FLUSH VALVE AND VACUUM GENERATOR FOR VACUUM WASTE SYSTEM

• US 20100083435A1
• Filed: 10/01/2009
• Published: 04/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: B/E Aerospace, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: B/E Aerospace, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: King, Greg, Whitt, Robin, Hardwick, Christopher, Hoang, Thao, Pondelick, Mark A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,607,370 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 4/431
• CPC Class Codes: E03F 1/006 Pneumatic sewage disposal systems; accessories specially adapted therefore

Abstract

The apparatus and method of the invention provides for a flush valve for controlling the vacuum evacuation of waste from a receptacle. The flush valve comprises an inlet port for receiving the waste from the receptacle, an outlet port opposite the inlet port and in fluid communication therewith, a source of vacuum connected to the outlet port and a uniquely designed discharge disk disposed between the inlet and outlet ports for interrupting the flow of fluid therebetween. In the preferred embodiment the flush valve is integral with a latticed panel of the waste receptacle stand.

Claims

1. A flush valve for use in a vacuum toilet system comprising:

a housing having an outlet for connection to a vacuum source and an inlet in fluid communication with the outlet; and

a discharge disk including a rotary section and a covering section, the covering section being continuous and of a size and shape corresponding to the size and shape of the outlet, the rotary section being mounted to the housing for rotary movement between a closed position in which the covering section seals the outlet from fluid communication with the inlet and an open position in which the covering section is substantially clear of the outlet.

2. The flush valve of claim 1, wherein the vacuum source is a vacuum generator.

3. The flush valve of claim 2, wherein the vacuum generator is a single stage centrifugal vacuum generator having an impeller mounted directly on a motor shaft.

4. The flush valve of claim 1, wherein the discharge disk is of a shape selected from the group consisting of tear, round and paddle.

5. The flush valve of claim 1, wherein the discharge disk is tear-shaped and the rotary section is at the narrower trailing portion of the tear-shape and the covering section is at the wider leading portion of the tear-shape.

6. The flush valve of claim 1 further comprising:

a drive assembly for rotating the discharge disk; and

a motor operatively connected to the drive assembly.

7. The flush valve of claim 6 further comprising an extension arm connected to the drive assembly to manually rotate the drive assembly to move the discharge disk between the opened and closed positions.

8. The flush valve of claim 1, wherein the range of rotary movement is about 90 degrees.

9. The flush valve of claim 1 further comprising a sleeve seal disposed in the housing between the outlet and the discharge disk, the sleeve seal abutting a perimeter of the outlet to seal the outlet when the discharge disk is in the closed position.

10. The flush valve of claim 1 further comprising a sensor adapted to determine the position of the discharge disk.

11. The flush valve of claim 10, wherein the sensor is a potentiometer attached to the actuator shaft to determine the rotational position of the actuator shaft.

12. A flush valve for use in a vacuum toilet system comprising:

a housing having an outlet for connection to a vacuum source and an inlet in fluid communication with the outlet;

a discharge disk including a rotary section and a covering section, the covering section being continuous and of a size and shape corresponding to the size and shape of the outlet, the rotary section being mounted to the housing for rotary movement between a closed position in which the covering section seals the outlet from fluid communication with the inlet and an open position in which the covering section is substantially clear of the outlet; and

an actuator shaft mounted on the housing;

a follower gear mounted on the housing and adapted to rotate the discharge disk;

a driver gear mounted on the actuator shaft and adapted to rotate the follower gear;

an extension arm integral with the driver gear for manually opening the flush valve.

13. A vacuum toilet system with an integral flush valve comprising:

a vacuum toilet waste receptacle supported by a waste receptacle stand;

the stand having an integral flush valve panel including an outlet and a flush valve cover having an inlet for receiving waste from the waste receptacle, the inlet in fluid communication with the panel outlet;

a discharge disk including a rotary section and a covering section, the covering section being continuous and of a size and shape corresponding to the size and shape of the outlet, the rotary section being mounted to the housing for rotary movement between a closed position in which the covering section seals the outlet from fluid communication with the inlet and an open position in which the covering section is substantially clear of the outlet;

gearing mounted on the panel for rotating the flush valve discharge disk in response to a driving force applied to the gearing; and

a vacuum generator in fluid communication with the panel outlet.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the discharge disk is of a shape selected from the group consisting of tear, round and paddle.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the vacuum generator is single stage centrifugal vacuum generator.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein at least a portion of the panel has an open lattice structure.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the vacuum generator includes a housing enclosing an impeller constructed from an engineered polymer.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the impeller rotates at about 40,000 to 50,000 rpm.

19. The system of claim 13, in which the stand includes one of dovetails and dovetail receivers and the flush valve panel includes one of corresponding dovetail receivers and dovetails, wherein the flush valve panel is attached to the stand by interlocking the dovetails and dovetail receivers.

20. A method for flushing a vacuum toilet system comprising:

providing a flush valve having a discharge disk, an outlet for connection to a vacuum source and an inlet in fluid communication with the outlet, the discharge disk including a rotary section and a covering section, the covering section being continuous and of a size and shape corresponding to the size and shape of the outlet, the rotary section being mounted to the side panel for rotary movement between a closed position in which the covering section seals the outlet from fluid communication with the inlet and an open position in which the covering section is substantially clear of the outlet; and

rotating the discharge disk in a first direction from a closed position in which the covering section seals the outlet to an open position in which the covering section is substantially clear of the outlet.