JP2012030218A - Water purifier - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a water purifier which has a high performance in purifying raw water and can maintain the high performance over an extended period of time.SOLUTION: In the water purifier 40 wherein a purification material is contained within a case 62 provided with a raw water inlet 76 and a purified water outlet 78, raw water flowing in from the raw water inlet 76 is passed through a purification material to be purified, and the purified water is allowed to flow out from the purified water outlet 78. The purification material is formed by arranging in order, from the upstream side to the downstream side of the flow of the raw water flowing from the raw water inlet 76, a first activated carbon layer 88, a hollow fiber membrane filter 130, and a second activated carbon layer 132. The raw water is purified by being passed through the first activated carbon layer 88, the hollow fiber membrane filter 130, and the second activated carbon layer 132 in this order.

Description

  The present invention relates to a water purifier that purifies tap water through a purifying material, and particularly relates to an apparatus having features in technical means for improving purification performance.

Tap water may contain various particulate impurities such as red rust and other turbid components, residual chlorine, agricultural chemicals, lead and other harmful components.
In addition, harmful trihalomethane produced by the reaction of chlorine and organic substances in tap water, and other harmful trichloroethane (1,1,1-trichloroethane) mixed in rivers also enter tap water and are contained in it. Sometimes it is.
Thus, conventionally, tap water is generally used after being purified through a water purifier.
The tap water (raw water) is passed through the purification material inside the water purifier and becomes purified water by the purification action of the purification material and flows out of the water purification device.

Conventionally, in such a water purifier, activated carbon (granular activated carbon) and a hollow fiber membrane filter are used in combination as a purification material.
Activated carbon removes residual chlorine, trihalomethane, trichloroethane, etc. dissolved in tap water mainly by adsorption.
In addition, the hollow fiber membrane filter removes solids such as foreign substances contained in tap water and other turbid components and floc (aggregated particles) from the tap water by filtration.

The hollow fiber membrane has innumerable fine pores (through-holes), and tap water can pass from the outside to the inside of the membrane through these pores. Turbid component particles (water particles) are filtered and removed from the tap water.
The pores of the hollow fiber membrane are extremely fine, and particles of turbid components such as contaminants contained in tap water can be removed by this hollow fiber membrane filter up to as small as about 0.1 μm.

In the water purifiers using these activated carbon and hollow fiber membrane filters as purification materials, conventionally, the activated carbon layer (activated carbon layer) is arranged on the upstream side and the hollow fiber membrane filter is arranged on the downstream side. As shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 12, first, it is passed through an activated carbon layer where residual chlorine, trihalomethane, trichloroethane and the like in tap water are removed by an adsorption reaction, and then passed through a hollow fiber membrane filter. Therefore, the turbid component particles are removed by filtration, the raw water (tap water) is purified, and the purified water is discharged from the purified water outlet.
For example, this type of water purifier is disclosed in Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2 below.

  Thus, in the water purifier in which the purification material is arranged in the order of the activated carbon layer and the hollow fiber membrane filter, the activated carbon layer on the upstream side not only removes harmful components dissolved in the raw water by adsorption, but also the activated carbon layer has a large turbidity substance. Is also removed, clogging of the downstream hollow fiber membrane filter is reduced, and the service life is extended.

The hollow fiber membrane filter not only removes contaminant particles from the raw water, but also prevents the activated carbon (granular) from flowing upstream, and intrusions of germs from the purified water outlet side into the water purifier, that is, reverse contamination of germs. Can play multiple functions and roles such as prevention at the same time.
As a result, this type of water purifier has been widely used as an excellent balance between compactness and long life.

  However, in the water purifier with the activated carbon layer on the upstream side and the hollow fiber membrane filter on the downstream side, it is added to settle turbid components such as iron rust and dust and suspended particles in water at the water purification plant. For harsh overseas tap water with low water quality, which contains a large number of foreign substances such as floc and other flocculants (aluminum-based flocculant derived from polyaluminum chloride added as a flocculant), activated carbon Since the surface is covered with these impurities and the adsorption or oxidation reaction on the surface is inhibited, the purification performance cannot be sufficiently exhibited.

  Therefore, even if trihalomethane and trichloroethane, which are harder to adsorb than residual chlorine, can be removed together with residual chlorine in tap water in the activated carbon layer at the beginning, trihalomethane and trichloroethane are removed by the activated carbon layer due to a decrease in adsorption performance as they continue to be used. There is a risk that these will be included in the purified water flowing out of the water purifier.

  In addition, since the upstream activated carbon layer removes contaminants that cause clogging of the hollow fiber membrane filter, clogging of the downstream hollow fiber membrane filter is suppressed, and as a result, the hollow fiber membrane filter is clogged and durable. Long life.

  Ordinary users usually continue to use the water purifier until it becomes clogged and the flow rate is reduced. In this case, the water purifier is used over a long period of time while the purification performance of the activated carbon layer is not fully demonstrated. There is a risk of being done.

In order to solve these problems, a water purifier has been proposed in which a hollow fiber membrane filter is disposed on the upstream side and an activated carbon layer is disposed on the downstream side. For example, Patent Document 3 below discloses this type of water purifier.
However, in this case, residual chlorine and various harmful chemical substances contained in the raw water (tap water) may directly act on the hollow fiber membrane located on the upstream side to accelerate the deterioration of the hollow fiber membrane and reduce the filtration accuracy. It becomes a problem.

  In the case of this water purifier, since the raw water after the contaminants are removed by the hollow fiber membrane filter flows into the activated carbon layer, there is no problem that the activated carbon surface is covered with the contaminants. In this case, residual chlorine in tap water that is more easily adsorbed is preferentially adsorbed, thereby inhibiting the adsorption of trihalomethane and trichloroethane, which are relatively difficult to adsorb. In addition, trihalomethane, trichloroethane and the like may be partially contained in the purified water and flow out of the water purifier.

JP 2004-305996 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-253935 JP-A-8-215678

  The present invention has been made for the purpose of providing a water purifier having high purification performance for raw water and capable of maintaining high purification performance for a long period of time against the background as described above.

  Thus, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the purifying material is accommodated in the case having the raw water inlet and the purified water outlet, the raw water flowing from the raw water inlet is purified through the purifying material, and the purified water is purified. In the water purifier that flows out from the outlet, as the purification material, the first activated carbon layer from the upstream side to the downstream side of the flow of the raw water flowing in from the raw water inlet, and the raw water is filtered through the raw water through the formed through holes. The filter to be removed and the second activated carbon layer are arranged in this order, and the raw water is purified by passing through the first activated carbon layer, the filter and the second activated carbon layer in this order.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the second activated carbon layer includes an ion exchange material.

  A third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the second aspect, the ion exchange material removes lead in raw water by ion exchange.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the second and third aspects, the ion exchange material removes at least calcium as a hardness component in the raw water by ion exchange.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the case is formed into a cylindrical shape, and the first activated carbon layer is disposed in the cylindrical accommodation space on the outer peripheral side of the inner space of the case. The filter is disposed in the axial direction along the peripheral surface, and the filter and the second activated carbon layer are disposed in the central portion of the inner space of the case inside the first activated carbon layer, and the filter is disposed on the first activated carbon layer. In the position adjacent to the downstream portion in the radial direction, the second activated carbon layer is arranged in the axial direction at the position adjacent to the upstream portion in the first activated carbon layer in the radial direction, and from the raw water inlet The raw water that has flowed in is moved in the axial direction through the inside of the first activated carbon layer, and then passes through the filter to flow into and through the second activated carbon layer for purification, and purified water flows out from the purified water outlet. It is made to let it be made to do.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the case has a cylindrical case main body having a bottom portion on one end side in the axial direction and an opening on the other end side, and a state in which the opening is closed. The case body is divided in the axial direction into a lid body that is assembled in the axial direction, and the filter body and the second activated carbon layer inside the case are attached to the bottom portion by assembling the lid body to the case body. And the lid body are restricted and fixed in the axial direction.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the second activated carbon layer is provided in a cylindrical shape, and a cap is attached to an end of the second activated carbon layer on the filter side. The cap is provided with a plurality of legs as spacer portions that protrude from the outer peripheral portion to the filter side at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction and abut against the end face in the axial direction of the filter. In the direction, a water passage gap is formed between the filter side and the second activated carbon layer side.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an activated carbon case for housing the second activated carbon layer in the outer peripheral side of the second activated carbon layer, and an outer peripheral portion of the cap. Protrusions projecting radially outward and abutting against the inner peripheral surface of the activated carbon case are provided at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction, and the leg portions are provided at the projecting parts, The end of the second activated carbon layer is fixed in a radially positioned state with respect to the activated carbon case by contact with the activated carbon case, and an annular shape is provided between the activated carbon case and the second activated carbon layer. The water passage space is formed, and a communication passage that connects the water passage space and the gap is formed between the protrusion and the protrusion.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the eighth aspect of the present invention, in the central portion of the second activated carbon layer, a cylindrical ceramic filter made of a porous sintered body communicates the interior with the water purification outlet. It is provided as a support member for the second activated carbon layer, and the second activated carbon layer and the ceramics filter purify by passing water in the radial direction.

  A tenth aspect is characterized in that, in the ninth aspect, the ceramic filter has antibacterial properties.

  An eleventh aspect is characterized in that, in any one of the first to tenth aspects, the filter is capable of filtering to fine particles of 0.1 μm.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to eleventh aspects, the filter is a hollow fiber membrane filter.

Effects and effects of the invention

  As mentioned above, this invention arrange | positions in order of the 1st activated carbon layer from the raw | natural water inlet side as a purification material inside a water purifier, the filter which removes an underwater particle | grain by filtration, and a 2nd activated carbon layer, The first activated carbon layer, the filter, and the second activated carbon layer are passed through in order for purification.

In this invention, the raw | natural water which flowed in the inside of a water purifier flows first through a 1st activated carbon layer.
At this time, residual chlorine contained in the raw water is removed by adsorption by the first activated carbon layer.
Accordingly, residual chlorine in the raw water can be prevented from acting on the filter disposed on the downstream side.

  Therefore, even when a hollow fiber membrane filter is used as the filter (claim 12), residual chlorine in the raw water acts on the hollow fiber membrane as in a conventional water purifier in which the hollow fiber membrane filter is arranged on the most upstream side. Therefore, it is possible to solve the problem that the deterioration is accelerated and the filtration accuracy by the hollow fiber membrane filter is lowered, and the filtration accuracy by the hollow fiber membrane filter can be maintained with high accuracy.

In the present invention, the raw water flowing through the first activated carbon layer is passed through a filter, and turbid particles such as contaminants in the raw water are removed by the filtering action of the filter.
The second activated carbon layer passes through the filter and passes the raw water from which turbid particles such as impurities are removed, and removes harmful components contained in the raw water by adsorption.

  At that time, the raw water that has flowed up to the second activated carbon layer does not contain impurities, and the surface of the activated carbon is not covered by the adhesion of impurities. The maximum purification performance can be achieved.

  Since the raw water that has reached the second activated carbon layer has already had its residual chlorine removed by adsorption when it has passed through the first activated carbon layer, the adsorption of trihalomethane and trichloroethane has been eliminated by residual chlorine in the second activated carbon layer. These harmful components are well adsorbed and removed from the raw water without being hindered.

That is, trihalomethane, trichloroethane, etc. contained in the raw water are removed by adsorption even in the first activated carbon layer in the initial stage of use of the water purifier, but if the use of the water purifier is used for a long period of time, The surface of the activated carbon is covered with impurities to reduce the adsorption capacity, and further, due to the adsorption of residual chlorine, the adsorption performance for trihalomethane and trichloroethane, which have a weak adsorption power, is reduced. They are not completely removed by the activated carbon layer, and they flow downstream through the subsequent filter.
However, in the present invention, since the second activated carbon layer is provided further downstream of the filter, trihalomethane and trichloroethane that could not be removed by the first activated carbon layer can be adsorbed well by the second activated carbon layer from the raw water. Can be removed.

  As described above, the present invention removes harmful components dissolved in raw water by sharing the roles of the first activated carbon layer at the front stage and the second activated carbon layer at the rear stage. The water purifier of the invention exhibits high purification performance from the beginning of use and can maintain the high purification performance over a long period of time.

In addition, since the second activated carbon layer maintains high purification performance for a long period of time, normally, before the purification performance of the second activated carbon layer deteriorates, the filter in the previous stage is clogged, and the water purifier The flow rate of water flowing through is reduced.
Therefore, when a user uses a water purifier with a decrease in the flow rate due to clogging of the water purifier as a guideline for the service life, the water purifier is not clogged even though the purifying performance has deteriorated. It is possible to prevent the user from continuing to use it as it is.

In the present invention, a second activated carbon layer is provided on the downstream side of the filter. In this case, granular activated carbon is used as the activated carbon, and if this is simply filled in the accommodating portion as in the conventional case, the activated carbon flows out. There is a risk.
In this case, it may be possible to provide a dedicated filter membrane or the like for preventing the activated carbon from flowing out, but in that case, the number of required parts increases, resulting in an increase in the cost of the water purifier.
Therefore, it is desirable to use molded activated carbon obtained by solidifying granular activated carbon with an adhesive or the like as the second activated carbon layer.
By doing in this way, the holding member which hold | maintains the shape of the whole 2nd activated carbon layer can be made unnecessary, and the outflow of activated carbon can also be aimed at.

In the present invention, an ion exchange material can be included in the second activated carbon layer (claim 2).
In this way, harmful ions contained in the raw water in the second activated carbon layer can be removed by ion exchange.
In this case, the second activated carbon layer, that is, the raw water that has flowed up to the ion exchange material contains no impurities, and therefore the surface of the ion exchange material is not covered by the adhesion of the impurities. In addition, the clogging life and the ion exchange life of the ion exchange material can be secured sufficiently.

Here, the ion exchange material can remove lead in raw water by ion exchange (claim 3).
The raw water may contain lead derived mainly from water pipes. According to the third aspect, lead that adversely affects the human body can be effectively removed from the raw water by ion exchange. it can.

In the present invention, the ion exchange material may be one that removes at least calcium by ion exchange as a hardness component in raw water (Claim 4).
By including such an ion exchange material in the second activated carbon layer, the hard water can be softened or the hardness can be lowered.

In the present invention, the case is formed into a cylindrical shape according to claim 5, and the first activated carbon layer is arranged in the axial direction along the inner peripheral surface of the case in the cylindrical accommodation space on the outer peripheral side of the case inner space. In addition, the filter and the second activated carbon layer are disposed in the central portion inside the first activated carbon layer in the space in the case, the filter is positioned adjacent to the downstream portion of the first activated carbon layer in the radial direction, and The second activated carbon layer is arranged in the axial direction so that the second activated carbon layer is positioned adjacent to the upstream side of the first activated carbon layer in the radial direction, and the raw water flowing in from the raw water inlet is axially disposed inside the first activated carbon layer. After being circulated and moved, the water can be purified by flowing in and passing through the second activated carbon layer through the filter, and the purified water can be discharged from the purified water outlet.
According to the fifth aspect, the distance through which the raw water passes through the purification material can be increased within a limited size case (the contact time can be increased), and the purification capacity is increased while the water purifier is made compact. be able to.

  Further, by arranging the first activated carbon layer in the axial direction along the inner peripheral surface of the case in the outer peripheral side portion of the housing space in the case, the capacity of the first activated carbon layer can be increased and the axial direction The length can be increased, and the removal performance of residual chlorine by the first activated carbon layer can be maintained for a long time.

  A sixth aspect of the present invention provides a case in which the case is pivoted to a case main body having a bottom on one end side in the axial direction and an opening on the other end side, and a lid body assembled in the axial direction to the case main body in a state in which the opening is closed. In this case, the filter inside the case and the second activated carbon layer are axially restrained and fixed by the bottom portion and the lid body by assembling the lid body to the case body. According to item 6, the number of parts for fixing the filter and the second activated carbon layer can be reduced, contributing to the downsizing and cost reduction of the water purifier, and the combination of the filter and the second activated carbon layer. Can be easily attached.

In the present invention, the second activated carbon layer is provided in a cylindrical shape according to claim 7, a cap is attached to the end of the second activated carbon layer on the filter side, and a plurality of circumferential positions are provided on the cap. And a plurality of legs as spacers that protrude from the outer periphery to the filter side and abut against the end face of the filter in the axial direction. The legs pass between the filter side and the second activated carbon layer side in the axial direction. A gap for water can be formed.
According to the seventh aspect, since the gap is formed by the legs provided in the cap, a special spacer member for forming the gap is not required separately, and the number of required parts can be reduced.

Claim 8 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the cap with protruding portions that protrude radially outward and abut against the inner peripheral surface of the activated carbon case at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction, and the legs are provided on the protruding portions, In addition, the end of the second activated carbon layer is fixed to the activated carbon case in a radially positioned state by the abutment of the plurality of protrusions to the activated carbon case, and an annular shape is provided between the activated carbon case and the second activated carbon layer. A communication path that forms a water flow space and communicates the water flow space with the gap is formed between the protrusion and the protrusion. According to the eighth aspect, the second activated carbon layer is formed. The cap attached to the end of the second can fix the end of the second activated carbon layer relative to the activated carbon case in the radial direction, and provide an annular water passage space between the activated carbon case and the second activated carbon layer. Can be formed.
Further, the water passage space and the gap between the filter side and the second activated carbon layer side can be communicated through a communication path formed between the protrusions.

That is, the water flowing out from the filter is first allowed to flow out into the gap between the filter side and the second activated carbon layer, and further introduced into the annular water flow space around the second activated carbon layer through the communication path. it can.
Moreover, by doing in this way, the water from a filter can be smoothly introduce | transduced into the cyclic | annular water flow space around the 2nd activated carbon layer, without raising the pressure resistance with respect to the outflow of the water from a filter.

  In addition, the end of the second activated carbon layer is fixed to the activated carbon case, the annular water passage space around the second activated carbon layer is formed, and the communication path between the gap and the water passage space is formed. It is possible to perform the operation at a part, and a special member for performing them is not required separately, and the number of parts can be reduced.

In this case, a cylindrical ceramic filter made of a porous sintered body is provided at the center of the second activated carbon layer as a water-permeable support member for the second activated carbon layer, and the second activated carbon layer. Further, purification can be performed by passing water in the radial direction through the ceramic filter (claim 9).
According to the ninth aspect, the formed activated carbon can be made difficult to break when the second activated carbon layer is formed of the formed activated carbon by the function as the support member of the ceramic filter.

Thus, the ceramic filter can be provided with antibacterial properties (claim 10).
In this way, it is possible to effectively prevent back-contamination where germs enter the inside from the outside of the water purifier through the water purification outlet.

  In the present invention, a filter capable of filtering to fine particles of 0.1 μm can be suitably used.

A hollow fiber membrane filter can be suitably used as such a filter (claim 12), but a ceramic filter made of a porous sintered body can also be used.
In this case, a ceramic filter that can be filtered to fine particles of 0.1 μm can be suitably used.

In this invention, although granular activated carbon can be used suitably as a 1st activated carbon layer and a 2nd activated carbon layer, fibrous activated carbon and others can also be used.
Moreover, when using granular activated carbon, a thing with a particle size (average particle diameter) in the range of 0.05-1.0 mm can be used suitably.
This particle size range is an appropriate particle size range with low pressure loss during water passage and excellent purification performance.

It is the figure which showed the water purifier which is one Embodiment of this invention with the automatic faucet. It is sectional drawing which showed the water purifier of FIG. It is a principal part enlarged view of the water purifier. It is the figure which decomposed | disassembled and showed the principal part of the water purifier. It is a perspective view of the lid and upper plate in the water purifier. It is a single item figure of the lower cap in the water purifier. It is the figure which compared and represented the water purifier of this embodiment, and the water purifier of a comparative example. It is the figure which showed the water purification performance of the water purifier of this embodiment compared with the comparative example. It is the figure which showed the principal part of other embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed other embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed other embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic diagram which showed the example of arrangement | positioning of the purification material in the conventional water purifier.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.
In FIG. 1, 1 is a sink installed in the kitchen, 2 is a cabinet, 3 is a sink, 10 is a counter, and 11 is an automatic faucet installed on the sink 1 and having a purified water discharge function.
The automatic faucet 11 includes a base body 12 provided in a form standing from the counter 10 and a water discharge pipe 14 extending from the body 12.
Here, the water discharge pipe 14 is rotatable by a predetermined angle with respect to the main body 12.

The main body 12 is provided with a single lever 16 at a position eccentric to the right side of the water discharge pipe 14 in a front view as viewed from the user. Here, the single lever 16 adjusts the flow rate and temperature of the discharged water.
Specifically, the temperature of the water discharge is adjusted by rotating the single lever 16 in the horizontal direction in the drawing, and the flow rate is adjusted by rotating the single lever 16 up and down.

As shown in FIG. 1, the water discharge pipe 14 has a substantially U-shaped gooseneck shape, and has a shape curved downward from a substantially intermediate portion in the tube axis direction to the distal end portion.
As shown in the figure, the water discharge pipe 14 has a water discharge port 18 at the tip, a water discharge head 22 that can be pulled out together with the flexible hose 20, and a water discharge head holder that holds the water discharge head 22 in the storage position. And a water discharge pipe main body 24 having the function as described above.

The main body portion 12 is connected to the upper ends of the water supply passage 26 and the hot water supply passage 28, and water and hot water are supplied to the main body portion 12 through the water supply passage 26 and the hot water supply passage 28.
A mixing valve (not shown) is incorporated in the main body 12, and an outflow path 32 extends from the mixing valve. Through the outflow path 32, temperature control water (by mixing the single lever 16, In some cases, the temperature control water in which water and hot water are mixed at a predetermined ratio may consist of only water or hot water (hereinafter referred to as raw water).

The hose 20 has an outflow path 32 formed inside thereof. A raw water valve (electromagnetic valve) 34 for opening and closing the outlet passage 32 is provided on the outflow passage 32. Here, the operation of the raw water valve 34 is controlled by a controller (not shown).
Further, a water purification path 38 branches out from the water supply path 26 and extends, and the tip of the water purification path 38 is connected to the outflow path 32 at the downstream portion of the raw water valve 34.

A water purifier 40 (electromagnetic valve) 42 for opening and closing the water purifier 40 and the water purifying path 38 is provided on the water purifying path 38. The operation of the water purification valve 42 is also controlled by a controller.
In addition, 46 is a water stop cock.

As shown in FIG. 1, the raw water sensor 60 and the water purification sensor 58 are provided on the upper surface of the distal end portion of the water discharge pipe 14, specifically, on the upper surface of the uppermost portion of the substantially intermediate portion in the tube axis direction of the water discharge pipe 14. Are arranged side by side in the pipe axis direction.
Here, the raw water sensor 60 is an alternate sensor that alternately discharges raw water (temperature-controlled water) from the water outlet 18 and stops the water every time the inserted hand is detected.

Specifically, when the hand is held over the raw water sensor 60, the raw water sensor 60 detects the hand in a non-contact manner, discharges the raw water from the spout 18 based on the detection, and then the raw water sensor 60 removes the hand. The raw water continues to be discharged even if the water is drawn.
Then, when the raw water sensor 60 is operated again by extending the hand, that is, when the raw water sensor 60 detects the hand, the discharge of the raw water from the spout 18 is stopped.
The water purification sensor 58 also alternately discharges purified water from the water outlet 18 and stops water discharge (stops water) every time a hand is detected (every human body is detected).
In this embodiment, the raw water sensor 60 is disposed on the front side and the lower side near the user, and the water purification sensor 58 is disposed on the far side and the upper side farther than the raw water sensor 60.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 41 denotes a metal bracket that holds the water purifier 40 inside the cabinet 2 and fixes it to the inner surface of the side wall 43 of the cabinet 2.

Each of the hoses 38A and 38B forms a part of the water purification path 38 therein. Specifically, the hose 38A guides the inflow path for allowing the raw water to flow into the water purifier 40 in the water purification path 38, and the hose 38B guides the purified water after being purified by the water purifier 40 to the spout 18 side. It forms an outlet for purified water.
As shown in FIG. 1, the pair of hoses 38 </ b> A and 38 </ b> B are fixed to the inner surface of the side wall portion 43 of the cabinet by a fixing portion 52.

FIG. 2 specifically shows the internal structure of the water purifier 40.
In the figure, 62 is a cylindrical case with both ends in the axial direction closed. This case 62 has a case body 66 having a bottom 64 at one end in the axial direction and an opening at the other end, and the opening is closed. In such a state, it is divided in the axial direction into a lid body 68 that is assembled to the case main body 66 in the axial direction.

The lid 68 integrally has a circular and plate-like closing portion 69 and a cylindrical portion 70, and a male screw portion 72 on the outer peripheral surface of the case main body 66 at a female screw portion 72 on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 70. 74 is screwed together.
The case body 66 and the lid body 68 are sealed watertight by a sealing material.

The closing portion 69 of the lid 68 is integrally provided with a raw water inlet 76 at a position eccentric from the center and a purified water outlet 78 at the center.
The raw water inlet 76 and the purified water outlet 78 are provided so as to protrude from the closing portion 69.
Here, the hose 38A is connected to the raw water inlet 76, and the hose 38B is connected to the purified water outlet 78.

Inside the case 62, a cylindrical filter case 80 for accommodating a hollow fiber membrane filter 130 to be described later and a cylindrical activated carbon case 82 for accommodating a second activated carbon layer to be described later are axially connected to each other. The filter case 80 and the activated carbon case 82 divide the inner space of the case 62 into an outer peripheral side portion and a central portion.
A cylindrical housing space 84 that forms an outer peripheral side portion of the space in the case 62 is filled with activated carbon (here, granular activated carbon) 86-1, and the activated carbon 86-1 forms a first activated carbon layer 88.
Here, the accommodation space 84, that is, the first activated carbon layer 88 is a nonwoven fabric in which one end in the axial direction (lower end in the figure) is defined by the lower plate 90 as a partition plate and the other end (upper end in the figure) forms an activated carbon presser. 92.

In this embodiment, as the granular activated carbon forming the first activated carbon layer 88, one having a particle diameter (average particle diameter) of 0.1 to 1.0 mm can be suitably used.
If the particle size is smaller than 0.1 mm, the particle size is too small, the filling rate of the activated carbon 86-1 becomes too high, and the pressure resistance during water passage becomes high, making it difficult for water to flow.
On the other hand, if the particle diameter is more than 1.0 mm, the particle diameter is too large, the surface area of the entire activated carbon becomes small, and the adsorption efficiency is lowered.

A rib 94 is provided in an upright state at the bottom 64 of the case body 66, and the lower plate 90 is supported by the rib 94 from below.
In this state, the lower plate 90 forms a water passing space 96 between the lower side, that is, the bottom 64.
The lower plate 90 has a through-opening 98 on the outer peripheral side of the filter case 80, and the water passage space 96 and the accommodation space 84 are communicated with each other through the opening 98.
The lower plate 90 further has a through-opening 100 inside and at the center of the filter case 80, and the water passage space 96 communicates with the inside of the filter case 80 through the opening 100.

A projecting portion 102 having a circular ring shape is provided on the upper surface side of the lower plate 90 in the drawing, and a lower end of the filter case 80 in the drawing is fitted to the protruding portion 102 in the drawing.
Thus, the lower end of the filter case 80 is positioned and fixed with respect to the lower plate 90, that is, the case 62 in a state where the filter case 80 is supported from the lower side by the lower plate 90.

A circular upper plate 104 as a presser is arranged on the lid body 68 side.
As shown in FIG. 5, the upper plate 104 has an annular and circular protruding portion 106 standing upward in the figure, and this protruding portion 106 is an inner surface of the closing portion 69 (see FIG. It is fitted in a groove 108 formed in the middle and lower surface.
In this embodiment, when the lid 68 is screwed downward with respect to the case main body 66, the force is transmitted to the upper plate 104, and the nonwoven fabric 92 serving as an activated carbon presser is pressed downward in the figure by the upper plate 104. .

As shown in the partially enlarged view of FIG. 2, the upper plate 104 is provided with a through opening 110.
The raw water flowing in from the raw water inlet 76 passes through the opening 110 of the upper plate 104 and flows into the first activated carbon layer 88.

  On the back surface of the lid 68, there are provided radial ribs 112 projecting downward from the closing portion 69 and circular ribs 114 as shown in FIG. 5, where the circular ribs 114 are radial. The height of the downward protrusion in the figure is lower than that of the rib 112, and the groove 108 is formed by the step.

A fitting portion 116 is provided at the lower end portion of the activated carbon case 82 in the drawing, and the fitting portion 116 is fitted to the upper end portion of the filter case 80 in the drawing state.
By this fitting, the upper end portion of the filter case 80 and the lower end portion of the activated carbon case 82 are connected in the axial direction, that is, in the vertical direction in the figure, while being positioned in the radial direction.
Here, the filter case 80 and the activated carbon case 82 are sealed in a watertight manner by a sealing material.

A lower cap 118 and an upper cap 120 are provided at a lower end portion and an upper end portion of a second activated carbon layer 132 to be described later, respectively.
Thus, as shown in FIG. 4, the upper cap 120 is provided with a first fitting portion 122 at a radially outer position and a second fitting portion 124 at an inner position. And the 1st fitting part 122 is fitted by the upper end part of the activated carbon case 82 in the external fitting state.
And the upper end part of the activated carbon case 82 is positioned by radial direction by the fitting.
Specifically, the upper end of the activated carbon case 82 is fitted upward in the figure inside a circular annular groove formed between the first fitting portion 122 and the second fitting portion 124, and activated carbon The upper end portion of the case 82 is positioned in the radial direction.

  At the center of the upper cap 120, a cylindrical male fitting portion 126 is provided upward, and the male fitting portion 126 protrudes into the case of the water purification outlet 78. The portion 128 is fitted in a watertight manner.

  In the housing space at the center of the case space defined by the filter case 80 and the activated carbon case 82, the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 is in the lower side in the figure, and the second activated carbon layer 132 having a cylindrical shape is in the figure. It is housed in a state located on the upper side.

  That is, the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 is located at a position adjacent in the radial direction to the downstream portion (portion located on the downstream side of the raw water flow) in the first activated carbon layer 88, and the second activated carbon layer 132 is the first activated carbon layer 132. In the activated carbon layer 88, the upstream portion (portion located upstream of the flow of raw water) is positioned adjacent to the radial direction, and they are arranged side by side in the central accommodation space in the axial direction. .

Here, innumerable fine pores are formed in the hollow fiber membrane, and the raw water can pass from the outside to the inside of the membrane through these pores. Solids containing fine particles are filtered off.
The pores of the hollow fiber membrane are extremely fine, and the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 removes even small ones of about 0.1 μm contained in the raw water by filtration.

In this embodiment, the second activated carbon layer 132 is composed of molded activated carbon obtained by previously molding granular activated carbon 86-2 into a cylindrical shape.
Here, as the granular activated carbon 86-2 forming the second activated carbon layer 132, one having a smaller particle diameter than the activated carbon 86-1 forming the first activated carbon layer 88 can be used.
For example, the granular activated carbon 86-1 forming the first activated carbon layer 88 having a particle diameter of 0.15 mm to 0.30 mm is used, and the granular activated carbon 86-2 forming the second activated carbon layer 132 is used as the particle diameter. With a thickness of 0.05 mm to 0.15 mm can be used.
However, activated carbon 86-2 and activated carbon 86-1 may have the same particle size.

At the center of the second activated carbon layer 132, a cylindrical ceramic filter 136 made of a porous sintered body allows water permeability to the second activated carbon layer 132 in a state where the inside thereof communicates with the water purification outlet 78. It is provided as a support member.
Here, the ceramic filter 136 can remove particles up to a size of 0.5 μm by filtration.
Diatomaceous earth 138 is integrally laminated on the outer peripheral surface of the ceramic filter 136 over almost the entire surface. Here, the diatomaceous earth 138 is baked on the ceramic filter 136.

In the present embodiment, the ceramic filter 136 has antibacterial properties.
Specifically, in the present embodiment, the ceramic filter 136 is made of a porous sintered body of calcium aluminosilicate.
Specifically, it consists of a porous sintered body of calcium aluminosilicate having a composition of SiO ₂ : 75 to 85%, Al ₂ O ₃ : 5 to 10%, and CaO: 10 to 20% by mass%, When it adheres or is immersed in water, it releases antibacterial effects by gradually releasing Ca ²⁺ ions as antibacterial components.

This calcium aluminosilicate is obtained by blending siliceous wax, limestone, and clay such that SiO ₂ , Al ₂ O ₃ , and CaO have the above ratios, and firing and sintering the mixture.
The calcium aluminosilicate having this composition effectively produces a large amount of β-wollastonite (CaO · SiO ₂ ) by firing. This β-wollastonite gradually elutes Ca ²⁺ ions over a long period of time to form a weak alkaline state, thereby acting as an antibacterial.

The calcium aluminosilicate having this composition is known (disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3612766), and in the present invention, the one disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3612766 can be suitably used.
Since this calcium aluminosilicate is a known one disclosed in the patent, further detailed explanation is omitted here.

The ceramic filter 136 has an upper end and a lower end protruding from the second activated carbon layer 132 in a minute dimension upward and downward.
The upper end of the upper cap 120 is fitted into the male fitting portion 126.
Further, the lower end portion is fitted into a fitting hole 140 (see FIG. 6) in the center of the lower cap 118 described later.

  The lower cap 118 is water-impermeable (this also applies to the upper cap 120, the filter case 80, and the activated carbon case 82). As shown in FIG. And a circular rising portion 142 that rises upward in the drawing along the outer peripheral portion. The lower cap 118 is attached to the end of the second activated carbon layer 132 so that the lower end of the second activated carbon layer 132 is fitted inside the rising portion 142.

The lower cap 118 is provided with projecting portions 144 projecting radially outward at four locations separated by 90 ° in the circumferential direction, and these projecting portions 144 are shown in FIG. In this way, it is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the activated carbon case 82.
By the contact, the lower cap 118 is fixed to the activated carbon case 82, that is, the lower end portion of the second activated carbon layer 132 in the figure is fixed in a radial position relative to the activated carbon case 82.
At the same time, an annular and circular water passage space 148 is formed around the second activated carbon layer 132 between the activated carbon case 82 and the second activated carbon layer 132 by the abutment of the protrusions 144 on the activated carbon case 82. Has been.

These protrusions 144 are provided with legs 146 as spacers that protrude downward and come into contact with the upper surface of the hollow fiber membrane filter 130, and by the contact of these legs 146, the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 side and the lower side are provided. A gap 150 for passing water is formed between the caps 118, that is, between the second activated carbon layer 132 side.
Further, the gap 144 and the annular water passage space 148 are communicated between the protrusions 144 and 144 by the protrusion 144.
That is, the water flowing out from the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 can flow into the water flow space 148 through the communication path 152 shown in FIG. 3B between the gap 150 and the protruding portions 144 and 144.

In this embodiment, the second activated carbon layer 132 and the ceramic filter 136 perform purification by passing raw water in the radial direction.
The upper end portion of the second activated carbon layer 132 is fitted into the second fitting portion 124 of the upper cap 120, whereby the upper end portion of the second activated carbon layer 132 is the plate-like portion of the upper cap 120. Positioned in the radial direction in a contact state with 156.
Note that the lower end portion of the second activated carbon layer 132 is brought into contact with the plate-like portion 154 of the lower cap 118.

  In this embodiment, the lid 68 is attached to the case body 66 in a state where the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 and the second activated carbon layer 132 are set in the center of the case body 66 together with the filter case 80 and the activated carbon case 82. On the other hand, when screwed downward in the figure and assembled in the axial direction, they are automatically restrained in the axial direction by the bottom portion 64 and the lid body 68 of the case main body 66 via the lower plate 90 and the upper plate 104 to be in a fixed state. Become. That is, it is in an assembled state with respect to the case 62.

  In the drawing, there is a minute gap between the upper plate 104 and the upper cap 120, but this gap absorbs variation due to dimensional tolerance, and the gap is formed between the fitting portion 116 of the activated carbon case 82 and the gap. The fitting depth (depth in the axial direction) with the filter case 80 is minute, and after the lid 68 is assembled, the filter case 80 and the activated carbon case 82 are not separated from each other. The fitting state, that is, the assembled state is maintained.

In the water purifier 40 of the present embodiment, the raw water flowing from the raw water inlet 76 first passes through the first activated carbon layer 88 in the axial direction, and then passes through the opening 98 of the lower plate 90 and passes through the lower plate 90. It flows out into the water space 96.
The raw water that has flowed into the water flow space 96 passes through the opening 100 at the center of the lower plate 90, flows into the filter case 80, flows through the hollow fiber membrane from the outside to the inside, and then flows through the hollow fiber membrane. It flows out to the gap 150 between the upper end of 130 and the second activated carbon layer 132, specifically, the lower cap 118 attached to the lower end portion thereof.
Then, it further passes through the communication passage 152 shown in FIG. 3 and flows into the annular water passage space 148 inside the activated carbon case 82, and then flows through the second activated carbon layer 132 in the radial direction, Similarly, it passes through the ceramic filter 136 disposed in the central portion in the radial direction and flows out into the space inside the ceramic filter 136.
The purified water after being purified by passing through the first activated carbon layer 88, the hollow fiber membrane filter 130, the second activated carbon layer 132, and the ceramic filter 136 flows out from the purified water outlet 78.

As described above, in this embodiment, the raw water that has flowed into the water purifier 40 first flows through the first activated carbon layer 88, and the residual chlorine contained in the raw water at this time is the first activated carbon layer. It is removed by adsorption by 88.
Accordingly, it is possible to prevent residual chlorine in the raw water from acting on the hollow fiber membrane filter 160 disposed on the downstream side.

  Therefore, the residual chlorine in the raw water acts on the hollow fiber membrane and accelerates its deterioration as in the conventional water purifier 40A in which the hollow fiber membrane filter 130A is arranged on the most upstream side, and the filtration accuracy by the hollow fiber membrane filter 130A is reduced. It is possible to solve the problem of damaging and maintain the filtration accuracy by the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 with high accuracy.

In the present embodiment, the raw water that has flowed through the first activated carbon layer 88 is passed through the hollow fiber membrane filter 130, and turbid particles such as contaminants in the raw water are removed by the filtering action of the hollow fiber membrane filter 130. Remove.
The second activated carbon layer 132 passes through the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 and passes the raw water from which turbid particles such as impurities are removed, and removes harmful components contained in the raw water by adsorption.

  At that time, the raw water that has flowed up to the second activated carbon layer 132 contains no impurities, and the surface of the activated carbon 86-2 is not covered by the adhesion of the impurities. The activated carbon layer 132 can maximize the original purification performance.

  In addition, since the residual chlorine that has reached the second activated carbon layer 132 has already been removed by adsorption after passing through the first activated carbon layer 88, the second activated carbon layer 132 adsorbs trihalomethane or trichloroethane. Are not inhibited by residual chlorine and their harmful components are well adsorbed and removed from the raw water.

That is, trihalomethane, trichloroethane, and the like contained in the raw water are removed by adsorption in the first activated carbon layer 88 in the initial stage of use of the water purifier 40, but if the use of the water purifier 40 is used for a long time, the first The surface of the activated carbon 86-1 of the activated carbon layer 88 is covered with impurities to reduce the adsorption capacity, and further, the adsorption performance for trihalomethane and trichloroethane having a weak adsorption force due to the adsorption of residual chlorine decreases. Components such as trichloroethane are not completely removed by the first activated carbon layer 88, but they flow downstream through the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 at the subsequent stage.
However, in the present embodiment, since the second activated carbon layer 132 is provided further downstream of the hollow fiber membrane filter 130, trihalomethane and trichloroethane that could not be removed by the first activated carbon layer 88 are removed from the second activated carbon layer 132. Can be adsorbed well and removed from raw water.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the first activated carbon layer 88 in the former stage and the second activated carbon layer 132 in the latter stage each share a role and remove harmful components dissolved in the raw water. As a result, the water purifier 40 according to the present embodiment exhibits high purification performance from the initial use and can maintain the high purification performance over a long period of time.

In addition, since the second activated carbon layer 132 maintains high purification performance for a long period of time, the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 in the preceding stage is usually clogged before the purification performance of the second activated carbon layer 132 decreases. The flow rate of water flowing through the water purifier 40 is reduced.
Accordingly, when the user uses the water purifier 40 with the decrease in the flow rate due to the clogging of the water purifier 40 as a guide for the life, the clogging is not caused even though the purifying performance is lowered. It is possible to prevent the device 40 from being used as it is.

  In this embodiment, as the second activated carbon layer 132, molded activated carbon obtained by solidifying granular activated carbon 86-2 with an adhesive or the like is used. In this case, the entire second activated carbon layer 132 is maintained in a cylindrical shape. This eliminates the need for the holding member and reduces the number of parts for holding the shape.

  In addition, since a cylindrical ceramic filter 136 is disposed as a support member at the center of the second activated carbon layer 132, the second activated carbon layer 132 made of molded activated carbon can be prevented from being broken on the center side. Even if a part of the filter collapses, the ceramic filter 136 can prevent the ceramic filter 136 from flowing out of the water purifier 40.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the case 62 has a cylindrical shape, and the first activated carbon layer 88 is disposed in the axial direction along the inner peripheral surface of the case 62 in a portion on the outer peripheral side of the inner space of the case 62. The hollow fiber membrane filter 130 and the second activated carbon layer 132 are disposed in the center portion inside the first activated carbon layer 88 in the first activated carbon layer 88, and the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 is radially adjacent to the downstream portion of the first activated carbon layer 88. The second activated carbon layer 132 is arranged in the axial direction so that the second activated carbon layer 132 is positioned adjacent to the upstream side portion of the first activated carbon layer 88 in the radial direction. After the inside of the activated carbon layer 88 is axially distributed and moved over substantially the entire length of the case 62, the flow is folded back in the vicinity of the bottom portion 64 to flow into the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 and pass through this to pass through the second portion. Activity Since it purifies by flowing in and through the layer 132 and purifies the purified water through the purified water outlet 78, the distance through which the raw water passes through the purifying material in the case 62 of a limited size is increased ( The contact time can be lengthened), and the purification capacity can be enhanced while making the water purifier 40 compact.

  Further, by disposing the first activated carbon layer 88 in the axial direction along the inner circumferential surface of the case 62 in the outer peripheral side portion of the inner space of the case 62, the capacity of the first activated carbon layer 88 can be increased. The axial length can be increased, and the residual chlorine removal performance by the first activated carbon layer 88 can be maintained for a long time.

  In this embodiment, the lid body 68 is assembled to the case body 66, so that the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 and the second activated carbon layer 132 inside the case 62 are axially restrained and fixed by the bottom portion 64 and the lid body 68. Therefore, the number of parts for fixing the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 and the second activated carbon layer 132 can be reduced, contributing to the downsizing and cost reduction of the water purifier 40 and the hollow fiber membranes. The filter 130 and the second activated carbon layer 132 can be easily assembled.

  In addition, in this embodiment, the lower cap 118 is attached to the end of the second activated carbon layer 132 provided in a cylindrical shape on the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 side, and a plurality of legs 146 are provided on the lower cap 118. 146, a water passage gap 150 is formed between the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 side and the second activated carbon layer 132 side. Therefore, a special spacer member for forming the gap 150 is required separately. The required number of parts can be reduced.

  In addition, the end portions of the second activated carbon layer 132 are fixed to the activated carbon case 82 in a radially positioned state by the plurality of protrusions 144 provided on the lower cap 118, and the activated carbon case 82, the second activated carbon layer 132, An annular water passage space 148 is formed between the projection portion 144 and the projection portion 144, and a communication passage 152 that connects the water passage space 148 and the gap 150 is formed. The end of the second activated carbon layer 132 is fixed to the activated carbon case 82, the annular water passage space 148 around the second activated carbon layer 132 is formed, and the communication path 152 between the gap 150 and the water passage space 148 is formed. Therefore, a special member is not required separately, and the number of parts can be reduced.

  Further, the water flowing out from the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 flows out into the gap 150 and is further introduced into the annular water passage space 148 around the second activated carbon layer 132 through the communication path 152. The water from the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 can be smoothly introduced into the annular water passage space 148 around the second activated carbon layer 132 without increasing the pressure resistance against the outflow of water from the hollow fiber membrane filter 130. .

  Furthermore, since the ceramic filter 136 at the end of the flow that forms the support member of the second activated carbon layer 132 has antibacterial properties, it is effective for back-contamination in which bacteria enter the inside through the water purification outlet 78 from the outside of the water purifier 40. Can be prevented.

<Experimental example>
A comparative test of water purification performance was performed using the water purifier 40 of the above embodiment and the water purifier 40A of the comparative example shown in FIG.
In addition, the water purifier 40 shown to FIG. 7 (I) is the same as the water purifier shown to the said FIGS. 2-6, and it shows together with FIG. 7 (I) for the comparison with the water purifier of Comparative Example 40A. It is a thing.

  Here, as raw water for testing, free residual chlorine is 1.0 mg / L, total carbon concentration is 1.0 mg / L, total trihalomethane is 0.1 mg / L, and a water purifier at a flow rate of 2.5 L / min. The raw water was poured into 40 and 40A, and the removal rate of total trihalomethane with respect to the integrated flow rate was examined.

Here, in the water purifier 40A of the comparative example shown in FIG. 7 (b), the arrangement of the hollow fiber membrane filter 130A, the second activated carbon layer 132A, and the ceramic filter 136A is the water purifier 40 of the present embodiment, that is, FIG. It is upside down with the water purifier 40 shown.
Further, in the water purifier 40A of the comparative example, the water that has passed through the first activated carbon layer 88A passes through the through water passage hole provided in the lower part of the non-permeable activated carbon case 82A in the drawing, and the inner annular water passage space 148A. It is the structure which flows into.
In this test, the water purifier 40 of the present embodiment sets the amount of activated carbon in the first activated carbon layer 88 to 350 cc and the amount of activated carbon in the second activated carbon layer 132 to 90 cc.

In the water purifier 40A of the comparative example shown in FIG. 7B, the activated carbon amount of the first activated carbon layer 88A is 350 cc, and the activated carbon amount of the second activated carbon layer 132A is 90 cc.
That is, the amount of activated carbon is the same in this embodiment and in the comparative example, and the arrangement differs between the two.

  In the water purifier 40A of the comparative example shown in FIG. 7 (b), the raw water flowing in from the raw water inlet 76A first passes through the first activated carbon layer 88A in the axial direction, and then the second activated carbon layer 132A and its center. Part of the ceramic filter 136A, and then passes through the hollow fiber membrane filter 130A disposed on the upper side in the drawing, and flows out from the purified water outlet 78A.

Moreover, in the water purifier 40 of this embodiment, the granular activated carbon in the 1st activated carbon layer 88 and the 2nd activated carbon layer 132 used the same thing with a particle size distribution of 0.15 mm-0.30 mm.
The hollow fiber membrane has a membrane area of 0.75 m ² .
On the other hand, in the water purifier 40A of the comparative example, as the granular activated carbon of the first activated carbon layer 88A and the second activated carbon layer 132A, the activated carbon having the same particle size as that of the present embodiment is used. The thing of the form was used.

The result is shown in FIG.
Among these, FIG. 8 (A) is a result at the time of using the water purifier 40 of this embodiment, and FIG. 8 (B) is a result at the time of using the water purifier 40A of a comparative example.
In addition, about what used the water purifier 40A of the comparative example, the test was performed 3 times about the same thing, and each result is shown.

When the water purifier 40A of the comparative example shown in FIG. 7 (b) is used, the total trihalomethane removal rate is slightly over 80% at the time of the accumulated flow rate of the raw water of 10000L, and the time until it reaches 10000L. The removal rate is not high enough.
In addition, the total trihalomethane removal rate rapidly decreases when the integrated flow rate exceeds 12000 L.

On the other hand, when the water purifier 40 of this embodiment is used, a high total trihalomethane removal rate of 95% or more is maintained at an integrated flow rate of 10000 L, and the total trihalomethane removal rate is also reached until reaching this point. It shows a high value.
Furthermore, although the total trihalomethane removal rate tends to decrease from around 12,000 liters of the integrated flow rate, the decreasing tendency is not as significant as that shown in FIG.
From this, when the water purifier 40 of this embodiment is used, it can be seen that high water purification performance is exhibited from the beginning of water flow and that the high water purification performance is maintained for a long time.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, this is merely an example of the present invention.
For example, in the above embodiment, the raw water inlet 76 and the purified water outlet 78 are provided at the same axial end of the case 62. By doing so, the hose can be connected to the case 62 on the same axial side, Although the hose can be easily routed and the hose can be prevented from occupying a large space inside the cabinet 2 shown in FIG. 1, the present invention can provide advantages such as the raw water inlet 76 and the purified water outlet 78. Can be arranged coaxially on the opposite sides of the case 62 in the axial direction. In this case, an advantage of easily connecting the water purifier in the middle of the straight line is obtained.

  As shown in FIG. 9, a check valve 160 for preventing a backflow is provided at the raw water inlet 76, and when the raw water flows from the raw water inlet 76, the check valve 160 is opened to prevent a reverse flow. By closing the check valve 160, the water inside the water purifier 40 can be prevented from flowing out from the raw water inlet 76.

  In this way, a connection error of reverse connection such as connecting the hose 38A to be connected to the raw water inlet 76 to the purified water outlet 78 by mistake, and connecting the hose 38B to be connected to the purified water outlet 78 to the raw water inlet 76 is avoided. Can be prevented.

  If the reverse connection is made in this way, the water does not flow out of the water purifier 40 due to the function of the check valve 160. Therefore, even if a connection error is made in the reverse connection, it can be noticed, and the water purifier can be relieved. 40 can be used.

In addition, this invention can also comprise a water purifier with various forms other than an example.
FIG. 10 shows an example.
In this example, the amount of protrusion of the female fitting portion 128 into the case is made larger than that shown in FIG. 2, the sponge 162 is sandwiched between the upper cap 120 and the upper plate 104, and the bottom portion of the case 62 is 64, a cylindrical rib 164 is raised higher than the rib 94 shown in FIG. 2 at a position on the outer peripheral side of the filter case 80, and a plurality of rectangular notches 166 are circumferentially provided on the cylindrical rib 164. It is provided at a location, and the water that has flowed downward from the opening 98 in the figure passes through the notch 166 and moves inward in the radial direction.
Further, here, the heights of the first activated carbon layer 88, the second activated carbon layer 132, the ceramic filter 136, and the diatomaceous earth 138 are made lower than those shown in FIG. 2, and the thickness of the diatomaceous earth 138 is made larger than that shown in FIG. The outer diameter is also increased.

In the above example, the second activated carbon layer 132 is composed of molded activated carbon obtained by forming granular activated carbon into a cylindrical shape. However, in the present invention, the second activated carbon layer 132 is formed as shown in FIG. Alternatively, it may be configured as a layer containing an ion exchange material.
In this way, harmful ions contained in the raw water in the second activated carbon layer 132 can be removed by ion exchange.
In this case, the second activated carbon layer 132, that is, the raw water that has flowed up to the ion exchange material does not contain impurities, and therefore the surface of the ion exchange material is not covered by the adhesion of the impurities. Therefore, sufficient lifetime can be ensured for both the clogging life and the ion exchange life of the ion exchange material.

Here, an ion exchange material that removes lead in raw water (tap water) by ion exchange is used.
Specifically, here, a fibrous activated carbon is used as the activated carbon, and a composite of the fibrous activated carbon and an ion exchange material that removes lead by ion exchange is used as the second activated carbon layer 132.
Various ion exchange materials for removing lead are known. In this embodiment, “A” commercially available from Unitika Co., Ltd. in the form of a composite of fibrous activated carbon and fibrous ion exchange material. -02CAU "is used.
In this commercially available ion exchange material, an acrylate resin is used as a base and an acidic functional group is introduced therein, and the functional group is bonded to sodium, calcium, or the like.
When a lead ion (Pb ²⁺ ) approaches this functional group, the functional group releases sodium or the like as an ion, and instead of the lead ion, the lead is removed from the raw water.
However, this is only an example, and it is possible to use other ion exchange materials for removing lead.

As another example, for example, there is one commercially available from BASF under the trade name “ATS”, and the second activated carbon layer 132 can also be configured by combining it with fibrous activated carbon.
The ion exchange material marketed under the trade name “ATS” is made of titanium silicate containing titanium dioxide and silicon dioxide as a main component and containing calcium or the like. ^Is released as Ca ²⁺ and, instead, combined with Pb ²⁺ , lead is removed from the raw water.

  By using such a material as the second activated carbon layer 132, according to the present embodiment, lead mainly derived from a water pipe having an adverse effect on the human body is effectively removed from raw water by ion exchange. Can do.

In addition, as an ion exchange material, it is also possible to use a material that removes at least calcium, preferably calcium and magnesium by ion exchange as a hardness component in raw water.
As an ion exchange material for removing this type of hardness component, for example, “IR120B” manufactured by Organo is commercially available.
In this “IR120B” made by Organo, sodium type sulfone group (—SO ₃ Na) is introduced into the styrene / divinylbenzene copolymer. When calcium ion or magnesium ion approaches the surface, the sulfone group becomes more ionized. Easily releases sodium ions and binds calcium ions and magnesium ions instead to remove calcium and magnesium from raw water.
By including such an ion exchange material in the second activated carbon layer 132, the hard water can be softened or the hardness can be reduced.

In addition, the 2nd activated carbon layer 132 shown in FIG. 11 also consists of a molded object.
However, the ceramic filter 136 shown in FIGS. 2 and 10 is not used here. However, it is of course possible to use this.
Furthermore, in the example shown in FIG. 11, granular ceramics 170 having antibacterial properties are placed in the water flow space 148.
The antibacterial granular ceramic 170 is made of the same material as the ceramic filter 136 shown in FIGS.

In the example of FIG. 11, granular ceramics 170 having the same antibacterial properties are also disposed in the internal space of the filter case 80 that accommodates the hollow fiber membrane filter 130.
In FIG. 11, the structure of the water purifier including the case 62 is basically the same as that shown in FIG. 2 except that the ceramic filter 136 is not provided. However, the structure can be the same as that shown in FIG.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, these are merely examples.
For example, in the present invention, not only a hollow fiber membrane filter but also a ceramic filter can be used as a filter disposed between the first and second activated carbon layers. However, in this case, it is preferable to use a ceramic filter capable of removing even small particles of 0.1 μm.
In addition, this invention can be comprised in the form which added various change in the range which does not deviate from the meaning.

40 Water Purifier 62 Case 64 Bottom 66 Case Body 68 Lid 76 Raw Water Inlet 78 Purified Water Outlet 82 Activated Carbon Case 84 Storage Space 86-1, 86-2 Activated Carbon 88 First Activated Carbon Layer 118 Lower Cap 120 Upper Cap 130 Hollow Fiber Membrane Filter 132 Second activated carbon layer 136 Ceramic filter 144 Protruding portion 146 Leg 148 Water passing space 150 Gap 152 Communication path

Claims (12)

In a water purifier that contains a purification material inside a case having a raw water inlet and a purified water outlet, purifies the raw water flowing in from the raw water inlet through the purified material, and flows purified water out of the purified water outlet.
As the purification material, a first activated carbon layer from the upstream side to the downstream side of the flow of raw water flowing in from the raw water inlet, a filter that removes underwater particles by filtration through raw water through the formed through holes, a second activated carbon The water purifier is arranged in the order of the layers, and the raw water is purified through the first activated carbon layer, the filter, and the second activated carbon layer in this order.   The water purifier according to claim 1, wherein the second activated carbon layer includes an ion exchange material.   The water purifier according to claim 2, wherein the ion exchange material removes lead in raw water by ion exchange.   4. The water purifier according to claim 2, wherein the ion exchange material removes at least calcium as a hardness component in raw water by ion exchange. In any one of Claims 1-4, the said case is made into a cylinder shape, and it is axial direction along the inner peripheral surface of this case with the said 1st activated carbon layer in the cylindrical accommodating space of the outer peripheral side of the case inner space. And the filter and the second activated carbon layer at a central portion inside the first activated carbon layer of the space in the case, and the diameter of the filter with respect to the downstream portion of the first activated carbon layer. In the position adjacent to the direction, and the second activated carbon layer is arranged in the axial direction at a position adjacent to the upstream side of the first activated carbon layer in the radial direction,
The raw water flowing in from the raw water inlet is circulated in the axial direction inside the first activated carbon layer and then purified by passing through the filter and flowing into and passing through the second activated carbon layer. A water purifier characterized by being allowed to flow out from a water purification outlet.   The case according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the case includes a cylindrical case body having a bottom on one end side in the axial direction and an opening on the other end side, and the case body in the axial direction in a state in which the opening is closed. It is divided | segmented into the cover body to be assembled | attached to an axial direction, By assembling this cover body to this case main body, the said filter and 2nd activated carbon layer inside this case are made into an axial direction by the said bottom part and a cover body. A water purifier characterized by being bound and fixed to the water. In any one of Claims 1-6, the said 2nd activated carbon layer is provided in the cylinder shape, and the cap is mounted | worn with the edge part by the side of the said filter of the 2nd activated carbon layer,
The cap is provided with a plurality of legs as spacer portions that protrude from the outer peripheral portion to the filter side at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction and abut against the axial end surface of the filter. A water purifier, wherein a water passage is formed between the filter side and the second activated carbon layer side. In Claim 7, The activated carbon case which accommodates this 2nd activated carbon layer in the inside is provided in the perimeter side of the 2nd activated carbon layer, and it protrudes in the diameter direction outside on the perimeter part of the cap. Protrusions that come into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the activated carbon case are provided at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction, and the legs are provided at the protrusions,
The abutment of the plurality of protrusions to the activated carbon case fixes the end of the second activated carbon layer in a radially positioned state with respect to the activated carbon case, and the activated carbon case and the second activated carbon case A water purification system characterized in that an annular water passage space is formed between the activated carbon layer and a communication passage that connects the water passage space and the gap is formed between the protrusion and the protrusion. vessel.   9. The center of the second activated carbon layer according to claim 8, wherein a cylindrical ceramic filter made of a porous sintered body supports the second activated carbon layer in a state where the inside communicates with the water purification outlet. A water purifier provided as a member, wherein the second activated carbon layer and the ceramic filter perform purification by passing water in a radial direction.   The water purifier according to claim 9, wherein the ceramic filter has antibacterial properties.   The water purifier according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the filter is capable of filtering fine particles of 0.1 µm.   The water purifier according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the filter is a hollow fiber membrane filter.

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