JP4073351B2 - Water purifier - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a water purifier used for filtering water such as tap water.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in homes, for example, when using tap water, after installing a water purifier near the faucet in the water pipe and filtering the water supplied from the water, it is used as purified water for drinking or cooking. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). This water purifier includes an outer case composed of a cylindrical main body, a cap that covers the upper opening of the main body, and a bottom lid that covers the lower opening of the main body. The upper surface of the cap is supplied from the water supply. There are provided an inlet for injecting tap water and an extraction port for sending filtered purified water to the faucet.
[0003]
A cylindrical inner case is provided inside the outer case so as to block the injection port and the extraction port. The lower opening of the inner case is closed by a filter attached to the lower end side portion of the inner peripheral surface of the outer case, and the upper opening of the inner case is closed by a potting portion. A space formed between the outer case and the inner case is filled with activated carbon, and a hollow fiber membrane is accommodated in the inner case. The opening portion of the hollow fiber membrane is fixed to the potting portion and communicates with the extraction port.
[0004]
Therefore, when tap water is injected into the water purifier from the inlet, it is first filtered by activated carbon, then filtered by the filter, and then enters the inner case from the lower end of the inner case and filtered by the hollow fiber membrane. While entering, it penetrates from the outside to the inside of the hollow fiber membrane. And it passes through the inside of the hollow fiber membrane, proceeds from the opening fixed to the potting portion to the extraction port, and is taken out from the faucet as purified water.
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-11-333446 [0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above-described conventional water purifier, the lower surface of the inner case is opened and a filter is provided so as to block the entire opening, but the portion of the filter through which tap water passes is limited, and the entire filter There is a problem that it is not used effectively. That is, this filter is formed by spirally forming a strip-like fibrous activated carbon, and has directivity in the vertical direction in which tap water flows. For this reason, in such a filter, when tap water first passes and a passage is formed in that part, the tap water sent subsequently passes through the same part, and the tap water is allowed to pass through the entire filter uniformly. It is difficult. For this reason, the problem that the purification performance of a water purifier is low and the lifetime is short has arisen.
[0007]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made to cope with the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a water purifier capable of improving the purification performance and extending the life.
[0008]
In order to achieve the above object, the structural features of the water purifier according to the present invention are provided in an outer case having an inlet and an extraction port, and provided in the outer case, and injected from the inlet into the outer case. Space formed between the outer case and the inner case, the inner case having an inlet for allowing the water to flow into the interior, an outlet for allowing the water that has flowed into the outlet to the extraction port of the outer case The water purifier is provided with a granular activated carbon filled in the inner case, and a hollow fiber membrane having an opening that constitutes an outlet or an inlet, and the inlet is a lower part on the peripheral side surface of the inner case. provided on the side, so as to block an inlet, along a fibrous filter medium which is formed into a roll by stacking the configured sheet and fiber維状activated carbon and ion exchange fiber in the peripheral side surface of the inner case set It is in that.
[0009]
In the water purifier of the present invention configured as described above, the water injected from the inlet is filtered by activated carbon, and then passes through the fibrous filter medium and enters the inner case from the inlet or the fiber. After passing through the filter medium and once going to the bottom side of the outer case, it rises and then passes again through the fibrous filter medium to the inlet. That is, since the inlet is provided at the lower side portion of the peripheral side surface of the inner case and the bottom of the inner case is closed, the water passing through the fibrous filter medium enters the inner case from the upper side of the inlet. Or after entering the bottom of the outer case, it enters the inner case from the lower side of the inlet.
[0010]
For this reason, in a state where water is dispersed, the water enters the inner case from each part of the fibrous filter medium, and the filtration of water is performed on the entire fibrous filter medium. As a result, the purification performance of the water purifier is improved and the life is extended. In this case, it is preferable that a plurality of inlets are provided at regular intervals along the peripheral surface in the vicinity of the lower end portion of the peripheral side surface of the inner case, and the size thereof is set so as not to exceed a predetermined size. Is preferred. The fibrous filter medium is preferably provided on the outer side surface of the inner case, but may be provided on the inner side surface of the inner case or may be fitted into the inflow port. Further, when the fibrous filter medium is provided on the outer side surface or the inner side surface of the inner case, it is preferable to form the fibrous filter medium in a roll shape and provide a plurality of inflow ports along the inner peripheral surface of the roll.
[0011]
Moreover, as a hollow fiber membrane, the opening part uses what comprises the inflow port or outflow port of an inner case, and the water which passes an inner case passes through the wall surface of a hollow fiber membrane, and is filtered. In this case, one end of the hollow fiber membrane may be closed, and the opening may be provided only at the other end of the hollow fiber membrane, or an opening may be provided at both ends . Moreover, in the water purifier concerning invention, the fibrous filter medium is comprised with the fibrous activated carbon and the ion exchange fiber. According to this, for example, various impurities contained in tap water supplied from tap water can be effectively removed. That is, the granular activated carbon removes pollutants, chlorine odor, trihalomethane, and the like contained in tap water, and the hollow fiber membrane removes red rust, lead, germs, and the like. And the fibrous activated carbon of the fibrous filter medium can remove residual chlorine contained in tap water, and the ion exchange fiber can remove components of ionized iron and lead.
[0012]
Features on another configuration of the water purifier according to the present invention is provided with a fibrous filtration material on the outer surface of the inner case, the upper portion of the fibrous filter media toward the outer peripheral surface and the inlet from the bottom so that water can pass located in the lower child. Still another structural characteristic of the water purifier according to the present invention, fibrous filter media, the outer periphery of the inner case in a state in contact with the activated carbon at least two surfaces including the outer circumferential surface and the upper surface of the fibrous filter media It is that it is installed on the surface. According to this, the water injected from the inlet only passes through the upper side of the fibrous filter medium from the lower side or the upper side of the fibrous filter medium, and then passes through the inlet side in the lateral direction after being filtered by the activated carbon filled above the fibrous filter medium. In addition, it becomes possible to go around the outer peripheral surface of the fibrous filter medium and pass the fibrous filter medium in a substantially horizontal direction. This further increases the portion that passes through the fibrous filter medium of water, enabling more effective filtration.
[0013]
Still another structural feature of the water purifier according to the present invention is that the outer case includes an outer case body having a lower surface opened and a bottom lid that closes the opening, and an inflow port on the outer surface of the inner case. An engaging protrusion is formed above the base plate, and the fibrous filter medium is fixed by the bottom lid and the engaging protrusion. According to this, it is only necessary to attach the bottom cover to the outer case body in such a state that the fibrous filter material is attached by bringing the upper end portion into contact with the engaging protrusion, aligning the fibrous filter material with the outer surface of the inner case. Therefore, it becomes extremely easy.
[0014]
Moreover, as mentioned above, in the water purifier concerning this invention, an opening part can be provided in the both ends of a hollow fiber membrane, and an outflow port can also be comprised by the opening part of both ends. According to this, since the openings at both ends constitute the outlet, the water that has entered the inner case from the inlet enters the hollow fiber membrane from the outer wall surface of the hollow fiber membrane and exits from the openings at both ends. It becomes like this. Therefore, the area of the outlet formed by the opening is increased, and the flow of water becomes smooth. Further, in this case, the outlet can be configured by bundling the opened ends without blocking one end, and thus the manufacture is facilitated.
[0016]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 to 3 show a water purifier A according to the embodiment. In this water purifier A, the outer case 10 constituting the outer portion is composed of a cylindrical outer case main body 11 and a bottom lid 12 that covers the lower opening of the outer case main body 11. A cylindrical inner case 20 with a bottom is coaxially provided inside 10. Both the outer case 10 and the inner case 20 are made of resin.
[0017]
From the vicinity of the peripheral edge portion on the upper surface of the outer case main body 11, a connection portion 13 having an inlet 13a for pouring tap water connected to the water supply and supplied from the water supply extends upward. From the center of the upper surface of the main body 11, a connecting portion 14 having an extraction port 14 a for connecting purified water that is connected to a faucet-side pipe and filtered to the faucet extends upward. Further, a ring-shaped protrusion 15 formed coaxially with the outer case body 11 extends downward from the lower surface (ceiling surface) of the outer case body 11. A screw 16 a is formed on the lower end portion of the outer peripheral surface of the outer case main body 11, and the outer case main body 11 is engaged with the screw 16 b formed on the inner peripheral surface of the bottom cover 12. And the bottom lid 12 are assembled.
[0018]
A groove portion is formed along the circumference of the lower portion of the screw 16a on the outer surface of the outer case body 11, and an O-ring 17 is attached in the groove portion. By this O-ring 17, a space between the outer peripheral surface of the outer case main body 11 and the inner peripheral surface of the bottom cover 12 is sealed and sealed. Further, the bottom inner surface of the bottom lid 12 is formed in a curved surface having a low central portion and a high peripheral portion, and a horizontal flat portion 18 is formed along the circumference on the peripheral portion side. Yes.
[0019]
The inner case 20 has a cylindrical opening edge portion 21 formed at the upper end portion having a larger diameter than the lower main body portion, and a groove portion is formed along the circumference on the upper side of the outer peripheral surface thereof. An O-ring 22 is attached in the groove. And the flange part 23 for engagement is provided in the lower end part of the opening edge part 21 along the periphery. In addition, a plurality of inflow ports 24 are provided at regular intervals along the circumference in a portion near the lower end of the inner case 20. An engagement protrusion 25 is provided along the circumference of the outer peripheral surface of the inner case 20 above the inflow port 24.
[0020]
The inner case 20 is fixed in the outer case 10 with an opening edge 21 inserted into the ring-shaped protrusion 15 and a lower end supported by the bottom lid 12. That is, when the inner case 20 is placed in the outer case body 11 and the bottom cover 12 is attached to the outer case body 11 while rotating, the inner case 20 is pushed upward by the bottom cover 12 while the opening edge 21 is ringed. The protrusion 15 is engaged. At that time, the space between the outer peripheral surface of the opening edge 21 and the inner peripheral surface of the ring-shaped protrusion 15 is sealed by the O-ring 22 to be in a sealed state.
[0021]
Further, a support plate 26 having a hole (not shown) for allowing water to pass through the upper surface of the flange portion 23 blocks the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the opening edge portion 21 and the inner peripheral surface of the outer case main body 11. Is attached. A nonwoven fabric 27 made of polypropylene is attached to the upper surface of the support plate 26. Further, a filter 28 as a fibrous filter material of the present invention is attached to the lower end side of the outer peripheral surface of the inner case 20 so as to block the inflow port 24.
[0022]
The filter 28 is formed in a roll shape along the outer peripheral surface of the inner case 20, with the inner peripheral edge of the upper surface applied to the lower surface of the engaging projection 25 and the outer peripheral edge of the lower surface applied to the flat surface 18. It is fixed. The lower end of the filter 28 is positioned so as to be located slightly below the lower end of the inflow port 24, and the height of the filter 28 is set to be approximately twice the height of the inflow port 24. The filter 28 is composed of fibrous activated carbon made of coal pitch-based carbon fiber and ion exchange fiber made of acrylic fiber.
[0023]
Further, granular activated carbon 29 made of coconut shell is filled between the support plate 26 and the filter 28 between the outer case 10 and the inner case 20 and on the outer peripheral side portion of the filter 28. The inner case 20 is provided with a hollow fiber membrane 32 in which the outer peripheral surfaces of both end portions are fixed to the potting portion 31 and the opening is exposed on the upper surface of the potting portion 31. The potting portion 31 is fixed to the inner peripheral side of the opening edge portion 21 and closes portions other than the opening of the hollow fiber membrane 32 in the opening of the opening edge portion 21. In addition, a nonwoven fabric 33 made of polyester is provided around the hollow fiber membrane 32.
[0024]
The hollow fiber membrane 32 is made of polysulfone, and a plurality of fine holes are formed throughout. For this reason, when water enters the inner case 20, the water passes through the fine holes and proceeds to the inside of the hollow fiber membrane 32, and large impurities and the like of the particles are trapped and within the outer peripheral surface or wall portion of the hollow fiber membrane 32. To remain. And the water which advanced to the inside of the hollow fiber membrane 32 comes out above the potting part 31, and flows into the faucet from the extraction port 14a.
[0025]
The assembly of the water purifier A configured as described above is performed as follows. First, after installing the support plate 26 and the nonwoven fabric 27 on the upper surface of the flange portion 23 of the inner case 20, the inner case 20 provided with the hollow fiber membrane 32 and the O-ring 22 is put into the outer case body 11, The opening edge 21 is inserted into the ring-shaped protrusion 15. Thus, together with the non-woven fabric 27 and the support plate 26 is fixed, ing state during the which is sealed between the inner circumferential surface of the outer peripheral surface and the ring-shaped projection 15 of the opening edge portion 21.
[0026]
Next, the activated carbon 29 is put into the outer case body 11 with the upper and lower sides of the outer case body 11 turned upside down, and formed between the inner peripheral surface of the outer case main body 11 and the outer peripheral surface of the inner case 20. Activated carbon 29 is filled in the remaining space. Next, the filter 28 is attached to the upper outer periphery of the inner case 20, and the inner peripheral edge of the lower end thereof is brought into contact with the engaging protrusion 25. In this case, the activated carbon 29 is also filled on the outer peripheral surface side of the filter 28. Then, the O-ring 17 is attached to the groove portion of the outer case main body 11, the screws 16 a and 16 b are engaged, and the bottom cover 12 is assembled to the outer case main body 11.
[0027]
At this time, the bottom cover 12 presses the upper end of the inner case 20 to engage the opening edge 21 deeper in the ring-shaped protrusion 15, and presses the upper peripheral edge of the filter 28 with the flat portion 18. The filter 28 is fixed. Further, the outer peripheral surface of the outer case main body 11 and the inner peripheral surface of the bottom lid 12 are sealed with an O-ring 17. Thus, the water purifier A is assembled, and the state shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is obtained by inverting the vertical direction.
[0028]
And when using the water purifier A, while connecting the other end of piping, such as a hose, which one end was connected to the water pipe to the connection part 13, piping, such as a hose, which one end was connected to the faucet side piping The other end is connected to the connecting portion 14. And the water of a water pipe is discharged from a faucet after passing the inside of the water purifier A by opening the faucet provided in the faucet. In this case, the water that has entered the water purifier A through the inlet 13a from the water pipe side is first trapped by the non-woven fabric 27, and then passes through the holes of the support plate 26 and is filled with the activated carbon 29. Proceed to the part. Then, while the water passes through the activated carbon 29, contaminants such as chlorine odor and trihalomethane are captured and removed, and then enter the filter 28.
[0029]
In the filter 28, ionized components of iron and lead, chlorine remaining in the water, and the like are removed, and the water exits the filter 28. In this case, the water that has entered the filter 28 from the upper part passes through the plurality of inlets 24 from the inner peripheral surface of the filter 28 and enters the inner case 20 or passes through the filter 28 and below the filter 28. Go to space. Similarly, water that has entered the filter 28 from the outer peripheral surface of the filter 28 passes through the plurality of inlets 24 from the inner peripheral surface of the filter 28 and enters the inner case 20.
[0030]
The water that has entered the inner case 20 passes through the nonwoven fabric 33 and then passes through the micropores from the outside of the hollow fiber membrane 32 to the inside. At this time, red rust, germs, and the like are removed. The diameter of the micropores of the hollow fiber membrane 32 is set to about 0.1 μm, and larger particles are also captured by the hollow fiber membrane 32. Then, the water that has entered the hollow fiber membrane 32 exits above the inner case 20 from an opening that is open on the upper surface of the potting portion 31. The water that comes out of the inner case 20 passes through the extraction port 14a, and is then discharged as purified water from the faucet through the pipe and used for drinking water and other purposes.
[0031]
Next, the filtration ability of both was tested using the water purifier A of this invention and the water purifier by a prior art example. The results are shown in the graph of FIG. As a conventional water purifier in this case, a bottom cover having a bottom surface portion and a peripheral side portion formed with a plurality of inlets is attached to the lower end of the inner case while opening the lower surface of the inner case. It was used. And the filter 28 was not used, but the space part between an outer case and an inner case was filled with granular activated carbon altogether, and the structure of the other part was made the same as the water purifier A.
[0032]
The test was conducted according to the JIS S 3201 turbidity filtration capacity test. That is, sample water (turbidity of 2 degrees) was supplied to each water purifier, and the relationship between the filtration flow rate per minute at that time and the total filtration flow rate obtained by adding the filtration flow rates was compared. When clogging occurs in a filter or the like included in each water purifier, the flow rate of filtration passing through each water purifier per unit time decreases as the clogging progresses. For this reason, when the filtration flow rate for 1 minute became 1.25L, the lifetime of each water purifier was made into the lifetime, and the total filtration flow rate of each water purifier when it reached the life line a of FIG. 4 was compared. In FIG. 4, the line b shows the result of the water purifier A, and the line c shows the result of the conventional water purifier.
[0033]
In this test result, the water purifier A was able to filter 24300 L of tap water before reaching the life line a, and the conventional water purifier was able to filter 22100 L of tap water. From this result, it can be seen that the water purifier A has a life of about 10% longer than that of the conventional water purifier. Moreover, when the assembly man-hour of the water purifier A and the conventional water purifier was compared, it was 9 steps in the water purifier A, and 13 steps in the conventional water purifier. From this it can be seen that the water purifier A is easier to assemble than the conventional water purifier.
[0034]
Thus, in the water purifier A according to the present invention, the inflow port 24 through which the water that has entered the outer case 10 enters the inner case 20 is provided in the lower side portion of the outer peripheral surface of the inner case 20, and its periphery A filter 28 is formed on the surface. The filter 28 is formed in a roll shape by laminating sheets in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction when water travels toward the inflow port 24. For this reason, when water passes through the filter 28 from the upper part toward the lower part, it becomes easy for the water to pass through a passage that is biased to a certain part. Each layer of the sheet is crossed in the thickness direction.
[0035]
Moreover, since the activated carbon 29 is filled also on the outer peripheral surface side of the filter 28 and a space is formed below the filter 28, when water flows out from the filter 28 to the inlet 24, After going from the upper part of the filter 28 to the central part, it can go to the inlet 24, or from the outer peripheral surface side of the filter 28 to the inlet 28 across the filter 28. Further, after exiting below the filter 28, it is possible to proceed from the lower part of the filter 28 to the inlet 24. For this reason, water uniformly passes through the entire filter 28, and filtration by the filter 28 is effectively performed. As a result, the purification performance of the water purifier A is improved and the life of the water purifier A is also longer than that of the conventional product.
[0036]
Further, the filter 28 can be easily attached because the filter 28 is attached to the lower side of the inner case 20 and the bottom cover 12 is engaged with the outer case body 11. At that time, the filter 28 is fixed at an appropriate position by the engaging protrusion 25 and the flat portion 18 of the bottom cover 28. Similarly, in attaching the inner case 20, the inner case 20 is installed in the outer case body 11 with the opening edge 21 positioned in the ring-shaped protrusion 15, and the bottom cover 12 is engaged with the outer case body 11. It is easy because it is only combined. Also in this case, the inner case 20 is fixed in an appropriate state by the ring-shaped protrusion 15 and the bottom cover 12.
[0037]
Furthermore, since the filter 28 is made of a raw material composed of fibrous activated carbon and ion exchange fibers, it is possible to remove ionized components that cannot be removed by the activated carbon 29 or the hollow fiber membrane 32. As a result, most of the water purified by the water purifier A is removed from the faucet after most impurities are removed. As a result, if this purified water is consumed as drinking water, the taste and safety will be improved, and even if used for other purposes, it can be used as safe and clean water.
[0038]
Moreover, the water purifier A concerning this invention is not restricted to what was mentioned above, A change implementation is possible suitably. For example, in the embodiment described above, the filter 28 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the inner case 20, but the filter may be provided on the inner peripheral surface of the inner case 20. Further, it can be fitted into each inflow port 24. Furthermore, the material used for each member constituting the water purifier A can be changed as long as it is a material having equivalent properties even if it is other than those described above. Further, the assembly method and structure of each member can be changed as appropriate within the technical scope of the present invention.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a water purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view of a water purifier.
3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 3-3 in FIG.
FIG. 4 is a graph showing test results of filtration performance of the water purifier of the present invention and the conventional water purifier.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Outer case, 11 ... Outer case main body, 12 ... Bottom cover, 13a ... Inlet, 14a ... Extraction port, 18 ... Planar part, 20 ... Inner case, 24 ... Inlet, 25 ... Engagement protrusion, 28 ... Filter, 29 ... activated carbon, 31 ... potting part, 32 ... hollow fiber membrane.

Claims (4)

An outer case with an inlet and an extraction port;
An inflow port provided inside the outer case and allowing water injected from the inlet into the outer case to flow into the inner case; and an outlet port allowing water flowing into the outer case to flow out to the extraction port side of the outer case; An inner case having
Granular activated carbon filled in a space formed between the outer case and the inner case;
A water purifier provided in the inner case, the opening comprising a hollow fiber membrane constituting the outlet or the inlet,
Provided the inlet to the lower side of the peripheral side surface of the inner case, the flow so as to block the entrance, fibers formed into a roll by stacking the configured sheet and fiber維状activated carbon and ion exchange fiber water purifier, wherein the digits set along the Jo filter medium on the circumferential side surface of the inner case. The provided fibrous filtration material on the outer surface of the inner case, water purifier according to claim 1 which is adapted water to pass towards the inlet from the top, the outer peripheral surface and lower portion of the fibrous filter media. The fibrous filter medium of claim 1 or 2 is installed at least two surfaces on the outer peripheral surface of the inner case being in contact with the activated carbon comprising an outer peripheral surface and the upper surface of the fibrous filter media Water purifier.   The outer case is composed of an outer case main body having a lower surface opened and a bottom lid that closes the opening, and an engagement protrusion is formed above the inflow port on the outer surface of the inner case. The water purifier as described in any one of Claim 1 thru | or 3 which fixed the said fibrous filter medium with the said and the said engagement protrusion.

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