JP3112131B2 - Activated carbon regeneration type water purifier - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a water purifier capable of boil-sterilizing and regenerating activated carbon by heating the activated carbon as needed to maintain its purification ability for a long period of time.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art By contacting tap water with activated carbon, residual chlorine (calcium odor component) dissolved in tap water, organic chlorine compounds (trihalomethane, etc.) harmful to the human body, and moldy odor substances (2 methyl isoborneol, Water purifiers that remove diosmin) are known.

[0003] Japanese Patent Publication No. 51-23817 describes an activated carbon regeneration type water purifier equipped with an electric heater. At the time of supplying purified water, the clean water enters through the valve 7 and is purified by the activated carbon, and is discharged from the valve 8 as purified water. At the time of activated carbon regeneration, the valve 8 is closed, the switch is turned on, and the heater 6 is turned on.
When electricity is supplied to the water, the water in the water purifier is heated, the activated carbon is sterilized by boiling, and the substance adsorbed on the activated carbon is desorbed by the action of steam to regenerate the activated carbon.

In the water purifier described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 51-23817, since water is supplied from the valve 7 when supplying purified water, it is considered that the valve 7 must be connected to a water pipe by a hose or the like. . At the time of activated carbon regeneration, hot water and steam generated by heating are discharged from the valve 7 in the opposite direction. Therefore, when the activated carbon is regenerated, it will be necessary to remove the hose from the water pipe and discharge the hot water and steam to the sink, etc., in addition to simply energizing the heater 6. Further, an operation of closing the valve 8 is also required. Therefore, the operation for regenerating the activated carbon becomes complicated.

[0005] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-22984 discloses such annoyance.
The water purifier that eliminates this is described.
Detect water temperature in the water channel discharged through the adhesive layer etc.
Waterway valve is provided to switch automatically to the drainage port or purified water outlet
is there. High-temperature water during heat regeneration is discharged from the outlet, causing burns.
When the temperature drops to a level where there is no danger, water is discharged from the water purification port.
It has become so.

[0006]

The object of the invention is to be Solved] However, Japanese Patent Laid-Open
In the water purifier described in 1-262984, the waterway valve is
Heating and regeneration
Initially, high-temperature water and steam collect at the top of the case first,
The temperature around the waterway valve does not suddenly increase, and the waterway valve switches.
Water that contains impurities desorbed from activated carbon
There is a fear that it will be discharged from the water purification port. In addition, heat regeneration
In the latter half of the year, the temperature around the waterway valve rises and the waterway valve discharges
High temperature water and steam are discharged from the outlet by switching to the mouth
However, heat also escapes from the exhaust port,
There is a problem that the heating and regeneration of
You.

[0007] Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method in the early stage of heat regeneration
Ensures that water containing impurities desorbed from activated carbon is discharged
An object of the present invention is to provide an activated carbon regeneration type water purifier that can be discharged from a road .

[0008] In another aspect, it is an object of the present invention, active
It is an object of the present invention to provide a water purifier capable of uniformly heating and regenerating sex charcoal .

[0009]

The activated carbon regenerating type water purifier of the present invention contains activated carbon in a container having an inlet and an outlet.
Purify the clean water by contacting the clean water with the activated carbon of
The container is heated as needed by the electric heater and stays in the container
Activated carbon is regenerated by boiling water
Activated carbon regeneration type water purifier now sterilized by boiling
The outlet at the top of the container,
Predetermined fluid temperature in response to temperature of fluid flowing out of outlet
If it is less than the value, connect the outlet to the purified water discharge passage
Hot steam discharge passage to the outlet while but has exceeded the plant value
Provide a temperature-sensitive switching valve connected to the channel, at the bottom of the container
When the heater is brought into contact with the heat transfer,
At the container outlet via the temperature-sensitive switching valve
To discharge purified water from the purified water discharge passage
When activated carbon is regenerated, turn on the heater and place the container on the bottom.
To boil the retained water in the vessel,
Connected to the hot steam discharge passage via a temperature switching valve
Hot water or steam is discharged from the discharge passage.
It is characterized in that it is made to be.

[0010] According to this structure, the height at the initial stage of the heat regeneration is increased.
Hot water or steam passes through the outlet at the top of the case to reach the temperature switch valve.
And the temperature switching valve is activated immediately to discharge hot steam from the outlet.
Since it is connected to the passage, impurities desorbed from activated carbon are mixed
The initial water is reliably discharged from the discharge passage. Furthermore,
The heater is located at the bottom of the container and the outlet is
Heat from the bottom to the top of the container.
It is transmitted evenly, and the activated carbon is sufficiently heated and regenerated.
You.

In a preferred embodiment, the hot steam exhaust is
Connect the drain hose facing the sink to the exit passage,
The hot water or steam generated during operation of the heater
Let it drain. This way, there is no danger of burns
And prevent accidental drinking of water with impurities.
Is stopped. Further, the hot steam discharge passage has a steam outlet.
Connected to the overflow tank,
The outlet valve cleans the container outlet when the fluid temperature is about 90 ° C or less.
Connected to water discharge passage, fluid temperature exceeds about 90 ° C
Connect the container outlet to the overflow tank during
Temporarily overflows hot water overflowing from the container when the
Steam generated in a flow tank
It is preferable to discharge the gas into the atmosphere. this
If hot water is accidentally supplied from the hot and cold water mixing tap,
Even when hot water blows out of the overflow tank.
Can be stopped.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the water purifier of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, an example of use of the water purifier of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
0 can be used, for example, mounted on a kitchen counter 14 provided with a sink 12. In this case, a faucet adapter 20 having a built-in switching valve mechanism is attached to the spout 18 of an existing optional faucet (in the illustrated example, a single-lever type hot-water mixing faucet) 16, and the adapter 20 is supplied with clean water. The water purifier 1 is made up of a hose 22 and a water purification hose 24.
0 can be connected. Handle 20 of adapter 20
6 is turned to a predetermined position, the tap water from the tap 16 is sent to the water purifier 10 by the tap water supply hose 22, and the water purified by the water purifier is sent from the purified water discharge hose 24 to the adapter 20, and the outlet thereof. 28. The purified water from which residual chlorine, harmful substances and odorous substances have been removed can be used as drinking water or for cooking. When the handle 26 is turned to another position, the untreated clean water (or hot and cold water mixture) from the faucet 16 passes through the outlet 2 of the adapter 20 without passing through the water purifier.
It is discharged as it is from 8 and can be used for applications such as washing vegetables and dishes. In the illustrated use example, hot water from a water heater (not shown) is supplied to the single-lever type hot / water mixer tap 16 via a hot water pipe 16A, and a water supply pipe 16B connected to a water pipe (also not shown). Is supplied with clean water.

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 5, the water purifier 10 has a plastic housing 30 and a cap 32 snap-fitted to the housing 30. A bottom plate 36 is fixed to the downwardly extending, for example, six legs 34 integrally formed in the housing 30 by screws 38.
The load of the water purifier 10 is supported by the rubber feet 40.

Briefly, in the illustrated embodiment, the water purifier 10 includes a filtration stage 42 for removing particulate components such as red rust and microorganisms floating in tap water by a filtration action.
And an adsorption stage 44 for removing harmful or undesired substances such as residual chlorine, trihalomethane and odorous substances dissolved in tap water by the adsorption action of activated carbon. It is heated, sterilized by boiling and regenerated. The filtration stage 42 is for reducing the load of the particulate component on the activated carbon in the adsorption stage 44. The filtration stage 42 is not indispensable for achieving the object of the present invention, and can be omitted.

More specifically, the filtration stage 42 includes a plurality of screws 4
6 has an inverted cup-shaped filter case 50 fixed in a liquid-tight manner to a horizontal wall 48 of the housing 30, in which a conventional hollow fiber membrane filter module 52 is positioned by a cap 54. I have. A radial distribution passage 56 is secured between the housing horizontal wall 48 and the cap 54 and communicates with a downwardly extending inlet tube 58 formed integrally with the housing horizontal wall 48. A hose joint 60 to which the clean water supply hose 22 is connected is fixed to the inlet pipe 58, and clean water coming from the clean water supply hose 22 flows into the distribution passage 56. Inlet pipe 58
Is provided with a conventional check valve 62 to prevent water from flowing back from the hollow fiber membrane filter module 52 to the water supply hose 22. Radial distribution passage 5
The water flowing into the filter case 6 passes through the space between the star-shaped projections 64 formed on the outer periphery of the cap 54 and passes through the filter case 50.
It flows into the annular distribution passage 66 between the inner circumference and the outer circumference of the hollow fiber membrane filter module 52, enters the module 52 through the opening 68 of the hollow fiber membrane filter module 52,
It is filtered by a hollow fiber membrane filter. The filtered tap water flows out of an outlet 70 formed in the cap 54. The hollow fiber membrane filter module 52 preferably has a membrane area of about 2 m2 so that it can be used under normal water conditions for about 7 years without replacement. Other types of filters may be used in place of the hollow fiber membrane filter module 52.

As can be clearly seen from FIGS. 2 and 5, the horizontal wall 48 of the housing 30 is provided with a gutter-shaped passage forming member 7.
2 is fixed in a liquid-tight manner and cooperates with the horizontal wall 48 to form a water supply passage 74. A drain plug 76 is screwed into the passage forming member 72, and the passage 74 can be drained by removing the plug 76 when the water purifier 10 is conveyed. The water passage 74 is the housing 3
The water is connected to a water supply riser 78 integrally formed with the water supply line 0, and the water filtered by the filtration stage 42 is sent to the subsequent adsorption stage 44 via the riser 78. 2 and 4, the water supply riser 78 is offset on one side with respect to the vertical center plane of the water purifier 10 and on the other side is a purified water discharge riser which is also integrally formed with the housing 30. 80 are arranged. The water purification discharge riser 80 is for sending purified water purified by the adsorption action of the adsorption stage 44 to the water purification discharge hose 24 as described later, and a hose joint 82 is connected to the riser 80. Is provided with a purified water discharge hose 24.

[0017] Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the adsorption stage 44
Has an activated carbon cartridge 84 filled with activated carbon fibers. The activated carbon cartridge 84 has a container 86 made of a stainless steel plate. The container 86 includes a cylindrical body 88 having a bottom and a stainless steel plate formed by deep drawing and an annular lid 90 made of a stainless steel plate.
It is liquid tightly wound along. In order to improve corrosion resistance, Teflon (Dupont Po
Litetrafluoroethylene (registered trademark) is coated. A plurality of arc-shaped water inlets 94 are formed in the lid 90 by punching, so that water sent from the filtration stage 42 through the riser 78 flows into the cartridge 84. A porous cylinder 96 made of stainless steel is arranged at the center of the cartridge 84. Around the cylinder 96, activated carbon fibers 98 are molded using a binder. Instead of binder molding, activated carbon fiber 98
The non-woven fabric may be wound around and restrained appropriately.
Further, granular activated carbon or spherical activated carbon may be used instead of activated carbon fibers. An annular distribution passage 100 communicating with the water inlet 94 is provided between the activated carbon fiber layer 98 and the body 88.
The clean water flowing into the cartridge 84 from the clean water inlet 94 passes through the activated carbon fiber layer 98 radially inward toward the porous cylinder 96, and the purified water purified by the activated carbon fiber 98 becomes porous. It is collected in the cylinder 96 and sent to the outlet 102 of the cartridge 84. In order to prevent a short flow path between the annular distribution passage 100 and the perforated cylinder 96 from occurring, after filling with activated carbon fibers, an annular V-groove type embossed portion 104 is press-formed on the body 88 and the lid 90 of the container 86. Is preferred.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 8, the activated carbon cartridge 84 is supported on a horizontal wall 106 of the housing 30 through a washer 108 and is closed by a manifold assembly 110. The manifold assembly 110 is divided into an upper member 112 and a lower member 114, which are fixed to each other in a liquid-tight manner. The lower member 114 is fitted to the upper ends of the risers 78 and 80 in a liquid-tight manner and is supported by them. For example, the upper assembly 112 and the lower assembly 114 are fastened together to the horizontal wall 106 of the housing 30 using seven screws 116 (FIG. 4), so that the manifold assembly 110 is fixed to the housing 30.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII of FIG. 4. Referring to these figures, an elongated member 118 is formed in the upper member 112 of the manifold assembly 110, A water passage 120 is formed in cooperation with the member 114. This passage 120 communicates on one side with the riser 78 and on the other hand the lower member 114
In communication with an inlet port 122 formed at The inlet port 122 opens into a space 124 formed between the lower member 114 and the lid 90 of the cartridge 84. Therefore, the hollow fiber membrane filter module 5 of the filtration stage 42
The water filtered by the filter 2 passes through the passage 74 and the riser 7.
8, passage 120, port 122, space 124, container 86
Flows into the annular distribution passage 100 through the clean water inlet 94. When passing through the activated carbon fiber layer 98, chlorine, trihalomethane and odorants dissolved in water are adsorbed by the activated carbon fiber.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the upper member 112 of the manifold assembly 110 has another bulge 126 formed thereon. The bulging portion 126 incorporates a temperature-sensitive switching valve 128, so that the bulging portion 126 also serves as a housing for the temperature-sensitive switching valve 128. The bulging portion 126 also cooperates with the lower member 114 of the manifold assembly 110 to form the purified water discharge passage 1.
The clean water discharge passage 130 communicates with the riser 80.

The temperature sensing switching valve 128 has a temperature sensing element 132 as shown in FIG. The temperature sensing element 132 is of a conventional type, and includes a main body 133 containing a heat-expandable wax (not shown), two valve heads 134 and 136, for example, three sliding guide portions 138, and a spindle 140. The spindle 140 is moved to the main body 1 as the ambient temperature rises.
33 to gradually protrude. This temperature sensing element 132 is fitted into the stepped bore of the bulging portion 126 via a return spring 142 acting on a spring receiver as shown in FIG. It is in contact with the cap 144. Therefore, the main body 1
2 is urged rightward in FIG. 2 by a return spring 142 at a low temperature, and as the spindle 140 projects from the main body 133 as the temperature rises, the assembly of the valve head 33 and the two valve heads 134 and 136 Is displaced leftward in FIG. A shape memory alloy may be used instead of the heat-expandable wax of the temperature-sensitive element 132.

The upper member 112 of the manifold assembly 110 is formed with an inlet port 146 aligned with the outlet 102 of the activated carbon cartridge 84 so that the temperature sensing element 132 comes into contact with the fluid flowing out of the activated carbon cartridge 84. I have. When the fluid temperature is 50 ° C. or less, the temperature-sensitive switching valve 128 is connected to the first valve head 1 as shown in FIG.
34 closes the valve seat 148 and the second valve head 1
When the fluid temperature exceeds 50 ° C., the valve seat 148 can be opened and the valve seat 150 can be closed when the fluid temperature exceeds 50 ° C. As can be clearly seen from FIG.
8 has a hot steam discharge pipe 152 formed at a position offset laterally from the spindle 140, and the hot steam discharge pipe 152 is provided with a valve seat 148.
(FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 4, one end of a drain hose 154 can be connected to the hot steam discharge pipe 152. This drain hose 154 passes through the opening 156 in the horizontal wall of the housing 30 and riser 80
And the other end can extend to the sink 12 as shown in FIG. Drainhoe
The open end of the switch 154 faces the sink 12.

Referring again to FIG. 7, an electric heater 158 is disposed at the bottom of the container body 88 of the activated carbon cartridge 84, and when the heater is energized, the activated carbon cartridge 84 is heated from the bottom. ing.
As the heater 158, a mica heater in which a nichrome wire is sandwiched between mica foils or a sheathed heater can be used. In order to improve heat transfer from the heater 158 to the container body 88, it is preferable to sandwich an aluminum plate 160 having good heat conductivity between the heater 158 and the bottom of the container body 88. The heater 158 and the aluminum heat transfer plate 160 are fastened to the container body 88 together with the aluminum radiator plate 166 by bolts 162 and nuts 164 welded to the container body 88.

As can be clearly seen from FIG. 7, the container body 88
Has a raised bottom, and the center raised bottom 168 has a thermistor 170 for detecting its temperature.
Are brought into contact in heat transfer relation. The thermistor 170 is supported by a thermistor holder 174 supported by a heat sink 166 via a coil spring 172,
68 is in elastic contact. Aluminum heat sink 16
6, a thermal fuse 176 is held by a clip in a heat transfer relationship.

Referring again to FIG. 2, a circuit board 178 is screwed to the back of the cap 32 of the water purifier 10, and a control circuit 180 is fixed to the circuit board.
In order to protect the control circuit 180 from the heat of the heater 158, a heat shield plate 182 is attached to the cap 32.
The control circuit 180 is supplied with AC power from a power cord 184. As shown in FIG. 2, an operation / display panel 186 is provided on the circuit board 178.

As shown in FIG. 10, the thermistor 170
Is output to the control circuit 180 via the lead wire 188, and the control circuit 180 can be connected to the liquid crystal display section 190 and the switch input section 192 of the operation / display panel 186. The control circuit 180 is connected to the electric heater 158 via the thermal fuse 176. Control circuit 1
80 can be programmed so that the heater 158 is automatically driven by a timer every day when a predetermined time, for example, at midnight, arrives. The set time can be appropriately changed by operating the switch input unit 192. it can. The control circuit 1 also controls the heater 158 so that the heater 158 is energized when the user issues a command from the switch input unit 192.
80 can be programmed. The control circuit 180 monitors the temperature of the center raised bottom 168 of the cartridge 84 by monitoring the output of the thermistor 170.
It can be programmed to stop energizing the heater 158 when the temperature reaches ° C.

Next, the operation of the water purifier 10 will be described.
When water is turned to the water purifier 10 side and the faucet 16 is opened, the tap water is filtered by the hollow fiber membrane module 52 of the filtration stage 42 and then sent to the adsorption stage 44 to be adsorbed by the activated carbon fibers 98 as described above. The purified water that has been purified and collected in the porous cylinder 96 flows out of the outlet 102 of the activated carbon cartridge 84.

When the timer is not used at night or the like, the timer function of the control circuit 180 is activated or the heater 15 is operated according to a command from the user.
When the power is supplied to 8, the bottom of the activated carbon cartridge 84 is heated, and the water staying in the activated carbon cartridge 84 becomes hot water, and then begins to boil. Since the check valve 62 is provided at the inlet of the hollow fiber membrane filter module 52, the hot water and steam generated in the activated carbon cartridge 84 do not flow back to the hollow fiber membrane filter module 52, and the activated carbon The temperature rises from the outlet 102 of the cartridge 84 toward the temperature sensing switching valve 128, and the temperature sensing element 132
Contact When the temperature sensing element 132 is heated to 50 ° C. or higher, the valve heads 134 and 136 move to the left in FIG. 2 to automatically close the purified water discharge passage 130 and to close the cartridge outlet 102 and the inlet port 146. Connected to hot steam discharge pipe 152. Since the cartridge 84 is heated from the bottom by the heater, the generated hot water rises toward the cartridge outlet 102 by convection.
When the retained water starts to boil, water vapor bubbles generated at the bottom of the cartridge pass through the activated carbon layer and rise toward the outlet 102. At that time, part of the stagnant water contained in the activated carbon layer is expelled from the activated carbon layer by the air pump action of the air bubbles, and is directly discharged from the outlet 102 through the drain hose 154.
It is discharged into the sink 12 immediately . Since the temperature of the retained water discharged at the beginning of the regeneration start does not rise so much and is about 50 ° C., if the operating temperature of the temperature-sensitive switching valve is set to 50 ° C., the retained water is discharged from the beginning of the regeneration start. Can be discharged to a hot steam discharge pipe.

As the water remaining in the activated carbon cartridge 84 boils, the activated carbon fiber 98 is sterilized by boiling, and chlorine adsorbed on the activated carbon fiber and trihalomethane having a boiling point lower than that of water are mixed with hot water. It is easily desorbed by the action of steam, and the activated carbon fibers are regenerated. Odorous substances such as 2-methylisoborneol and diosmin, whose boiling points are higher than the boiling point of water, are not easily desorbed by water vapor. Therefore, as the activated carbon fiber 98, it is preferable to use an activated carbon fiber having a central pore diameter of about 2.7 nm, which has an excellent adsorption capacity for odorous substances. When about 70 g of such activated carbon fibers are filled, a high degree of purification can be performed without replacing the activated carbon fiber cartridge 84 for a long period of about 7 years under normal water quality conditions.

The power to the heater 158 is supplied to the thermistor 1
The temperature of the central raised bottom 168 of the cartridge 84 as detected by 70 is maintained, for example, above 120 ° C. As the accumulated water in the cartridge 84 evaporates, the level of the accumulated water drops.
Since 68 is a raised bottom, the center raised bottom 168 is first exposed from the stagnant water as the evaporation and the water level decrease, and the temperature rises faster than the other parts. Therefore, the thermistor 17
The temperature of the center raised bottom 168 detected by
Even when the temperature reaches 0 ° C., since the retained water remains at the bottom of the cartridge 84, the activated carbon fibers are not overheated, and burning of the activated carbon fibers can be prevented.

Central raised bottom 1 of activated carbon cartridge 84
When the temperature of 68 exceeds 120 ° C., the control circuit 180 terminates the energization of the heater 158. Cartridge 84
When the ambient temperature of the temperature-sensitive switching valve 128 becomes 50 ° C. or less, the temperature-sensitive switching valve 128 automatically connects the outlet 102 of the cartridge 84 to the purified water discharge passage 130.
Connect to and prepare for use.

FIG. 11 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. Components having the same functions as those of the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. To explain only the differences, in the second embodiment, the cap 32 of the water purifier 10 will be described.
Is formed with an overflow tank 194 communicating with a valve seat 148 of the temperature-sensitive switching valve 128.
8, the hot water overflowing from the activated carbon cartridge 84 is temporarily stored. The cap 32 is further provided with a plurality of steam outlets 196 so that steam generated when the heater 158 is operated is released to the atmosphere. In this embodiment, the drain hose 154 can be omitted because the steam is released into the atmosphere during the regeneration of the activated carbon by boiling.

Since the hot water supply temperature of the water heater is usually 85 ° C. or less, the temperature-sensitive switching valve 128 is set to connect the outlet 102 to the purified water discharge passage 130 when the temperature of the fluid flowing out of the outlet 102 is 90 ° C. or less. In this case, even if the user mistakenly flows hot water from the water heater, the purified water recovered in the porous cylinder 96 is sent from the purified water discharge passage 130 to the purified water discharge hose 24 via the riser 80. Thus, the hot water discharged from the outlet 28 of the adapter 20 and overflowing from the overflow tank 194 can be prevented.

Although a specific embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and various design changes can be made. For example, in order to achieve the object of the present invention, the filtration stage 42 is not essential, and the hollow fiber membrane filter can be omitted. Further, an electromagnetic valve driven by the control circuit 180 may be used instead of the temperature-sensitive switching valve 128.

[0035]

As described above, according to the present invention, in the water purifier of the present invention, activated carbon temperature sensitive switching valve 128 cartridge 8
4 placed at the outlet 102 at the top of the container 86 to regenerate activated carbon
Heater 158 is provided at the bottom of the container 86, and when the activated carbon regeneration heater 158 is activated, the activated carbon cartridge 84 is activated.
Since the exit is made from the automatic purified water discharge passage to be switched to hot steam discharge passages, thermal regeneration initial
High-temperature water or steam passes through the outlet at the top of the case to the temperature-sensitive switching valve
As soon as the temperature-sensitive switching valve is activated, the outlet is discharged with hot steam.
Because it is connected to the outlet passage, impurities desorbed from activated carbon are mixed.
The early water that has been drained is surely discharged from the discharge passage. Change
In addition, the heater 158 is provided at the bottom of
In addition, since the outlet 102 is provided on the upper part of the container 86,
Is transmitted evenly from the bottom of the container 86 to the top,
The heating and regeneration of the charcoal 98 is sufficiently performed.

In another aspect, the hot water that overflows from the activated carbon cartridge 84 when the heater 158 operates is immediately reduced in volume.
Since it reaches the outlet 102 at the top of the vessel 86 and is immediately discharged to the drain hose 154 or the overflow tank 194, the amount of water remaining in the activated carbon cartridge when the heater is activated is reduced, and the activated carbon is quickly heated with less power. Can be played.

In another aspect, the hot steam discharge passage 152
Is connected to the drain hose 154 facing the sink 12, and
The hot water or steam generated during operation of the heater 158
Drains into the sink, eliminating dangers such as burns
In addition, it prevents accidental drinking of water with impurities.
It is.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a usage example in which a water purifier of the present invention is installed in a kitchen.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the water purifier shown in FIG. 1, and FIG.
1 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 1 and is drawn so that the radial dimensions of the hollow fiber membrane module and the activated carbon cartridge are faithful.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the water purifier shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the water purifier shown in FIG. 1 with a cap removed.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the water purifier shown in FIG. 1, with a bottom plate and an activated carbon cartridge removed.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of an activated carbon cartridge of the water purifier shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of an activated carbon cartridge of the water purifier shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a temperature sensing element assembly of the switching valve.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a connection relationship with a control circuit.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a water purifier according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of Signs] 10: Water purifier12: sink  42: Filtration stage 44: Adsorption stage 52: Hollow fiber membrane filter module 84: Activated carbon cartridge 86: Activated carbon container 98: Activated carbon fiber 102: Cartridge outlet 128: Switching valve 130: Purified water discharge passage 152: Hot steam discharge passage154: Drain hose  158: Heater

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Atsuhiko Kasukawa 2-1-1 Nakajima, Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu-city, Fukuoka Prefecture Totoki Kiki Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-1-2622984 (JP, A) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) C02F 1/28 B01J 20/34 C02F 1/44

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. Activated carbon is contained in a container having an inlet and an outlet.
Clean water by contacting the activated carbon with clean water.
And heat the container with an electric heater as needed.
Of activated carbon by boiling water remaining in the sea
Activated carbon regeneration type water purifier that is now sterilized by boiling
In the above, the outlet is provided at an upper portion of the container, and the outlet
The fluid temperature in response to the temperature of the fluid flowing out of the outlet
When the pressure is below a predetermined value, the outlet is connected to the purified water discharge passage
While the body temperature is above the predetermined value, the outlet is heated steam
A temperature-sensitive switching valve connected to the discharge passage is provided, and a bottom of the container is provided.
The heater is brought into contact with the part in heat transfer relation,
At the time of supply, the outlet of the container is connected to the purifier through the temperature-sensitive switching valve.
By connecting to the outlet passage, the purified water can be
When activated carbon is regenerated, turn on the heater
Is heated from the bottom to boil the water remaining in the container,
Port to the hot steam discharge passage via the temperature-sensitive switching valve
By connecting hot water or steam from the discharge passage
Activated carbon regeneration type purification characterized by discharging
Water bowl. 2. The hot steam discharge passage faces a sink.
Connect the drain hose and generate when the heater operates
Hot water or steam to be discharged directly into the sink
The activated carbon regeneration type water purifier according to claim 1 , characterized in that: 3. The hot water vapor discharge passage is connected to an overflow tank having a water vapor outlet, and the temperature-sensitive switching valve connects the container outlet to a purified water discharge passage when the fluid temperature is about 90 ° C. or less. While the fluid temperature exceeds about 90 ° C., the outlet of the container is connected to the overflow tank, and the hot water that overflows from the container when the heater is operated is temporarily stored in the overflow tank, and the generated steam is discharged from the steam outlet. Activated carbon regeneration type water purifier that is based on claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is discharged into the atmosphere.