Automatic cat toilet
Can a "smart home" be considered a "smart" house if your favorite cats go to the tray with a filler?
Of course, we forgive a lot to our favorites! But, you must admit that every day, several times, to sweep the filler around the tray and determine by smell that it is time to change it - it is somewhat annoying. And if the cat is not alone at home? Then all worries are proportionally increased.
For many years I was worried about the organization of a cat's toilet. I was wondering how to make my life easier (the issue of refusing cats in the house was not discussed). Cats were accustomed to trays with a net, to trays without a net, to a toilet with a shelf and so on. All these were half measures.
After buying an apartment in a new building, I decided to provide a separate toilet for cats (we have three of them) and somehow automate the process. Around the era of computerization, and cats rummaging in the filler! Repair contributed to this, it was possible to immediately bring communications.
The search for solutions on the Internet led to the purchase of an automatic toilet by an Austrian company, whose advertising convinced me of the correctness of the chosen direction. The toilet was connected to the water supply and sewerage system, the flush was automatic, after the cat left the toilet.
I paid for the toilet, power supply and key fob for setting the toilet functions - more than 17 thousand rubles. The money was big, but the end justified the means.
The toilet had a training tray, which was inserted into its bowl and filler fell into it. Cats understood where they needed to "go" and it was time to take out the tray.
It was the last day of euphoria, and calls to the support service began. Omitting all the subtleties and vicissitudes of this period, I will say only one thing - the tray is very, very, very far from its advertising. He worked so badly that it’s just a “disaster”! Immediately it became very sorry for 17 thousand and those costs that went into the supply of communications.
When I realized that I had hit, there was a dilemma: “Who is to blame and what to do?” Running to someone and proving something is unpromising. I decided to correct the situation myself.
The result of two years of work was the current model of the toilet, which is free from the disadvantages of the prototype. The toilet is fully automatic, allowing interference with its control via the Internet. The toilet has a new flushing principle, the priority of which is fixed on 04/03/2019 at ROSPATENT. The toilet determines the appearance of the cat in the bowl, and tracks its movements throughout the process. After the cat left the tray, a pause is maintained. If the cat no longer falls into the sensor’s field of view, flushing begins. If the sensor saw the cat before the flush, the pause is repeated. Flushing is performed with a small jet pressure. Flushing can be single, double, etc., for better cleansing of the bowl. The flush duration is set by the time relay. After flushing, the toilet goes into standby mode. The process is then repeated. It is possible (if there is Wi-Fi in the house), flushing through the Internet using a smartphone. If, at the time of control from a smartphone, a cat is in the toilet bowl, then external control will be blocked.
The toilet detected movement, the backlight turned on.
Countdown pause.
Beginning of flushing.
Flushing.
P / S.
After actively commenting on the community, I was seriously thinking about making a toilet for Maine Coon. I ordered a large tray - more than half a meter in length. And he constantly turned in his head: “How to wash such a volume and not go broke on water bills?” Today a solution has been found! The solution complements the patent “Method for flushing an automatic cat's toilet” and has the prospect of a new application for an invention. For this reason, I can not divulge the essence of the idea, nor will it be noticeable when demonstrating the toilet, but, intuition tells me that the effect will be tangible! Hands are already itching, and accessories are coming!