Vacuum flush waste disposal system for railcars

Abstract

A vacuum-operated waste disposal toilet system suitable for use on commercial passenger vehicles, in particular railcars, including at least one bowl for receiving waste material and a full-retention waste-holding tank connected to the bowl by a drain line. A vacuum blower connected to the waste tank for creating a vacuum in the drain line. A flush valve assembly is provided in the drain line, and is selectively openable to connect the vacuum in the drain line to the bowl for sucking the waste out of the bowl. A disposable spray ring containing a plurality of holes, selectively coupled to a water source, is wedged between the bowl and a separate lip member for dispensing water onto the interior surface of the bowl. The flush valve assembly includes a vacuum-chamber with top and bottom vacuum inlet ports, a piston connected to a valve blade movable vertically within the chamber and a flush solenoid openable to selectively connect a second vacuum to the top and bottom inlet ports. The flush solenoid in the open position opens the valve blade, which in turn opens the flush valve assembly. The assembly is supported by a novel light weight composite base having a triangulated shape. The waste-holding tank contains a plurality compression load cells on the bottom exterior surface of the tank to accurately determine the capacity level of the tank.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A vacuum-operated flush waste disposal toilet system for railcars comprising: 
 a full retention composite waste holding tank;    vacuum operated means to transfer an amount of waste matter received in a bowl to said tank;    a plurality of compression load cells located on a bottom exterior of said tank; said cells not coming into contact with the waste so as to give more accurate readings of the level of waste contained in said tank;    a disposable spray ring for supplying rinse water to said bowl, said spray ring having a disposable hollow tube selectively coupled to a source of water and having a plurality of openings for dispensing the water directly from said ring onto the interior surface of said bowl;    means to maintain a constant vacuum source within said waste tank to provide for a rapid flush cycle; and    means for averaging and comparing a value received from said cells to calculate the waste level of said tank.