainwater supply port [0104] 85. Flush water level sensing float
[0105] 100. Toilet unit [0106] 101. Toilet booth [0107] 102.
Control booth [0108] 103. Base [0109] 104, 104'. Toilet bowl body
[0110] 105. Door [0111] 106. Rainwater storage tank [0112] A.
Sewage [0113] B. Sewage [0114] C. Water vapor [0115] D. Flush water
[0116] E. Dry exhaust air
* * * * *