Subject of the Invention

The subject of the invention relates to a cabin structure, in which the users are informed basically about the use state of the cabin and the movements of the cabin door and which thus provides the users with the possibility of using the cabin in a touchless, controlled, safe, hygienic and comfortable manner.

State of the Art

Most of the doors of the toilet cabins available in the public spaces include a mechanical hinge wherein the doors are opened and closed upon a door handle being contacted and are locked by means of a mechanical lock. In order to prevent the diseases that are transmitted by contact and that profoundly affect the public health, it is necessary to frequently and effectively clean the toilet and sink cabins in the public spaces and the private spaces. However, as far as the cabins in the public spaces, the cleaning of which is the responsibility of the third parties, are concerned, the frequency and the efficiency of cleaning are not known by the users. It is known that the uncertainty about whether the ideal conditions of hygiene are provided troubles the users and that some users, as a result of this unease, prefer opening and closing the cabin doors by contacting the doors with a piece of toilet paper.

In an effort to address the hygiene concerns by preventing the contact with the doors, the sensors and the electrical actuators are recently employed, which are triggered in a touchless manner to enable the doors to open and/or close and/or to enable the doors to be locked and/or unlocked. A switch equipped with a sensor is disposed in the cabins at a position accessible to the user. However, the user is not able to know how the door will behave while opening, closing and locking in the cabins comprising these components. Not knowing how the door will behave may cause the door to impact the user. Moreover, a user wishing to use the cabin is not informed about whether the cabin is currently in use and he/she may cause discomfort to another user inside the cabin in case he/she attempts to open the door despite the presence of another person in the cabin.

In order to eliminate said drawbacks, a cabin structure has been developed within the scope of the invention, wherein said cabin structure comprises at least one sensor and at least one actuator enabling the cabin door to touchlessly perform the functions including but not limited to opening, closing, locking and unlocking, and the light guides, which send light onto the surfaces to inform the user that the cabin is not available for use and/or the cabin is available for use and/or the cabin door is locked and/orthe cabin door is unlocked and/or to inform the user about the opening-closing direction of the cabin door and the similar conditions and which thus provide guidance to the user. Owing to the invention, the user is basically informed about the use state of the cabin and all the movements of the cabin door, the user is enabled to take precautions as he/she knows the movement direction of the door and the impacts are thus precluded, and the user is able to use the cabin in a more controlled and safer manner as he/she knows the use state of the cabin. While the guide would be able to send onto the surface a light in a different color for each situation, it would further be able to enable the light to reflect from the surface in the form of a particular figure or word.

Object of the Invention

An object of the invention is to develop a cabin structure, which enables the user to learn basically the use state of the cabin and the trajectory of the cabin door without contacting the cabin and thus offers the user the possibility of hygienic use.

Another object of the invention is to develop a cabin structure, which enables the user inside or outside the cabin to wait out of the trajectory of the door until the door opens or closes and thus prevents the door from impacting the user and offers the possibility of safe use.

Another object of the invention is to develop a cabin structure offering the possibility of comfortable use wherein the user inside the cabin is not bothered during the use as a result of the cabin door being knocked or pushed by another user arriving to use the cabin.

Description of the Figures

Figure 1: A perspective view of the cabin in a preferred embodiment of the invention

Figure 2: A top view of the cabin in a preferred embodiment of the invention

Figure 3: A view, from the interior of the cabin, of the cabin door in a preferred embodiment of the invention

Figure 4: A top view of a preferred embodiment of the invention when not in use

Figure 5: A top view of a preferred embodiment of the invention when in use

Figure 6: A top view of a preferred embodiment of the invention in a state where the cabin door is locked

Figure 7: A top view of a preferred embodiment of the invention in a state where the cabin door is unlocked

Reference Numerals

1: Cabin door

2: Actuator

3: Sensor

4: Panel

5: Light guide

6: Upper beam

7: Side beam

8: Cabin Wall Y: Trajectory

Description of the Invention

The subject of the invention relates to a cabin structure, in which the users are informed basically about the use state of the cabin and the movements of the cabin door and which thus provides the users with the possibility of using the cabin in a touchless, controlled, safe, hygienic and comfortable manner.

The cabin structure according to the invention basically comprises at least one sensor (3), which enables the cabin door (1) to be controlled by detecting the presence of a user, at least one actuator (2), which enables the cabin door (1) to move according to the data coming from the sensor (3), and at least one light guide (5), which enables the user to be informed about the cabin by sending light onto at least one surface visible to the users inside and/or outside the cabin according to their position and orientation, based on the data coming from the sensor (3). The light guide (5) is able to send onto the surface a light in a different color or a light in the form of a different figure or word for each condition.

The cabin structure according to the invention further comprises at least one control unit, which activates the actuator (2) and the light guides (5) by interpreting the data coming from the sensor (3).

The light guide (5) that the cabin structure according to the invention comprises enables the user to be provided with information including but not limited to the cabin being available for use and/or the cabin being not available for use and/or the cabin being out of order and/or the cabin door (1) being locked and/or the cabin door (1) being unlocked and/or the trajectory (Y) of the cabin door (1).

The light guide (5) is disposed preferably on the cabin door (1) and/or on the cabin walls (8) and/or on the door beams and/or on the surface coat outside the cabin, at a position where it will be able to see the surface inside and/or outside the cabin.

In the embodiments of the cabin structure according to the invention comprising a single light guide (5), said light guide (5) is disposed at a position and with an orientation where it will be able to see both at least one surface inside the cabin and at least one surface outside the cabin, for example on the upper beam (6) if there is a gap between the cabin door (1) and the upper beam (6) of the cabin, for the purpose of providing information to the users both inside and outside the cabin.

In some preferred embodiments, the cabin structure according to the invention comprises at least one light guide (5), which is disposed at a position where it will be able to see a surface outside the cabin and which enables the user outside the cabin to be provided with information, and at least one other light guide (5), which is disposed at a position where it will be able to see a surface inside the cabin and which enables the user inside the cabin to be provided with information.

In one of said embodiments of the cabin structure according to the invention, the light guide (5) disposed at a position where it will be able to see a surface outside the cabin enables the user outside the cabin to be informed about the cabin being available for use and/or the cabin being not available for use and/or the cabin being out of order and/or the trajectory (Y) of the cabin door (1), while the light guide (5) disposed at a position where it will be able to see a surface inside the cabin enables the user inside the cabin to be informed about the cabin door (1) being locked and/or the cabin door (1) being unlocked and/or the trajectory (Y) of the cabin door (1).

In one of said embodiments of the cabin structure according to the invention, one of the light guides (5) is disposed on the inner surface of the cabin door (1) and the other the light guide (5) is disposed on the outer surface of the cabin door (1), and thus, these light guides (5) move together with the door to mark the trajectory (Y) of the door. In this embodiment, the sensors (3) are positioned preferably symmetrically.

The preferred embodiments of the cabin structure according to the invention are not limited to the disclosed embodiments and the number of the light guides (5) to be included in the cabin structure and the functions of said light guides may vary depending on their position and orientation.

The sensor (3) included in the cabin structure according to the invention enables to perform the functions including but not limited to opening and/or closing and/or locking the cabin door (1) from the inside. The sensor/s (3) may be positioned on the surfaces inside the cabin, for example on the cabin door (1) and/or on the cabin walls (8) and/or on the door beams.

In some preferred embodiments, the cabin structure according to the invention comprises at least one sensor (3) for enabling the cabin door (1) to be opened, at least one sensor (3) for enabling the cabin door (1) to be closed and at least one sensor (3) for enabling the cabin door (1) to be locked; i.e. at least three sensors (3), which enable the door to be controlled from the inside. In said embodiments, the sensors (3) are positioned preferably on the side beams (7) inside the cabin.

In some preferred embodiments, the cabin structure according to the invention comprises, in addition to at least one sensor (3) positioned inside the cabin and enabling the door to be controlled from the inside, at least one other sensor (3), which is positioned outside the cabin and which thus enables the cabin door to be left closed following the use of the cabin in order to prevent the contamination, enables the cabin doorto be opened from the outside and enables the doorto be locked from the outside; i.e., at least one other sensor (3), which enables the cabin door to be controlled also from the outside.

The sensor/s (3) enabling the cabin door (1) to be controlled from the outside may be positioned on the surfaces outside the cabin, for example on the door and/or on the door beams and/or on the surface coat.

In one of said embodiments, the cabin structure according to the invention comprises at least one sensor (3) for enabling the cabin door (1) to be opened from the outside, at least one sensor (3) for enabling the cabin door (1) to be closed from the outside and at least one sensor (3) for enabling the cabin door (1) to be locked from the outside; i.e., at least three sensors (3), which enable the door to be controlled from the outside. In said embodiments, the sensors (3) are positioned preferably on the side beams (7) outside the cabin.

In some preferred embodiments, the cabin structure according to the invention comprises, in addition to the main components, at least one other sensor (3), which detects the presence of an object within the trajectory (Y) of the cabin door (1). In case an object is detected to be present within the movement range of the cabin door (1), the light guide (5) can send onto the surface a light in a different color or a light in the form of a different figure or word in order to warn the user and prevent the accidents.

The sensor/s (3) included in the cabin structure according to the invention is/are preferably the sensor/s (3) capable of measuring the distance/proximity.

In case the user triggers the sensor (3) to enable the cabin door (1) to close after entering the cabin, the actuator (2), which is positioned preferably inside the upper beam (6) of the cabin door (1), enables the door to move in the direction of closing. In case the user triggers the sensor (3) to enable the cabin door (1) to open after using the cabin, the actuator (2) enables the door to move in the direction of opening. Upon the movement of the door, at least one light guide (5) is activated and marks the trajectory (Y) of the door by sending light onto a surface, preferably onto the floor. It will be possible to mark the trajectory (Y) of the door with the light in a preferred color. While said light may be a flashing light, it may also be intermittent. It will also be possible to enable the light to reflect from a surface within the trajectory (Y) of the door and visible to the user inside and/or outside the cabin, in the form of the word "CLOSING" or "OPENING". In this way, the user inside and/or outside the cabin is informed about the trajectory (Y) of the door, the user is enabled to wait at a position not within the trajectory (Y) of the door while said door is opening and/or closing and the door is prevented from impacting the user inside the cabin in case it is an inward-opening door or from impacting the user outside the cabin in case it is an outward-opening door.

In order to enable a user approaching to use the cabin to obtain information about the use state of the cabin without having to knock or push the cabin door (1), i.e., without having to contact the door, the light guide (5) may be activated to send light in a particular color or in the form of a figure or word onto a surface outside the cabin. For example, the light in the form of a word such as "EMPTY" or "AVAILABLE" or "NOT IN USE" in case the cabin is not currently being used, the light in the form of a word such as "OCCUPIED" or "UNAVAILABLE" or "IN USE" in case the cabin is currently being used and the light in the form of a word such as "OUT OF USE" or "IN MAINTENANCE" or "OUT OF ORDER" in case there is a malfunction in the cabin may be enabled to reflect from a surface visible to the user outside the cabin. In this way, it will be possible for the user outside the cabin to learn about the use state of the cabin without having to contact the door, and the user outside the cabin, since he/she will not knock or push the door, will not disturb the user currently using the cabin.

After the cabin door (1) is closed, the user will be able to enable the door to be locked by triggering the sensor (3). It will further be possible for the door to be automatically locked after a certain duration following the closing of the door, without a second triggering action. It will further be possible to automatically unlock the door upon the user triggering the sensor (3) to enable the door to open. When the door is closed, the user may be informed again with the help of the light guide (5) that the door should be locked or the lock has been locked. For example, the light in the form of a word such as "LOCKED" in case the door is locked and the light in the form of a word such as "UNLOCKED" in case the door is unlocked may be enabled to reflect from a surface visible to the user outside the cabin.

In a preferred embodiment, the cabin structure according to the invention comprises a panel (4) preferably disposed on the upper beam (6) of the cabin door (1) and extending from the door to the interior of the cabin, into which panel (4) at least one sensor (3) and/or at least one light guide (5) may be positioned.

In a preferred embodiment, the cabin structure according to the invention comprises a panel (4) preferably disposed on the upper beam (6) of the cabin door (1) and extending from the door to the exterior of the cabin, into which panel (4) at least one sensor (3) and/or at least one light guide (5) may be positioned.

In a preferred embodiment, the cabin structure according to the invention may comprise, in addition to the light guide (5), at least one audible guide for the visually handicapped users. In this embodiment, the users are also provided with audible information including but not limited to the trajectory (Y) of the cabin door (1), whether an object is present within this trajectory (Y), whether the cabin is currently in use, whether the cabin is out of order or whether the cabin door is locked. In this way, the level of interaction is enhanced also for the users without visual impairment.

Owing to the disclosed cabin structure, the user is informed about the use state of the cabin and all the movements of the cabin door (1) and the user figures out the state of the cabin and enables the door to move without contacting any surface. It becomes possible to enable the user to take precautions and to prevent the accidents, since the user may see the movement direction of the door, and it is further made possible to avoid any disturbance to the user inside the cabin and to use the cabin in a more controlled and safer manner. In other words, the safety, privacy and health of the user are protected owing to the invention.