TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The disclosure relates to a toilet cleaning system which supplies cleaning water
to a toilet.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] Conventionally, various toilet systems which supply cleaning water mixed with air
bubbles to toilets have been known.
For example, Patent Document 1 mentioned below discloses a toilet device which is
provided with a fine air bubble generator which supplies water together with fine
air bubbles into a storage tank of a toilet and in which cleaning water containing
fine air bubbles flows into the toilet when cleaning operation is executed.
RELATED ART DOCUMENT
PATENT DOCUMENT
[0003] PATENT DOCUMENT 1 : Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.
2008-274615
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION
[0004] The toilet device disclosed in Patent Document 1 mentioned above is able to be cleaned
by cleaning water containing fine air bubbles. However, the fine air bubbles contained
in the cleaning water tend to decrease when the cleaning water flows down an inner
surface of the toilet or flows on the way to a drainage channel such as a drainage
trap, so that further improvement is desired in view of cleaning the drainage channel.
[0005] The present disclosure is proposed in view of the above circumstances, and an object
thereof is to provide a toilet cleaning system capable of efficiently cleaning a drainage
channel connected to a drainage portion of a toilet.
MEANS OF SOLVING THE PROBLEMS
[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a toilet cleaning system according
to one aspect of the present invention includes a water supply channel which supplies
cleaning water to a toilet, a bypass water supply channel which is branched from the
water supply channel and is connected to a drainage channel connected to a drainage
portion of the toilet, and an air bubble mixing portion which bubbles air and mixes
the bubbled air into the cleaning water supplied to the bypass water supply channel.
EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The toilet cleaning system of one aspect of the present invention as constructed
above is able to effectively clean the drainage channel connected to the drainage
portion of the toilet.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008]
Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic system configuration of one example of a toilet cleaning
system of an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2 illustrates a schematic system configuration of one example of a toilet cleaning
system of another embodiment of the present invention.
MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0009] Embodiments of one aspect of the present invention are described below with reference
to the attached drawings.
In the following embodiments, the directions such as up and down directions are explained
under the condition that the toilet is installed.
Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of one example of a toilet cleaning system of the first
embodiment.
[0010] As illustrated in Fig. 1, a toilet cleaning system 1 has a water supply channel 6,
8 which supplies cleaning water to a toilet 2. In this embodiment, the toilet cleaning
system 1 is configured such that cleaning water is supplied to a single toilet 2.
The toilet 2, which is a supply destination of cleaning water, is exemplified as a
urinal for a standing user.
The toilet 2 has a bowl portion (bowl-like portion) 3, a water supply portion 4 connected
to the water supply channel 6, 8, and a drainage portion 5 discharging urine and cleaning
water.
[0011] The water supply portion 4 has a discharge portion such as a spreader which discharges
cleaning water along an inner surface of the bowl portion 3.
The drainage portion 5 constitutes a trap portion in the shape of a bowl or in the
shape of the letter P and is connected to a drainage channel 9. The toilet 2 can be
a so-called floor-type and vertically-long urinal which is installed on the floor,
or a wall-type urinal which is installed so as to be hooked on a wall surface. The
toilet cleaning system 1 can include the toilet 2. In other words, the toilet device
can be constructed with the toilet 2 and the toilet cleaning system 1.
[0012] The toilet cleaning system 1 has a bypass water supply channel 10 which is branched
from the water supply channel 6, 8 and is connected to the drainage channel 9 connected
to the drainage portion 5 of the toilet 2. In the following explanation, the water
supply channel on the upstream side (on the water supply source side) of a branch
portion 10a from which the bypass water supply channel 10 is branched and connected
is defined as an upstream side water supply channel 6, and the water supply channel
on the downstream side (on the side of the toilet 2) of the branch portion 10a is
defined as a downstream side water supply channel 8.
The bypass water supply channel 10 has a bypass valve 11 which opens or closes the
bypass water supply channel 10 to supply or shut off cleaning water. The bypass water
supply channel 10 has a backflow prevention portion 12 such as a backflow prevention
valve (check valve) which prevents backflow of cleaning water to the upstream side.
The backflow prevention portion 12 is provided on the downstream side (on the side
of the drainage channel 9) of the bypass valve 11. An end portion on the downstream
side of the bypass water supply channel 10 is connected to a region which is relatively
close to the drainage portion 5 of the drainage channel 9 which is in the shape of
a horizontally installed pipe. The end portion on the downstream side of the bypass
water supply channel 10 can be connected to the end portion on an upstream side of
a region of the drainage channel 9 provided so as to extend in the approximately horizontal
direction.
[0013] In addition, the toilet cleaning system 1 has an air bubble mixing portion 13 which
bubbles air and mixes the air bubbles into cleaning water supplied to the bypass water
supply channel 10. In the embodiment, the air bubble mixing portion 13 is provided
for the upstream side water supply channel 6 on the upstream side of the branch portion
10a from which the bypass water supply channel 10 is branched and connected and mixes
the air bubble into cleaning water. The air bubble mixing portion 13 can be configured
to mix fine air bubbles of both or one of millimeter order or micrometer order. The
air bubble mixing portion 13 can be configured in such a manner that the void fraction
(area rate of fine air bubbles contained per sectional area unit of fluid) of bubbled
cleaning water mixed with fine air bubbles (cleaning water containing fine air bubbles)
is from 5% to 40%, or more preferably from 10% to 30%.
[0014] In the embodiment, the air bubble mixing portion 13 has a gas-liquid mixing portion
16 in the shape of a venturi pipe provided for the upstream side water supply channel
6 as a sudden pressure change portion and an air introduction portion 14 introducing
air into the gas-liquid mixing portion 16. The air introduction portion 14 can be
constituted in such a manner that a tip end of a pipe is open to the atmosphere or
that an on-ofF valve is provided in the middle of a pipe. In addition, the air introduction
portion 14 can be constituted such that gas including functional gas such as carbon
dioxide gas or ozone gas is introduced into air. In the embodiment, a flow rate adjustment
portion 15 capable of adjusting the flow rate of the air supplied to the gas-liquid
mixing portion 16 is provided on the downstream side of the air introduction portion
14. The void fraction mentioned above can be adjusted by controlling the flow rate
adjustment portion 15.
[0015] The gas-liquid mixing portion 16 has a constricted portion formed in the shape of
a nozzle and air is introduced from the air introduction portion 14 by the ejector
effect by negative pressure action of cleaning water discharged through the constricted
portion. The air bubbles are sheared and minutely divided by a sudden pressure change
action when passing through a narrow diameter portion and a wide diameter portion
of the gas-liquid mixing portion 16, and become fine air bubbles to be mixed in cleaning
water. In such a configuration, when cleaning water flows into the upstream side water
supply channel 6, air is taken in by the negative pressure and bubbled cleaning water
is produced, so that chemical agent is not required to be filled and adverse effect
on the environment caused by discharge of chemical agent hardly occurs.
[0016] The downstream side water supply channel 8 has a water supply valve 7 which opens
and closes the downstream side water supply channel 8, and supplies and shuts off
cleaning water. The water supply valve 7 is provided on the downstream side of the
gas-liquid mixing portion 16. The upstream side water supply channel 6 can be communicated
with a water pipe, which is a water supply source. Namely, the water supply method
of the toilet cleaning system 1 can be a direct water pressure type. In place of the
embodiment in which the water supply valve 7 and the bypass valve 11 are separately
provided, a three-way switching valve which functions as the water supply valve 7
and the bypass valve 11 can be provided for the branch portion 10a.
In the toilet cleaning system 1 configured as mentioned above, with the water supply
valve 7 is open with the bypass valve 11 closed, bubbled cleaning water mixed with
fine air bubbles is produced when cleaning water passes through the gas-liquid mixing
portion 16, and is supplied to the bowl portion 3 of the toilet 2 via the downstream
side water supply channel 8. Such a cleaning operation can be performed by operating
a cleaning operation portion provided for the toilet 2 or by a human body detection
sensor which detects the movement of a human body.
[0017] In addition, when the bypass valve 11 is open with the water supply valve 7 closed,
bubbled cleaning water produced as mentioned above when cleaning water passes through
the gas-liquid mixing portion 16 is directly supplied to the drainage channel 9 via
the bypass water supply channel 10.
For example, a drainage channel cleaning mode in which bubbled cleaning water is supplied
to the bypass water supply channel 10 after the cleaning operation as mentioned above
can be performed. Namely, when the cleaning operation is on, a drainage channel cleaning
mode which supplies bubbled cleaning water to the drainage channel 9 can be executed
after the toilet cleaning mode in which bubbled cleaning water is supplied to the
bowl portion 3 of the toilet 2.
[0018] In addition, when the cleaning operation is not performed for a predetermined time
set in advance, both of or one of the toilet cleaning mode and the drainage channel
cleaning mode can be executed. Namely, when the toilet is not used for a relatively
long time, the cleaning mode can be performed.
Such a cleaning operation is performed by controlling each portion by a control unit
which has a control circuit such as CPU and a storage unit and which is appropriately
provided for the toilet cleaning system 1.
In the drainage channel cleaning mode, bubbled cleaning water can also be supplied
to the bowl portion 3 of the toilet 2. Namely, when the water supply valve 7 and the
bypass valve 11 are open, bubbled cleaning water is branched at the branch portion
10a to be supplied into the bowl portion 3 of the toilet 2 via the downstream side
water supply channel 8 and the drainage channel 9 via the bypass water supply pipe
10.
[0019] In the toilet cleaning system 1 of the embodiment as mentioned above, the drainage
channel 9 connected to the drainage portion 5 of the toile 2 is effectively cleaned.
Namely, the toilet cleaning system 1 has the air bubble mixing portion 13 in which
air is bubbled and mixed with cleaning water supplied to the bypass water supply channel
10. Therefore, bubbled cleaning water is directly supplied to the drainage channel
9 connected with the bypass water supply channel 10 without reaching the toilet 2.
Namely, bubbled cleaning water is supplied to the drainage channel 9 without passing
through the bowl portion 3 and the drainage portion 5. Thus, compared with the embodiment
in which bubbled cleaning water is supplied to the drainage channel 9 via the bowl
portion 3 and the drainage portion 5, air bubbles contained in the bubbled cleaning
water reached the drainage channel 9 are inhibited from reducing. As a result, dirt
such as urine stone (calcium ion and bacteria) adhering to the inner surface of the
drainage channel 9 is absorbed by the air bubbles contained in the bubbled cleaning
water and is effectively removed, thereby effectively inhibiting accumulation of urine
stone.
[0020] In this embodiment, the air bubble mixing portion 13 is provided so as to mix air
bubbles at the upstream side water supply channel 6 on the upstream side of the branch
portion 10a from which the bypass water channel 10 is branched and connected. Therefore,
bubbled cleaning water is also supplied to the toilet 2 and cleaning performance of
the toilet 2 is improved.
In addition, this embodiment is constructed such that bubbled cleaning water is branched
at the branch portion 10a and is simultaneously supplied to both of the toilet 2 and
the bypass water supply channel 10. Therefore, compared with the embodiment in which
bubbled cleaning water is selectively supplied to the toilet 2 and the bypass water
supply channel 10, both of the bowl portion 3 of the toilet 2 and the drainage channel
9 are effectively cleaned.
[0021] Next, another embodiment is explained with reference to the drawings.
In the following embodiment, differences from the first embodiment are mainly explained
and the similar components are allotted with the same reference numerals and their
explanations are omitted or briefly described.
Fig. 2 illustrates a diagrammatic system configuration of one example of a toilet
cleaning system of the second embodiment.
[0022] In a toilet cleaning system 1A of this embodiment, the downstream water supply channel
8 is branched into a plurality of channels (three channels in the figure) and cleaning
water is supplied to a plurality of toilets 2, 2, 2. Branch pipes 8A, 8A, 8A of the
downstream side water supply channel 8 are respectively connected to water supply
portions 4, 4, 4 of the toilets 2, 2, 2. The water supply valves 7, 7, 7 as mentioned
above are respectively provided for the branch pipes 8A, 8A, 8A.
The discharge portions 5, 5, 5 of the toilets 2, 2, 2 are respectively connected with
drainage pipes 9A, 9A, 9A connected to the drainage channel 9 which is in the shape
of a horizontally installed pipe. An end portion on the downstream side of the bypass
water supply channel 10 is connected to a connection portion of the drainage channel
9 and the drainage pipe 9A connected to the toilet 2 on the most upstream side in
the drainage direction of the drainage channel 9. Namely, the end portion on the downstream
side of the bypass water supply channel 10 is connected to an end portion on the upstream
side of a region of the drainage channel 9 provided so as to extend in the approximately
horizontal direction.
The backflow prevention portion 12 as mentioned above is provided at a region on the
downstream side of the bypass water supply channel 10. The bypass valve 11 as mentioned
above is provided on the upstream side of the backflow prevention portion 12 of the
bypass water supply channel 10.
[0023] Also in this embodiment, an air bubble mixing portion 13A is provided so as to mix
air bubbles at an upstream side water supply channel 19 on the upstream side of the
branch portion 10a from which the bypass water channel 10 is branched and connected.
In this embodiment, an end portion on the upstream side of the upstream side water
supply channel 19 is connected to a water storage portion 18. Namely, a water supply
method of the toilet cleaning system 1A is a tank type (pump pressurization type),
not a direct water pressure type.
Cleaning water is supplied to the water storage portion 18 from a water supply pipe
6A such as a water pipe. The water storage portion 18 has a suitable level meter so
as to store cleaning water at a predetermined level.
[0024] In this embodiment, the air bubble mixing portion 13A is configured to generate bubbled
cleaning water mixed with fine air bubbles in such a manner that cleaning water with
air dissolved under pressure is depressurized. In such a configuration, compared with
the embodiment in which fine air bubbles are mixed into cleaning water by shearing
and breaking air bubbles by the pressurization of the sudden pressure change action
as mentioned above, finer air bubbles are mixed into cleaning water.
[0025] The air bubble mixing portion 13A has an air introduction pipe 14A which introduces
air and a pump 15A which sucks air introduced from the air introduction pipe 14A and
sucks cleaning water in the water storage portion 18. The air bubble mixing portion
13A has a dissolution tank 17 connected to a discharge side of the pump 15A, and the
dissolution tank 17 has a gas-liquid mixing tank and a gas-liquid separation tank
and dissolves air into cleaning water by pressurization of the pump 15A. The air bubble
mixing portion 13A has a pressure release portion 16A in the shape of a venturi pipe
for releasing pressure on the downstream side of the dissolution tank 17.
[0026] In the toilet cleaning system 1A configured as mentioned above, the pump 15A is activated
with the bypass valve 11 closed and the water supply valve 7 of the toilet 2 after
cleaning operation is open, then bubbled cleaning water mixed with fine air bubbles
is supplied to the bowl portion 3 of the toilet 2.
In addition, when the pump 15A is activated and the bypass valve 11 is open, similar
to the first embodiment mentioned above, bubbled cleaning water can be directly supplied
to the drainage channel 9 via the bypass water supply pipe 10. In addition, when the
pump 15A is activated and the bypass valve 11 is open with all of the water supply
valves 7, 7, 7 closed, bubbled cleaning water can be supplied only to the bypass water
supply channel 10. Similar to the above, bubbled cleaning water can be simultaneously
supplied to both of at least the bowl portion 3 of the toilet 2 and the bypass water
supply channel 10.
[0027] The toilet cleaning system 1A of the embodiment as mentioned above has the approximately
same effect as the first embodiment. In addition, in this embodiment, the drainage
channel 9 connected to the drainage portions 5, 5, 5 of the toilets 2, 2, 2 is effectively
cleaned.
Parts of the different configurations in the above-mentioned embodiments can be combined
or exchanged with each other. The above-mentioned components of the toilet cleaning
systems 1, 1A in each embodiment are only examples and various modifications are possible.
In the above-mentioned embodiments, the toilet 2 to be cleaned in the toilet cleaning
systems 1, 1A is exemplified as a urinal; however, a squat-type or seat-type toilet
can be used.
DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCE NUMERAL
[0028]
- 1, 1A
- toilet cleaning system
- 2
- toilet
- 5
- drainage portion
- 6, 19
- upstream side water supply channel (water supply channel)
- 8
- downstream side water supply channel (water supply channel)
- 9
- drainage channel
- 10
- bypass water supply channel
- 10a
- branch portion
- 13, 13A
- air bubble mixing portion