JP2002126724A - Water cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a water cleaner for facilitating the production on a factory level and allowing water to uniformly flow to the filter material in a cartridge to be capable of sufficiently developing the capacity of the filter material. SOLUTION: The water cleaner is equipped with a housing, the filter material granular aggregate provided in the housing and the porous elastomer provided in opposed relation to the filter material granular aggregate and suppressing the movement of a filter material when used and volumetrically expanded upon water absorption.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a water purifier provided with filter media particles such as granular activated carbon for removing residual chlorine contained in tap water and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There are various types of water purifiers provided with a filter medium such as activated carbon and hollow fiber membranes which have been conventionally suitably used for home use. Roughly classified according to the relationship, there are a filter medium that allows water to pass in a substantially horizontal direction and a filter medium that allows water to pass in a substantially vertical direction. For example, in a faucet direct-connection type water purifier, if water is allowed to pass through the filter medium in a substantially horizontal direction,
There is an advantage that the filter material can be effectively housed in the lower part of the nozzle below the faucet while being effectively used.

[0003] However, in water purifiers, granular or powdered activated carbon or calcium sulfite, which can remove residual chlorine and trihalomethane in treated water, is often used as a filter medium. It is difficult in production to fill the housing without any gaps, and voids occur in the housing. Therefore, in the water purifier that allows the raw water to flow in a substantially horizontal direction with respect to the filter medium as described above, a gap is generated near the inflow port and the filter medium packing density is reduced,
Raw water easily passes above the filter medium having a low pressure resistance. As a result, the contact time between water and the filter medium is shortened, so that the processing performance of the filled filter medium cannot be maximized,
The quality of the treated water is reduced, and the life of the filter medium as a whole is shortened because only a part of the filter medium is intensively used.

In order to avoid such a phenomenon, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
No. 10751 discloses that a filter medium can be effectively used by providing a member for changing the flow of water inside a cartridge.
No. 7 discloses a method in which a spiral plate is provided inside a cartridge to extend the time during which water stays in the cartridge and to effectively use a filter medium. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-57250 discloses a water purifier in which a porous elastic body is accommodated in a cartridge together with a particulate filter medium to prevent the filter medium from being biased. Further, JP-A-7-88
Japanese Patent No. 473 discloses a water purifier in which a particulate filter medium and a water-absorbing polymer are mixed and stored in a cartridge, and the polymer swells when passing water so that there is no void.

However, the means described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-10751 complicates the internal structure of the cartridge. For example, when the cartridge is integrally molded, the mold structure becomes complicated, and cost and production time are reduced. It is not efficient. In order to avoid such a problem, it is conceivable to divide the member that changes the flow of water into several types of parts, but it takes a lot of time and labor if it is assumed that production is performed at the factory level. There's a problem. Means described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-333449 also require time and labor when assembling, and it takes much time to fill the particulate filter medium, and the unfilled portion is also required. May be formed. Furthermore, in the water purifier described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-57250, it is difficult to close the filter and seal the filter medium in the housing while pressing the elastic body in the actual manufacturing process, so that production at the factory level is difficult. Therefore, there is a problem that defective products are easily generated. Furthermore,
In the water purifier described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-88473, there is a gap until water is passed, so that the water-absorbing polymer is unevenly distributed due to a difference in mass from the filter medium due to transportation or the like before use. When unevenly distributed, water flows unevenly even when no gap is formed in the cartridge when water flows, and the original life of the cartridge and the filtering performance cannot be exhibited.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a water purifier which can prevent the drift of water and can be easily produced at a factory level.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided a housing, a filter medium aggregate provided in the housing, and a filter medium aggregate provided in opposition to the filter medium aggregate. It is characterized by a water purifier comprising a porous elastic body that suppresses the movement of the filter medium particles and expands in volume when absorbing water.

[0008] Here, the porous elastic body has an annular, cylindrical or plate-like shape, has the same cross-sectional shape as the filter medium particle aggregate, and further has a porous elastic body. But,
It is preferable to face the end face of the filter medium aggregate. Further, the filter medium particle aggregate has a cylindrical shape as a whole, and it is preferable to provide a hollow fiber membrane inside the filter medium particle aggregate.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A water purifier according to one embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 comprises a flow path switching section 1 and a cartridge housing cylinder 2. The flow path switching unit 1 includes a raw water receiving port 4 for receiving raw water by being connected to a tap 3 for water supply, a raw water outlet (not shown) for directly discharging raw water without purification, and a cartridge housing cylinder. 2 and a purified water outlet (not shown) for discharging purified water, and the raw water received from the raw water receiving port 4 is supplied to the raw water outlet or the outlet. An operation handle 5 for operating a flow path switching valve (not shown) leading to the water port is provided.

As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2, the cartridge accommodating cylinder 2 has a casing 7 for accommodating the cartridge 6 so that its axis is arranged in a horizontal direction, and a cap 8 attached to the casing 7. And

As shown in FIG. 3, the cartridge 6 is formed in a double cylindrical shape by an outer casing 9 and an inner casing 10. The outer casing 9 is a cylindrical member made of opaque or transparent plastic having an open upper end.
A raw water inlet 11 and a purified water outlet 12 are formed at the bottom, and the inner casing 10 is a cylindrical member made of opaque or transparent plastic whose upper and lower ends are open. A cylindrical partition wall 13 is provided on the inner peripheral bottom of the outer casing 9, and a primary filter (rectifying member) 21 is provided above the partition wall 13, and the inner casing 10
A secondary filter 31 is provided on the upper part.

These outer casing 9, inner casing 9,
The primary filter 21 and the secondary filter 31 form a cylindrical primary filtration chamber 14 (housing) and a columnar secondary filtration chamber 15, and the cylindrical primary filtration chamber 14 is filled with a granular filter medium such as activated carbon. To form a filter medium particle aggregate. The cylindrical primary filtration chamber 14 is provided with a porous elastic body 50 for pressing the filter medium aggregate during use to suppress the flow of the filter medium granules so as to face the filter medium aggregate. I have. A large number of hollow fiber membranes 34 are accommodated in the secondary filtration chamber 15 in a state of being bent in a U-shape, and purified water that has passed through the hollow fiber membranes 34 is formed in an outlet chamber 37 formed thereunder. The end of the hollow fiber membrane 34 is fixed to the lower part of the partition wall 13 with a potting resin 36 so that the hollow fiber membrane 34 is collected and discharged from the purified water outlet 12 and has an open end face.

An inlet chamber 22 communicating with the raw water inlet 11 is formed below the primary filter 21.
Raw water flows into the primary filtration chamber 14 through the inlet chamber 22 and the primary filter 21. And the outer casing 9
A lid 32 made of a transparent plastic is fixed to the upper end of the first filtration chamber. A communication chamber 33 connecting the primary filtration chamber 14 and the secondary filtration chamber 15 is formed below the lid 32, and the water purified in the primary filtration chamber 14 is formed. Flows into the secondary filtration chamber 15 through the secondary filter 31 and the communication chamber 33.

Such a cartridge 6 is housed laterally in the cartridge housing cylinder 2 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the treated water flows through the inside of the cartridge 6 as indicated by the arrow in FIG. .

In the present invention, the porous elastic body 50 is
It can be dried and shrunk in advance, and its volume expands when it absorbs water. For example, cellulose sponge or sponge can be used.

In the present invention, such a porous elastic body 50 is not mixed with filter medium particles as in the water purifier disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-88473, but is provided on the outer and inner peripheral sides of the filter medium. Since it is provided so as to face the filter medium particle aggregate at the end and the like, the packing density of the filter medium with respect to the flux can be made uniform, and the uneven flow of water due to uneven distribution of the porous elastic body can be prevented. The term “opposite” means that the surface of the filter medium aggregate and the porous elastic body are opposed to each other. The filter medium aggregate is divided into two parts, and the porous elastic body is arranged between the two parts. The dividing surface of the body may be opposed to the porous elastic body.

Since the volume of the porous elastic body 50 expands when it absorbs water, a gap may be formed in the primary filtration chamber 14 during production, and the primary filters 21 and 2 may be compressed while compressing the porous elastic body. There is no need to arrange or seal the next filter 31, and it is easy to ensure the sealing performance. As a result, stable production at the factory level becomes easier. In addition, at the time of use, the gap in the primary filtration chamber 14 can be filled by flowing water, so that the movement and uneven distribution of the filter medium particles are prevented,
Water drift can be prevented. As a result, the filtration performance can be maximized, and the maximum life of the filter medium as a whole can be effectively utilized.

The porous elastic body 50 is preferably formed in an annular, cylindrical, or plate-like shape, depending on the position where the porous elastic body 50 is provided. For example, when the hollow fiber membrane is provided inside the filter medium particle aggregate as in the above embodiment, the porous elastic body 50 is formed in a ring shape, that is, the same shape as the cross section of the filter medium particle aggregate. And it is preferable to arrange it so as to face the end face of the filter medium particle aggregate. By forming the same shape as the cross section of the filter medium aggregate, and providing the same so as to face the end face of the filter medium aggregate, the pressing members can be evenly arranged with respect to the flux.

Further, by changing the thickness and density of the porous elastic body 50, the removal performance, the flow rate of the treated water, and the pressure loss can be adjusted.

In the present embodiment, the primary filter 21 and the secondary filter 31 are provided. However, these may be combined with the porous elastic body 50 having a rough filtration function. When the primary filter and the secondary filter are also used as the porous elastic body, the filling amount of the filter medium can be increased, and the filtration performance per unit volume of the filtration chamber can be improved.

Next, a method of handling the water purifier shown in FIG. 1 will be described.

Channel switching section 1 and cartridge housing cylinder section 2
Is attached to the faucet 3, and the cartridge 6 is inserted into the cartridge housing cylinder 2 so that the axis of the cartridge 6 is arranged in the horizontal direction and the treated water flows in the horizontal direction.
Housed in

When tap water is sent from the faucet 3 to the flow path switching unit 1, when the operation handle 5 is switched to the purified water side,
The raw water passes through the water pipe to the cartridge storage cylinder 2,
It is led to the raw water inlet 11 of the cartridge 6.

The raw water flowing from the raw water inlet 11 of the cartridge 6 enters the inlet chamber 22, passes through the primary filter 21, and flows into the primary filtration chamber 14. Raw water is
Since the primary filter 21 is a rectifying member, the primary filtration chamber 1
4. It flows uniformly in 4. Then, the raw water that has flowed into the temporary filtration chamber 14 comes into contact with filter media particles such as activated carbon to remove chlorine odor and the like. The water from which chlorine has been removed flows into the secondary filtration chamber 15 through the communication chamber 33, and passes through the hollow fiber membrane 34 to remove bacteria and the like. The water that has passed through the hollow fiber membrane passes through the outlet chamber 37 from the open end of the hollow fiber membrane 34 and flows out of the purified water outlet 12 as purified water. Here, in the present invention, together with the filter medium particles in the primary filtration chamber 14, the porous elastic body that suppresses the movement of the filter medium particles during use and expands in volume when absorbing water is opposed to the aggregate of the filter medium particles. , The drift due to the mixture of the porous elastic body and the filter medium particles can be prevented. As a result, the original filtration performance of the filter medium particle aggregate can be sufficiently exhibited, and the maximum life of the filter medium as a whole can be effectively utilized.

In the above embodiment, the water purifier of the faucet direct connection type has been described. However, the flow path switching unit is attached to the faucet of the water supply, and the cartridge storage tube body supports the top plate, floor, etc. of the sink. It may be a stationary type placed on a surface or an undersink type in which a cartridge storage cylinder is disposed in a storage space below a sink.

[0026]

According to the water purifier of the present invention, a casing, a filter medium aggregate provided in the housing, and a filter medium aggregate provided opposite to the filter medium aggregate to suppress the movement of the filter medium granules during use. Since it is provided with a porous elastic body whose volume expands when water is absorbed, uneven distribution of the porous elastic body due to the mixture of the porous elastic body and the filter medium can be prevented, and the packing density of the filter medium can be made uniform. . As a result, the drift of water can be prevented. And
There may be gaps in the housing during production, so there is no need to arrange or seal other members while compressing the porous elastic body, making it easy to ensure sealing performance and stable at the factory level. Production becomes easier. In addition, the gap generated at the time of production can be filled by flowing water at the start of use, so that the flow and uneven distribution of the particulate filter medium can be prevented, and the uneven flow of water can be prevented.

Therefore, the water purifier of the present invention can exhibit the filtration performance inherent in the water purifier to the maximum, and can effectively utilize the maximum life.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a water purifier according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of the water purifier of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of a cartridge of the water purifier of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: Flow path switching unit 2: Cartridge storage cylinder unit 3: Faucet 4: Raw water receiving port 5: Operation handle 6: Cartridge 7: Casing 8: Cap 9: Outer casing 10: Inner casing 11: Raw water inlet 12: Purified water Outlet 13: Partition wall 14: Primary filtration chamber 15: Secondary filtration chamber 21: Primary filter 22: Inlet chamber 23: Support member 24: Net-like sheet 25: Hole 31: Secondary filter 32: Lid 33: Communication chamber 34: Hollow fiber membrane 36: potting resin 37: outlet chamber 40: support member 41: mesh sheet 42: groove 50: porous elastic body

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A housing, a filter medium aggregate provided in the housing, and a porous member provided to face the filter medium aggregate, which suppresses movement of the filter medium particles during use, and expands in volume when absorbing water. A water purifier characterized by comprising an elastic body. 2. The water purifier according to claim 1, wherein the porous elastic body has a ring shape, a tubular shape, or a plate shape. 3. The water purifier according to claim 1, wherein the porous elastic body has the same cross-sectional shape as the filter medium aggregate. 4. The water purifier according to claim 1, wherein the porous elastic body faces an end face of the filter medium particle aggregate. 5. The water purifier according to claim 1, wherein the filter medium aggregate has a cylindrical shape as a whole, and a hollow fiber membrane is provided inside the filter medium aggregate.