Pressure-assisted toilet flush cartridge
A pressure assisted toilet flush cartridge that reduces noise output by controlling water flow. One aspect of the noise reduction is to reduce the initial discharge increase in flow rate. Another aspect is to create a vortex in discharge water to reduce cavitation and quiet the discharged water flow through the bowl.
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The present invention relates to a pressure assisted toilets, and more specifically to a flush cartridge for a pressure assisted toilet.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONA pressure assisted toilet system typically includes a vessel, a supply system and a flush cartridge. The supply system typically includes a backflow prevention and a pressure regulator to ensure that the vessel is maintained below a desired pressure. Since the vessel is fully sealed, it retains the supply pressure after each flush cycle refill. This supply pressure, typically 45-55 psi, pressurizes the pressure tank to its prescribed level and provides a motive force for a subsequent flush of a toilet bowl. Prior art pressure assisted toilet systems are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,223,698, 5,361,426, and RE37,921 the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
A disadvantage of the prior art pressure assisted toilet system is that the noise generated during flushing has restricted its use in residential applications where excessive noise is undesirable. This noise is partially due to the rapid change in water flow rate, cavitation, and flow direction. Additionally, multiple parts are required to flush prior art toilets, thus adding to the expense of these systems. What is needed, therefore, is a pressure assisted toilet system that controls the flow of water such that noise is reduced to more acceptable levels.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to reducing the noise output of a pressure assisted toilet. The inventor has found that reducing the rate of initial water flow during a flush and swirling the water discharge from the pressure tank to the bowl individually reduce undesirable noise, and that a combination of these two reduce noise even further when compared to units such as, for example, the U.S. Pat. No. 4,223,698 Patent.
An embodiment of the pressure assisted toilet flush cartridge includes a generally cylindrical housing having a top end, a bottom end, an internal surface and a discharge aperture having a first predetermined area. The cartridge further includes a flush valve interposed within the housing and having a top flange, a generally conical hollow body with a top flange opening, and a lower extension, where the flange and the internal surface define a generally annular gap having a second predetermined area, and where the first predetermined area is larger than the second predetermined area.
Another embodiment of the present invention provides a flush valve for a pressure assisted toilet that includes a top outer edge circumscribing a predetermined area, a flush valve seal selectively in sealing contact with a vessel outlet and a generally hollow body connecting the top outer edge and the valve seal. The body has an opening and contains a predetermined volume of water, where the volume of water provides a motive force to assist reseating the flush valve seal to seat with a vessel outlet.
A further embodiment includes method of reducing noise in a pressure assisted toilet that includes imparting a swirling effect in a fluid discharged from the pressure tank to create a vortex.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
With reference to
The flush valve 90 includes a seal retaining portion 108, a seal 110, a top flange 112, a generally hollow frusto-conical body 114 extending therebetween, a lower portion 116 extending below the seal 110, and a top flange opening 120 that extends from body 114 past top flange 112, thus providing a hole for filling body 114 of flush valve 90, as discussed below. Preferably, seal 110 is a conventional o-ring that is restrained within seal retaining portion 108 and extending radially therefrom in sealing contact with discharge outlet 78 when flush valve 90 is closed, as discussed in greater detail below. Top flange 112 includes a top outer edge 118 that defines a predetermined area.
A generally annular gap 122 is located between top outer edge 118 and internal surface 100. Gap 122 increases slightly as flush valve 90 rises within outer housing 88 due to the taper of internal surface 100. Gap 122 allows fluid to pass from pressure tank 74 to flush cartridge 82, as discussed below.
Lower portion 116 is illustrated with a helical groove 126 formed therein. Helical groove 126 is illustrated with a semi-circular section, although any suitable section may be formed on lower portion 116. The effective width, W of helical groove 126 increases as helical groove 126 extends away from seal retaining portion 108. As best seen in
While body 114 is described as being frusto-conical shaped, body 114 may be any suitable shape that retains fluid and connects top flange 12 to seal retaining portion 108. Flange opening 120 allows water to enter body 114 while body 114 retains the water to provide a downward force (illustrated as D in
With specific reference to
The area of passageway 130 (
When installed, system 70 is filled with water through inlet 80. The American National Standard mandates that the typical residential water pressure range between 20 psi to no more than 80 psi. Preferably, a pressure relief valve (not shown) is located in the water line between a water source and inlet 80 to restrict inlet water pressure to the desired pressure (usually around 25 psi). After filling, vessel 74 is pressurized to the inlet water pressure setting. This tank pressure urges seal 110 into a binding contact with discharge outlet 78 and grommet seal 162 into a binding contact with outlet 146. Since air is compressible and water is not, as vessel 74 refills after being flushed, the air within the vessel 74 and flush cartridge 82 is compressed into flush cartridge 82. During the first fill, some water will pass through gap 122 and enter body 114. When the pressure within vessel 74, flush cartridge 82, and actuation assembly 140 equalize, flow into the assembly ceases.
In operation, an operator rotates actuation handle 160 such that grommet seal 162 is unseated from outlet 146. This releases compressed fluid from actuator assembly 140 and outer housing 88 such that the pressure above flush valve 90 is reduced and falls below the pressure within vessel 74. The pressure above flush valve 90 falls below the pressure within vessel 74 because the area of passageway 130 is greater than the area defined by gap 122 plus the area defined by gap. The relationship between outlets 130 and 146 to gaps 122 & 124 is critical because if their combined area is too close to equal, the flush valve's lift will be restricted causing an insufficient discharge flow rate to cause proper extraction of the water closet bowl. fluid released through outlet 146 flows into the china housing (not shown) and eventually through a drain passageway into the water closet bowl.
The greater pressure below flush valve 90 causes flush valve 90 to rise. When flush valve 90 rises, seal 110 unseats from discharge outlet 78, thereby permitting water from vessel 74 to escape through discharge outlet 78. After the majority of water within pressure tank 74 has discharged through discharge outlet 78, thereby reducing the pressure within pressure tank 74, flush valve 90 falls due to the force of gravity and seal 110 reseats on discharge outlet 78. Because the water within body 114 of flush valve 90 is retained, this creates an extra force that ensures that the flush valve falls, or returns to a seated position. Flush valve lower portion 116 ensures that the flush valve 90 remains centered for proper seating and sealing. As pressure tank 74 refills, pressure within pressure tank 74 increases, thereby ensuring a proper seat between seal 110 and discharge outlet 78, and grommet seal 162 and outlet 146.
Helical grooves 126 divert the water flowing through gap 124 into a swirling pattern, or vortex, as a portion of the flowing water flows within each helical groove 126. As flush valve 90 begins to lift from its seat on surface 84, a limited amount of water is allowed to flow through discharge outlet 78 as the effective area defined by gap 124 is limited by dimension W1 of helical grooves 126 and the clearance between surface 86 and lower portion 116. As flush valve 90 continues to rise, the effective area defined by gap 124 increases as the width of helical grooves increase, thereby permitting greater flow. This characteristic of flush valve 90 results in a gradual increase in flow of water through discharge outlet 78 as flush valve 90 rises.
As best seen in
Additionally, the vortex imparted into the flow illustrated in
While the invention has been described with respect to specific examples including preferred modes of carrying out the invention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are numerous variations and permutations of the above described systems and techniques that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. Specifically, bowl tolerances and hydraulic designs may effect the overall noise levels during a flush.
Claims
1. A mechanism for initiating a flush of a pressure assisted toilet, comprising:
- a generally cylindrical housing having a top end, a bottom end, an internal surface and a discharge aperture having a first predetermined area;
- a flush valve interposed within said housing and having a top flange, a generally hollow body with a top flange opening, and a lower extension, wherein said flange and said internal surface define a generally annular gap having a second predetermined area, and wherein said first predetermined area is larger than the second predetermined area.
2. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein said flush valve further comprises a flush valve seal selectively in sealing contact with a pressure tank outlet.
3. The mechanism of claim 2, wherein said hollow body selectively contains a predetermined volume of water, and wherein said volume of water provides a motive force to assist said flush valve seal to seat with the pressure tank outlet.
4. The mechanism of claim 2, wherein said lower extension selectively extends through the pressure tank outlet.
5. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein said housing further comprises a retaining element disposed on said internal surface, wherein said retaining element interferes with said top flange to prevent said flush valve from undesirably passing through said bottom end.
6. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein said wherein said lower extension has a generally helical muffler surface.
7. The mechanism of claim 6, wherein said generally helical muffler surface comprises a helical groove formed within said lower extension.
8. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein said lower extension imparts a vortex in fluid flowing past said lower extension.
9. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein said flush valve is actuated by a decrease in pressure within said housing.
10. A flush valve for a pressure assisted toilet, comprising:
- an edge circumscribing a first predetermined area;
- a flush valve seal selectively in sealing contact with a vessel outlet;
- a generally hollow body connecting said edge and said valve seal and having an opening, wherein said hollow body selectively contains a predetermined volume of water, and wherein said volume of water provides a motive force to assist said flush valve seal to seat with a vessel outlet.
11. The flush valve of claim 10, further comprising a lower extension, wherein said lower extension has a generally helical muffler surface.
12. The flush valve of claim 11, wherein said generally helical muffler surface comprises a helical groove formed within said lower extension.
13. The flush valve of claim 11, wherein said generally helical muffler surface comprises a helical fin extending from said lower extension.
14. The flush valve of claim 10, wherein said flush valve is selectively interposed within an outer housing of a flush cartridge, the flush cartridge including a passageway of a second predetermined area, said edge and an internal surface of the outer housing define a generally annular gap having a third predetermined area;
- wherein a lower portion of said flush valve is selectively interposed within a discharge outlet, said lower portion and the discharge outlet defining a gap having a fourth predetermined area; and
- wherein the second predetermined area is greater than the combination of the third predetermined area and the fourth predetermined area.
15. The flush valve of claim 10, wherein said lower extension creates a vortex in fluid flowing past said lower extension.
16. A method of reducing flushing noise in a pressure assisted toilet, wherein the pressure assisted toilet includes a pressure-assisted tank, the method comprising:
- imparting a swirling effect in a fluid discharged from the pressure tank to create a vortex.
17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:
- determining an initial flow rate of water discharged from said pressure tank; and
- reducing the initial flow rate.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein said vortex is created outside said pressure tank.
19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:
- determining the a maximum flow rate of water discharged from said pressure tank; and
- reducing said maximum flow rate.
20. The method of claim 16, further comprising limiting the initial discharge flow rate from the pressure tank by limiting the effective area for flow of fluid as the fluid begins to flow.
21. A flush valve cartridge for a toilet comprising:
- an outer housing having an internal surface;
- a passageway having a first predetermined area to permit flow of a fluid; and
- a flush valve at least partially interposed within said outer housing, said flush valve including an edge and a lower portion, wherein said edge and said internal surface define a gap having a second predetermined area, said lower portion is at least partially interposed within a discharge outlet of the toilet, said lower portion and said discharge outlet defining a generally annular gap having a third predetermined area, and wherein said first predetermined area is larger than the combination of said second predetermined area and said third predetermined area.
22. The cartridge of claim 21, wherein said lower portion is selectively raised relative to the discharge outlet and said third predetermined area increases as said lower portion is selectively raised.
23. The cartridge of claim 21, wherein said flush valve further comprises a generally hollow body selectively adapted to fill with a fluid.
24. The cartridge of claim 21, further comprising a helical groove formed on said lower portion.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 20, 2005
Publication Date: Dec 21, 2006
Applicant:
Inventor: Raymond Martin (Bloomfield Hills, MI)
Application Number: 11/156,718
International Classification: E03D 1/00 (20060101);