JP2001170623A - Water cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent careless release of connection of a cartridge, though the attachment and detachment of the cartridge are easy. SOLUTION: This water cleaner consists of a main body 1 connected with a water feed port and a cartridge 5 incorporating a filter media and being connected with the main body 1 in freely attachably and detachably, and water from the water feed port is fed to the cartridge 5 side and filtered clean water is discharged. A lock lever 6 for locking of a connection part mutually engaging the main body 1 with the cartridge 5 and release of the locking, is provided on the cleaner. The lock lever 6 is arranged as a member performing a sliding operation in the vicinity of the connection part. Since the locking is not released without a sliding operation, the locking is not carelessly released.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a water purifier accommodating a filter medium in a detachable cartridge, and more particularly to a water purifier of a type directly attached to a faucet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a water purifier used by being attached to a water supply port of a faucet, when a cartridge containing a filter medium is attached and detached,
Since it is necessary to prevent an excessive load from being applied to the mounting portion to the faucet, the cartridge is connected to the main body fixed to the faucet by hook fitting, and the hook fitting is released by a push button operation. There is something we can do.

[0003]

In this case, connection and disconnection of the cartridge to and from the main body can be easily performed, but since the cartridge is attached to the faucet,
In some cases, such as when washing and the like, the push button is accidentally pressed to release the connection, and the cartridge is dropped from the main body. This can cause injuries,
If the pottery is underneath, it will be damaged. Further, even if the cartridge does not drop, supplying water to the cartridge side with the connection loosened may cause water to be scattered.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a water purifier in which a cartridge can be easily attached and detached but a cartridge is not inadvertently disconnected. To provide.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention comprises a main body connected to a water supply port, and a cartridge having a filter medium built therein and detachably connected to the main body. And a lock lever for locking and unlocking a connecting portion that engages with the main body and the cartridge, and the lock lever is provided near the connecting portion. It is characterized in that it is provided as a member that can be slid. The lock is not released unless the slide operation is performed, so that the lock is not accidentally released.

If the lock lever is slidable along the outer peripheral surface of the connecting portion, the space for arranging the lock lever is small. At this time, the lock lever and the operating portion to which an external force is applied are required. When the lock plate for locking and unlocking is integrally formed, and the lock plate is rotated around the axis in the connecting portion by operating the lock lever, the member for locking is formed as a single member. And smooth movement.

Further, if the lock lever is provided with a click generating portion which generates a click in accordance with a sliding operation between the lock lever and the connecting portion, a good operational feeling can be obtained and the user can face the user. If the lock lever is arranged on the front side to be operated, it is easy to operate and the position of the lock lever is easily confirmed.

When the lock lever is disposed at a position deeper than the outer surfaces of the main body and the cartridge, particularly when the outer surface of the lock lever is positioned deeper than the outer surfaces of the main body and the cartridge, the lock lever is disposed at a lower position. No more accidental touch.

Further, if the connecting portion between the main body and the cartridge is provided with positioning means which also serves to prevent the cartridge from rotating with respect to the main body, it is possible to easily connect the cartridge at the proper position when connecting the cartridge and to apply the external force to the cartridge. If the positioning portion is formed as an uneven fitting portion, positioning and rotation prevention can be performed in a small space.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to an example of an embodiment. The water purifier in the illustrated example is of a type directly fixed to the tip of a faucet, and a lever 4 is provided on the right side. And a cartridge 5 detachably attached to the left side surface of the main body. The main body 1 is attached to the front end of the water supply port of the faucet by a fastening ring 10 provided at the upper end thereof.

As shown in FIG. 2, the main body 1 having the outer shell formed by the upper housing 11 and the lower housing 12 includes a water passage case 2 and a water discharge plate 13 located below the water passage case 2. The three water outlets 21, 22, 23 are formed by the two. The ball 25 in the figure,
Numerals 26 and 27 open and close the water holes 21, 22 and 23. The rotary shaft 40, which is supported by the lid 16 that closes the right side surface of the main body 1 and to which the lever 4 is fixed, is connected to the lever 4. When rotated by operation, the rotation axis 40
The water holes 21, 22, 23 are selectively opened and closed by moving the balls 25, 26, 27 by means of the wings provided in. In addition, the water outlet 21 is in the shower-like water discharge part 15 on the lower surface of the main body 1, the water outlet 22 is in the water discharge part 14 in the center of the lower surface of the main body 1,
The water outlet 23 communicates with a connection port 19 located at the center of the connection part 3 provided on the left side surface of the main body 1.

The connecting portion 3 to which the cartridge 5 is connected
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, a cylindrical member protruded integrally from the upper housing 11 and the lower housing 12, and a central portion thereof is attached to a side plate 17 fixed by welding to the upper housing 11 and the lower housing 12. The formed plug 18 is located, and the connection port 19 is provided in the plug 18. A plurality of (four in the illustrated example) recesses 34 are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical connecting portion 3, and an arc-shaped positioning rib is provided on the distal end surface of the connecting portion 3. 30 are provided. Further, a convex portion 37 protruding rearward is provided on the rear side of the connecting portion 3.

A lock lever 6 is provided on the front side of the outer peripheral surface of the connecting portion 3. As shown in FIG. 6, the lock lever 6 is integrally provided with a lock plate 60 having a ring shape and rotatably housed inside the connecting portion 3. A plurality of (four in the illustrated example) concave portions 61 are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and a plurality of thin elastic pieces 62 provided with a click projection 63 are provided on the outer periphery of the lock plate 60.

On the other hand, the cartridge 5 is formed as a tubular body which is long in the front and rear direction and has a rear end opening closed by a lid 52. The cartridge 5 has a water discharge port 51 at the lower front end, and has a hollow fiber at the center. A filter material 54 made of a membrane is accommodated in the outer periphery of the filter material 53 made of activated carbon, and the cartridge 5 is inserted through a water inlet of a connecting portion 50 provided on the right side for connection with the main body 1.
The water that has entered inside passes through the storage portion of the filter medium 53 via the mesh filter 501, further passes through the communication port 502 shown in FIG. 2 and the storage section of the filter medium 54, and is discharged from the water discharge port 51. In the drawing, reference numeral 500 denotes a suppression plate for holding the filter medium 53.

The connecting portion 5 of the cartridge 5
0 is provided with a plug 55 inserted between the inner peripheral surface of the connecting portion 3 of the main body 1 and the outer peripheral surface of the plug 18, and as shown in FIG.
0 is provided with a plurality of arcuate engagement grooves 58 into which the engagement recesses 57 are fitted.
The plug 55 has a plurality of hooks 56 projecting in the outer peripheral direction at the tip thereof.

In connecting the cartridge 5 to the main body 1, the lock plate 60 is rotated by operating the lock lever 6 on the main body 1, as shown in FIG. The plug 55 of the cartridge 5 is inserted with the concave portion 61 of the cartridge 5 aligned with the hook portion 56 of the cartridge 5 at the position of the concave portions 34 and 61. At this time, each positioning rib 30 of the connecting portion 3 is
8, the convex portion 37 of the connecting portion 3 fits into the engaging concave portion 57 of the cartridge 5 to position the cartridge 5 with respect to the main body 1, and also to prevent rotation in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. I do.

Next, when the lock plate 60 is rotated by sliding the lock lever 6 along the outer peripheral surface of the connecting portion 3, the position of the concave portion 61 of the lock plate 60 becomes
The lock plate 60 engages with the hook portion 56 at a position shifted from the position of the hook portion 56 of the plug 55 to prevent the cartridge 5 from falling out.

The cartridge 5 can be removed from the main body 1 by operating the lock lever 6 in the reverse direction so that the concave portion 61 of the lock plate 60 is aligned with the concave portion 34 of the connecting portion 3 so that the hook portion 56 and the lock plate 60 Disengage and plug 5
5 is performed. FIG. 9 shows this state.

The click projection 63 attached to the lock plate 60 moves the lock plate 60 approximately four times.
The connecting portion 3 at two positions with the lock position rotated by 5 °
Engages with a click recess (not shown) provided on the inner surface of the.

The plurality of positioning ribs 30 and the corresponding plurality of engaging grooves 58 are combined in different lengths so that the main body can be moved only when the cartridge 5 is oriented in a predetermined direction. 1, the cartridge 5 can be attached. In addition, positioning rib 3
The engagement between the engagement groove 58 and the engagement groove 58 also serves as a detent function for the cartridge 5 as described above, but since the connecting portion 50 is located at the front end side of the cartridge 5 and the center of gravity is at the rear. A detent is provided on the rear side of the connecting portion 50 by the convex portion 37 of the connecting portion 3 and the engaging concave portion 57 of the cartridge 5.

Here, a lock lever 6 slid to lock and unlock the cartridge 5 is operated.
As is apparent from FIG. 3, since the lock lever 6 is located at a position deeper than the front of the main body 1 and the front of the cartridge 5 and the front of the lock lever 6 is deeper than the front of the main body 1 and the front of the cartridge 5, No inadvertent movement.

Incidentally, the concavo-convex relationship of the connecting engagement portion between the main body 1 and the cartridge 5 may be reversed, and the lock lever 6 may be provided on the cartridge 5 side.

[0023]

As described above, the present invention comprises a main body connected to a water supply port and a cartridge having a filter medium built therein and removably connected to the main body. Water from the water supply port is supplied to the cartridge side. In a water purifier that sends and discharges filtered water, the water purifier includes a lock lever for locking and unlocking a connecting portion that engages with the main body and the cartridge, and the lock lever slides near the connecting portion. Since it is arranged as a member to be operated, the lock will not be released unless the slide operation is performed, so even if you touch the lock lever during work, the lock will be released carelessly. It is something that does not end up.

If the lock lever is slidable along the outer peripheral surface of the connecting portion, the space for arranging the lock lever can be reduced while increasing the sliding operation amount of the lock lever. When the lock lever is configured such that an operation portion to which an external operation force is applied and a lock plate for locking and unlocking are integrally formed, and the lock plate rotates around the axis in the connection portion by operating the lock lever, The locking member can be formed as a single member, which reduces the number of parts. In addition, the lock lever (operating section and lock plate) can be slid freely and the support is simple and smooth. Obtainable.

If the lock lever is provided with a click generating portion which generates a click in accordance with a sliding operation between the lock lever and the connecting portion, the operation can be performed with a click feeling without requiring a separate member. Thus, a good operational feeling can be obtained.

If a lock lever is arranged on the front side facing the user, the lock lever can be easily operated and the position of the lock lever can be easily confirmed.

When the lock lever is disposed at a position deeper than the outer surfaces of the main body and the cartridge, particularly when the outer surface of the lock lever is positioned deeper than the outer surfaces of the main body and the cartridge, the lock lever may be disposed at the lock lever. Inadvertent touching can be prevented, so that the safety can be further enhanced.

Further, if the connecting portion between the main body and the cartridge is provided with positioning means which also serves to prevent the cartridge from rotating with respect to the main body, it is possible to easily perform the connection at the regular position when connecting the cartridge and to prevent the cartridge from being subjected to an external force. It is possible to prevent rotation due to the rotation, and if the positioning portion is formed as an uneven fitting portion, positioning and rotation prevention can be performed in a small space.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the same.

FIG. 4 is a left side view of the above-described main body when the lock is released.

FIG. 5 is a left side view when the main body is locked.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the same lock lever.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the cartridge.

FIG. 8 is a right side view of the cartridge.

FIG. 9 is a horizontal sectional view at the time of unlocking of the above.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 body 5 cartridge 6 lock lever

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Asahi Mori 1048, Oaza Kadoma, Kadoma City, Osaka Pref. F-term in Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd. DB05

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A body connected to a water supply port, and a cartridge having a filter medium built therein and detachably connected to the body, sending water from the water supply port to the cartridge side to discharge filtered purified water. In the water purifier, a lock lever is provided for locking and unlocking a connection portion that engages with the main body and the cartridge, and the lock lever is disposed as a slidably operated member near the connection portion. A water purifier characterized by being. 2. The water purifier according to claim 1, wherein the lock lever is slidable along the outer peripheral surface of the connecting portion. The lock lever is formed integrally with an operation portion to which an external operation force is applied and a lock plate for locking and unlocking, and the lock plate rotates around an axis in the connection portion by operating the lock lever. The water purifier according to claim 2, wherein: 4. The water purifier according to claim 1, wherein the lock lever has a click generating portion that generates a click in accordance with a sliding operation between the lock lever and the connecting portion. . 5. The water purifier according to claim 1, wherein a lock lever is provided on a front side facing the user. 6. The water purifier according to claim 1, wherein the lock lever is disposed at a position deeper than the outer surfaces of the main body and the cartridge. 7. The water purifier according to claim 6, wherein the outer surface of the lock lever is located deeper than the outer surfaces of the main body and the cartridge. 8. The water purifier according to claim 1, wherein the connecting portion between the main body and the cartridge is provided with positioning means which also serves to prevent the cartridge from rotating with respect to the main body. 9. The water purifier according to claim 8, wherein the positioning portion is formed as an uneven fitting portion.