FR2770547A1 - Electrical device for controlling variable quantity WC flushing - Google Patents

Abstract

The controlling electronics are used to manage a logical cycle after selection of one of two command buttons (11, 11'). Following of one of two operation cycles causes the emptying of a certain volume of water from the cistern. The selection of the volume of water is dependent on information coming from a detection mechanism (6) associated with a horizontal shaft (17) and ultimately a water level sensor (14'). The shaft (17) activates a stop valve, the flushing outlet (2) and the valve (3) to the water inlet.

Description

 The present invention relates to an electrical control device for flushing sanitary water for discharging variable amounts of water.

 A flush tank usually contains 9 to 10 liters of water for good drainage. However in some cases a small amount of water, of the order of 3 liters, is sufficient. It is therefore necessary, in order to achieve significant savings in terms of water consumption, to be able to select two different empties in terms of the amount of water released.

 Devices are currently known which allow the user to carry out a rinsing with several different quantities of water, generally two, comprising only mechanical means associated with mechanisms actuated by zipper, chain or push button.

 However, these devices do not always provide comfort in use and are not adaptable to most emptying mechanisms.

 The device EP553577 describes a toilet flushing control making it possible to program, as desired, the volume of water necessary for the proper cleaning of the bowl, adaptable to conventional flushing systems. It is in the form of a control button fixed to the tank cover, consisting of two rings in which helical-shaped openings have been made, the fixed inner ring driving two transverse pins fixed to an internal piston which controls or interrupts the emptying.

 However, the actuation of this control device is entirely mechanical and does not offer good comfort of use.

 Document EP069748 describes a dual control flushing mechanism for either partial or total emptying of the tank, comprising an electro-mechanical actuating member connected to a drive mechanism which actuates a tube / float assembly in vertical translation compared to a fixed bell, capable of being activated by two control buttons via an electronic control circuit.

The document EP0453702 relates to an automatic toilet flushing device comprising an infrared sensor and an electronic circuit connected to said sensor capable on the one hand of recording the duration during which the
WC were used and on the other hand to activate the electronic circuit for the tensioning of a solenoid, in order to magnetically lift a nucleus connected to a ball in rhombus normally blocking an exit of a tank, during three different durations to release the flushing water in three different volumes.

 However, if these devices offer good comfort of use, they require the use of a particular exhaust valve, and are not very adaptable to current systems. In addition, they are of high manufacturing cost.

 The document FR9513178 filed in the name of the applicant relates to a device for controlling the emptying of sanitary appliances such as toilets, in this case comprising a flushing mechanism, the valve of which is operated by means of a connected electric motor. to an electronic unit comprising two push buttons making it possible to control a total or partial emptying of the tank by opening said valve which is maintained in the open position by means of a time delay, the time necessary for total or partial emptying according to the choice of the operator.

 However, this device has a high manufacturing cost because the electronic unit only manages the emptying function while the filling function of the tank is carried out and controlled by separate means which also pose problems of synchronization of the system.

 The object of the present invention is to remedy these drawbacks by proposing a flush control device with a low cost price and offering great comfort in use.

 The flushing control device is intended to be connected to a valve for opening and closing the evacuation of water in a toilet tank by means of a horizontal shaft, which is rotated by a motor controlled by a set of electronic and computer means enclosed in a box and electrically connected to a first and a second control button, and is essentially characterized in that said set is intended to manage in a logical sequence, after activation of the '' one or the other of said buttons, the progress of a cycle of operations emptying a certain volume of water from the tank, according to information coming from a detection mechanism associated with the rotation of said shaft and, optionally, at least one water level sensor, said shaft being able on the one hand to actuate, during a selected cycle, the valve for closing the water discharge opening and d on the other hand a robine t water inlet.

 According to an additional characteristic of the invention, the shut-off valve is connected to a U-shaped elbow part of the motor shaft by means of a hooking element.

 In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the detection mechanism consists of a magnetic detector and a disc moved in rotation by the motor shaft and provided on one of its faces with permanent magnets each actuating the said detector, when passing nearby.

 The advantages and characteristics of the present invention will emerge more clearly from the description which follows and which relates to the accompanying drawing provided by way of simple illustration of the invention with respect to which it is in no way limiting.

In the attached drawing:
- Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the device according to the invention.

 - Figure 2 shows the flowchart for controlling the various operations in two cycles each corresponding to a certain volume of water to be discharged.

 - Figures 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4f and 4g represent the position of the magnets of the disc of the detection mechanism, in a preferred embodiment, relative to the magnetic detector according to the different stages of the process for the evacuation of 'a large volume of water.

 - Figures 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3f and 3g represent the position of the magnets on the disc relative to the magnetic detector according to the different stages of the process for the evacuation of a lower volume of water.

 Referring to Figure 1 we can see that the device 1 according to the invention for controlling a flushing mechanism 2 comprises two push buttons 11 and 11 'electrically connected by electric wires 110 to a electronic control unit 12, secured to a support plate 122 which can be joined to the mechanism 2 by means of latching lugs 123. This box contains an electronic card 13 which essentially comprises a microcontroller 120 and memories 121 for memorizing the program for managing and controlling the various operations to be carried out and for storing temporary data and a power supply 15. It also includes a geared motor 16 connected to the electronic card 12 by electric wires, not shown, driving a shaft in rotation 17. The device also comprises an intermediate water level sensor 14 and a high water level sensor 14 '.

 The shaft 17 has a U-shaped part 170, the horizontal part 171 of which is connected by means of a hooking element 4 to the upper end of the valve 20.

 The hooking element 4 comprises an oblong orifice 40 threaded on the horizontal part of the U of the shaft 17 and a branch 41 whose ends are introduced into housings 21 made in the upper part of the pipe 22 of the valve 20.

 On the other hand the shaft 17 is connected by its free end to a tap 3 for supplying water to the tank so that during the rotation of the shaft 17 the valve 20 of the flush 2 and the tap 3 open or close.

 The supply valve 3 represented in the figure is of the type described in patent n8914813 filed by the applicant and consists of a hollow cylindrical body 30 in the shape of a T, one of the ends 31 of the horizontal branch of which is intended to be connected to a water supply, not shown, flowing through the vertical branch 32, and the other end to the free end of the motor shaft 17 via a cam, not visible in the figure , disposed inside the tap 3 and acting, depending on its position given by the rotation of the motor shaft 17, by pushing on the shutter valve of the tap 3 to control the opening or closing.

 The shaft 17 also rotates around its axis a disc 6 secured perpendicularly at its center to the shaft 17 between the U-shaped part 170 and the tap 3.

 The disc 6 is provided on one of its faces with three permanent magnets 60, 61, 62, visible for example in FIG. 3a, arranged on the same circle and spaced between them by an angle determined according to the operations to be carried out. on a cycle of 360. The three magnets form with a magnetic detector 63, fixed relative to the disc 6 and arranged not far from the top of the disc 6, three proximity detectors which are used in binary mode by sending a high or low signal to the microcontroller depending on whether one magnets 60, 61 and 62 are located above or below a determined threshold.

 The magnets 60, 61, 62 form in particular an isosceles triangle and the magnetic detector 63 can advantageously be a flexible blade switch, of the type known as the ILS detector, which has a high endurance.

 Referring now to FIG. 2, it can be seen that the flow chart comprises two cycles 7 and 8 of steps of the automated system, part of which 9 is common to the two cycles, each corresponding to a certain volume of water to be discharged. , for example '3 or 6 liters, activated respectively by one of the push buttons 11 and 11'.

 It will be assumed that the rotation of the shaft 17 and therefore of the disc 6 is done clockwise.

 In the initial state 70 the valve 20 of the flushing mechanism 2 and the tap 3 of water supply are closed.

If we also refer to Figures 3a to 3g we can see that the cycle corresponding to obtaining the evacuation of 6 liters is as follows:
When a user presses the push button 11, he activates the sequencing of the operations of the first series of steps 7 and the passage from step 70 where the magnet 60 is located near the detector 63 (FIG. 3a) in the next step 71 (FIG. 3b) corresponding to the starting of the geared motor 16 and the rotation of the shaft 17 as well as of the disc 6, and of the opening of the valve 20.

 The synchronization in the following step 72 (FIG. 3c) takes place when the detector 63 is activated by the magnet 61 preceded by the magnet 60, which simultaneously triggers a timer 720 and the stop 720 ′ of the gearmotor 16 until at the end of the time delay, the latter then controlling, by means of the microcontroller 120, the passage to the next step 73 (FIG. 3d) corresponding to the starting of the geared motor 16 whose shaft 17 causes the opening the tap 3 and closing the water drain valve 20 of the flush 2.

 Then, during the rotation of the disc 6, the magnet 62 which follows the magnet 61 arrives near the detector 63 (FIG. 3e) which, once activated, controls the passage to the next step 74 corresponding to the motor reducer stops 16. The tank is filled with water until the level reaches the high level sensor 14 'which then sends a signal to the microcontroller 120 controlling the passage to the corresponding next step 75 (FIG. 3f) when the gearmotor 16 is started and the tap 3 is closed.

 The disc 6 continues to rotate until the magnet 60 activates the detector 63 (FIG. 3g), the tap 3 and the valve 20 are then closed, and the program is reset.

 In the case where the user selects the command 3L by the push button 11, he causes the sequencing of the operations of the second cycle 8 to be activated. The first step 81 (FIG. 4b) corresponds to the starting of the geared motor 16 and of the 'shaft 17 which causes the valve 20 of the flush 2 to open.

 Then, during the rotation of the disc 6, the magnet 60 arrives near the detector 63 (FIG. 4c) which, activated, controls the passage to the next step 82 corresponding to the stopping of the geared motor 16 until the water level reaches the intermediate level sensor 14, which then sends a signal to the microcontroller for the passage to the next step identical to the step 73 described previously and so on until the return to the initial state 70 .

Claims (7)

 CLAIMS 1) Electric control device for sanitary flushing allowing the discharge of variable quantities of water intended to be connected to a valve (2) for opening and closing the evacuation of water in a water tank. WC by means of a horizontal shaft (17), rotated by a motor (16) controlled by a set of electronic and computer means (12) enclosed in a housing (12) and electrically connected to a first and a second control button (11,11 '), and is essentially characterized in that said set is intended to manage in a logical sequence, after activation of one or the other of said buttons (11,11'), the progress a cycle (7, 8) of operations emptying a certain volume of water from the reservoir, as a function of information coming from an associated detection mechanism (6,60,61,62,63) the rotation of said shaft (17) and, optionally, of at least one water level sensor (14,14 '), said shaft (17) being able on the one hand to actuate, during a selected cycle, the shutter valve for the discharge opening (2) of water and on the other hand a tap (3) of water inlet. 2) Device according to claim 1 characterized in that the free end of the shaft (17) is connected to the valve for closing and opening the supply valve (3). 3) Device according to claim 1 or claim 2 characterized in that the valve (2) is connected to a bent U-shaped part (170) of the motor shaft by means of a hooking element (4) . 4) Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the detection mechanism (6,60,61,62,63) consists of a magnetic detector (63) and a disc (6) mu in rotation by the motor shaft (17) and provided on one of its faces with permanent magnets (60,61,62) each actuating said detector (63), when it passes nearby. 5) Device according to claim 4 characterized in that a cycle of operations is performed on a rotation of the disc of 360 ". 6) Device according to claim 5 characterized in that the magnets (60,61,62) are distributed on the same circle forming an isosceles triangle. 7) Device according to any one of claims 4 to 6 characterized in that the magnetic detector (63) is a flexible blade switch.