JP2001029959A - Bath water cleaning apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the wear or the like of filters in a cleaning cylinder while preventing the fouling of pipes or the like by mixing ozone into bath water. SOLUTION: Ozone mixed into bath water by an ejector 5 is separated from the bath water by a gas separator 8 before entering a cleaning cylinder 4. This can prevent, to the utmost, the bath water containing the ozone from passing through the cleaning, cylinder 4. The removed ozone is mixed again into the bath water in the downstream of the cleaning cylinder 4 through an ejector 11. Therefore, problems such as wearing of the filter attached in the cleaning cylinder 4 or the like is prevented.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bath water purifying apparatus which can always take a bath without changing bath water in a bathtub.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a bath water purifying apparatus which purifies the bath water while circulating the bath water so that the bath water can always be taken without changing the bath water. Some of the bath water purifiers purify the bath water by mixing ozone or air into the bath water, or purify the circulation path of the bath water. As such a bath water purifying apparatus for mixing gas such as ozone or air into bath water, for example, the one shown in FIG. 5 is known.

[0003] Bath water sucked by a circulating pump 3 from a suction port (both not shown) provided in a bathtub is purified by microorganisms attached to a biological filter medium (not shown) contained in a purification column 4. At the same time, the water is purified by the ozone mixed into the bath water by the ejector 20. The purified bath water is heated to an appropriate temperature by the heater 6, and then is irradiated with ultraviolet rays by the ultraviolet irradiation unit 10.
The bath water irradiated with the ultraviolet rays passes through the heater 12 and is supplied to the bath tub through a supply port (both not shown) provided in the bath tub.

Ejector 20 for mixing ozone into bath water
The structure shown in FIG. 6 is used. The ejector 20 includes a nozzle 222 for projecting bath water provided to protrude into the case 221 and an ozone suction port 223 provided near the nozzle 222. Ozonizer 1
The ozone generated by the ozone suction port 223 is generated by the negative pressure generated when the bath water is jetted from the nozzle 222.
And mixed into the bath water. The injection downstream side of the nozzle 222 is once enlarged after its flow path area is reduced, and serves as a dissolving section 224 for dissolving ozone sucked by the ozone suction port 223 in bath water.

[0005] In such a bath water purifying apparatus, a scale such as a biofilm adheres to a water pipe connecting each device during repeated use. Due to the adhesion of the scale, the flow rate of the bath water decreases, and the negative pressure generated near the nozzle 222 decreases. As a result, there is a problem that the ozone suction amount from the ozone suction port 223 is reduced.

In order to solve such a problem, the present applicant has already proposed a bath water purifying apparatus in which an ejector is provided on the upstream side of a circulation pump (Japanese Patent Application No. 9-356516).
According to such a configuration, when the circulation pump operates, the upstream side of the circulation pump always has a negative pressure regardless of the flow rate of the bath water, so that ozone can be reliably sucked from the ejector, and sufficient A quantity of ozone can be mixed into the bath water.

[0007]

However, in the above-mentioned bath water purifying apparatus, an ejector is disposed upstream of the purifying cylinder in order to effectively achieve antibacterial effect of bath water and suppression of contamination of pipes and the like. ing. It has been clarified by the study of the present inventor that the following problems occur in such an arrangement.

First, when the ozone mixed from the ejector passes through the purification column, the number of microorganisms (purification bacteria) attached to the biological filter medium is reduced by the ozone. For example, when ozone is mixed for 24 hours, the number of purified bacteria is reduced by about 40%.
This undesirably causes a reduction in the purification ability.

Secondly, when ozone passes through the purification column, the particulate filter medium vibrates due to ozone bubbles, and the filter medium wears due to friction between the filter media. As the filter medium wears, the surface area to which the purifying bacteria can adhere decreases, and this also causes a reduction in the purifying ability.
Further, when the filter medium that has become powdery due to friction reaches the bathtub through the circulation path, the bather feels discomfort when entering the bathtub.

In view of the above, the present invention has been made in view of the above points, and a sufficient amount of gas is mixed into bath water to suppress contamination of pipes and the like, and to reduce abrasion of a filter medium in a purification column. It is an object of the present invention to provide a bath water purifying device that can prevent such a problem.

[0011]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the gas mixed in the bath water by the first gas mixing means (5) is subjected to gas separation before flowing into the purification means (4). It is separated from the bath water by means (8). Therefore, it is possible to prevent the bath water mixed with the gas from passing through the purification means (4) as much as possible. The separated gas is again mixed into the bath water on the downstream side of the purification means (4) by the second gas mixing means (11).

As a result, when the bath water passes through the purifying means (4), the mixing amount of gas is greatly reduced, so that problems such as abrasion of the filter medium provided in the purifying means (4) occur. Can be prevented. In the case where a granular filter medium is used as the filter medium, the number of filter mediums arranged in the purifying means (4) can be increased while reducing the diameter of the granular filter medium. When the number of filter media is increased while the diameter of the filter media is reduced, as a result, the total surface area of the filter media can be increased, so that the purification ability can be improved. As described in claim 4, when the microorganisms are attached to the surface of the filter medium, the number of the microorganisms can be prevented from being reduced by the gas mixed in the bath water, and the purifying ability can be maintained and improved. it can.

As described in the second aspect, it is preferable to use ozone as a gas. In this case, a sufficient amount of ozone can be mixed into the bath water to perform antibacterial action on the bath water.

Further, as described in claim 5, it is preferable that the first gas mixing means (5) is arranged at a position closest to the bathtub in a circulation path in which bath water in the bathtub circulates. That is, it is preferable that the first gas mixing means (5) is disposed as much as possible upstream of the bath water circulation path. In this case, it is possible to effectively prevent contamination of the pipes and the like over the entire circulation path.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the gas separation means (8) has a flow path cross-sectional area larger than the flow path cross-sectional area of the bath water circulation path, and reduces the flow rate of the circulating bath water. Gases can be separated from the bath water. At this time,
As claimed in claim 7, between the gas separation means (8) and the second gas mixing means (11), the flow rate of the gas from the gas separation means (8) to the second gas mixing means (11). Preferably, an adjusting means (21) for adjusting the pressure is provided. By adjusting the gas flow rate by this adjusting means so as to leave a predetermined amount of gas above the gas separating means (8),
Bath water can be prevented from leaking from the gas outlet of the gas separating means.

Further, by providing a check valve (22) between the gas separating means (8) and the second gas mixing means (11), the second gas mixing means is provided. (1
It is possible to prevent the bath water from flowing from 1) to the gas separation means (8).

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a bath water purifying device which purifies the bath water while circulating the bath water so that the bath water can always be taken without replacing the bath water. Each device described below is connected by a water pipe 2.

Reference numeral 3 denotes a circulating pump for sucking and discharging bath water in the bathtub through a suction port (not shown) provided in the bathtub (not shown). By activating the circulation pump 3, the bath water circulates from the bath tub through the bath water circulation path including the purifying tube 4 as a purifying means, and is returned to the bath tub again. On the upstream side (suction side) of the circulation pump 3 in the circulation path,
An ejector 5 serving as first gas mixing means is provided. On the downstream side of the circulation pump 3, a purifying cylinder 4 containing a biological filter medium (not shown) to which aerobic microorganisms (for example, Bacillus purifying bacteria) adhere is disposed. As the biological filter medium, for example, a granular porous ceramic is used, and microorganisms (purifying bacteria) attached to the surface of the ceramic decompose dirt components (for example, organic substances, slimming, etc.) contained in the bath water to form a bath. Water purification is performed.

A gas separator 8 for separating ozone mixed in the bath water from the bath water by the ejector 5 is provided between the circulation pump 3 and the purifier 4. The details of the gas separator 8 will be described later. The ozone separated by the gas separator 8 is mixed again into the bath water on the downstream side of the purification column 4 via the ejector 11 as the second gas mixing means.

A heater 6 for maintaining bath water at an appropriate temperature is disposed downstream of the ejector 11.

On the downstream side of the heater 6, the water distribution pipe 2 is branched, and one is connected to a drain pipe 7 for draining bath water,
The other is connected to an ultraviolet irradiation unit 10 for irradiating bath water with ultraviolet light. A three-way valve 9 is provided at this branch point, and switches the flowing direction of the bath water to the ultraviolet irradiation unit 10 or the drain pipe 7. The ultraviolet irradiation unit 10 includes an ultraviolet lamp housed therein, and a photocatalyst (both not shown) provided around the ultraviolet lamp. The ultraviolet lamp irradiates ultraviolet rays when energized.
When the ultraviolet lamp irradiates the bath water mixed with ozone with ultraviolet light, the decomposition reaction of ozone is promoted. Further, the photocatalyst is formed by supporting a photocatalyst material such as TiO ₂ on a honeycomb-shaped cordierite formed into a plate shape, and is excited by irradiation with ultraviolet rays. The photocatalyst acts to accelerate the decomposition reaction of ozone by being excited by ultraviolet light. Since these ozone decomposition reactions are performed in the bath water, OH radicals are generated in the bath water. The OH radical has an effect of promoting the purification antibacterial of the bath water.

On the downstream side of the ultraviolet irradiation unit 10, the bath water passes through the heater 12 again, is heated to an appropriate temperature, and then returns to the bath tub through a supply port (not shown) provided in the bath tub. Will be returned.

Next, a gas supply mechanism including the ejector 5 for mixing gas (ozone) into the bath water will be described.

The gas supply mechanism mainly comprises an ejector 5, an air pipe 13 for sending ozone or air to the ejector 5, and an ozonizer 14 connected to the air pipe 13. An air filter 15 is provided at the most upstream side of the air pipe 13 to prevent foreign matter from entering the ozonizer 14. On the downstream side of the air filter 15, a capillary tube 16 having a diameter smaller than the diameter of other parts of the air pipe 13 is provided, and the amount of ozone or air sucked through the ejector 5 is adjusted. I have.
That is, the capillary tube 16 serves as a flow path resistance for preventing excessive ozone or air from entering the bath water from the ejector 5.

An electromagnetic valve 17 is provided on the downstream side of the capillary tube 16. By switching the opening and closing of the electromagnetic valve 17, it is possible to switch whether or not ozone or air is sucked through the ejector 5. . Solenoid valve 1
An ozonizer 14 is provided downstream of 7 and generates ozone by high-pressure discharge. A check valve 18 is provided downstream of the ozonizer 14 to prevent backflow of the bath water. The ejector 5, as shown in FIG.
The diameter of the pipe 5a connected to the water pipe 2 is smaller than the diameter of the pipe 5b connected to the water distribution pipe 2.

Next, the gas separator 8 will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the gas separator 8 has a bath water inlet and a bath water outlet connected to the water distribution pipe 2, and further has an ozone suction port at an upper portion thereof. Gas separator 8
Has a larger flow path cross-sectional area than the water distribution pipe 2. For this reason, when the bath water flows into the gas separator 8, the flow velocity decreases. Further, as shown in the figure, a partition plate 8a is provided inside the gas separator 8. Therefore, the distance over which the bath water with a reduced flow velocity passes can be lengthened, and ozone can be effectively separated from the bath water.

Here, the separation of gas (ozone) and liquid (bath water) in the gas separator 8 is realized when the water flow and the internal volume are balanced. For example, the gas separator 8
Ozone separated from the bath water flowing into the tank can be immediately moved in the direction of the ejector 11, and when the water level of the bath water is close to the ozone suction port, the bath water may flow out of the ozone suction port. There is.

For this reason, in this embodiment, a valve 21 is provided for adjusting the amount of ozone to be sucked and storing a predetermined amount of ozone in the upper part of the gas separator 8. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the bath water from flowing out from the ozone suction port of the gas separator 8.

In a system for constantly flowing ozone, the amount of ozone sucked by a fixed throttle may be adjusted in place of the valve 21.

As shown in FIG. 3, a check valve 22 is provided in a pipe connecting the ozone suction port of the gas separator 8 and the ejector 11.

When scale such as a biofilm adheres to the pipe on the downstream side of the ejector 11 and the flow path resistance increases, it is conceivable that the bath water flows backward from the ejector 11 toward the gas separator 8. For this reason, in this embodiment,
As described above, the backflow of the bath water is prevented by providing the check valve 22 that allows only the flow of the fluid from the gas separator 8 to the ejector 11.

Next, the operation of the bath water purification device 1 will be described. First, an operation in the case where ozone is mixed in the bath water for purifying the bath water and removing bacteria from the water distribution pipe and the like will be described.

By operating the circulation pump 3, the bath water in the bathtub flows from the suction port to the circulation pump 3 through the ejector 5.
And discharged toward the purification column 4. At this time, a negative pressure is generated on the suction side of the circulation pump 3, that is, on the ejector 5 by the operation of the circulation pump 3. In this state, when the solenoid valve 17 is opened, air is sucked into the air pipe 13 via the air filter 15, and the sucked air is mixed with ozone generated by the ozonizer 14. The ozone-mixed air (hereinafter referred to as ozone-mixed air) is introduced into the ejector 5 through the tube 5a by the above-described negative pressure, and
Mix into bath water passing through b. The bath water is purified by the ozone mixed in this way.

The inner diameter and length of the capillary tube 16 provided in the air pipe 13 are adjusted so that the amount of the ozone-containing air introduced into the ejector 5 is such that the circulation pump 3 does not run idle. It is adjusted by doing.

The bath water containing the ozone is supplied to the circulation pump 3
Is discharged toward the purification column 4, but before flowing into the purification column 4, ozone and bath water are separated by the gas separator 8. Pass through. At this time, in the purification column 4, the contaminant components of the bath water are decomposed and purified by microorganisms attached to the biological filter medium.

Thereafter, the ozone separated from the bath water by the gas separator 8 is mixed into the bath water again in the ejector 11 installed on the downstream side of the purification column 4. Thereby, purification of bath water by ozone and sterilization of piping can be achieved. The bath water into which ozone has been remixed passes through the heater 6 and is then sent to the ultraviolet irradiation unit 10 where the ozone is irradiated. As a result, the decomposition of ozone contained in the bath water is promoted, and the generation of OH radicals, which is a sterilizing component, is promoted. Subsequently, the bath water passes through the heater 12 again, is adjusted to a predetermined temperature, and is discharged from a discharge port in the bathtub.

The concentration of ozone mixed in the bath water (defined by the amount of ozone generated by the ozonizer 14 and the amount of ozone mixed air sucked by the ejector 5), the amount of ultraviolet irradiation by the ultraviolet lamp, and the ejector 5, the length of the water distribution pipe on the downstream side, and the ozonizer 14
The operation time and the like can sufficiently purify the bath water and prevent dirt from adhering to the water pipe, and the remaining amount of ozone in the bath water discharged from the discharge port is a predetermined value (for example, 0.01 pp).
m) adjusted to be:

When an aerobic microorganism is used as the microorganism for purifying the bath water, it is desirable that the inside of the purifier 4 be under aerobic conditions in order to purify the bath water satisfactorily. In the bath water purification device 1 shown in FIG. 1, ozone mixed in the bath water is separated by the gas separator 8 immediately before the purification column 4 and is again mixed in the bath water downstream of the purification column 4. , Ozone can be prevented from passing through the inside of the purification column 4. Thereby, the amount of dissolved oxygen in the bath water can be increased in the purifying tube 4, and the inside of the purifying tube 4 can be made to be under the aerobic condition that can purify the bath water satisfactorily.

FIG. 4 shows the relationship between the concentration of ozone in the bath water and the number of purified bacteria adhering to the surface of the filter medium in the purification column 4. FIG.
From this, it is understood that as the ozone concentration increases, the number of purified bacteria adhering to the biological filter medium tends to decrease. This is thought to be due to the fact that the number of purified bacteria themselves also decreased due to the ozone disinfection effect.

Also, when ozone passes through the purifying column, the particulate filter medium vibrates due to ozone bubbles, and the filter medium is worn by friction between the filter media. As the filter media wears, the surface area to which the purifying bacteria can adhere decreases, resulting in a decrease in the purifying ability. For this reason, the wear of the filter medium should be reduced as much as possible. According to the present embodiment, the amount of ozone mixed in the bath water passing through the inside of the purification column 4 can be greatly reduced, and thus the amount of wear of the filter medium can be significantly reduced as compared with the conventional example.

As described above, while the reduction in the number of purified bacteria is prevented, the abrasion loss of the filter medium to which the purified bacteria are attached is greatly reduced, so that the purification ability can be improved.
Furthermore, when the filter medium wear amount can be reduced, when the granular filter medium is used, it is possible to increase the number of filter mediums arranged in the purification column 4 while reducing the diameter of the granular filter medium. When the number of filter media is increased while the diameter of the filter media is reduced, as a result, the total surface area of the filter media can be increased, so that the purification ability can be further improved.

During operation of the circulation pump 3, the suction side of the circulation pump 3, that is, the upstream side is always at a negative pressure. In this embodiment, since the ejector 5 is disposed on the suction side of the circulation pump 3, ozone-mixed air or air can be reliably mixed into the bath water, and the ejector effect can be maintained. Therefore, for example, even if the flow rate of the bath water flowing through the water distribution pipe 2 is reduced due to the adhesion of scale or the like,
In the ejector 5, a sufficient amount of ozone or air can be mixed into the bath water. As a result, it is possible to improve the sterilization performance and bath water purification performance. At this time, the ejector 5 is arranged on the most upstream side (the position closest to the bathtub) in the bathwater circulation path. That is, the ejector 5 is disposed as far as possible upstream of the bath water circulation path while preventing the ozone mixed into the bath water by the ejector 5 from affecting the biological filter material of the purification column 4. . For this reason, the range in which ozone does not pass can be minimized, and contamination of the water distribution pipes and the like in the circulation path can be effectively prevented. In addition, since a negative pressure can be reliably generated by the suction force of the circulation pump 3,
The structure of the ejector 5 can be made simple.

[Other Embodiments] In the above-described embodiment, the embodiment in which ozone or air is mixed in the bath water to improve the purification performance and the antibacterial performance of the bath water has been described. However, the present invention can be applied to any bath water purification device that mixes gas into circulating bath water.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the embodiment in which the capillary tube 16 is used as the flow path resistance for adjusting the amount of gas mixed into the bath water in the ejector 5 has been described. An adjusting valve or the like whose area can be adjusted may be used, and means for adjusting the amount of gas sucked by the ejector 5 is not particularly limited.

As the ejector, an ejector having a structure conventionally used may be used.
The structure of the ejector is not particularly limited as long as the ejector does not run idle.

Although the embodiment in which ozone or air is mixed in bath water has been described, it is possible to adopt a mode in which only air or ozone is mixed, and of course, regardless of the type of gas mixed in bath water. The present invention is preferably applied to a bath water purifying apparatus that mixes gas into bath water.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system diagram schematically illustrating a bath water purification device according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating a structure of an ejector according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a structure of a gas separator according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing the relationship between the ozone concentration and the number of purified bacteria adhered to the surface of a filter medium.

FIG. 5 is a system diagram showing an outline of a bath water purification device according to a conventional technique.

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the structure of an ejector according to the related art.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bath water purification apparatus 3 Circulation pump 4 Purification cylinder which is a purifying means 5 Ejector which is a 1st gas mixing means 8 Gas separator 11 Ejector which is a 2nd gas mixing means 13 Air pipe which is a part of gas supply means 14 Ozonizer as a part of gas supply means 16 Capillary tube as gas mixing amount adjusting means

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) C02F 1/78 C02F 1/78 3/06 3/06 F24H 1/00 602 F24H 1/00 602L F term ( (Reference) 3L024 CC02 DD01 DD27 DD29 DD33 DD34 GG38 GG41 HH43 HH48 HH49 4D003 AA01 AB13 AB19 BA02 BA08 CA01 CA02 CA10 DA28 DA30 EA01 EA14 EA24 FA05 FA06 4D050 AA10 AB06 BB02 BD03 BD04 BD06 BD08 CA01 CA07 CA17 CA20

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A bathtub, a circulation pump (3) for sucking bathwater from the inside of the bathtub, circulating the bathwater in the bathwater circulation path, and returning the bathwater to the bathtub again; Purifying means (4) for purifying water; and first gas mixing means (5) provided in the bath water circulation path upstream of the purification means (4) and mixing gas into bath water flowing through the bath water circulation path. ), And a gas separation means (8) provided between the gas mixing means (5) and the purification means (4), for separating gas mixed in the bath water from the bath water by the gas mixing means (5). ), And a second gas mixing means (11) for mixing the gas separated by the gas separation means into the bath water downstream of the purification means (4). 2. The bath water purifying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an ozonizer for generating ozone, wherein the ozone generated by the ozonizer is mixed into the bath water by the gas mixing means. . 3. The bath water purifying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said purifying means (4) purifies said bath water with a porous particulate filter medium. 4. The bath water purifying apparatus according to claim 3, wherein microorganisms that decompose organic substances in the bath water are attached to the granular filter medium. 5. The bath water according to claim 1, wherein the first gas mixing means (5) is arranged at a position closest to the bath tub in the bath water circulation path. Purification device. 6. The gas separating means (8) has a flow path cross-sectional area larger than the flow path cross-sectional area of the bath water circulation path, and reduces the flow rate of the circulating bath water so as to bathe the gas. The bath water purifying device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the bath water purifying device is separated from water. 7. A gas flow from the gas separation means (8) to the second gas mixing means (11) is provided between the gas separation means (8) and the second gas mixing means. 7. A bath water purifying device according to claim 1, further comprising an adjusting means for adjusting. 8. A second gas mixing means (1) is provided between the gas separation means (8) and the second gas mixing means.
A bath according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a check valve (22) is provided for preventing the flow of bath water from 1) into the gas separating means (8). Purification device.