URINAL

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001]The present disclosure generally relates to the technical field of urinal.

BACKGROUND

[0002]Urinals are commonly used in toilets in public buildings such as hotels, shopping malls, parks, and also used in family bathrooms. It is expected that urinals can have functions such as sterilization, deodorization and descaling, and especially can automatically achieve above functions to reduce or avoid bacterial growth or cross infection.

[0003]At present, a sterilization agent spraying device of an existing urinal is generally a separate mechanism equipped with an independent sensing and control module, and pipes for sterilization agent spraying and flushing are also independent of each other. Therefore, control system and pipe structure of existing urinal equipped with the sterilization agent spraying device are often complex.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0004]Therefore, an objective of the present disclosure is to provide an improved urinal, which can solve one or more of problems in the existing urinal.

[0005]According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a urinal includes: a urinal body; a flushing component configured to flush the urinal body and including a flushing pipe; a sterilization agent supply component configured to supply a sterilization agent to the flushing pipe; a sensing module configured to sense a user of the urinal; and a control module configured to control the flushing component and the sterilization agent supply component according to a sensing result of the sensing module. The control module is configured to control the flushing component to perform flushing and to control the flushing component and the sterilization agent supply component to mix the sterilization agent into a water in the flushing pipe for performing sterilization water flushing.

[0006]The control module of the urinal according to the present disclosure can control both the flushing component and the sterilization agent supply component according to the sensing result of the sensing module, and the urinal can share the flushing pipe when performing flushing and sterilization water flushing, which makes control and pipe structure of the urinal simpler.

[0007]According to above technical concept, the embodiments of the present disclosure may further include any one or more of the following optional forms.

[0008]In some optional forms, the control module is configured to control the flushing component to perform flushing when it is determined that the user completes use of the urinal based on the sensing result of the sensing module.

[0009]In some optional forms, the control module is configured to count number of flushing times, compare an accumulated number of flushing times with a preset times threshold, and control the flushing component and the sterilization agent supply component to perform sterilization water flushing when the accumulated number of flushing times is equal to the preset times threshold and reset the accumulated number of flushing times to zero.

[0010]In some optional forms, the urinal further includes an input module configured to receive an input from the user. The control module is configured to: control the flushing component and the sterilization agent supply component to perform sterilization water flushing in response to the input module receiving a first input from the user; and/or control the flushing component to perform flushing in response to the input module receiving a second input from the user; and/or set the preset times threshold in response to the input module receiving a third input from the user.

[0011]In some optional forms, the control module is configured to control the flushing component and the sterilization agent supply component to perform sterilization water flushing when a predetermined time interval has elapsed from last flushing.

[0012]In some optional forms, the flushing component includes a solenoid valve configured to open or close a flowing path in the flushing pipe in response to a control signal from the control module.

[0013]In some optional forms, the flushing component further includes a check valve having a liquid inlet in fluid communication with a liquid outlet of the solenoid valve, and the check valve is configured to prevent the sterilization agent from flowing into the solenoid valve.

[0014]In some optional forms, the sterilization agent supply component includes a sterilization agent box and a pumping unit, and the pumping unit is configured to pump the sterilization agent in the sterilization agent box to the flushing pipe.

[0015]In some optional forms, the urinal further includes a reminder module. A liquid level sensor is provided in the sterilization agent box, and the control module is configured to receive a liquid level signal from the liquid level sensor and to control the reminder module to send a liquid shortage reminder when the liquid level signal indicates that a liquid level in the sterilization agent box is below a predetermined liquid level.

[0016]In some optional forms, the control module is configured to control a pumping duration of the pumping unit for performing each sterilization water flushing to control a pumping amount of the sterilization agent.

[0017]In some optional forms, the sterilization agent supply component is integrated into the urinal body.

[0018]According to the present disclosure, the urinal can achieve the control of automatic flushing and automatic sterilization water flushing according to the sensing result of the same sensing module, and have a simple pipe structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019]Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be better understood by the following alternative embodiments described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference signs identify the same or similar components, wherein:

[0020]FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a urinal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021]FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic rear view of a urinal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022]FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic principle diagram of a urinal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0023]FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic partial sectional view of a urinal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024]The implementation and use of the embodiments are discussed in detail below. However, it should be understood that the specific embodiments discussed are merely illustrative of specific manners to implement and use the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. The expressions of structural positions of various components, for example, “upper”, “lower”, “top”, “bottom”, and other directions at the time of description are not absolute, but relative. These expressions for the directions are appropriate when various components are arranged as shown in the drawings, but when the positions of the various components in the drawings are changed, these expressions for the directions are also changed accordingly.

[0025]FIGS. 1 to 3 illustrate schematic perspective view, rear view and block diagram of a urinal 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026]Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the urinal 1 may include a urinal body 10, a flushing component 20, a sterilization agent supply component 30, a sensing module 40 and a control module 50. The flushing component 20 is configured to flush the urinal body 10 and includes a flushing pipe 22. The sterilization agent supply component 30 is configured to supply a sterilization agent to the flushing pipe 22. The sensing module 40 is configured to sense a user of the urinal 1. The control module 50 is configured to control the flushing component 20 and the sterilization agent supply component 30 according to a sensing result of the sensing module 40. The control module 50 is configured to control the flushing component 20 to perform flushing and to control the flushing component 20 and the sterilization agent supply component 30 to mix the sterilization agent into a water in the flushing pipe 22 for performing sterilization water flushing. In the description, unless otherwise specified, sterilization water refers to a mixture of the sterilization agent and the water in the flushing pipe 22.

[0027]In this way, the control module 50 of the urinal 1 can control both the flushing component 20 and the sterilization agent supply component 30 based on the sensing result of the sensing module 40, and the urinal 1 can share the flushing pipe 22 when performing flushing and sterilization water flushing, which makes the control and pipe structure of the urinal 1 simpler.

[0028]Referring to FIG. 1, in the illustrated embodiment, the urinal 1 is a wall mounted urinal installed along a wall. It should be understood that the urinal 1 may also be a floor mounted urinal installed on the ground.

[0029]The urinal body 10 has a bowl surface 12 for receiving urine. When performing flushing or sterilization water flushing for the urinal 1, water or sterilization water can flow along the bowl surface 12 to flush and clean the urinal 1. For example, the urinal body 10 may be made of ceramic.

[0030]Referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, the flushing component 20 may include a flushing pipe 22, a solenoid valve 24 and a nozzle 26. The flushing pipe 22 may be in fluid communication with, for example, a tap water source 2. The solenoid valve 24 may be installed on the flushing pipe 22 and configured to open and close a flowing path of the flushing pipe 22 based on a control signal from the control module 50. The nozzle 26 is in fluid communication with the flushing pipe 22. When the control module 50 controls the flushing component 20 to start, that is, controls the solenoid valve 24 to open, the flowing path of the flushing pipe 22 is opened, and water from, for example, the tap water source 2 can flow through the flushing pipe 22 and be sprayed out from the nozzle 26. When the control module 50 controls the flushing component 20 to close, that is, controls the solenoid valve 24 to close, the flowing path of the flushing pipe 22 is closed, water from, for example, the tap water source 2 are prevented from spraying out from the nozzle 26. Referring to FIG. 1, in the illustrated embodiment, the nozzle 26 may be provided at a top of the bowl surface 12 of the urinal body 10 and have a water outlet 28 directed downward and/or inclined downward, so that the water or the sterilization water sprayed from the nozzle 26 flows along the bowl surface 12 to flush, clean and sterilize the urinal 1.

[0031]In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3, the flushing component may also include a check valve 23. A liquid inlet of the check valve 23 is in fluid communication with a liquid outlet of the solenoid valve 24, and the check valve 23 is configured to prevent the sterilization agent from flowing into the solenoid valve 24.

[0032]In the illustrated embodiment, the check valve 23 is installed between the liquid outlet of the solenoid valve 24 and a liquid outlet of a pumping unit 34. The liquid outlet of the check valve 23, the liquid outlet of the pumping unit 34 and the liquid inlet of the flushing pipe 22 can be connected to each other, for example, through a three-way pipe. In this way, when the solenoid valve 24 is opened, the water from the tap water source 2 can flow through the solenoid valve 24 and the check valve 23, and together with the sterilization agent pumped out by the pumping unit 34, flow into the flushing pipe 22 and be sprayed out from the nozzle 26. Moreover, the check valve 23 can prevent the sterilization agent pumped out by the pumping unit 34 and a sewage at the nozzle 26 in the absence of the sterilization agent pumped out by the pumping unit 34 from flowing back into the solenoid valve 24 and a pipe connecting the solenoid valve 24 with the tap water source 2, thereby preventing the sterilization agent or the sewage from contaminating the tap water source 2. It should be understood that in other embodiments, the check valve may not be provided.

[0033]Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the sterilization agent supply component 30 may include a sterilization agent box 32 and the pumping unit 34. The sterilization agent box 32 is configured to receive the sterilization agent. The pumping unit 34 is configured to pump the sterilization agent from the sterilization agent box 32 to the flushing pipe 22. The pumping unit 34 may be in fluid communication with the sterilization agent box 32 through a pumping pipe 35 to extract the sterilization agent from the sterilization agent box 32. When the control module 50 controls the sterilization agent supply component 30 to start, that is, controls the pumping unit 34 to start, the sterilization agent in the sterilization agent box 32 is pumped to the flushing pipe 22. When the control module 50 controls the sterilization agent supply component 30 to close, that is, controls the pumping unit 34 to close, the sterilization agent is not pumped from the sterilization agent box 32 to the flushing pipe 22. The sterilization agent supply component 30 and the flushing component 20 can both be integrated on a back side of the urinal body 10. The pumping unit 34 can be, for example, a miniature water pump.

[0034]When performing sterilization water flushing, the solenoid valve 24 of the flushing component 20 is opened and the pumping unit 34 of the sterilization agent supply component 30 is started, causing the sterilization agent from the sterilization agent box 32 to be pumped into the flushing pipe 22 and mixed with the water in the flushing pipe 22 (i.e., forming sterilization water), and sprayed out from the nozzle 26 together with the water in the flushing pipe 22 to clean and sterilize the bowl surface 12.

[0035]The sterilization agent in the sterilization agent box 32 can be, for example, concentrated sterilization agent or high concentration sterilization agent, which has a relatively low and effective sterilizing concentration after being pumped into the flushing pipe 22 and diluted with the water in the flushing pipe 22. The control module 50 can control a pumping duration of the pumping unit 34 during each sterilization water flushing (i.e., the duration from the start of the pumping unit 34 to the stop of the pumping unit 34) to control a pumping amount of the sterilization agent, which can ensure that the sterilization water sprayed out from the nozzle 26 has an effective sterilizing concentration.

[0036]Compared to placing a sterilization agent having an effective sterilizing concentration in the sterilization agent box and directly delivering the sterilization agent to the nozzle through a pipe separated from the flushing pipe, the present disclosure allows to place a high concentration sterilizing agent in the sterilization agent box 32, which can extend usage time of the sterilization agent in the sterilization agent box 32, avoid frequent replenishment of the sterilization agent by the user, and facilitate the user to use.

[0037]In some embodiments, in addition to sterilization component, the sterilization agent in the sterilization agent box 32 may also include deodorizing and/or descaling components to achieve multiple cleaning and maintenance functions of automatic sterilization, deodorization and/or descaling of the urinal 1.

[0038]A liquid level sensor 36 may be installed in the sterilization agent box 32. Correspondingly, the urinal 1 may include a reminder module 60. The control module 50 can receive a liquid level signal from the liquid level sensor 36 and control the reminder module 60 to send a liquid shortage reminder when the liquid level signal indicates that a liquid level in the sterilization agent box 32 is below a predetermined liquid level, so that the user can replenish the sterilization agent timely. The reminder module 60 can provide sound and/or light reminders. In the case where the reminder module 60 provides a light reminder, the reminder module 60 may be arranged in a prominent position on the urinal body 10, such as the top or front upper part of the urinal body 10. In some embodiments, the reminder module 60 may be, for example, an LED light that flashes when there is a liquid shortage to send a shortage reminder.

[0039]Referring to FIG. 2, in the illustrated embodiment, the sterilization agent box 32 may be arranged at an upper part of the urinal body 10, and the top of the urinal body 10 may be provided with a sterilization agent filling port 14. The sterilization agent filling port 14 is in fluid communication with the sterilization agent box 32 for users to conveniently replenish the sterilization agent in the sterilization agent box 32.

[0040]Referring to FIG. 3, the sensing module 40 may be configured to sense whether there is a user in front of the urinal 1 and/or sense a distance from the user to the urinal 1. The control module 50 is configured to control the flushing component 20 to start to perform flushing when it is determined that the user has completed the use of the urinal 1 based on a sensing result of the sensing module 40. In some embodiments, the control module 50 determines that the user has completed the use of the urinal 1 when the sensing module 40 senses that the user has left the urinal 1 a predetermined distance and controls the solenoid valve 24 of the flushing component 20 to open to perform flushing.

[0041]The sensing module 4 may be an infrared sensor. It should be understood that the sensing module 40 may be not limited to the infrared sensor, but may also be any other suitable types of distance sensors, such as an ultrasonic distance sensor. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4, the sensing module 40 may be arranged above the nozzle 26 and near the nozzle 26. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the sensing module 40 may be arranged in the same area near the nozzle 26 as the reminder module 60.

[0042]Still referring to FIG. 3, the control module 50 can control the flushing component 20 and the sterilization agent supply component 30 based on the sensing result of the sensing module 40 to achieve automatic sterilizing and cleaning of the urinal 1, which can reduce bacterial growth and odor generation, and make the use and maintenance of the urinal 1 more convenient.

[0043]In some embodiments, the control module 50 may be configured to count the number of flushing times and compare an accumulated number of flushing times with a preset times threshold, control the flushing component 20 and the sterilization agent supply component 30 to start to perform sterilization water flushing when the accumulated number of flushing times is equal to the preset times threshold, and reset the accumulated number of flushing times to zero. In other words, after the user uses the urinal 1 a preset number of times, the urinal 1 will automatically perform sterilization water flushing. The preset number of times mentioned above may be any suitable number, such as 2 times, 5 times, 10 times, or 15 times. For example, the preset number of times is 10 times, once the user uses the urinal 1 for every 10 times, the urinal 1 will automatically perform sterilization water flushing. In this way, automatic sterilization water flushing can be performed relatively frequently when the urinal 1 is used frequently, while automatic sterilization water flushing can be performed relatively infrequently when the urinal 1 is used less frequently, that is, the urinal 1 can flexibly perform automatic sterilization water flushing according to an actual use frequency.

[0044]In other embodiments, the control module 50 may be configured to control the flushing component 20 and the sterilization agent supply component 30 to start to perform sterilizing water flushing when a predetermined time interval has elapsed from last flushing. Furthermore, the predetermined time interval mentioned above may be set relatively long, such as 6 hours, 12 hours and 24 hours, which can enable the urinal 1 to be cleaned and sterilized even when not in use for a long time, while also saving the sterilization agent.

[0045]Referring to FIG. 3, the urinal 1 may also include an input module 70. The input module 70 may be configured to receive an input from the user. The control module 50 may be configured to control the flushing component 20 and the sterilization agent supply component 30 to start to perform sterilizing water flushing in response to the input module 70 receiving a first input from the user, thereby facilitating the user to perform sterilizing water flushing according to actual needs. The control module 50 may also be configured to control the flushing component 20 to start to perform flushing in response to the input module 70 receiving a second input from the user, thereby facilitating the user to perform flushing according to actual needs. The control module 50 may also be configured to set the preset times threshold in response to the input module 70 receiving a third input from the user, so that the user can flexibly set an time interval between two automatic sterilization water flushing according to actual needs. The input module 70 may be any suitable module that can receive the input from the user, such as buttons, toggle levers, and touch screens. Taking a button as an example of the input module 70, as shown in FIG. 1, the input module 70 may include a button, and the user can press the button in different ways (e.g. short press, long press for 5 seconds, and long press for 10 seconds) to provide the first input, the second input and the third input, respectively. Optionally, the input module 70 may include a first button and a second button, and the user can press the first button and the second button to provide the first input and the second input respectively, and can simultaneously press the first button and the second button to provide the third input.

[0046]Referring to FIG. 3, the urinal 1 may also include a power supply module 80. The power supply module 80 can provide power to the solenoid valve 24 of the flushing component 20, the pumping unit 34 and the liquid level sensor 36 of the sterilization agent supply component 30, the sensing module 40, the control module 50, the reminder module 60 and/or the input module 70. The power supply module 80 can be, for example, a secondary battery or a DC power supply.

[0047]It should be understood that various components and features described in this description can be made of various materials, including but not limited to polymers, rubber, metals and other suitable materials or combinations of materials known to those skilled in the art. These embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 only illustrate shapes, sizes and arrangements of various optional components of the urinal according to the present disclosure. However, these embodiments are only illustrative and should not be construed as restrictive. Other shapes, sizes and arrangements may also be adopted without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0048]The technical contents and technical features of the present disclosure have been disclosed above. However, it may be understood that a person skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications to the disclosed concept under the inventive idea of the present disclosure, all of which fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure. The above description of the embodiments is intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive, and the protection scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.