JP2021146304A - Cartridge for water purifier - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a safe water purifier cartridge that does not scatter around granular filter media such as activated carbon or spurt out water, even if the user neglects to replace the cartridge and uses it for a much longer period than expected, thereby causing damage to the cartridge.SOLUTION: A cartridge for a water purifier is provided with a bottomed cylindrical cartridge case, a filter medium, a lid fixed near the opening of the cartridge case, an inner lid that is watertightly engaged with the cartridge case between the lid and the filter medium, and a communication opening for communicating the inside and the outside of the lid.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a replaceable water purifier cartridge that is attached to a main body switch of a water purifier that filters tap water in a home kitchen.

In recent years, water purifiers that purify tap water have been widely used in homes. Water purifier cartridges contain various filter media such as free residual chlorine in tap water, musty odor, activated carbon that removes trihalomethanes, ion exchangers that remove lead, and hollow fiber membranes that remove turbidity. .. Most water purifier cartridges have a case and a lid, and the internal space between them is filled with various filter media.

Since the amount of filtered water that can be processed by these filter media is limited, it is common to continue to use the water purifier while regularly replacing the cartridge for the water purifier. Water pressure is applied to the water purifier cartridge every time the water faucet is opened and closed, and the water pressure increases as the filter medium becomes clogged, but when the filtration function deteriorates, it is replaced with a new water purifier cartridge, resulting in damage. There is no such thing. The compressive strength of the water purifier cartridge is designed with a safety factor on the premise of the maximum water pressure and the period of use.

However, despite such design considerations, if the user neglects to replace the water purifier cartridge and uses it significantly beyond the expected usage period, clogging of the filter medium will progress more than expected and maximum use will occur. The water purifier cartridge may be damaged if a water pressure exceeding the water pressure is applied or the number of times the water pressure is applied greatly exceeds the assumption. When the case of the cartridge for the water purifier is damaged, there is a problem that granular filter media such as activated carbon are scattered and the floor surface of the kitchen becomes black.

To solve this problem, Patent Document 1 proposes a cartridge for a water purifier in which the compressive strength of the lid is smaller than the compressive strength of the case. Even if a large amount of water pressure is applied to the inside of the water purifier cartridge, the lid with weak compressive strength will crack a little before the case is damaged, so water will leak from there. Therefore, even if the lid is damaged, the case is not damaged, and the granular filter medium is not scattered around.

Further, Patent Document 2 proposes a container body having a crack generation portion and a storage container having a lid member covering one end of the container body. Since the crack-generating portion is provided at one end of the container body, even if the crack-generating portion cracks when a large water pressure is applied to the container body, the lid member does not crack. Further, the water leaking from the crack can move between the container body and the lid member and reach the outside to release the internal pressure.

Japanese Patent No. 4639547 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-21934

However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, there is a possibility that the crack generated in the lid body expands at once at the moment when the lid body that has withstood a large water pressure is damaged. If the cracks in the lid are too wide, there is a concern that water will spurt out from the cracks in the lid even if the filter media is not scattered around, and as a result, the floor of the kitchen will be flooded.

Further, in the technique of Patent Document 2, since the range of the male screw portion which is the crack generation portion is wide, a crack may occur at the root of the male screw by chance. If the container body, which has withstood a large amount of water pressure, breaks at once starting from the cracked part at the base of the male screw, the contained filter medium may be scattered around or water may spurt out.

In view of the above problems, in the present invention, even if the user neglects to replace the water purifier cartridge and uses the water purifier cartridge significantly beyond the expected usage period and the water purifier cartridge is damaged, a granular filter medium such as activated carbon can be used. Provide a safe water purifier cartridge that does not scatter around or spout water.

A cartridge for a water purifier that solves the above problems is
With a bottomed cylindrical cartridge case,
The filter media stored inside the cartridge case and
A lid that is fixed near the opening of the cartridge case and has a communication port that communicates the inside and outside of the cartridge case.
It is provided between the lid body and the filter medium, and has an inner lid that is watertightly engaged with the cartridge case to separate the lid body and the filter medium.

The cartridge for a water purifier of the present invention
The lid has a disk-shaped top surface and a cylindrical portion fixed in the vicinity of the opening of the cartridge case.
The outer diameter of the cylindrical portion is smaller than the outer diameter of the top surface portion.
It is preferable that the notch provided in the cylindrical portion is the communication port.

The water purifier cartridge of the present invention preferably has a communication cross-sectional area of 1 square millimeter or more and 20 square millimeters or less.

In the water purifier cartridge of the present invention, it is preferable that the cartridge case and the lid are fixed by an ultrasonic welding method.

According to the cartridge for water purifier of the present invention, since there is an inner lid that separates the lid and the filter medium, the user neglects to replace the cartridge for water purifier and uses the cartridge for a water purifier significantly beyond the expected usage period. Even if the inner lid of the filter is cracked and the crack expands at once, the cartridge case and lid will not be damaged, so the filter medium will not be scattered around and water will not spurt out vigorously. Also, since the lid has a communication port that communicates between the inside and outside of the cartridge case, the water leaking from the crack in the inner lid only flows out weakly from the small communication port, and the user sees it and sees it. You can notice that it was used for a long time.

Further, according to the water purifier cartridge of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the lid has a disk-shaped top surface portion and a cylindrical portion fixed in the vicinity of the opening of the cartridge case, and the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion is the top surface portion. Since it is smaller than the outer diameter of the lid and the notch provided in the cylindrical part serves as a communication port, the water leaking from the crack in the inner lid comes out from the notch in the lid and hits the inner peripheral surface of the cartridge case. The momentum of water is further weakened and it is safe. Since the notch is provided in the cylindrical portion having an outer diameter smaller than that of the top surface portion, it cannot be seen from above and is difficult to see from the side, which is preferable in terms of appearance.

Further, according to the water purifier cartridge of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the communication cross-sectional area of the communication port is 1 mm ² or more and 20 mm ² or less, so that the pressure in the water purifier cartridge can be released while surely weakening the momentum of water. Can be done.

Further, according to the cartridge for a water purifier according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, since the cartridge case and the lid are fixed by the ultrasonic welding method, the cartridge case and the lid are integrated and have high strength, and the inner lid has a high strength. It is safe because the cartridge case and lid will not come off before the cracks occur.

It is a vertical sectional view of the cartridge for a water purifier which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the faucet direct connection type water purifier in which the water purifier cartridge which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention is connected to a water purifier main body. It is a perspective view and the side view of the lid body of the cartridge for a water purifier which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view and the side view of the lid body of the cartridge for a water purifier which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view and the side view of the lid body of the cartridge for a water purifier which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the lid body of the cartridge for a water purifier which concerns on 4th Embodiment of this invention.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a water purifier cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of a faucet direct connection type water purifier in which a water purifier cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention is connected to a main body switch.

Each member constituting the water purifier cartridge 1 will be described.
The water purifier cartridge 1 has a hollow fiber membrane bundle 9 and a granular filter medium in an internal space formed by a bottomed cylindrical cartridge case 2 having an open upper end and a lid 3 fixed to the upper end opening of the cartridge case 2. 10 is stored.

The cartridge case 2 has a raw water inlet 11 on a side surface near the lower end and a water purification outlet 12 in the center of the lower end surface. On the inner surface of the lower end portion of the cartridge case 2, a tubular portion for fitting the end portion of the hollow fiber membrane module 18 having the opening of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 9 is provided so as to surround the water purification outlet 12. .. The raw water inlet 11 is provided with a bayonet mechanism for connecting to the main body switch 20 around the inlet opening.

The hollow fiber membrane module 18 accommodates a hollow fiber membrane bundle 9 obtained by bundling a predetermined number of hollow fiber membranes and bending them in an inverted U shape inside a substantially tubular inner cylinder 4, and with the inner surface on the lower end side of the inner cylinder 4. The lower end side of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 9 and the lower end side of the hollow fiber membrane are sealed and fixed with a potting material such as polyurethane or epoxy resin. The lower end surface of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 9 is open and faces the water purification outlet 12. Hydrophilic polysulfone is preferably used as the material of the hollow fiber membrane. A plurality of types of hollow fiber membranes made of different materials may be combined. By inserting a hollow fiber membrane of hydrophobic polyethylene or polypropylene, the air mixed in the water can be efficiently discharged. The hollow fiber membrane bundle 9 is bent in an inverted U shape, but may be a hollow fiber membrane bundle that is linear and the opening at the upper end thereof is sealed with an adhesive or heat fusion.

The inner cylinder 4 is made of synthetic resin and is composed of a cylindrical support cylinder 31 and a non-woven fabric 33. A plurality of lattice-shaped openings 32 are provided on the peripheral surface of the support cylinder 31, and the non-woven fabric 33 is fixed so as to cover the openings 32. The non-woven fabric 33 has a function of allowing water to be treated to pass through without leaking the facing granular filter medium 10, and the mesh size of the non-woven fabric 33 is smaller than the particle size of the granular filter medium 10.

The outer cylinder 5 is made of synthetic resin and is composed of a cylindrical support cylinder 34 and a non-woven fabric 36. Similar to the inner cylinder 4, a plurality of lattice-shaped openings 35 are provided on the peripheral surface of the support cylinder 34, and the non-woven fabric 36 is fixed so as to cover the openings 35. The non-woven fabric 36 has a function of allowing water to be treated to pass through without leaking the facing granular filter medium 10, and the mesh size of the non-woven fabric material 36 is smaller than the particle size of the granular filter medium 10.

The lower end of the outer cylinder 5 has a reduced diameter portion, and is fitted with the outer circumference near the lower end of the inner cylinder 4. That is, a columnar space is formed by the outer cylinder 5 and the inner cylinder 4, and the granular filter medium 10 described later can be filled.

The outer peripheral surface of the lower end of the outer cylinder 5 has a plurality of convex portions 5a arranged discretely toward the outer side in the radial direction. The plurality of convex portions 5a abut on the inner wall surface of the cartridge case 2 to more reliably form and hold the gap 14, thereby securing the raw water flow path, reducing the pressure loss, and maximizing the flow rate of the cartridge. can do.

The granular filter medium 10 is filled in the columnar space formed by the inner cylinder 4 and the outer cylinder 5 described above. As the granular filter medium 10, activated carbon made from coconut shells, an ion exchanger suitable for removing lead, and the like can be appropriately combined and used. When the particle size is reduced, the surface area is increased, and the adsorption capacity and the ion exchange capacity can be enhanced. It is preferable to use a filter medium having an average particle size of 30 to 150 μm.

In the manufacturing process, the granular filter medium 10 is filled between the upper end portion of the inner cylinder 4 and the upper end portion of the outer cylinder 5. At the time of filling, the packing density of the granular filter medium 10 is increased to 0.50 to 0.75 g / mL by using vibration and intake air, and the filtration capacity as a cartridge for a water purifier is enhanced. After the filling is completed, the elastic member 8 is placed on the granular filter medium 10, and the inner lid 6 is further fitted from above. Since the elastic member 8 is in close contact with the granular filter medium 10 and the inner lid 6, the raw water does not shortcut the granular filter medium 10 (the raw water passes between the elastic member 8 and the granular filter medium 10). As the elastic member 8, polyolefin foam or silicone rubber can be used.

The inner lid 6 has a disk shape, has a recess 6a in the center, and has a cylindrical portion 6b on the outer circumference. The recess 6a is watertightly engaged with the inner peripheral surface near the upper end of the inner cylinder 4 via an O-ring 37, and the raw water that is not in contact with the granular filter medium 10 is a hollow fiber membrane bundle inside the inner cylinder 4. I try not to reach 9.

The cylindrical portion 6b of the inner lid 6 is watertightly engaged with the inner peripheral surface near the upper end of the cartridge case 2 via the O-ring 38. That is, the lower surface of the inner lid 6 and the internal space formed by the cartridge case 2 are water contact portions, and the upper surface side of the inner lid 6 is a non-water contact portion. The structure is such that the inner lid 6 and the cartridge 2 must withstand water pressure, but since the strength of the inner lid 6 is designed to be smaller than the strength of the cartridge 2, if damage occurs, the inner lid 6 should be used. be. The cylindrical portion 6b is fitted with an outer peripheral surface near the upper end of the outer cylinder 5 on its inner peripheral surface so that water does not flow. As the material of the inner lid 6, it is preferable to use a transparent ABS resin, an AS resin, or an acrylic resin. When a transparent resin is used for the inner lid 6, it can be confirmed that there is no abnormality during assembly.

The lid 3 is composed of a disk-shaped top surface portion 3a and a cylindrical portion 3b having an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the top surface portion 3a, and the cylindrical portion 3b is fixed to the vicinity of the opening and the inner peripheral surface of the cartridge case 2. Since the lid 3 and the cartridge case 2 are fixed and integrated, the strength is high. When water is passed through the water purifier cartridge 1, water pressure is applied to the space formed by the lower surface of the inner lid 6 and the cartridge case 2, and a force is applied to pull the inner lid 6 upward, but the lid 3 comes off from the cartridge case 2. It won't happen. Since the design is such that the strength of the welded portion between the lid body 3 and the cartridge case 2 is higher than the strength of the inner lid 6, the inner lid 6 is damaged.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view and a side view of the lid body 3 as viewed from below. The cylindrical portion 3b of the lid 3 is provided with an inverted U-shaped notch 21. The notch 21 becomes a communication port 25 that communicates the inside and the outside of the cartridge case 2 after the lid 3 and the cartridge case 2 are welded together. Since the notch 21 is provided in the cylindrical portion 3b having an outer diameter smaller than that of the top surface portion 3a, it cannot be seen from above. Since the cylindrical portion 3b is fixed in the state of being inserted into the upper end opening of the cartridge case 2, the notch 21 is difficult to see from the side. It is extremely rare for the user to be aware that the communication port 25 is open, which is preferable in terms of appearance. Since the communication cross-sectional area of the communication port 25 is 1 mm ² or more and 20 square mm ² or less, the pressure in the water purifier cartridge can be released while surely weakening the momentum of water as described later.

The notch 21 provided in the cylindrical portion 3b of the lid 3 may have an inverted V shape instead of an inverted U shape, and may have two notches 22a and 22b as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the through hole 23 having a quadrangular cross section may be used. As shown in FIG. 6, a through hole 24 having a circular cross section may be provided on the top surface portion 3a of the lid body 3, and if the design of the top surface portion 3a is devised, the anxiety of the user due to the through hole 24 can be eliminated. be able to.

When the cylindrical portion 3b of the lid 3 is welded to the vicinity of the opening and the inner peripheral surface of the cartridge case 2 by ultrasonic welding, the lid 3 is firmly fixed to the cartridge case 2, which is preferable. , A female screw may be provided near the opening of the cartridge case 2 and on the inner peripheral surface, and fastening may be performed with the screw.

In the present application, the communication cross-sectional area of the communication port 25 is the area in which the lid 3 is fixed to the cartridge case 2. When the lid 3 and the cartridge case 2 are fixed by welding, the notch 21 of the lid 3 may be partially closed by welding, but in this case, the area of the notch 21 of the portion not closed by welding communicates. It becomes the cross-sectional area. On the other hand, when the lid 3 and the cartridge 2 are fixed by fastening with screws, the area of the notch 21 becomes the communication cross-sectional area as it is unless the notch 21 is closed by another member. In short, the communication cross-sectional area in the present application is the area of the portion where the inside and the outside of the cartridge case 2 are communicated with each other in a state where the lid 3 and the cartridge case 2 are fixed.

The use of the water purifier cartridge 1 configured as described above will be described.
The raw water entering from the raw water inlet 11 is guided through the tubular gap 14, passes through the outer cylinder 5, the granular filter medium 10, and the inner cylinder 4 in that order in the radial direction, and reaches the hollow fiber membrane bundle 9. When the raw water comes into contact with the granular filter medium 10, free residual chlorine, musty odor, trihalomethane, lead and the like in the raw water are removed. Next, the turbidity of the water is removed by the hollow fiber membrane bundle 9 to purify the water, and the water is discharged from the water purification outlet 12.

Since the amount of filtered water that can be processed by the filter medium is limited, the user continues to use the water purifier while regularly replacing the cartridge for the water purifier. Water purifier cartridges are loaded with water pressure each time the water faucet is opened and closed, and as the filter media becomes clogged, the water pressure increases, but when the filtration function deteriorates, it is replaced with a new water purifier cartridge, resulting in damage. It never reaches.

However, if the user neglects to replace the cartridge and uses it for a significantly longer period than expected, the filter medium will become clogged more than expected and a water pressure load exceeding the maximum water pressure will be applied, resulting in the number of water pressure loads. Is much higher than expected. In that case, in the water purifier cartridge 1 of the present invention, the inner lid 6 is first damaged. At the moment when the inner lid 6 that has withstood a large water pressure is damaged, the crack generated in the inner lid 6 may expand at once.

However, since the cartridge case 2 and the lid 3 are not damaged, the filter medium does not scatter around and water does not spout out vigorously. Since the lid 3 has a communication port 25 that communicates the inside and the outside of the cartridge case 2, the water leaking from the crack of the inner lid 6 only weakly flows out from the small communication port 25, and the user can use it. I noticed that I was using it for a long time.

The lid 3 is composed of a disk-shaped top surface portion 3a and a cylindrical portion 3b having an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the top surface portion 3a. Since the notch 21 provided in 3b is the communication port 25, the water leaking from the crack of the inner lid 6 comes out from the notch 21 of the lid 3 and hits the inner peripheral surface of the cartridge case 2, so that water The momentum is further weakened and it is safe.

It is preferable that the communication cross-sectional area of the communication port 25 is 1 mm ² or more and 20 mm ² or less because the pressure in the water purifier cartridge 2 can be released while surely weakening the force of water.

<Example 1>
The bottomed cylindrical cartridge case has a wall thickness of 3.6 mm and an opening inner diameter of 54 mm. The lid has a wall thickness of 3 mm on the top surface, an outer diameter of 59 mm on the top surface, and an outer diameter of 55 mm on the cylindrical portion (including the welding white of ultrasonic welding). An inverted U-shaped notch having a width of 3 mm and a depth of 6 mm was provided in the cylindrical portion. On the other hand, the inner lid had a wall pressure of 2 mm. Granular activated carbon and polysulfone hollow fiber membranes were used as the filter medium. A filter medium is filled between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder inside the cartridge case, and the elastic member and the inner lid are attached in this order. Finally, the lid is fixed near the opening of the cartridge case by ultrasonic welding, and is used for water purifiers. It was a cartridge. With the lid welded to the cartridge case, the communication cross-sectional area of the communication port was 2 mm ² .

This water purifier cartridge was attached to a durability test device, and pressurization and depressurization were repeated using a solenoid valve on the upstream side of the raw water inlet. When pressurized, it was 0.75 MPa for 4 seconds, and when depressurized, it was 0 MPa for 2 seconds. As a result, the water purifier cartridge was not damaged up to 4000 cycles. At this point, the cartridge for the water purifier was supposed to be replaced, but when pressurization and depressurization were repeated until damage occurred, the inner lid cracked and water leaked in 6000 cycles. At this time, the cartridge case and the lid are not damaged, and the filter media is scattered around or the water is spouted vigorously just by the water leaking out from the communication port formed by the notch of the lid. There was no.

<Comparative example 1>
The same cartridge for water purifier as above was manufactured. However, no notch was not provided in the cylindrical portion of the lid.

This cartridge for a water purifier was attached to a durability test device, and pressurization and depressurization were repeated using a solenoid valve on the upstream side of the raw water inlet in the same manner as described above. As a result, the water purifier cartridge was not damaged up to 4000 cycles. At this point, the cartridge for the water purifier was supposed to be replaced, but when pressurization and depressurization were repeated until damage occurred, the inner lid cracked in 6000 cycles and the lid cracked in 9000 cycles. Entered, and it expanded at once. The filter media did not scatter around, but water spouted from the cracks in the lid and the surrounding floor was flooded.

1 Cartridge for water purifier 2 Cartridge case 3 Lid 3a Top surface 3b Cylindrical part 4 Inner cylinder 5 Outer cylinder 5a Convex part 6 Inner lid 6a Recess 6b Cylindrical part 8 Elastic member 9 Hollow fiber membrane bundle 10 Granular filter medium 11 Raw water inlet 12 Water purification outlet 14 Gap 18 Hollow fiber membrane module 20 Main body switch 21 Notch 22a Notch 22b Notch 23 Through hole 24 Through hole 25 Communication port 31 Support cylinder 32 Opening 33 Non-woven fabric 34 Support cylinder 35 Opening 36 Non-woven fabric 37 O-ring 38 O-ring

Claims (4)

With a bottomed cylindrical cartridge case,
The filter medium stored inside the cartridge case and
A lid fixed in the vicinity of the opening of the cartridge case and having a communication port for communicating the inside and the outside of the cartridge case.
An inner lid that is arranged between the lid and the filter medium and is watertightly engaged with the cartridge case to separate the lid and the filter medium.
Cartridge for water purifier with. The lid has a disk-shaped top surface and a cylindrical portion fixed in the vicinity of the opening of the cartridge case.
The outer diameter of the cylindrical portion is smaller than the outer diameter of the top surface portion.
The water purifier cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the notch provided in the cylindrical portion is the communication port. The cartridge for a water purifier according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the communication cross-sectional area of the communication port is 1 mm ² or more and 20 mm ^{2 or less in a state where the lid body is fixed to the cartridge case.} The cartridge for a water purifier according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cartridge case and the lid are fixed by an ultrasonic welding method.

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