JP3174016U - Reverse osmosis membrane water purifier - Google Patents

Abstract

An easy-to-use reverse osmosis membrane water purifier capable of purifying tap water during normal times and purifying sewage during disasters.
A reverse osmosis membrane water purifier M has a flow path 21 leading from inlets 11a and 11b into which raw water is injected to a purified water outlet 12 and at least a membrane filter RO interposed in the flow path 21. A filter unit, a drainage channel 22 that excludes drainage from the membrane filter on the downstream side of the membrane filter RO, a pressure pump P that is provided on the upstream side of the membrane filter RO and pressurizes water in the flow path 21; A low pressure switch LPS that monitors the water pressure on the upstream side of the membrane filter RO and does not operate the pressurizing pump P when the water pressure falls below a specified value is provided. Further, an invalid switch SW for invalidating the low pressure switch LPS is provided.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a reverse osmosis membrane water purifier.

  In recent years, in general households, especially in apartment houses such as condominiums, in order to remove impurities contained in tap water (raw water) and obtain drinking water and cooking water (hereinafter referred to as “purified water”), Water purifiers are often installed in baths. A reverse osmosis membrane type water purifier is known as a water purifier that can effectively remove impurities (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  This includes, for example, an inlet to which a hose branched from a faucet (water supply pipe) provided in a kitchen sink is connected, a purifier outlet, and a flow path leading from the inlet to the outlet. A filter unit is interposed in this flow path. Some filter units include a sediment filter, a carbon filter, and a membrane filter (reverse osmosis membrane filter). When raw water is injected into the inlet, the raw water is first physically filtered through a sediment filter, and then the filtered water passes through a carbon filter to adsorb chlorine and organic compounds. Finally, only water molecules are selectively permeated through the membrane filter to obtain purified water from which heavy metals and bacteria are removed. In a housing complex such as an apartment, there are many cases where the water pressure does not reach a level that allows the membrane filter to pass through and be purified. In this case, water molecules cannot pass through the membrane filter, and purified water cannot be obtained. Usually, a pressurizing pump is provided immediately before the membrane filter so that tap water is pressurized by the pressurizing pump.

  By the way, the water purifier can no longer be used when, for example, a disaster such as a large-scale fire or an earthquake occurs and the supply of tap water is stopped. In such a case, it is desirable to obtain purified water from other water sources (sewage such as river water and remaining hot water in the bath). However, sewage from the sewage source is sucked into the flow path and pressurized into the filter unit while being pressurized. Need to flow. On the other hand, as described above, in a water purifier equipped with a pressure pump, it is common to provide a low pressure switch in the flow path in order to prevent breakage of the equipment (that is, prevention of idling of the pressure pump). When the water pressure on the road is below the specified value, the low pressure switch stops energizing the pressure pump. For this reason, even when electric power is supplied, there is a problem that sewage cannot be used for purification. Therefore, it is conceivable to forcibly operate the pressurizing pump by changing the wiring of the low pressure switch. However, if such a work is required from the user, the usability of the instrument is poor. Therefore, the development of an easy-to-use reverse osmosis membrane water purifier that can not only purify tap water during normal times but also purify sewage during disasters has been desired.

JP 2006-346666 A

  In view of the above points, an object of the present invention is to provide an easy-to-use reverse osmosis membrane water purifier that can purify tap water during normal times and purify dirty water during disasters.

  In order to solve the above problems, a reverse osmosis membrane water purifier according to the present invention has a flow path leading from an inlet into which raw water is injected to an outlet of purified water, and at least a membrane filter interposed in the flow path. A filter unit; a drainage channel for removing drainage from the membrane filter on the downstream side of the membrane filter; a pressure pump provided on the upstream side of the membrane filter for pressurizing water in the channel; and the membrane filter And a stop unit that does not operate the pressurizing pump when the water pressure falls below a specified value, and further includes an invalid unit that disables the stop unit. To do.

  According to the present invention, during normal times, tap water is injected into the inlet by connecting the inlet to a faucet (water supply pipe). The injected tap water flows through the flow path and passes through at least a filter unit having a membrane filter. Even when the reverse osmosis membrane water purifier is used in an apartment house where the tap water pressure is low, the water pressurized by the pressure pump flows into the membrane filter. can get. Heavy metals and bacteria that cannot permeate the membrane filter are discharged to the drainage channel downstream of the membrane filter. Further, when the water pressure on the upstream side of the membrane filter becomes equal to or lower than the specified value, the operation of the pressurization pump is prohibited by the stop means, and thus the idling operation of the pressurization pump can be prevented.

  In addition, when the supply of tap water is stopped during a disaster, the connection destination of the inlet is changed from a faucet to a sewage source, sewage is sucked into the flow path from the sewage source, and the sucked sewage is pressurized and filtered. Need to flow to the unit. Here, if the inlet and the sewage source are communicated, the water pressure on the upstream side of the membrane filter becomes equal to or less than the specified value, the pressurizing pump cannot be operated by the stopping means, and purified water cannot be obtained. Therefore, in the present invention, the pressurizing pump can be forcibly operated by disabling the stopping means by the disabling means. For this reason, sewage can be sucked into the flow path from the sewage source, the sucked sewage can be pressurized and permeated through the membrane filter, and as a result, purified water can be obtained from the sewage. Moreover, in the present invention, it is not necessary for the user to change the wiring of the stopping means, which is convenient.

  In the present invention, the housing further includes a housing for accommodating the filter unit and the pressure pump, and the inlet and the spout are provided on the wall of the housing, and the hose can be freely attached to and detached from the inlet and the spout. It was possible to connect to. According to this, the reverse osmosis membrane water purifier can be easily carried by removing the hose connected to the inlet and the outlet in the event of a disaster. And, for example, carry the reverse osmosis membrane water purifier to the vicinity of the sewage source such as a river, connect the hose leading to the sewage source to the inlet, and operate the pressure pump to obtain the purified water from the sewage of the sewage source Can do.

  In the present invention, the filter unit has a sediment filter for physically filtering the sediment contained in the raw water on the upstream side of the membrane filter, and the flow path is branched on the upstream side of the sediment filter, It is preferable that the branched branch path is connectable to a sewage source and includes a first on-off valve. According to this, the sewage from a sewage source can be inject | poured into an injection port only by operating a 1st on-off valve. In the present invention, the location where the first on-off valve is interposed in the branch path includes a branch location from the flow path. As the first on-off valve provided at the branch point, a three-way valve can be suitably used. In the present invention, the sediment filter includes a sediment carbon filter in which a sediment filter and a carbon filter are integrated.

  In the present invention, the sewage source is a container for storing sewage, and the container is provided with a hand pump and a safety valve that opens when the pressure in the container exceeds a specified value. A second on-off valve is provided in the branch side of the container with respect to the on-off valve, and the second on-off valve is opened when the pressure in the container becomes a predetermined value or more by operation of the hand pump. It is preferable to configure so as to provide a valve. According to this, even when the power supply is stopped at the time of a disaster, the sewage in the container can be sucked into the flow path by the operation of the hand pump. And if the 2nd on-off valve is opened when the pressure in a container becomes more than predetermined value by operation of a hand pump, dirty water can be efficiently sent to a channel.

The figure which shows the structure of the reverse osmosis membrane type water purifier of embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the sewage tank connected to the branch path of the reverse osmosis membrane type water purifier shown in FIG. The figure which shows the modification of a reverse osmosis membrane type water purifier. The figure which shows the modification of a reverse osmosis membrane type water purifier. The figure which shows the modification of a reverse osmosis membrane type water purifier.

  Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, the reverse osmosis membrane water purifier according to the embodiment of the present invention is installed in a storage space under the sink of a general household kitchen to purify tap water during normal times and purify dirty water during disasters. An example will be described. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the element which is common in each figure, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  A reverse osmosis membrane water purifier M according to this embodiment shown in FIG. The upper wall 1a of the housing 1 is provided with a tap water inlet 11a, a sewage inlet 11b, a discharge port 12, a tank connection port 13, a spout 14 and an invalid switch (invalid means) SW. Then, a hose described later can be detachably connected to the inlets 11a and 11b, the outlet 12, the tank connection 13 and the spout 14. That is, the hose 31 branched from the water tap of the sink (tap water supply pipe) is connected to the tap water inlet 11a, and tap water is injected during normal times. A hose 32 leading to a sewage source 33 is connected to the sewage injection port 11b, and sewage is injected in a disaster. A hose 34 branched from the drain port of the sink is connected to the discharge port 12 so that the drainage from the membrane filter RO can be discharged. A hose 36 communicating with the tank 35 is connected to the tank connection port 13. The spout 14 is connected to a hose 37 leading to a faucet (four) F so that purified water can be discharged from the faucet F. Moreover, the handle H is provided in the upper wall 1a of the housing | casing 1, and the reverse osmosis membrane type water purifier M can be carried now easily. A belt may be provided in place of the handle H.

  In the housing 1, a flow path 21 that leads from the tap water inlet 11a to the spout 14 is formed. The channel 21 is provided with an on-off valve V1a. Tap water can be supplied to the channel 21 by opening the on-off valve V1a and closing an on-off valve V1b described later. A branch path 21a is branched from the flow path 21 on the downstream side of the on-off valve V1a, and the branch path 21a is connected to the sewage inlet 11b. The branch path 21a is provided with an on-off valve (first on-off valve) V1b. By opening the on-off valve V1b and closing the on-off valve V1a, the flow path 21 and the sewage source 33 can be communicated with each other. In the sewage storage container which is the sewage source 33, for example, sewage pumped from a bathtub, an outdoor fire prevention tank or the like is stored. For example, a bucket can be used as the sewage storage container 33. Then, with the on-off valve V1b opened and the on-off valve V1a closed, the invalid switch SW is turned on and the pressurizing pump P is operated as will be described later, whereby the sewage in the sewage storage container 33 can be supplied to the flow path 21. .

  In the event of a power failure, a sealed sewage storage container 33a shown in FIG. 2 is used as a sewage source instead of the sewage storage container 33. The sewage storage container 33a includes a hand pump 34 and a safety valve 34a that opens when the pressure in the sewage storage container 33a becomes a specified value or more. By operating the handle of the hand-pumped pump 34, sewage can be supplied to the flow path 21 even during a power failure when the pressurizing pump P described below cannot operate. An open / close valve (second open / close valve) V2 is interposed in the hose 32 in the vicinity of the sewage storage container 33a. The sewage can be efficiently supplied to the flow path 21 by opening the on-off valve V2 in a state where the pressure in the container is increased to some extent by the handle operation of the hand pump 34.

  In the housing 1, a filter unit having at least a membrane filter RO interposed in the flow path 21 is accommodated. The filter unit includes a sediment filter S, a carbon filter C, a membrane filter RO, and a post carbon filter PC. The sediment filter S physically filters precipitates contained in the raw water, and the carbon filter C adsorbs and removes organic compounds. The membrane filter RO includes a reverse osmosis membrane having a pore diameter of, for example, about 0.0001 μm and having ultrafine pores that allow only water molecules to selectively pass therethrough. And while flowing the water which permeate | transmitted this reverse osmosis membrane to a downstream side, the heavy metal and bacteria which cannot permeate | separate are separated and removed, and it discharges | emits from an outlet. The post carbon filter PC removes the odor of purified water to make it have a mellow taste.

  A pressure pump P is provided on the upstream side of the membrane filter RO (between the sediment filter S and the carbon filter C in this embodiment), and water pressurized to a water pressure of about 0.6 MPa is sent to the membrane filter RO. Be able to. By providing the pressurizing pump P on the downstream side of the sediment filter S in this way, it is possible to reduce the inflow of dust into the pump as compared with the case where it is provided on the upstream side, thereby extending the life of the pump. The pressure pump P is connected to a power source via a low pressure switch LPS, a high pressure switch HPS, and a transformer T, which will be described later, and is energized to operate when both the pressure switches LPS, HPS are on. Yes. As a power source, in addition to a household power source, an emergency power source such as a battery or a commercially available inverter can be used as a cigarette power source in an automobile.

  A drainage channel 22 is connected to the drainage port of the membrane filter RO, and the end of the drainage channel 22 is connected to the drainage port 12 so that the drainage from the membrane filter RO can be discharged. The end of the channel 21 is connected to the spout 14 so that the purified water that has passed through the post carbon filter PC can be discharged from the faucet F. Further, the flow path 21 is branched between the membrane filter RO and the post carbon filter PC, and the end of the branched branch path 23 is connected to the tank connection port 13. The branch path 23 is provided with an on-off valve V3. The hose 36 connecting the tank connection port 13 and the tank 35 is provided with an on-off valve V4. When these on-off valves V3 and V4 are opened, the purified water that has passed through the membrane filter RO is passed into the tank 35. Can be stored.

  A check valve CV is provided on the downstream side of the membrane filter RO to prevent the water pressure from leaking to the membrane filter RO side when the tank 35 is full and the water pressure becomes high. A high pressure switch HPS is provided on the downstream side of the check valve CV, and the pressure pump P is stopped when the water pressure on the downstream side of the check valve CV exceeds a specified value.

  Further, a rubber automatic shut-off valve ASV is interposed in the flow path 21, and when the water pressure on the downstream side of the check valve CV increases, the membrane filter RO upstream side (in the present embodiment, the additive filter S and the additional pressure is added). The flow path 21 between the pressure pump P and the pressure pump P is closed. Thereby, it can prevent that the pressure of tap water is added to the pressurization pump P, and since water flow to the membrane filter RO is stopped, the drainage from the membrane filter RO to the drainage channel 22 can be stopped.

  Here, in order to close the flow path 21 upstream of the membrane filter RO, a conventional solenoid valve is generally provided. However, the solenoid valve is always closed when power supply is stopped (at the time of power failure). (That is, the flow path 21 is closed), so that the sewage cannot be supplied to the membrane filter RO even if the manual pump 34 is operated. On the other hand, since the automatic closing valve ASV used in the present embodiment is not always closed even during a power failure, the sewage can be passed through the membrane filter RO by operating the hand pump 34.

  A low pressure switch LPS serving as a stopping means is provided on the upstream side of the membrane filter RO (between the pressurizing pump P and the carbon filter C in this embodiment), and the upstream side of the membrane filter RO (in this embodiment, the sediment filter). By stopping the pressurizing pump P when the water pressure on the downstream side (S) becomes equal to or lower than a specified value, the idling operation of the pressurizing pump P can be prevented. The upper wall 1a of the housing 1 is provided with an invalid switch SW as an invalid means for invalidating the low pressure switch LPS. For example, when the supply of tap water is stopped and sewage is sucked in, the upstream side of the membrane filter RO is provided. The pressurization pump P can be forcibly operated by turning on the invalid switch SW when the water pressure becomes a specified value or less. Hereinafter, the operation of the reverse osmosis membrane water purifier during normal times and disasters (when water is shut off or during a power failure) will be described.

  When tap water and electric power are supplied, tap water is passed through the raw water inlet 11 through the flow path 21 by opening the on-off valve V1a and closing the on-off valve V1b. When the pressurization pump P is operated, the precipitate contained in the tap water is filtered by the sediment filter S, the organic compound is adsorbed and removed by the carbon filter C, and heavy metals and bacteria are separated and removed by the membrane filter RO. . At this time, when the on-off valves V3 and V4 are closed, the purified water that has passed through the post carbon filter PC is discharged from the faucet F. When the on-off valves V3 and V4 are opened, the purified water that has passed through the membrane filter RO is stored in the tank 35. When the tank 35 is full, the water pressure on the downstream side of the check valve CV increases, the pressure pump P is stopped by the high pressure switch HPS, and the water flow to the membrane filter RO is stopped by the automatic close valve ASV. The drainage (concentrated water) is not discharged from the membrane filter RO.

  When the supply of tap water is stopped at the time of a disaster (when water is shut off), the hose 32 is connected to the sewage tank 33, the on-off valve V1a is closed, and the on-off valve V1b is opened, thereby connecting the sewage tank 33 and the flow path 21. . At this time, the water pressure on the upstream side of the membrane filter RO becomes low, and the low pressure switch LPS works so that the pressure pump P cannot be operated. In this embodiment, the pressurizing pump P is forcibly operated by turning on the invalid switch SW that disables the low pressure switch LPS. Thereby, the sewage in the sewage tank 33 is sucked into the flow path 21. The sewage sucked into the flow path 21 is purified by sequentially passing through the sediment filter S, the carbon filter C, the membrane filter RO, and the post carbon filter PC, and the purified water obtained by the purification is discharged from the faucet F. . Moreover, the purified water which passed the membrane filter RO can be stored in the tank 35 by opening the on-off valves V3 and V4.

  Further, when the power supply is stopped (at the time of power failure), the pressurizing pump P cannot be operated. Therefore, the handle of the hand pump 34 attached to the sewage storage container 33a is operated in the vertical direction. At this time, even if the handle is operated with the on-off valve V2 opened, the pressure in the sewage storage container 33a escapes to the flow path 21 via the branch path 32, so that the sewage is efficiently transferred to the flow path 21. Cannot pass water. After increasing the pressure in the sewage storage container 33a by operating the handle a predetermined number of times (for example, several tens of times) with the on-off valve V2 closed, the on-off valve V2 is opened to efficiently pass sewage to the flow path 21. I can water.

  In the embodiment described above, the pressurization pump P can be forcibly operated by disabling the low pressure switch LPS with the invalid switch SW when the supply of tap water is stopped. For this reason, if the hose 32 is previously connected to the sewage storage container 33 which is a sewage source, the sewage can be sucked into the flow path 21 and the sewage can be purified. Therefore, if the reverse osmosis membrane type water purifier M of this embodiment is used, tap water can be purified during normal times and sewage can be purified during disasters. Moreover, since the pressurization pump P can be operated only by operating the invalid switch SW in the event of a disaster, it is not necessary to change the wiring, which is convenient for the user.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the reverse osmosis membrane water purifier is installed under the sink of the kitchen has been described as an example. The device M can be removed and taken outside for use. At this time, the on-off valves V1a, V3, V4 are closed, and the hose 31 is detachably connected to the inlets 11a, 11b, the outlet 12, the tank connecting port 13, and the outlet 14 of the upper wall 1a of the casing 1, By removing 32, 34, 36, and 37, the reverse osmosis membrane water purifier can be easily carried to the vicinity of a sewage source such as a river or a fire prevention water tank. And although illustration is abbreviate | omitted, the inlet 11b and a sewage source are connected with a hose, the outlet 12 and the waste water storage container which stores waste_water | drain are connected with a hose, and the purified water storage container which stores the spout 14 and purified water And connect with a hose. According to this, the sewage from the sewage source can be purified, and the purified water obtained by this purification can be stored in the purified water storage container. The on-off valve V1b may be closed instead of the on-off valve V1a, and the inlet 11a and the sewage source may be connected by a hose instead of the inlet 11b. Moreover, when carrying the reverse osmosis membrane type water purifier M, it is possible to prevent drainage from seeping out from the discharge port 12 by closing the discharge port 12 with a cap (not shown).

  In the above embodiment, the flow path 21a is branched from the flow path 21 in the housing 1, but as shown in FIG. 3, the hose 31 is branched outside the housing 1, and the branched hose 32 is treated as sewage. It may be connected to the storage container 33 and the hoses 31 and 32 may be provided with on-off valves V1a and V1b. And the on-off valve V3 may be interposed in the hose 36 outside the housing 1. According to this, since each on-off valve can be operated without opening the housing | casing 1, a user's workability | operativity can be improved.

  Furthermore, when the hose 32 is branched from the hose 31 outside the housing 1, it is preferable to provide a three-way valve as the switching valve V1 at a position where the hose 32 is branched from the hose 31 as shown in FIG. According to this, since the number of components is reduced compared to the case shown in FIG. 3, the manufacturing cost can be reduced, and the switching between tap water and sewage can be performed only by the switching operation of one switching valve V1. User operability can be further improved.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the sediment filter S and the carbon filter C are separately configured has been described. However, as shown in FIG. 5, the sediment filter and the carbon filter are integrated to form a sediment carbon filter SC. The present invention can also be applied to the case. In this case, a pressurizing pump P may be provided between the sediment carbon filter SC and the membrane filter RO.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the hose 34 connected to the discharge port 12 is connected to the drainage port of a sink, you may connect this hose 34 to the sewage storage containers 33 and 33a. In this case, since the waste water from the membrane filter RO is reused, the water can be effectively used when a large amount of sewage cannot be secured.

M ... Reverse osmosis membrane water purifier, S ... Cement filter, C ... Carbon filter, MO ... Membrane filter, P ... Pressure pump, LPS ... Low pressure switch (stop means), SW ... Invalid switch (invalid means), V1b ... Open / close valve (first open / close valve), V2 ... Open / close valve (second open / close valve), 11 ... Inlet, 14 ... Outlet, 21 ... Channel, 22 ... Drainage channel, 31, 34 ... Hose.

Claims (4)

A flow path leading from the inlet into which the raw water is injected to the purified water outlet,
A filter unit having at least a membrane filter interposed in the flow path;
A drainage channel for removing drainage from the membrane filter on the downstream side of the membrane filter;
A pressurizing pump that is provided upstream of the membrane filter and pressurizes water in the flow path;
Monitoring the water pressure on the upstream side of the membrane filter, and a stop means that does not operate the pressurizing pump when the water pressure falls below a specified value,
A reverse osmosis membrane water purifier, further comprising invalid means for invalidating the stop means.   The housing further includes a housing for accommodating the filter unit and the pressurizing pump, and the inlet and the spout are provided on a wall surface of the housing, and a hose can be detachably connected to the inlet and the spout. The reverse osmosis membrane type water purifier according to claim 1.   The filter unit has a sediment filter that performs physical filtration of sediment contained in raw water on the upstream side of the membrane filter, and the flow path is branched on the upstream side of the sediment filter. The reverse osmosis membrane water purifier according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the branch path is connectable to a sewage source and includes a first on-off valve. The sewage source is a container for storing sewage, and this container is provided with a hand pump and a safety valve that opens when the pressure in the container exceeds a specified value,
A second on-off valve is provided on the branch side closer to the container than the first on-off valve, and the second on-off valve is opened when the pressure in the container becomes a predetermined value or more by operating the hand pump. 4. The reverse osmosis membrane water purifier according to claim 3, wherein the valve is configured to open.

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