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![](https://data.epo.org/publication-server/img/EPO_BL_WORD.jpg) |
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EP 2 484 574 B1 |
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EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION |
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Mention of the grant of the patent: |
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07.08.2013 Bulletin 2013/32 |
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Date of filing: 07.02.2011 |
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International Patent Classification (IPC):
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A water storage and distribution system having a water tank by pass
Wasseraufbewahrungs- und -verteilungssystem mit einer Wassertankumgangsleitung
Système de stockage et de distribution d'eau doté d'un bypass du réservoir d'eau
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Designated Contracting States: |
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AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL
NO PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR |
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Date of publication of application: |
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08.08.2012 Bulletin 2012/32 |
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Proprietors: |
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- ALSTOM Transport SA
92300 Levallois-Perret (FR)
- ALTE TRANSPORTATION, S.L.
08185 Lliçà de Vall (ES)
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Inventors: |
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- Sanchez, Sebastian
08100 Mollet del Valles (ES)
- Pich Martinez, David
08272 Sant Cugat del Valles
(Barcelona) (ES)
- Julio Muyo, Jose
08029 Barcelona (ES)
- Puebla Ribas, Dicad
08319 Dosrius (ES)
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Representative: Domenego, Bertrand |
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Cabinet Lavoix
2, place d'Estienne d'Orves 75441 Paris Cedex 09 75441 Paris Cedex 09 (FR) |
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References cited: :
EP-A1- 0 295 508 FR-A1- 2 286 922
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EP-A1- 0 555 984
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Note: Within nine months from the publication of the mention of the grant of the European
patent, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to
the European patent
granted. Notice of opposition shall be filed in a written reasoned statement. It shall
not be deemed to
have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent
Convention).
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[0001] The invention pertains to a system for storing and distributing water, the system
comprising a water tank having a fresh water inlet, a collected water inlet, and a
main water outlet; a fresh water conduit connected to the fresh water inlet; and a
main drain connected to the main water outlet.
[0002] Prior art systems according to the preamble of claim 1 are known for instance from
FR-A-2 286 922.
[0003] It is getting more and more important to reduce the weight of all components on vehicles
such as trains. In vehicles with sanitary facilities, there are two components whose
weight has a big contribution to the total weight of the vehicle, namely the fresh
water tank and the waste water tank.
[0004] At the same time, it is required to have more autonomy of the sanitary facilities
between filling operations of the fresh water tank, and especially between emptying
operations of the waste water tank. Higher autonomies result in bigger tanks, while
of course the weight and volume of the equipments increase.
[0005] In vehicles with the usual sanitary facilities, fresh water is used both for the
wash basin and the toilet bowl. For every use of the sanitary facilities, 0.4 (aprox.)
liters are used on the wash basin and 0.4 (aprox) liters on the toilet bowl (0.2 effluent
evacuation + 0.2 after cleaning).
[0006] In more recent sanitary facilities for vehicles, thanks to a grey water recovery
system, the water used on the wash basin is re-used on the toilet bowl, and therefore,
less quantity of water is required for the autonomy requested. The size of fresh and
waste water tanks can be then optimized taking into account the recovery operation.
Less fresh water is needed to cover the basin and bowl functions (smaller fresh water
tank), and so less water will be also kept with human effluents (smaller waste water
tank). The system allows reducing the size of the tanks and the weight on the vehicle.
Figure 1 shows a known sanitary facility with a grey water recovery system. These
facilities are currently implemented in the Euro tunnel shuttles.
Figure 1 illustrates the sanitary facility 100 of a railway carriage. The main components
of sanitary facility 100 are a main fresh water tank 102, an intermediate fresh water
tank 104, a wash basin 106, a toilet bowl 108, a waste water tank 110 and a grey water
tank 112. The grey water tank 112 is used to recover the water coming from the wash
basin 106 to flush the toilet bowl 108. The sanitary facility 100 comprises three
filters 114 to 118. The first filter 114 is located between the wash basin 106 and
the grey water tank 112, the second filter 116 is located inside the grey water tank
112, and the third filter 118 is located between the grey water tank 112 and the toilet
bowl 108.
[0007] A major drawback of this known sanitary facility 100 is the complete shut-down of
the facility in case of a filter blockage or a faulty grey water tank 112. Indeed,
if the grey water tank 112 is out of order, the toilet bowl 108 can no longer be provided
with flushing water, which means that the sanitary facility 100 must enter an "out
of service" mode with the corresponding impact on the comfort of the passengers of
the railway carriage.
[0008] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a more reliable
water storage and distribution system.
[0009] This object is achieved by a system for storing and distributing water of the aforementioned
type being characterised by a water tank bypass connecting the fresh water conduit
to the main drain and by a device for switching the system between a first mode, wherein
the bypass is closed and the main water outlet is open, and a second mode, wherein
the bypass is open and the main water outlet is closed.
[0010] Thanks to the provision of a water tank by-pass and the corresponding switching device,
the system remains operational even in case of a water tank malfunction. Indeed, if
such a malfunction occurs, the switching device switches the system into the second
mode, thus by-passing the water tank. The toilet bowl can then be directly flushed
with fresh water such that the main system function is maintained.
[0011] Preferred embodiments of the inventive water storage and distribution system have
one or several of the following features:
- the first mode is the system's main operational mode, and the second mode is a degraded
operational mode;
- the switching device is adapted for switching to the second mode upon detection of
a system malfunction;
- the switching device comprises a manually or automatically operated three-way valve;
- the three-way valve has three terminals, the first terminal being connected to the
water tank bypass, the second terminal being connected to the main drain, and the
third terminal being connected to the main water outlet;
- a fresh water pollution prevention valve in the fresh water conduit;
- a filter at the bottom of the water tank, wherein the collected water inlet leads
into said filter;
- the water tank further comprises a water evacuation outlet;
- the water tank further comprises a water overflow outlet;
- the water tank further comprises at least one of a first sensor for detecting a high
water level inside the water tank and a second sensor for detecting a low water level
inside the water tank;
- a water tank cleaning circuit;
- the system is a greywater recovery system.
[0012] The invention also relates to a sanitary facility comprising the afore-mentioned
water storage and distribution system; a wash basin having a basin drain connected
to the collected water inlet; a toilet bowl having a bowl inlet connected to the main
drain; and a fresh water tank having an outlet connected to the fresh water conduit.
[0013] Preferably, the sanitary facility further comprises a wastewater tank having an inlet
connected to the water evacuation outlet.
[0014] The invention also relates to a vehicle, and in particular a railway carriage, comprising
the aforementioned sanitary facility.
[0015] The invention will be better understood when reading the following exemplary and
non limiting description in conjunction with the drawings, in which :
- figure 1 is a diagram of a prior art sanitary facility;
- figure 2 is a diagram of a sanitary facility according to the invention ;
- figure 3 is an elevational and sectional view of the grey water tank of the facility
of figure 2 ;
- figure 4 illustrates the facility of figure 2 in its main operational mode ; and
- figure 5 illustrates the facility of figure 2 in its degraded operational mode.
[0016] Figure 2 shows a sanitary facility 200 according to the invention. The sanitary facility
200 is installed in a vehicle such as a railway carriage. The main components of sanitary
facility 200 are a fresh water tank 202, a wash basin 204, a waste water tank 206,
a toilet bowl 208 and a water storage and distribution system, namely a grey water
recovery system 209. The grey water recovery system 209 has a grey water input 210,
a fresh water input 212, a waste water output 214 and a flushing water output 216.
The grey water input 210 is connected to the drain 218 of wash basin 204. The fresh
water input 212 is connected to the outlet 220 of fresh water tank 202. The waste
water output 214 is connected to the inlet 222 of the waste water tank 206. The flushing
water output 216 is connected to the inlet 224 of the toilet bowl 208. The fresh water
tap 226 of the wash basin 204 is connected to the outlet 220 of fresh water tank 202.
[0017] The grey water recovery system 209 may also have a further cleaning circuit input
228.
[0018] The central element of the grey water recovery system 209 is a grey water tank 230.
The grey water tank 230 has a fresh water inlet 232, a collected water inlet 234,
a main water outlet 236, a water evacuation outlet 238 and a water overflow outlet
240. A fresh water conduit 242 connects the fresh water input 212 with the fresh water
inlet 232. A fresh water pollution prevention valve 244 and a fresh water feed valve
246 are located in the fresh water conduit 242. The collected water inlet 234 is connected
to the grey water input 210.
[0019] A main drain 248 connects the main water outlet 236 to the flushing water output
216. A grey water tank by-pass 250 connects the fresh water conduit 242 to the main
drain 248. The connection between the main water outlet 236, the grey water tank by
pass 250 and the main drain 248 is implemented via a switching device 252. The switching
device 252 is preferably a three-way valve with three terminals 254, 256, and 258.
The first terminal 254 is connected to the grey water tank by-pass 250, the second
terminal 256 is connected to the main drain 248, and the third terminal 258 is connected
to the main water outlet 236. A non return valve 260 is located in the main drain
248.
[0020] The water evacuation outlet 238 is connected, via an evacuation valve 262, to the
evacuation output 214. The water overflow outlet 240 leads, via an overflow valve
264, to a discharge area 266. In the context of a railway carriage, the discharge
area 266 corresponds to the railway tracks.
[0021] The grey water tank 230 may also comprise a cleaning nozzle 268. This nozzle 268
is connected, via a non return valve 270, to the cleaning circuit input 228.
[0022] Figure 3 gives a detailed view of the grey water tank 230. Grey water tank 230 comprises
a main body 272, a lower body 274 and a connection element 276. The fresh water inlet
232 and the overflow outlet 240 are arranged at the top 278 of the main body 272.
The main body 272 defines a grey water storage cavity 280. This cavity is fitted with
a low level sensor 282 for detecting a low water level inside the water tank 230,
and a high level sensor 284 for detecting a high water level inside the water tank
230. The cleaning nozzle 268 protrudes into the grey water storage cavity 280. The
main water outlet 236 is arranged at the bottom of the main body 272.
[0023] A grey water filter 286 is fitted inside the lower body 274. The filter 286 may be
accessed via a removable filter cap 288, for filter cleaning. The filter 286 is located
at the bottom 290 of the water tank 230.
[0024] The connection element 276 is Y-shaped. It has a base 292 connected to the lower
body 274 via a watertight joint 294. Its upper leg consists of the collected water
inlet 234, and its lower leg consists of the water evacuation outlet 238.
[0025] With reference to figures 4 and 5, the main operational mode and the degraded operational
mode of the sanitary facility 200 will now be described.
[0026] Figure 4 shows the sanitary facility 200 in its main operational mode. In this mode,
the three-way valve 252 is switched such that the by-pass 250 is closed, as indicated
by a dotted line, and the main water outlet 236 is open, as indicated by a solid line.
Grey water GW coming from the wash basin 204 enters the grey water tank 230 via the
collected water inlet 234. Since the collected water inlet 234 reaches into filter
286, the grey water is filtered and temporarily stored in the grey water tank 230.
If a toilet flush is required, the grey water leaves the grey water tank 230 through
the main water outlet 236, transits through three-way valve 252 and the non return
valve 260, and finally goes to the toilet bowl 208. If no grey water is available
in the grey water tank 230 for the flushing, the low level sensor 282 will activate.
This triggers the opening of the fresh water valve 246 such that grey water tank 230
is filled with fresh water FW coming from the fresh water tank 202. This fresh water
will then leave through the main water outlet 236 for flushing the toilet bowl 208.
[0027] Thanks to the non return valve 244, no grey water can flow back from the grey water
tank 230 to the fresh water tank 202. Accordingly, bacteria and other pollutants cannot
cross from the grey water tank through to the fresh water tank. Preferably, the non
return valve 244 is designed according to the standard EN 1717.
[0028] If there is no bowl flushing while there are lots of basin uses, the grey water tank
230 will fill up, and the high level sensor 284 will activate. This triggers the opening
of the evacuation valve 262. Accordingly, the content of the grey water tank 230 will
be evacuated to waste water tank 206.
[0029] As a further security measure, the grey water tank 230 may include the overflow outlet
240. If, for example, the high level sensor 284 is malfunctioning such that the grey
water tank is not evacuated via the evacuation outlet 238 even when full, the grey
water can leave water tank 230 via the overflow outlet 240 and the overflow valve
264, which by default is in an opened state. In the context of a railway carriage,
the overflow valve 264 is temporarily closed when the railway carriage crosses a tunnel.
[0030] Figure 5 shows the sanitary facility 200 in its degraded operational mode. In this
mode, the three-way valve 252 is switched such that the by-pass 250 is open, as indicated
by a solid line, and the main water outlet 236 is closed as indicated by a dotted
line. Sanitary facility 200 is switched from the main operational mode to the degraded
mode upon detection of a malfunctioning of the grey water recovery system 209. The
switching between the two modes can be manual or automatic, depending on the functional
requirements of the sanitary facility 200. In the degraded mode of figure 5, the fresh
water circuit and the grey water circuit are separated and work independently. Grey
water tank 230 then acts as a waste water buffer tank for the actual waste water tank
206. Grey water GW coming from the wash basin 204 accumulates in the grey water tank
230 until it is full. This activates the high level sensor 284, which triggers the
opening of evacuation valve 262 such that the grey water is evacuated to the waste
water tank 206.
[0031] In the degraded mode, fresh water is used for flushing the toilet bowl 208. More
precisely, using the toilet bowl 208 triggers the release of fresh water FW from the
fresh water tank 202, which flows through the fresh water conduit 242, the by-pass
250, is led by the three-way valve 252 to the main drain 248 and flushes the toilet
bowl 208.
[0032] Thanks to the grey water tank by-pass 250 and the three-way valve 252, a grey water
tank failure does not jeopardize the proper flushing of the toilet bowl 208. Indeed,
the toilet bowl 208 can still be flushed using fresh water from the fresh water tank
202.
[0033] If the grey water recovery system 209 is fitted with the cleaning circuit input 228,
the grey water tank 230 can be cleaned by connecting the cleaning circuit input 228
to a cleaning water supply. The cleaning water enters the grey water tank through
the cleaning nozzle 268 and leaves via the overflow outlet 240.
[0034] In summary, the inventive water storage and distribution system and corresponding
sanitary facility stand out thanks to their small tank size and thus small weight,
their reliability and small number of components, the possibility to by-pass the grey
water tank and thus separate the grey and fresh water circuits, the protection against
fresh water pollution, and the easy cleaning. A further advantage is the use of a
single filter for the whole system.
1. A system (209) for storing and distributing water, the system comprising:
- a water tank (230) having a fresh water inlet (232), a collected water inlet (234),
and a main water outlet (236);
- a fresh water conduit (242) connected to the fresh water inlet; and
- a main drain (248) connected to the main water outlet,
the system being
characterised by a water tank bypass (250) connecting the fresh water conduit to the main drain and
by a device (252) for switching the system between a first mode, wherein the bypass
(250) is closed and the main water outlet (236) is open, and a second mode, wherein
the bypass (250) is open and the main water outlet (236) is closed.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first mode is the system's main operational mode,
and the second mode is a degraded operational mode.
3. The system of any one of the previous claims, wherein the switching device (252) is
adapted for switching to the second mode upon detection of a system malfunction.
4. The system of any one of the previous claims, wherein the switching device comprises
a manually or automatically operated three-way valve (252).
5. The system of claim 4, wherein the three-way valve has three terminals, the first
terminal (254) being connected to the water tank bypass, the second terminal (256)
being connected to the main drain, and the third terminal (258) being connected to
the main water outlet.
6. The system of any one of the previous claims, further comprising a fresh water pollution
prevention valve (244) in the fresh water conduit.
7. The system of any one of the previous claims, further comprising a filter (286) at
the bottom (290) of the water tank, wherein the collected water inlet leads into said
filter.
8. The system of any one of the previous claims, the water tank further comprising a
water evacuation outlet (238).
9. The system of any one of the previous claims, the water tank further comprising a
water overflow outlet (240).
10. The system of any one of the previous claims, the water tank further comprising at
least one of a first sensor (284) for detecting a high water level inside the water
tank and a second sensor (282) for detecting a low water level inside the water tank.
11. The system of any one of the previous claims, further comprising a water tank cleaning
circuit (228, 268).
12. The system of any one of the previous claims, the system being a greywater recovery
system.
13. A sanitary facility (200) comprising:
- the system (209) of any one of the previous claims;
- a wash basin (204) having a basin drain (218) connected to the collected water inlet;
- a toilet bowl (208) having a bowl inlet (224) connected to the main drain; and
- a fresh water tank (202) having an outlet (220) connected to the fresh water conduit.
14. The sanitary facility of claim 13 with the system of claim 8, further comprising a
wastewater tank (206) having an inlet (222) connected to the water evacuation outlet.
15. A vehicle, in particular a railway carriage, comprising the sanitary facility of claim
13 or 14.
1. System (209) zum Speichern und Verteilen von Wasser, wobei das System aufweist:
- einen Wasserbehälter (230), der einen Frischwassereinlass (232), einen Sammelwassereinlass
(234) und einen Hauptwasserauslass (236) aufweist;
- eine Frischwasserleitung (242), die mit dem Frischwassereinlass verbunden ist; und
- eine Hauptabflussleitung (248), die mit dem Hauptwasserauslass verbunden ist,
wobei das System
gekennzeichnet ist durch einen Wasserbehälterbypass (250), der die Frischwasserleitung mit der Hauptabflussleitung
verbindet, und
durch eine Vorrichtung (252) zum Schalten des Systems zwischen einem ersten Modus, in dem
der Bypass (250) geschlossen ist und der Hauptwasserauslass (236) geöffnet ist, und
einem zweiten Modus, in dem der Bypass (250) geöffnet ist und der Hauptwasserauslass
(236) geschlossen ist.
2. System nach Anspruch 1, wobei der erste Modus der Hauptbetriebsmodus des Systems ist,
und der zweite Modus ein beschränkter Betriebsmodus ist.
3. System nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wobei die Schaltvorrichtung (252)
zum Schalten in den zweiten Modus auf die Erfassung eines Systemfehlers geeignet ist.
4. System nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wobei die Schaltvorrichtung ein manuell
oder automatisch betriebenes Dreiwegeventil (252) ist.
5. System nach Anspruch 4, wobei das Dreiwegeventil drei Anschlüsse hat, wobei der erste
Anschluss (254) mit dem Wasserbehälterbypass verbunden ist, der zweite Anschluss (256)
mit der Hauptabflussleitung verbunden ist, und der dritte Anschluss (258) mit dem
Hauptwasserauslass verbunden ist.
6. System nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, ferner aufweisend ein Frischwasserverschmutzungsverhinderungsventil
(244) in der Frischwasserleitung.
7. System nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, ferner aufweisend einen Filter (286)
an dem Boden (290) des Wasserbehälters, wobei der Sammelwassereinlass in den Filter
mündet.
8. System nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wobei der Wasserbehälter ferner einen
Wasserevakuierungsauslass (238) aufweist.
9. System nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wobei der Wasserbehälter ferner einen
Wasserüberlaufauslass (240) aufweist.
10. System nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wobei der Wasserbehälter ferner wenigstens
einen ersten Sensor (284) zum Erfassen eines hohen Wasserniveaus innerhalb des Wasserbehälters
und einen zweiten Sensor (282) zum Erfassen eines niedrigen Wasserniveaus innerhalb
des Wasserbehälters aufweist.
11. System nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, ferner aufweisend eine Wasserbehälterreinigungsleitung
(228, 268) .
12. System nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wobei das System ein Grauwasserrückgewinnungssystem
ist.
13. Sanitäreinrichtung (200), aufweisend:
- das System (209) nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche;
- ein Waschbecken (204), das eine Beckenabflussleitung (218) aufweist, die mit dem
Sammelwassereinlass verbunden ist;
- ein Toilettenbecken (208), das einen Beckeneinlass (224) aufweist, der mit der Hauptabflussleitung
verbunden ist; und
- einen Frischwasserbehälter (202), der einen Auslass (220) aufweist, der mit der
Frischwasserleitung verbunden ist.
14. Sanitäreinrichtung nach Anspruch 13 mit dem System nach Anspruch 8, ferner aufweisend
einen Abwasserbehälter (206), der einen Einlass (222) aufweist, der mit dem Wasserevakuierungsauslass
verbunden ist.
15. Fahrzeug, insbesondere ein Eisenbahnwagen, aufweisend die Sanitäreinrichtung nach
Anspruch 13 oder 14.
1. Système (209) pour stocker et distribuer de l'eau, le système comprenant :
un réservoir d'eau (230) ayant une entrée d'eau fraîche (232), une entrée d'eau collectée
(234) et une sortie d'eau principale (236) ;
un conduit d'eau fraîche (242) raccordé à l'entrée d'eau fraîche ; et
un drain principal (248) raccordé à la sortie d'eau principale,
le système étant caractérisé par un bypass de réservoir d'eau (250) qui raccorde le conduit d'eau fraîche au drain
principal et par un dispositif (252) pour commuter le système entre un premier mode
dans lequel le bypass (250) est fermé et la sortie d'eau principale (236) est ouverte,
et un second mode dans lequel le bypass (250) est ouvert et la sortie d'eau principale
(236) est fermée.
2. Système selon la revendication 1, dans lequel le premier mode est le mode de fonctionnement
principal du système et le second mode est un mode de fonctionnement dégradé.
3. Système selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, dans lequel le dispositif
de commutation (252) est adapté pour passer dans le second mode suite à la détection
d'un dysfonctionnement du système.
4. Système selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, dans lequel le dispositif
de commutation comprend une valve à trois voies (252) actionnée manuellement ou automatiquement.
5. Système selon la revendication 4, dans lequel la valve à trois voies a trois bornes,
la première borne (254) étant raccordée au bypass de réservoir d'eau, la deuxième
borne (256) étant raccordée au drain principal, et la troisième borne (258) étant
raccordée à la sortie d'eau principale.
6. Système selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, comprenant en outre
une valve anti-pollution d'eau fraîche (244) dans le conduit d'eau fraîche.
7. Système selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, comprenant en outre
un filtre (286) au fond (290) du réservoir d'eau, dans lequel l'entrée d'eau collectée
conduit dans ledit filtre.
8. Système selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, le réservoir d'eau
comprenant en outre une sortie d'évacuation d'eau (238).
9. Système selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, le réservoir d'eau
comprenant en outre une sortie de trop-plein d'eau (240).
10. Système selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, le réservoir d'eau
comprenant en outre au moins un premier capteur (284) pour détecter un niveau d'eau
élevé à l'intérieur du réservoir d'eau ou un second capteur (282) pour détecter un
niveau d'eau bas à l'intérieur du réservoir d'eau.
11. Système selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, comprenant en outre
un circuit de nettoyage de réservoir d'eau (228, 268).
12. Système selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, le système étant un
système de récupération des eaux usées.
13. Installation sanitaire (200) comprenant :
le système (209) selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes ;
un lave-mains (204) ayant un drain de lave-mains (218) raccordé à l'entrée d'eau collectée
;
une cuvette de toilette (208) ayant une entrée de cuvette (224) raccordée au drain
principal ; et
un réservoir d'eau fraîche (202) ayant une sortie (220) raccordée au conduit d'eau
fraîche.
14. Installation sanitaire selon la revendication 13, avec le système selon la revendication
8, comprenant en outre un réservoir d'eau usée (206) ayant une entrée (222) raccordée
à la sortie d'évacuation d'eau.
15. Véhicule, en particulier un wagon de chemin de fer, comprenant l'installation sanitaire
selon la revendication 13 ou 14.
REFERENCES CITED IN THE DESCRIPTION
This list of references cited by the applicant is for the reader's convenience only.
It does not form part of the European patent document. Even though great care has
been taken in compiling the references, errors or omissions cannot be excluded and
the EPO disclaims all liability in this regard.
Patent documents cited in the description