LEE, Jae Tong (402 Heehoon Towervill, 110-1 Guro-5dong,Guro-gu, Seoul 152-844, KR)
[CLAIMS]
[Claim l]
An automatic flushing device for a toilet bowl using water pressure comprising: a control unit for discharging water whose amount is preset in accordance with urine and fecal excrement; an opening/closing unit for selectively opening and closing a passageway of the water supplied from a water faucet under the control of the control unit; an operating unit adapted to move by a predetermined distance by the pressure of the water supplied thereto to ascend a siphon cover, if the passageway of water is opened by the operation of the opening/closing unit to thereby open a cleaning water-discharging hole of a water reservoir; and a pressure-releasing unit for releasing the pressure applied to the operating unit by descending a float, as the water contained in the water reservoir is discharged through the cleaning water-discharging hole opened by the operation of the operating unit and reaches a predetermined level. [Claim 2]
The automatic flushing device according to claim 1, wherein the opening/closing unit opens the water passageway, if power is supplied, so as to supply the water from the water faucet to the operating unit, and closes the water passageway, if the supply of power is cut off, under the control of the control unit. [Claim 3]
The automatic flushing device according to claim 1, wherein the operating unit comprises: a hose connected to the opening/closing unit so as to guide the water supplied from the water faucet to an ascending/descending part; the ascending/descending part having an operating rod adapted to be ascended by a given distance by the pressure of the water supplied through the hose and descended to the original position thereof when the pressure of water is released; and a siphon cover-connector for connecting the operating rod of the ascending/descending part with the siphon cover so as to ascend and descend the siphon cover in accordance with the ascending and descending movements of the operating rod, thereby opening and closing the cleaning water-discharging hole of the water reservoir. [Claim 4]
The automatic flushing device according to claim 3, wherein the ascending/descending part comprises: a cylinder having an ascending/descending guide groove formed at the inside thereof, the ascending/descending guide groove being adapted to ascend and descend the operating rod therealong; the operating rod adapted to be ascended and descended along the ascending/descending guide groove of the cylinder, the operating rod having a sealing member mounted along the outer periphery of the bottom end portion thereof in such a manner as to be contacted with the inner periphery of the ascending/descending guide groove; an elastic member mounted into the ascending/descending guide groove in such a manner as to be located between the operating rod and a fixing support, thereby descending the operating rod being ascended; and the fixing support having a plurality of coupling protrusions fitted to a plurality of coupling grooves of the cylinder so as to guide the ascending and descending movements of the operating rod and to prevent the deviation of the elastic member from the fixed position thereof. [Claim 5]
The automatic flushing device according to claim 4, wherein the cylinder comprises: a cylinder body having the ascending/descending guide groove formed longitudinally along the inner periphery thereof, such that the operating rod is ascended and descended along the ascending/descending guide groove; a water inlet formed to pass through one side of the lower end portion of the cylinder body and to communicate with the ascending/descending guide groove in such a manner as to be connected with the hose; an indent formed along the inner periphery of the ascending/descending guide groove formed above the water inlet so as to mount the sealing member therealong; a discharging hole formed at the other side of the water inlet of the lower end portion of the cylinder body in such a manner as to pass through a discharge space portion discharging the water used for ascending the operating rod; a float guide protrusion formed longitudinally along the outer periphery of the lower end portion of the cylinder body so as to guide the movement of the float; a guide protrusion formed at the other side of the float guide protrusion of the cylinder body in such a manner as to be inserted into a detachable mounting guide groove formed on a detachable mounting member of a clamp; and the plurality of coupling groove formed along the outer periphery of the top end portion of the cylinder body so as to be coupled to the coupling protrusions of the fixing support . [Claim 6]
The automatic flushing device according to claim 4, wherein the operating rod comprises: a locking protrusion formed along the outer periphery of the lower end portion of an operating rod body so as to mount the elastic member therealong; a mounting groove formed along the outer periphery of the lower end portion thereof below the locking protrusion so as to mount the sealing member thereon; a fastening opening formed on the top surface of the operating rod body so as to allow a fixing bolt to be fastened thereinto; and the sealing member mounted along the mounting groove of the operating rod body in such a manner as to be mounted along the indent of the cylinder. [Claim 7]
The automatic flushing device according to claim 6, wherein the sealing member comprises: a mounting through-hole formed to pass through the center of a sealing member body so as to be fitted to the mounting groove of the operating rod body; a pressure-maintaining projection projected inclined outwardly along the outer periphery of the lower end portion of the sealing member so as to be mounted along the indent of the cylinder; and a foreign material movement-preventing projection projected inclined outwardly along the outer periphery of the upper end portion of the sealing member body in such a manner as to tightly abut with the inner periphery of the ascending/descending guide groove of the cylinder, such that the downward movement of foreign materials entering the ascending/descending guide groove is cut off to prevent the pressure-maintaining projection from being damaged.
[Claim 8]
The automatic flushing device according to claim 3, wherein the siphon cover-connector comprises: a pull string fixture mounted at the fixing support of the ascending/descending part and having a fixing member adapted to fix the other side end portion of the pull string fixed to the siphon cover at one side end portion thereof; a rotation-supporting member having a rotation groove formed at one side thereof so as to mount a roller gear for guiding the ascending and descending movements of the pull string fixed to the fixing member of the pull string fixture thereinto and a fastening guide through-hole formed at the other side of the rotation groove thereof in the same line as the fastening hole of the operating rod; the roller gear rotatably mounted to the rotation groove of the rotation-supporting member so as to guide the ascending and descending movements of the pull string; and the fixing bolt fastened to the fastening hole of the operating rod through the fastening guide through-hole of the rotation-supporting member so as to fix the rotation- supporting member to the operating rod. [Claim 9]
The automatic flushing device according to claim 8, wherein the siphon cover-connector further comprises a vertical line-maintaining part rotatably fixed to the operating rod by means of the fixing bolt so as to allow the roller gear of the rotation-supporting member to be located in the same vertical line as the siphon cover.
[Claim 10] The automatic flushing device according to claim 9, wherein the vertical line-maintaining part has a plurality of concavo-convex protrusions formed along the outer periphery of the top surface of the operating rod and a plurality of concavo-convex grooves formed radically along the outer periphery of the bottom surface of the fastening guide through-hole formed at the other side of the rotation- supporting member so as to allow the plurality of concave- convex protrusions to be mounted thereinto. [Claim ll] The automatic flushing device according to claim 1, wherein the pressure-releasing unit comprises: a rotary shaft rotatably coupled to the discharge hole of the cylinder of the operating unit, the rotary shaft having a discharging guide hole adapted to communicate with the discharging hole of the cylinder or to be shut off therefrom upon the descending and ascending rotation thereof and having a contact face formed inwardly depressed on the bottom surface of the outer periphery of one end portion thereof; an ascending/descending member having a housing hole formed at one side thereof so as to be face-contacted with the contact face of the rotary shaft and an ascending/descending space portion formed at the other side thereof so as to rotate the rotary shaft coupled in the housing hole therein in accordance with the descending and ascending movements of the float; and the float descended and ascended in accordance with a water level, the float having a rotation guide shaft adapted to be inserted through the ascending/descending space portion of the ascending/descending member. [Claim 12]
The automatic flushing device according to claim 11, wherein the float comprises: the rotation guide shaft formed protrudedly at one side of the lower end portion of a float body so as to be inserted through the ascending/descending space portion of the ascending/descending member; a floating force space portion formed at the inside of the lower portion of the float body so as to generate a floating force in accordance with the water level; a water-containing space portion formed at the inside of the upper portion of the float body and having a predetermined amount of water contained therein so as to generate gravity if the water-containing space portion is located above the level of the water contained in the water reservoir; and a float guide groove formed longitudinally at one side of the float body in such a manner as to be ascended and descended along the float guide protrusion of the cylinder.
[Claim 13] The automatic flushing device according to claim 1, further comprising the clamp mounted around the outer periphery of the overflow pipe such that the operating unit is elastically mounted in such a manner as to be face- contacted with the outer periphery of the overflow pipe. [Claim 14] The automatic flushing device according to claim 13, wherein the clamp has a plurality of sharp projections formed around the inner periphery thereof so as to prevent the clamp from sliding against the outer periphery of the overflow pipe. [Claim 15]
The automatic flushing device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the supply time of the water supplied to the operating unit so as to conduct the disposal of the urine or fecal excrement determined by the user sensing time sensed by a seating sensor, depending upon the opening/closing time of the opening/closing unit, and thus discharges the amount of water set in accordance with the urine or fecal excrement to the toilet bowl body. |
AUTO FLUSHING DEVICES OF TOILET BOWLS
USING THE WATER PRESSURE [Technical Field]
The present invention relates to a toilet bowl, and more particularly, to an automatic flushing device for a toilet bowl using water pressure that is configured such that a siphon cover is raised by the pressure of the water supplied from a water faucet to open a cleaning water- discharge hole of a water reservoir of the toilet bowl, after a user' s evacuation, and then, the water contained in the water reservoir is discharged through the opened cleaning water-discharging hole, thereby conducting the disposal of urine and fecal excrement collected in a toilet bowl body. [Background Art] In general, the disposal of urine and fecal excrement collected in a toilet bowl body after a user' s evacuation is carried out by pressing a manual lever by him or her such that a siphon cover is pivoted upwardly with respect to the shaft of an overflow pipe to open a cleaning water- discharging hole formed in a water reservoir, and thereafter, the water contained in the water reservoir is discharged through the cleaning water-discharging hole and carries his or her urine and fecal excrement collected in the toilet bowl body to a septic tank. After finishing the evacuation, as mentioned above, the water contained in the water reservoir is all discharged by the pressing of the manual lever irrespective of the urine or fecal excrement, so as to conduct the disposal of the urine or fecal excrement collected in the toilet bowl body, but in this case, the amount of water discharged when conducting the disposal of the urine is the same as that of water discharged
when conducting the disposal of the fecal excrement, thereby failing to obtain many economical advantages.
So as to solve these problems, thus, there have been proposed a variety of devices and methods as filed by the same applicant as in this invention, which are disclosed in Korean Patent No.. 464635 with Korean Patent Application No. 17445 as filed in 2002 entitled 'automatic water-saving device for toilet bowl', in Korean Patent No. 430047 with Korean Patent Application No. 69221 as filed in 2003 entitled 'toilet bowl having automatic water-saving system' , and in Korean Patent No. 705646 with Korean Patent Application No. 92567 as filed in 2005 entitled 'automatic flushing device and method for toilet bowl and bidet having automatic water- saving function' . According to the prior arts, a control part rotates a motor in accordance with the determination of urine and fecal excrement obtained through a user-sensing time period so as to discharge the amount of water corresponding to urine and fecal excrement, thereby conducting the disposal of urine and fecal excrement collected in a toilet bowl body. However, the motor that serves to wind or unwind a pull string so as to ascend and descend a siphon cover to open and close a cleaning water-discharging hole, should be mounted at the top end portion of an overflow pipe so as to be located above the water. In this case, the motor parts are not compatible in accordance with the height of the overflow pipe, the method for fixing the motor to the overflow pipe, and the size of the water reservoir, and further, it is difficult to mount, such that a working efficiency is deteriorated badly, the delay of the working time is accompanied, and the personal costs are accordingly raised, which causes the economical
efficiencies to be low.
Moreover, so as to prevent water from entering the motor, various water-proofing methods are introduced, but all of them have failed to completely prevent the permeation of water to the motor. Additionally, the motor cannot perform its normal function because of the dew condensation, that is, water, generated by the difference between the inside temperature and outside temperature thereof. Further, the motor is often damaged or malfunctioned, which causes the maintenance of the device to be difficult.
Moreover, when the disposal of urine and fecal excrement collected in the toilet bowl body is conducted by the water discharged from the water reservoir through the cleaning water-discharging hole opened by ascending the siphon cover through the pull string wound by the rotation of the motor, if the power supply to the motor is shut off, the motor does not rotate reversely, and the water being supplied from the water faucet is continuously discharged until the cleaning water-discharging hole is closed, as the siphon cover is being at an ascended state from the cleaning water- discharging hole, such that water consumption occurs, which causes the economical efficiency and the product reliability to be substantially low.
So as to overcome the above-mentioned problems, thus, there is provided a cleaning water leakage-preventing device during power-off of toilet bowl and. bidet, which is disclosed in Korean Patent Application No. 34246 as filed in 2006 by the same applicant as in this invention.
According to the prior art, at the state where an operating shaft rotating reversely together with a motor pressurizes an elastic member, if the motor rotates a power
transmission member forwardly so as to ascend a siphon cover through the repulsive energy of the elastic member, the power transmission member is rotated forwardly to rotate a ball chain guide plate forwardly, such that the siphon cover fixed on the ball chain guide plate is ascended by a rotating angle of the ball chain guide plate and at the same time the supporting force of the elastic member is released. Thus, the pressing state of the elastic member is slowly released through the repulsive energy charged therein, and even though the power supply to the motor is shut off, the ball chain guide plate to which the pull string is connected for guiding the ascending and descending of the siphon cover is deviated from the power transmission member. At the same time, the siphon cover is descended by its own weight under the guide of the ball chain guide plate, thereby closing the cleaning water-discharging hole.
As the changes of the restoring time of the elastic member are caused by the amount of oil injection and the difference of the viscosity of oil by temperature variations, however, the closing time of the cleaning water-discharging hole is varied, and alternatively, the siphon cover stops the movement, thereby failing to close the cleaning water discharging hole, so that there occur some problems that the product reliability becomes deteriorated, the assembling efficiency becomes low because of the complex internal structure, and the productivity becomes decreased by the extension of the working time.
[Disclosure] [Technical Problem] Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above problems occurring in the prior art, and it
is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic flushing device for a toilet bowl using water pressure that is configured such that a siphon cover is ascended and descended by the pressure of the water supplied from a water faucet to open and close a cleaning water-discharging hole of a water reservoir of the toilet bowl.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic flushing device for a toilet bowl using water pressure that is configured such that an operating unit adapted to ascend and descend a siphon cover by water pressure is mounted, without any limitation to its mounting position, thereby reducing the mounting time, optimizing the mounting compatibility, and providing safe use with no electricity . Still another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic flushing device for a toilet bowl using water pressure that is configured such that the supply time of the water for operating an operating unit is controlled in accordance with urine and fecal excrement so as to discharge the amount of water set in accordance with urine and fecal excrement to a toilet bowl body, and if power supply to an opening/closing unit is shut off, the opening/closing unit is closed to cut off the water supplied from a water faucet, thereby reducing unnecessary water consumption and improving the economical efficiency. [Technical Solution]
To achieve the above objects, there is provided an automatic flushing device for a toilet bowl using water pressure that includes: a control unit for discharging water whose amount is preset in accordance with urine and fecal excrement; an opening/closing unit for selectively opening
and closing a passageway of the water supplied from a water faucet under the control of the control unit; an operating unit adapted to move by a predetermined distance by the pressure of the water supplied thereto to ascend a siphon cover, if the passageway of water is opened by the operation of the opening/closing unit to thereby open a cleaning water- discharging hole of a water reservoir; and a pressure- releasing unit for releasing the pressure applied to the operating unit by descending a float, as the water contained in the water reservoir is discharged through the cleaning water-discharging hole opened by the operation of the operating unit and reaches a predetermined level. [Advantageous Effects]
According to the present invention, there is provided an automatic flushing device for a toilet bowl using water pressure that is capable of ascending and ascending a siphon cover by the pressure of the water supplied from a water faucet, thereby easily opening/closing a cleaning water- discharging hole of a water reservoir. Additionally, the automatic flushing device for a toilet bowl using water pressure of this invention is capable of being stably used without any danger of electric shocks, because electricity is not supplied to the water reservoir, thereby improving the reliability of the product. Moreover, the automatic flushing device for a toilet bowl using water pressure of this invention is capable of having no limit to the installation position of an operating unit functioning to ascend and descend the siphon cover by the water pressure, thereby improving the installing compatibility and reducing the installation time by means of the simple configuration and parts, and thereby further
improving the utilization of the space inside the water reservoir .
Furthermore, the automatic flushing device for a toilet bowl using water pressure of this invention is capable of maintaining the opening time of the opening/closing unit receiving the water supplied from the water faucet under the control of a control unit and discharging water whose amount is preset in accordance with urine and fecal excrement, depending upon the opening and closing time of the opening/closing unit. On the other hand, if the power supplied to the opening/closing unit is cut off, at the states where the water supplied from the water faucet through the opened opening/closing unit is supplied to the operating unit to ascend the siphon cover and the water contained in the water reservoir is thus discharged to the toilet bowl body, the opening/closing unit is closed and the siphon cover is descended, thereby closing a cleaning water-discharging hole, such that the consumption of the water supplied from the water faucet can be prevented and the economical efficiency can be improved. [Description of Drawings]
FIG.l is a perspective view showing an automatic flushing device for a toilet bowl using water pressure according to the present invention. FIG.2 is a separated perspective view showing the automatic flushing device for a toilet bowl using water pressure according to the present invention.
FIG.3 is a sectional view showing the automatic flushing device for a toilet bowl using water pressure according to the present invention.
FIG.4 is a top view showing the state where the automatic flushing device of the present invention is mounted on the toilet bowl.
FIGS.5a to 5g are views showing the operation states of the automatic flushing device for a toilet bowl using water pressure according to the present invention.
<Explanation on reference numerals of main parts in the drawings>
100: control unit 110: seating sensor 200: opening/closing unit 300: operating unit 310: hose
320: ascending/descending part 330: siphon cover-connector 400: pressure-releasing unit 410: rotary shaft
420: ascending/descending member 430: float 500: clamp
[Mode for Invention]
Hereinafter, an explanation on an automatic flushing device for a toilet bowl using water pressure according to the present invention will be given with reference to the attached drawings .
FIG.l is a perspective view showing an automatic flushing device for a toilet bowl using water pressure according to the present invention, FIG.2 is a separated perspective view showing the automatic flushing device for a toilet bowl using water pressure according to the present invention, FIG.3 is a sectional view showing the automatic flushing device for a toilet bowl using water pressure according to the present invention, and FIG.4 is a top view
showing the state where the automatic flushing device of the present invention is mounted on the toilet bowl.
According to the present invention, there is provided an automatic flushing device for a toilet bowl using water pressure that includes: a control unit 100 for discharging water whose amount is preset in accordance with urine and fecal excrement; an opening/closing unit 200 for selectively opening and closing a passageway of the water supplied from a water faucet under the control of the control unit 100; an operating unit 300 adapted to move by a predetermined distance by the pressure of the water supplied thereto to ascend a siphon cover 13 when the passageway of water is opened by the operation of the opening/closing unit 200 to thereby open a cleaning water-discharging hole 11 of a water reservoir 10; and a pressure-releasing unit 400 for releasing the pressure applied to the operating unit 300 by descending a float 430, as the water contained in the water reservoir 10 is discharged through the cleaning water-discharging hole 11 opened by the operation of the operating unit 300 and reaches a predetermined level. This will be in more detail explained below .
The opening/closing unit 200 opens the water passageway, if power is supplied thereto, so as to supply the water from the water faucet to the operating unit 300, and closes the water passageway, if the supply of power thereto is cut off, under the control of the control unit 100.
The operating unit 300 includes: a hose 310 connected to the opening/closing unit 200 so as to guide the water supplied from the water faucet to an ascending/descending part 320; the ascending/descending part 320 having an operating rod 322 adapted to be ascended by a given distance
by the pressure of the water supplied through the hose 310 and descended to the original position thereof when the pressure of water is released; and a siphon cover-connector 330 for connecting the operating rod 322 of the ascending/descending part 320 with the siphon cover 13 so as to ascend and descend the siphon cover 13 in accordance with the ascending and descending movements of the operating rod 322, thereby opening and closing the cleaning water- discharging hole 11 of the water reservoir 10. The ascending/descending part 320 has a cylinder 321 having an ascending/descending guide groove 321b formed at the inside thereof, the ascending/descending guide groove 321b being adapted to ascend and descend the operating rod 322 therealong; the operating rod 322 adapted to be ascended and descended along the ascending/descending guide groove 321b of the cylinder 321, the operating rod 322 having a sealing member 322e mounted along the outer periphery of the bottom end portion thereof in such a manner as to be contacted with the inner periphery of the ascending/descending guide groove 321b; an elastic member 323 mounted into the ascending/descending guide groove 321b in such a manner as to be located between the operating rod 322 and a fixing support 324, thereby descending the operating rod 322 being ascended; and the fixing support 324 having a plurality of coupling protrusions 324a fitted to a plurality of coupling grooves 321h of the cylinder 321 so as to guide the ascending and descending movements of the operating rod 322 and to prevent the deviation of the elastic member 323 from the fixed position thereof. The cylinder 321 includes: a cylinder body 321a having the ascending/descending guide groove 321b formed
longitudinally along the inner periphery thereof, such that the operating rod 322 is ascended and descended along the ascending/descending guide groove 321b; a water inlet 321c formed to pass through one side of the lower end portion of the cylinder body 321a and to communicate with the ascending/descending guide groove 321b in such a manner as to be connected with the hose 310; an indent 321d formed along the inner periphery of the ascending/descending guide groove 321b formed above the water inlet 321c so as to mount the sealing member 322e therealong; a discharging hole 321e formed at the other side of the water inlet 321c of the lower end portion of the cylinder body 321a in such a manner as to pass through a discharge space portion 321e' discharging the water used for ascending the operating rod 322; a float guide protrusion 321f formed longitudinally along the outer periphery of the lower end portion of the cylinder body 321a so as to guide the movement of the float 430; a guide protrusion 321g formed at the other side of the float guide protrusion 321f of the cylinder body 321a in such a manner as to be inserted into a detachable mounting guide groove 511 formed on a detachable mounting member 510 of a clamp 500; and the plurality of coupling groove 321h formed along the outer periphery of the top end portion of the cylinder body 321a so as to be coupled to the coupling protrusions 324a of the fixing support 324.
The operating rod 322 includes: a locking protrusion 322b formed along the outer periphery of the lower end portion of an operating rod body 322a so as to mount the elastic member 323 therealong; a mounting groove 322c formed along the outer periphery of the lower end portion thereof below the locking protrusion 322b so as to mount the sealing
member 322d thereon; a fastening opening 322d formed on the top surface of the operating rod body 322a so as to allow a fixing bolt 334 to be fastened thereinto; and the sealing member 322d mounted along the mounting groove 322c of the operating rod body 322a in such a manner as to be mounted along the indent 321d of the cylinder 321.
The sealing member 322e has a mounting through-hole 322e-2 formed to pass through the center of a sealing member body 322e-l so as to be fitted to the mounting groove 322c of the operating rod body 322a; a pressure-maintaining projection 322e-3 projected inclined outwardly along the outer periphery of the lower end portion of the sealing member 322e so as to be mounted along the indent 321d of the cylinder 321; and a foreign material movement-preventing projection 322e-4 projected inclined outwardly along the outer periphery of the upper end portion of the sealing member body 322e-l in such a manner as to tightly abut with the inner periphery of the ascending/descending guide groove 321b of the cylinder 321, such that the downward movement of foreign materials entering the ascending/descending guide groove 321b is cut off to prevent the pressure-maintaining projection 322e-3 from being damaged.
The siphon cover-connector 330 includes: a pull string fixture 331 mounted at the fixing support 324 of the ascending/descending part 320 and having a fixing member 331' adapted to fix the other side end portion of the pull string 14 fixed to the siphon cover 13 at one side end portion thereof; a rotation-supporting member 332 having a rotation groove 332a formed at one side thereof so as to mount a roller gear 333 for guiding the ascending and descending movements of the pull string 14 fixed to the fixing member
331' of the pull string fixture 331 thereinto and a fastening guide through-hole 332b formed at the other side of the rotation groove 332a thereof in the same line as the fastening hole 322d of the operating rod 322; the roller gear 333 rotatably mounted to the rotation groove 332a of the rotation-supporting member 332 so as to guide the ascending and descending movements of the pull string 14; and the fixing bolt 334 fastened to the fastening hole 322d of the operating rod 332 through the fastening guide through-hole 332b of the rotation-supporting member 332 so as to fix the rotation-supporting member 332 to the operating rod 322.
The siphon cover-connector 330 further includes a vertical line-maintaining part 335 rotatably fixed to the operating rod 322 by means of the fixing bolt 334 so as to allow the roller gear 333 of the rotation-supporting member 332 to be located in the same vertical line as the siphon cover 13.
The vertical line-maintaining part 335 has a plurality of concavo-convex protrusions 335a formed along the outer periphery of the top surface of the operating rod 322 and a plurality of concavo-convex grooves 335b formed radically along the outer periphery of the bottom surface of the fastening guide through-hole 332b formed at the other side of the rotation-supporting member 332 so as to allow the plurality of concave-convex protrusions 335a to be mounted thereinto .
The pressure-releasing unit 400 includes: a rotary shaft 410 rotatably coupled to the discharge hole 321e of the cylinder 321 of the operating unit 300, the rotary shaft 410 having a discharging guide hole 411 adapted to communicate with the discharging hole 321e of the cylinder 321 or to be
shut off therefrom upon the descending and ascending rotation thereof and having a contact face 412 formed inwardly depressed on the bottom surface of the outer periphery of one end portion thereof; an ascending/descending member 420 having a housing hole 421 formed at one side thereof so as to be face-contacted with the contact face 412 of the rotary shaft 410a and an ascending/descending space portion 422 formed at the other side thereof so as to rotate the rotary shaft 410 coupled in the housing hole 421 therein in accordance with the descending and ascending movements of the float 430; and the float 430 descended and ascended in accordance with a water level, the float 430 having a rotation guide shaft 432 adapted to be inserted through the ascending/descending space portion 422 of the ascending/descending member 420.
The float 430 includes: the rotation guide shaft 432 formed protrudedly at one side of the lower end portion of a float body 431 so as to be inserted through the ascending/descending space portion 422 of the ascending/descending member 420; a floating force space portion 433 formed at the inside of the lower portion of the float body 431 so as to generate a floating force in accordance with the water level; a water-containing space portion 434 formed at the inside of the upper portion of the float body 431 and having a predetermined amount of water contained therein so as to generate gravity if the water- containing space portion 434 is located above the level of the water contained in the water reservoir 10; and a float guide groove 435 formed longitudinally at one side of the float body 431 in such a manner as to be ascended and
descended along the float guide protrusion 321f of the cylinder 321.
Further, the automatic flushing device of this invention includes the clamp 500 mounted around the outer periphery of the overflow pipe 12 such that the operating unit 300 is elastically mounted in such a manner as to be face-contacted with the outer periphery of the overflow pipe 12.
The clamp 500 has a plurality of sharp projections 500' formed around the inner periphery thereof so as to prevent the clamp 500 from sliding against the outer periphery of the overflow pipe 12.
Next, an explanation on the operating procedure of the automatic flushing device for a toilet bowl according to the present invention will be given. First, a user's load sitting on a seat cover S is sensed by a seating sensor 110, such that urine or fecal excrement is determined by the sensed time period by the seating sensor 110. Only if the user's sitting on the seat cover for a predetermined time period (for example, 10 seconds or more) is sensed by the seating sensor 110, depositing of urine or fecal excrement is determined.
When the user stands up after depositing the urine or fecal excrement, if the user's load is not sensed by the seating sensor 110, the urine or fecal excrement is determined by the sensing time period obtained by the seating sensor 110. For example, if the sensing time is within a range between 10 seconds and 2 minutes, the urine depositing is determined by the control unit 100, and if it is over 2 minutes, the fecal excrement depositing is determined thereby. Then, the opening/closing unit 200 is opened to discharge the amount of water set in accordance with the
deposit of the urine or fecal excrement determined by the control unit 100 to the toilet bowl body so as to conduct the disposal of the urine or fecal excrement collected in the toilet bowl body. Thus, the water being supplied from a water faucet is sent to the operating unit 300, and the opening/closing unit 200 is mounted on a water inlet pipe that supplies water from the water faucet to a bidet 20.
At this time, the time period of the water supply to the operating unit 300, that is, the opened time of the opening/closing unit 200 is controlled to discharge the amount of water set in accordance with the deposit of urine or fecal excrement to the toilet bowl body.
As shown in FIGS.5a to 5d, the water being supplied to the operating unit 300 is passed through the hose 310 connected to the opening/closing unit 200 and is then delivered to the cylinder body 321a of the cylinder 321 through the water inlet 321c of the cylinder 321 of the ascending/descending part 320.
The water delivered to the cylinder body 321a of the cylinder 321 is stored into the lower portion of the ascending/descending guide groove 321b of the cylinder 321 and serves to expand the water pressure-maintaining projection 322e-3 of the sealing member 322e securely mounted into the indent 321d on the cylinder 321, thereby easily maintaining the water pressure even in the state where the water level is low. The expansion of the water pressure- maintaining projection 322e-3 permits the indent 321d to be more strongly pressurized, which causes the bottom surface of the sealing member body 322e-l of the sealing member 322e to be pressurized.
At this time, the water pressure pressurizing the sealing member 322e allows the operating rod 322 to be ascended, and at the same time, as the operating rod 322 is ascended, the elastic member 323 located between the locking protrusion 322b of the operating rod 322 and the fixing support 324 is compressed to generate a restoring force therefrom. In this case, since the fixing support 324 has the plurality of coupling protrusions 324a coupled to the coupling grooves 321h of the cylinder 321, it is not deviated from the cylinder 321, while preventing the elastic member 323 from being deviated from its original position.
The water pressure-maintaining projection 322e-3 of the sealing member 322e that is ascended and descended together with the operating rod 322 is face-contacted with the inner periphery of the ascending/descending guide groove 321b of the cylinder 321, thereby preventing the leakage of water between the sealing member 322e and the ascending/descending guide groove 321b.
In this case, the outer periphery of the water pressure- maintaining projection 322e-3 of the sealing member 322e comes into close contact with the inner periphery of the ascending/descending guide groove 321b of the cylinder 321, such that even though the pressure of the water flowing to the water inlet 321c is relatively low, it can ascend the operating rod 322.
Further, the operating rod 322 is moved to the upper portion of the ascending/descending guide groove 321b of the cylinder 321 by the pressure of the water flowing to the water inlet 321c of the cylinder 321, and at this time, the foreign material-preventing projection 322e-4 of the sealing member 322e is kept at a close contacted state with the inner
periphery of the ascending/descending guide groove 321b of the cylinder 321, such that the foreign materials (such as sediment and sand contained in the water of the water reservoir, or the like) are moved to the upper portion of the ascending/descending guide groove 321b by means of the foreign material-preventing projection 322e-4 and is then discharged to the outside of the cylinder 321 through the plurality of coupling grooves 321h. As the foreign material- preventing projection 322e-4 comes into close contact with the inner periphery of the ascending/descending guide groove 321b, it can prevent the foreign materials from moving toward the water pressure-maintaining projection 322e-3, thereby preventing the damage of the water pressure-maintaining projection 322e-3. If the operating rod 322 is ascended to the upper portion of the ascending/descending guide groove 321b of the cylinder 321 under the above-mentioned procedure, the rotation-supporting member 332 fixed by means of the fixing bolt 334 to the top surface of the operating rod 322 is ascended and at the same time the fixing member 331' of the pull string fixture 331 fixed to the fixing support 324 of the ascending/descending part 320 serves to hold and fix the top end portion of the pull string 14, such that the pull string 14 is moved upwardly while rotating the roller gear 333.
At this time, the moving distance of the pull string 14 moving upwardly while rotating the roller gear 333 is twice as long as the operating rod 322. That is, if the operating rod 322 is moved upwardly by 5cm, the lower end portion of the pull string 14 rotating the roller gear 333 is moved upwardly by 10cm.
As the pull string 14 is moved upwardly, the siphon cover 13 to which one side end portion of the pull string 14 is fixed is turned upwardly with respect to the shaft of the overflow pipe 12, thereby opening the cleaning water- discharging hole 11 of the water reservoir 10, and the water contained in the water reservoir 10 is discharged to the toilet bowl body and to conduct the disposal of the urine or fecal excrement collected in the toilet bowl body.
As the water contained in the water reservoir 10 is discharged through the cleaning water-discharging hole 11, the water level becomes low, such that the floating force of the float 430 of the pressure-releasing unit 400 becomes lost, Thus, when the float 430 is located above the level of the water contained in the water reservoir 10, gravity is generated by the weight of the water contained in the water- containing space portion 434 and at the same time the opening/closing unit 200 is closed by the control of the control unit 100, thereby shutting off the water supply from the water faucet to the operating unit 300. At this time, it is assumed that the complete discharge time period of the water contained in the water reservoir 10 is 10 seconds, and thus, if the water discharging time is over 8 seconds, the opening/closing unit 200 is closed by the control of the control unit 200. If the opening/closing unit 200 is closed, as shown in FIGS.5e to 5g, the float 430 of the pressure-releasing unit 400 having no floating force cannot be supported at the state where the water supply from the water faucet stops, and with the gravity generated by the weight of the water contained in the water-containing space portion 434 of the float 430, further, the float body 431 of the float 430 is moved
downwardly along the float guide protrusion 321f of the cylinder 321 to which the float guide groove 435 is coupled.
At this time, the rotation guide shaft 432 of the float 430 is moved to one side end portion of the ascending/descending space portion 422 of the ascending/descending member 420 and then pressurizes the rotary shaft 410, such that the rotary shaft 410 having the contact face 412 face-contacted with the housing hole 421 of the ascending/descending member 420 is turned downwardly with respect to the discharge hole 321e of the ascending/descending part 320 by the rotation of the ascending/descending member 420 toward the moving direction of the float 430. Thereafter, the discharge guide hole 411 of the rotary shaft 410 becomes located in the same line as the discharge space portion 321e' , thereby allowing the inside and outside of the cylinder body 321a to communicate with each other. So as to ascend the operating rod 322, at the same time, the water stored in the ascending/descending guide groove 321b of the cylinder 321 is discharged through the discharge guide hole 411 of the rotary shaft 410 and the discharge space portion 321e' of the cylinder 321 to the outside of the cylinder body 321a, that is, into the water reservoir 10.
As the water stored in the εiscending/descending guide groove 321b is discharged, the operating rod 322 is moved to the lower portion of the ascending/descending guide groove 321b of the cylinder 321 by the restoring force of the elastic member 323 and by its own weight, while the water pressure-maintaining projection 322e-3 and the foreign material-preventing projection 322e-4 of the sealing member 322e mounted around the mounting groove 322c of the operating
rod 322 are brought into contact with the inner periphery of the ascending/descending guide groove 321b.
As the operating rod 322 is moved downwardly, the rotation-supporting member 332 fixed to the operating rod 322 is also moved downwardly, so that the pull string 14 operating together with the roller gear 333 does not support the siphon cover 13, and the siphon cover 13 having no supporting force from the pull string 14 is turned downwardly with respect to the shaft of the overflow pipe 12, thereby closing the cleaning water-discharging hole 11 of the water reservoir 10.
Furthermore, if the power supply to the opening/closing unit 200 is shut off even at the state where the opening/closing unit 200 is opened to supply the water from the water faucet to the operating unit 300, the opening/closing unit 200 is closed to shut off the water supply from the water faucet, and the siphon cover 13 thus closes the cleaning water-discharging hole 11 of the water reservoir 10 through the above-mentioned above, thereby reducing the consumption of the water supplied from the water faucet even when the power supply is cut off.
If the cleaning water-discharging hole 11 of the water reservoir 10 is closed by means of the siphon cover 13, the water supplied from the water faucet is contained in the water reservoir 10, and in this case, the float guide groove 435 of the float 430 is moved upwardly along the float guide protrusion 321f of the cylinder 321 by the floating force generated from the floating force space portion 433 of the float 430 in accordance with the level of the water contained in the water reservoir 10. At the same time, the float guide groove 435 is moved to the other side of the
ascending/descending space portion 422 of the ascending/descending member 420 coupled to the rotation guide shaft 432 of the float 430, such that the rotary shaft 410 having the contact face 412 face-contacted with the housing hole 421 of the ascending/descending member 420 is also rotated at the inside the discharge hole 321e in the same direction as the rotating direction of the ascending/descending member 420.
At this time, the discharge guide hole 411 formed on the rotary shaft 410 being rotated with respect to the discharge hole 321e of the cylinder 321 together with the ascending/descending member 420 is located inside the discharge hole 321e, as the discharge hole 321e is deviated from the discharge space portion 321e' , thereby causing the inside and outside of the cylinder body 321a not to communication with each other, so that the amount of water corresponding to the amount of water discharged from the water reservoir 10 is supplied from the water faucet and stored in the water reservoir 10. Then, next operations are carried out.
Moreover, the supply time of the water supplied to the operating unit 300 so as to conduct the disposal of the urine or fecal excrement determined by the user sensing time sensed by the seating sensor 10 is controlled by the control unit 100, depending upon the opening/closing time of the opening/closing unit 200, and thus, the amount of water set in accordance with the urine or fecal excrement is discharged to the toilet bowl body.
Further, the siphon cover 13, which is turned upwardly with respect to the shaft of the overflow pipe 12 so as to discharge the amount of water set to conduct the disposal of
the urine, may have a weight M mounted thereon, so that the siphon cover 13 can close the cleaning water-discharging hole 11 of the water reservoir 10 by the weight M. Thus, if the opening/closing unit 200 is closed, the siphon cover 13 is turned downwardly by the load of the weight M mounted thereon even when the water contained in the water reservoir 10 is not completely discharged, thereby closing the cleaning water-discharging hole 11.
Therefore, the siphon cover 13 having the weight M mounted thereon serves to easily discharge the amount of water set to conduct the disposal of urine or fecal excrement, in accordance with the opening time (e.g., the fecal excrement is set to 8 seconds, and the urine to 4 seconds) of the opening/closing unit 200, thereby conducting the disposal of the urine or fecal excrement collected in the toilet bowl body, so that the water consumption upon urine can be saved, which greatly reduces unnecessary water consumption.