Analytical toilet with a pressure sensor mounting fixture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11754458-B2
Application number	US-202217661186-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 28, 2022
Priority date	Apr 28, 2021
Publication date	Sep 12, 2023
Grant date	Sep 12, 2023

Abstract

An analytical toilet, comprising: a bowl for receiving excreta supported by a base; a pressure sensor mounting fixture, comprising: a chamber with an outlet, wherein the chamber is in fluid communication with the contents of the bowl through the outlet, a pressure sensor cavity above the chamber having an inlet in fluid communication with the chamber such that an air bubble is maintained in the pressure sensor cavity, and a pressure sensor adapted to measure the pressure in the pressure sensor cavity is disclosed. The disclosed toilet is able to accurately measure changes to the contents of the bowl by measuring changes to the pressure in the bowl using a pressure sensor that is kept separated from the toilet contents.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An analytical toilet, comprising:
a bowl for receiving excreta supported by a base;
a pressure sensor mounting fixture, comprising:
a chamber with an outlet,
wherein the chamber is in fluid communication with the contents of the bowl through the outlet,
a pressure sensor cavity above the chamber having an inlet in fluid communication with the chamber such that an air bubble is maintained in the pressure sensor cavity, and
a pressure sensor above the pressure sensor cavity adapted to measure the pressure in the pressure sensor cavity.

2. The analytical toilet of claim 1 , wherein the pressure sensor cavity is sized such that droplets that form in it will drain into the chamber.

3. The analytical toilet of claim 2 , wherein the diameter of the pressure sensor cavity is at least 5.40 mm.

4. The analytical toilet of claim 2 wherein the diameter of the pressure sensor cavity is about 11.1 mm.

5. The analytical toilet of claim 1 , wherein the pressure sensor comprises a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) pressure sensor.

6. The analytical toilet of claim 1 , wherein the diameter of the chamber is greater than the diameter of the chamber outlet.

7. The analytical toilet of claim 6 , wherein the ratio of the diameter of the chamber to the diameter of the chamber outlet is about 1.5.

8. The analytical toilet of claim 1 , further comprising a fill screen across the pressure sensor cavity inlet.

9. The analytical toilet of claim 1 , wherein the chamber further comprises at least one eddy blocker or barrier below the sensor cavity inlet.

10. The analytical toilet of claim 9 , wherein the at least one eddy blocker comprises at least one protrusion in the vicinity of the pressure sensor cavity inlet.

11. A system for measuring changes in the volume in a toilet bowl, comprising:
a pressure sensor mounting fixture, comprising:
a chamber with an outlet,
wherein the chamber is in fluid communication with the contents of the bowl through the outlet,
a pressure sensor cavity above the chamber having an inlet in fluid communication with the chamber such that an air bubble is maintained in the pressure sensor cavity, and
a pressure sensor above the pressure sensor cavity adapted to measure the pressure in the pressure sensor cavity.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the pressure sensor cavity is sized such that droplets that form in it will drain into the chamber.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the diameter of the pressure sensor cavity is at least 5.40 mm.

14. The system of claim 12 , wherein the diameter of the pressure sensor cavity is about 11.1 mm.

15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the pressure sensor comprises a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) pressure sensor.

16. The system of claim 11 , wherein the diameter of the chamber is greater than the diameter of the chamber outlet.

17. System of claim 16 , wherein the ratio of the diameter of the chamber to the diameter of the chamber outlet is about 1.5.

18. The system of claim 11 , further comprising a fill screen across the pressure sensor cavity inlet.

19. The system of claim 11 , wherein the chamber further comprises at least one eddy blocker or barrier below the sensor cavity inlet.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the at least one eddy blocker comprises at least one protrusion in the vicinity of the pressure sensor cavity inlet.

Assignees

• Medic Inc
• Hall Labs Llc

Inventors

• Larsen Joshua
• Christiansen John W
• Campbell K Jeffrey

Classifications

• E03D11/13 Primary

  Parts or details of bowls; Special adaptations of pipe joints or couplings for use with bowls {, e.g. provisions in bowl construction preventing backflow of waste-water from the bowl in the flushing pipe or cistern, provisions for a secondary flushing, for noise-reducing} · CPC title

• G01L19/147 Primary

  Details about the mounting of the sensor to support or covering means · CPC title

• G01L19/0023

  for flowthrough systems having a flexible pressure transmitting element · CPC title

• B81B2201/0264

  Pressure sensors · CPC title

• B81B7/02

  containing distinct electrical or optical devices of particular relevance for their function, e.g. microelectro-mechanical systems [MEMS] (B81B7/04 takes precedence) · CPC title