JP2003311264A - Water cleaning cartridge built in faucet - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a water cleaning cartridge built in a faucet capable of markedly enhancing filtering performance and capable of maintaining high filtering performance over a prolonged period of time. <P>SOLUTION: In the water cleaning cartridge built in the faucet, a cylindrical cartridge body 10 which can be built in the faucet 1 comprises a hollow fiber membrane module 12 and an activated carbon layer 13 arranged in series and inflow holes 15 for side flow are pierced in a protective tube 14 covering the activated carbon layer 13. A gap D for ensuring a passage is left between the inside of the protective tube 14 and the outside of the activated carbon layer 13. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a water purification cartridge with a built-in faucet, which is built into a faucet such as a shower nozzle, which discharges tap water (raw water) or purified water by switching faucet passages. Regarding

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there have been provided various shower heads capable of removing or decomposing chlorine contained in raw water and switching between raw water and purified water. In this type of shower head, the flow path switching valve of the shower head with a water purifying function is switched to discharge purified water or raw water (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Inside this shower head, a cylindrical water purification cartridge is installed.Normally, raw water is made to flow around the outer periphery of the cartridge, and at the time of filtration, a filtration water flow path is formed from the outer periphery of the cartridge to the hollow portion for filtration. It is carried out.

In this water purification cartridge, a filter made of non-woven fabric, sponge, net, or the like is provided around the outer surface of a water purification material mainly containing activated carbon formed in a cylindrical shape. It has a structure that makes contact with.

During filtration, when the flow path switching valve is switched to set the flow path to the clean water side, the raw water passes from the outer peripheral flow path of the water purification cartridge through the filter and the water purification material to the center of the water purification material. Purified water is allowed to flow out to the central space formed in the above.

On the other hand, as a purified water shower in which a cylindrical filter medium is mounted, normally, raw water is made to flow in the hollow portion of the cylindrical cartridge, and when the purified water is used, it is directed from the outer periphery of the cylindrical cartridge to the central portion. There is one that is configured to form a purified water flow path.

When this purified water shower is switched to the purified water side, pressure is applied from the outer peripheral side of the cylindrical cartridge toward the central portion, so as a pressure-resistant means, porous plastic is formed in the central portion of the cylindrical cartridge and a large number of side surfaces are formed. It is common to arrange a cylindrical reinforcing member made of a plastic cylinder or the like having holes.

[0007]

[Patent Document 1] JP 2001-30363 A

[0008]

However, fibrous activated carbon is used to remove residual chlorine as the water purification material of the above-mentioned water purification cartridge. However, according to this activated carbon, bacteria and fine particles are removed. It could not be removed or disassembled.

Further, when the above cartridges are installed in the shower head, the water purification material, which is a filter or a filter material, is always in contact with the raw water regardless of switching between the raw water and the purified water. Even if the shower is used only with raw water, the filtration performance of fibrous activated carbon will be greatly reduced, shortening the life of the water purification cartridge, but this structure has a built-in faucet The same applies to all cartridges for
The structure is unavoidable.

Further, when porous plastic is provided as a reinforcing material in the central portion of the cylindrical cartridge, the filtration flow rate may be reduced due to clogging of the reinforcing material, and a plastic reinforcing material having holes is simply used. When used as a protective member for the activated carbon layer, only the fibrous activated carbon layer in the vicinity of the hole contributes to the filtration and it is difficult to use the entire activated carbon layer efficiently.

The present invention has been developed in view of the above situation, and an object of the present invention is a water purifying cartridge with a built-in faucet capable of remarkably improving the filtration performance, which has a long filtration performance. An object of the present invention is to provide a water purification cartridge with a built-in faucet that can be maintained for a period of time.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 constitutes a cylindrical cartridge main body which can be built in a faucet by arranging a hollow fiber membrane module and an activated carbon layer in series. Then, the water purification cartridge with a built-in faucet has a protective cylinder covered with an activated carbon layer and provided with an inflow hole for side flow. Therefore, although the cartridge body 10 can be arranged in a narrow faucet and the activated carbon layer is always in contact with the raw water, high filtration performance can be maintained for a long period of time.

The invention according to claim 2 is the water purification cartridge with a built-in faucet, wherein a gap for ensuring a flow path is provided between the inner circumference of the protection cylinder and the outer circumference of the activated carbon layer. By this gap,
The raw water can be uniformly introduced to the entire side wall of the activated carbon layer while ensuring the amount of filtration treatment.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of a water purification cartridge with a built-in faucet according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1
FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway side view of the shower nozzle. In the figure, 1 is a shower nozzle that is a faucet, 2 is a raw water / purified water switching mechanism, and 3 is a cylindrical water purification cartridge body 1 of the present invention.
It is an attachment part of a predetermined form for enabling 0 to be attached in the faucet 1.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cartridge body 10 is constructed so that the hollow fiber membrane module 12 and the activated carbon layer 13 are arranged in series and can be built in the faucet 1. The hollow fiber membrane module 12 is tubular and made of resin (for example, A
The body 11 is made of BS resin or the like). As shown in FIG. 2, a resin-made (for example, ABS resin) protective cylinder 14 continuously provided on the tubular body 11 and formed in substantially the same shape as the tubular body 11 is integrally fixed by means of ultrasonic welding or the like. It is provided on the outer periphery of the activated carbon layer 13, and the protective cylinder 14 covers the activated carbon layer 13. On the outer peripheral side of the protective cylinder 14, external water can be passed in the direction indicated by the dashed-dotted line arrow shown in FIG. 1, that is, in the axial direction of the cylindrical activated carbon layer. The cartridge body 10 has, for example, a length of 100 to
The diameter is 150 mm and the diameter is about 25 to 35 mm.

Reference numeral 15 denotes a side flow inflow hole formed in the protective cylinder 14 by means such as perforation. When the raw water / purified water switching mechanism 2 is switched to the purified water side, the inside of the cartridge body 10 is passed through the inflow hole 15. Raw water can be passed through, and filtration can be performed in the direction indicated by the solid line arrow in FIG. 1, that is, in the radial direction of the cylindrical activated carbon layer.

A gap D for securing a flow path is provided between the inner circumference of the protective cylinder 14 and the outer circumference of the activated carbon layer 13. Activated carbon layer 1
The raw water can be spread all around the side surface of No. 3, and the filtration from the side surface of the activated carbon layer in the radial direction, that is, the side flow can be effectively performed.

A plurality of the inflow holes 15 are provided on the side surface of the activated carbon protective cylinder 14 at regular intervals. The opening area of the inflow holes 15 is 5 to the outer surface area of the protective cylinder 14.
It is about 15%. That is, by covering 85% to 95% of the side surface of the activated carbon layer 13 and providing a gap D between the protective cylinder 14 and the activated carbon layer 13, the activated carbon layer 13 is always in contact with raw water, that is, so-called outside water passage. Even in the structure, the filtration performance can be maintained for a long time, and the replacement period of the cartridge can be extended. By providing a plurality of inflow holes on the side surface of the protective cylinder at regular intervals as in the present embodiment, the strength of the protective cylinder is less likely to decrease as compared with the case where the inflow holes are elongated in a groove shape. When the water purification cartridge of (1) is attached or detached, the protection cylinder 14 can be securely gripped for attachment and detachment without damaging the activated carbon layer.

The activated carbon layer 13 is, for example, fibrous activated carbon, and is made to contain a lead adsorbent such as aluminosilicate, and this activated carbon layer 13 causes free residual chlorine, soluble lead, and musty odor. It becomes possible to remove 2-MIB (methylisoborneol). In addition, in this example, the activated carbon layer 13 is formed into a hollow shape so as to be hollowed out in a cylindrical shape, but it may be a solid shape.

The hollow fiber membrane module 12 is a polypropylene (PP) membrane and has a membrane area of 450 to 660c.
By using of about m ^2, it becomes possible to eliminate the turbidity component, such as bacteria and particulates. The PP membrane has heat resistance and can satisfy a predetermined filtration performance even in washing with water in which heated water having a water temperature of 60 ° C. or higher flows. The hollow fiber membrane module 12 is provided with a potting portion 12a by folding a hollow fiber membrane bundle into a substantially U shape as shown in the figure, and the potting portion 12a is used to form the hollow fiber membrane module 1
2 and the end of the tubular body 11 are sealed and fixed. Although the potting material is polyurethane in this embodiment, it may be epoxy resin from the viewpoint of heat resistance.

Reference numeral 16 denotes a cap formed to have substantially the same diameter as the tubular body 11, and the cap 16 is fixed to the tubular body 11 by means of ultrasonic welding or the like. Reference numeral 17 denotes an O-ring mounted on the cap 16, and when the cartridge body 10 is mounted on the mounting portion 3, the O-ring 17 is sealed and held on the mounting portion 3 by sealing. 1a is a nozzle head that can be attached to and detached from the tip side of the shower nozzle 1,
When replacing the cartridge body 10, the nozzle body 1 can be detached from the nozzle head 1a by removing the nozzle head 1a from the shower nozzle 1. When the new cartridge body 10 is attached so as to be inserted into the nozzle head 1a, the O-ring 17 is formed. It can be easily replaced by naturally adhering to the mounting portion 3. In this example, the potting portion 12a is provided at a position where it is covered with the cap 16, but if this potting portion is provided on the end surface of the cap 16, the cap and the tubular body are integrated. It can be molded.

Reference numeral 18 denotes an end cap. By mounting the end cap 18 on the end portion of the activated carbon layer 13, raw water is prevented from flowing from the end portion side of the activated carbon layer 13, and the raw water is fed from the outer peripheral surface side of the protective cylinder 14. Was infiltrated and filtered.

Although not shown, the shower nozzle 1 can be used by removing the whole from the tap 4 by pulling out a hose, and can be poured into a remote place as a hand shower in which purified water can be used. .

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described. In the water purification cartridge with a built-in faucet of the present invention, the hollow fiber membrane module 12 and the activated carbon layer 13 are arranged in series to configure the cartridge body 10, so that the hollow fiber membrane module 12 and the hollow fiber membrane module 12 are provided in a narrow space in the faucet 1. The activated carbon layer 13, which is the filtration member at the previous stage, can be functionally arranged so as to exhibit a predetermined filtering function, and the outer periphery is surrounded by the tubular body 11 while the activated carbon layer 13 is always in contact with raw water. By combining with the hollow fiber membrane module 12 thus prepared, bacteria and fine particles can be removed and decomposed, and high filtration performance can be exhibited for a long period of time.

Moreover, since the activated carbon layer 13 is covered with the protective cylinder 14 and is connected to the tubular body 11, and the inflow hole 15 for side flow is provided in the protective cylinder 14, clogging or the like occurs. Therefore, the entire filtering member can be efficiently used.

Since a gap D is provided between the inner periphery of the protective cylinder 14 and the activated carbon layer 13, while securing a filtration processing amount,
Raw water can be uniformly led to the entire side wall of the activated carbon layer 13.

Here, J is applied to the cartridge body 10.
The test was conducted based on the IS S3201 home water purifier test method. The result and the evaluation result will be described. The internal water flow test represents an internal water flow test, and this internal water flow test is a test in which all raw water is filtered through a filtration member (activated carbon layer 13 and hollow fiber membrane module 12), while external water flow test is performed. Water represents an external water flow test, and this external water flow test is 24000 L (200 L / day x 30 days x 4 months).
The internal water flow test was carried out after the raw water of No. 2 was passed to the outside of the cartridge body.

[0028]

[Table 1] (Unit: L)

The values in the table indicate the total filtration flow rate (L), and the items of free residual chlorine, soluble lead, and 2-MIB were used until the removal rates thereof fell from 100% to 80%, respectively. The total amount of filtered water in
It represents the total amount of filtered water from the point of falling from 50% to 50%.

As shown in the results of the table, the evaluation items in the internal water flow test were able to secure a filtration capacity of 1500 L or more. On the other hand, in the external water flow test, the amounts of components such as free residual chlorine, soluble lead, and 2-MIB that can be removed by the activated carbon layer are lower than those in the internal water flow test alone, but the cartridge body 10 With the structure (1), it was possible to secure 1200 L or more, which is the acceptance criterion when the most severe filtration performance is required. Therefore, according to the structure of the present invention, it was confirmed that even in the external water-passing structure, the filtration performance is maintained within 4 months, which is said to be the standard usage period of the water purification cartridge.

The turbidity filtration capacity, which is an evaluation item representing the filtration performance of the hollow fiber membrane, exceeds the values of free residual chlorine, soluble lead, and 2-MIB, which represent the filtration capacity of the activated carbon layer. It shows that the life of the membrane module exceeds that of the activated carbon layer.

[0032]

As is apparent from the above, according to the present invention, it is possible to detachably mount the inside of the faucet, and even if it is a narrow space like the faucet, even if it is a limited space, the filtration performance can be improved. It is possible to provide a water purification cartridge with a built-in faucet, which has a structure in which the activated carbon layer is in constant contact with the raw water, but which can maintain high filtration performance for a long period of time. Becomes

Further, high filtration performance can be maintained for a long period of time, ununiform flow of raw water does not occur, the rigidity of the cartridge can be increased, and it can withstand long-term use and is excellent in durability.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway side view of a shower nozzle.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a first embodiment of the water purification cartridge with a built-in faucet in the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a half cross-sectional view of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Shower nozzle (water faucet) 10 Cartridge body 11 tubular body 12 Hollow fiber membrane module 13 Activated carbon bed 14 Protective tube 15 Inflow hole D gap

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Takeshi Kosaka             3012 Shiga, Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture             Tsu Suwa factory F-term (reference) 2D060 BC12 BE01 CD09                 4D006 GA07 HA19 JA13A JA13C                       JA25A JA25C JB04 JB07                       KA01 KB12 MA01 MB02 MC23                       PA01 PB06 PB22 PB24 PC25                 4D024 AA02 AB04 AB11 AB16 BA02                       BA05 BB01 BC01 CA04 CA13                       DB05

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A hollow cartridge body that can be built into a faucet is constructed by arranging a hollow fiber membrane module and an activated carbon layer in series, and a protective cylinder covered with the activated carbon layer is provided with an inflow hole for side flow. A water purification cartridge with a built-in faucet. 2. The water purification cartridge with a built-in faucet according to claim 1, wherein a gap for ensuring a flow path is provided between the inner circumference of the protection cylinder and the outer circumference of the activated carbon layer.