JP7242054B2 - Aquarium filter device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention comprises a filter installed in a water tank for filtering water in the water tank, a pump for sending out the filtered water, and a flow path forming part in which a flow path for transferring the water sent out from the pump is formed. and a discharge port provided in the flow path forming portion for returning the transferred water to the water tank.

BACKGROUND ART When ornamental fish or ornamental plants are reared and cultivated in an ornamental aquarium in a general household or the like, it is necessary to replace the water in the aquarium regularly or when the water quality deteriorates in order to maintain a good breeding environment. In such a case, a hose is used to drain the water in the water tank through the hose by utilizing the siphon phenomenon. In addition, manual pumps and electric pumps are also used as necessary, but the work is complicated. In view of these problems, a filter device disclosed in Patent Document 1 below is used to facilitate wastewater treatment.

The water tank filter of Patent Document 1 includes a filter casing containing a filtering material, a circulation flow path through which water in the water tank flows into the filter casing, passes through the filtering material, and flows out from the filter casing into the water tank, and a circulation A circulation pump is provided on the flow path, and water is configured to flow along the circulation flow path by driving the circulation pump. Furthermore, a channel switching means is provided downstream of the circulation pump, and the channel switching means is arranged at a position spaced from the inflow port and the circulation outlet arranged corresponding to the circulation channel and the circulation channel. A circulation state in which the water that has flowed in from the inlet flows out from the circulation outlet and circulates along the circulation flow path, and a drainage in which the water that has flowed in from the inlet is discharged from the drainage outlet. It is configured to be switchable between states.

Patent No. 6417312

In such prior art, water is sent out from the circulation outlet and returned to the water tank in the circulating state, and water is discharged from the discharge outlet and sent to the outside of the water tank in the draining state. That is, there are two outlets for water, and a dedicated channel switching member (inner pipe) is required to switch between them.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an aquarium filter device that does not require a dedicated channel switching member.

In order to solve the above problems, the aquarium filter device according to the present invention includes:
a filter installed in the water tank for filtering water in the water tank;
a pump for delivering filtered water;
a flow path forming part in which a flow path is formed for transferring water sent out from the pump;
A water tank filter device having a discharge port provided in the flow path forming portion and capable of returning the transferred water to the water tank,
The flow path forming portion is
comprising a first pipe located upstream and a second pipe located downstream,
The first pipe has an opening formed in the pipe surface,
The second pipe is fitted onto the first pipe, is movable between a first position and a second position in the vertical direction, and is rotatable about the tube axis of the first pipe. cage,
At the first position, water sent from the pump is discharged from the discharge port via the first pipe and the second pipe,
In the second position, water sent from the pump is constructed to be returned into the water tank through the opening.

The operation and effects of the aquarium filter device having such a configuration will be described. In the normal circulation state (the second pipe is at the first position), the water sent out from the pump passes through the first pipe and the second pipe, is discharged from the discharge port, and is returned to the water tank. When the water in the water tank is discharged, the second pipe is lifted and moved upward (second position) as the first step. At this time, the water is returned to the water tank through the opening formed on the surface of the first pipe, and the water is not discharged from the discharge port.

As a second step, the second pipe is rotated around the tube axis of the first pipe. Thereby, the ejection port can be moved to an area outside the water tank. Since the water sent out from the pump returns into the water tank through the opening, the water does not drain from the discharge port and flood the surroundings. Prepare a container such as a PET bottle to collect the discharged water, and set it under the discharge port. As a third step, the second pipe is pushed down. As a result, the water is discharged from the outlet again, and the water in the water tank can be discharged outside the water tank. According to the above configuration, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated channel switching member, and the water can be switched between the circulation state and the discharge state.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the opening is formed on the side surface of the first pipe, and the first pipe is closed at the top surface of the opening.

According to this configuration, when the second pipe is at the second position, the upper surface of the opening is closed, so that the water sent from the pump reliably returns to the water tank through the opening and is discharged from the discharge port. Ejection can be prevented.

In the present invention, it is preferable that an annular gap is formed between the first pipe and the second pipe, and water is sent to the discharge port through this annular gap.

According to this configuration, water can be discharged from the outlet of the second pipe through the annular gap.

In the annular gap according to the present invention, it is preferable that a guide protrusion for guiding vertical movement of the second pipe is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the first pipe.

By providing such a guide protrusion, it is possible to smoothly move from the first position to the second position.

It is preferable that an engaging portion for engaging the second pipe with the first pipe is provided at the second position according to the present invention.

By providing such an engaging portion, it is possible to improve operability when moving the second pipe.

Preferably, the guide protrusion according to the present invention has a function of restricting upward movement of the second pipe.

This allows safe operation of the second pipe.

Appearance perspective view showing a state in which the water tank filter device is installed in the water tank An external perspective view showing a state in which the second pipe has been pulled up. Appearance perspective view showing a state in which the second pipe is rotated Appearance perspective view showing how to drain water Longitudinal cross-sectional view of the water tank filter device in a water circulation state Partially enlarged view of the main part including the discharge port Partially enlarged perspective view of the water tank filter device Longitudinal cross-sectional view of a state in which the second pipe is pulled upward Partially enlarged view of the main part of FIG. 5A A partial enlarged view showing the appearance of the filter device with the second pipe pulled upward. FIG. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which the second pipe 5 is lowered to the third position; Enlarged view of the main part of FIG. 7A Partially enlarged view showing appearance Exploded perspective view of filter device An exploded perspective view of the main parts of the filter device. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the main parts of the filter device shown in half section;

A preferred embodiment of an aquarium filter device (hereinafter simply referred to as a filter device) according to the present invention will be described first. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the filter device 1 is installed in a water tank W. As shown in FIG. The wall surface of the water tank W on which the water tank filter device 1 is installed can be appropriately selected. As will be described later, the aquarium filter device 1 can be fixed to a wall surface with suction cups. However, it may simply be placed on the bottom surface of the water tank W instead of using the suction cups. 2 to 4 show the operation for discharging the water in the water tank (details will be described later).

<Configuration of casing>
FIG. 5A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the filter device 1 in a state in which water is circulated. FIG. 5B is an enlarged view of the main part including the ejection part. FIG. 5C is a partially enlarged perspective view showing the appearance of the filter device 1. FIG. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the filter device 1. FIG. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the main parts of the filter device 1 as well. FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the filter device 1 shown in half section.

The filter device 1 has an outer casing body 10 and a lid 11 that is put on the outer casing body 10 . An inner casing body 100 is further inserted inside the outer casing body 1 . These casing bodies 10 and 100 form a room for arranging each part. In addition, the structure of a casing is not limited to this.

A large number of openings 10a are formed in the front surface of the outer casing main body 10, and water is introduced into the filter device 1 through the openings 10a. A filter chamber 10b is provided inside the portion where the opening hole 10a is formed, and the filter 2 is inserted therein. The filter 2 is removably inserted into the filter chamber 10b. The filter 2 is composed of a filter member (not shown) and a filter support 2a. The filter 2 is inserted while being inclined at an angle of 45° in plan view.

Water introduced from the opening 10a passes through an opening 100b formed in the inner casing main body 100 and is sent to the filter 2. As shown in FIG. The direction and size of the filter 2 are set so that water always passes through the filter 2. - 特許庁Water that has passed through the filter 2 passes through another filter 20 and is sent to the pump 3 . The flow of water is indicated by arrows in FIG. 5A and the like. A well-known configuration can be used for the pump 3 .

The pump 3 is arranged in a pump chamber 10c at the bottom of the outer casing main body 1, sucks the water that has passed through the filter 2, and sends it to an upper pipe (a flow path forming portion, which will be described later). As for the filter 2 and the filter member, well-known structures and materials can be used. A delivery pipe 3a of the pump 3 is inserted into and fixed to a cylindrical projection 100c formed on the inner casing main body 100. As shown in FIG.

A suction cup 6 is used to fix the filter device 1 to the water tank. As shown in FIG. 8, four suction cups 6 are attached to the rear side of the outer casing body 10 . It should be noted that other methods may be adopted for attaching the filter device 1 .

<Structure of Flow Path Forming Portion>
A passage forming portion is formed by the first pipe 4 and the second pipe 5 . Each part is formed by resin molding. The first pipe 4 is composed of one part, and the second pipe 5 is composed of three parts as described later. However, the number of parts that constitute each pipe can be determined as appropriate.

<Configuration of first pipe>
As also shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the first pipe 4 has a lower pipe body 40 and an upper pipe body 41, and has a generally cylindrical shape. Two openings 42 are formed in the side surface of the pipe between the lower pipe body 40 and the upper pipe body 41, and the lower pipe body 40 and the upper pipe are connected by a portion where the opening 42 is not formed, that is, a connecting portion 43. The main body 41 is connected. In this embodiment, there are two connecting portions 43 . The number and shape of the openings 42 can be determined as appropriate.

A ring-shaped groove 400 is formed in the lower portion of the lower pipe body 40 . As will be described later, this ring-shaped groove 400 is configured to engage with the lower end of the second pipe 5 . As shown in FIG. 5A, a cylindrical projection 100e is integrally formed on the upper wall surface 100d of the pump chamber 10c. The lower end portion 401 of the lower pipe main body 40 is fitted into the cylindrical protrusion 100 e , thereby fixing the lower pipe main body 40 to the inner casing main body 100 . A groove (recess) 402 is formed in the lower end 401 and is inserted into a protrusion (not shown) formed on the inner wall of the cylindrical protrusion 100 e of the inner casing body 100 . As a result, the first pipe 4 can be positioned and fixed so that the opening 42 faces a predetermined direction. Fixing is performed by press-fitting, welding, or the like. The ring-shaped groove 400 is formed just above the cylindrical projection 100e.

A ring-shaped groove 410 is also formed at a position near the opening 42 of the upper pipe body 41 . The lower end of the second pipe 5 engages with the ring-shaped groove 410 when the second pipe 5 is pulled up. A wall surface 411 is formed immediately above the opening 42 to block it. Therefore, the water that has passed through the first pipe 4 cannot rise as it is, and is sent out from the opening 42 once.

A first guide protrusion 412 and a second guide protrusion 413 are vertically formed on the upper pipe main body 41, and serve as guides when the second pipe 5 moves up and down. The second guide protrusion 413 is positioned at the upper end of the upper pipe main body 41 . The first guide protrusion 412 is located between the ring-shaped groove 410 and the second guide protrusion 413 . The outer diameters of the first guide protrusion 412 and the second guide protrusion 413 are the same.

<Configuration of the second pipe>
Next, the configuration of the second pipe 5 will be described. The second pipe 5 is composed of three parts, a lower pipe member 50 , an upper pipe member 51 and a lid member 52 . The lower pipe member 50 includes a large-diameter portion 500 that is a pipe body, and an engaging claw portion 501 positioned below the large-diameter portion 500 . Three engaging claw portions 501 are formed along the circumferential direction. The outer diameter of the engaging claw portion 501 is smaller than the large diameter portion 500 and corresponds to the small diameter portion. Furthermore, an engaging projection 502 is integrally formed at the lower end of the engaging claw portion 501 . This engaging projection 502 can engage with the ring-shaped groove 400 and the ring-shaped groove 410 . Therefore, the engaging claw portion 501 is elastically deformable. An annular gap S (see FIG. 5A) is formed between the inner wall of the large diameter portion 500 and the outer walls of the lower pipe body 40 and the upper pipe body 41 of the first pipe 4 .

The upper pipe member 51 of the second pipe 5 has a pipe main body 510, a horizontal conduit 511, and a downward discharge port 512 integrally formed of resin. The tube main body 510 has the same outer diameter dimension as the large diameter portion 500 . A stepped portion 513 is formed at the lower end of the pipe body 510 . The stepped portion 513 has a smaller diameter than the pipe body 510 . The stepped portion 513 is inserted into the upper inner wall of the large diameter portion 500 .

Further, an engaging groove 516 is formed in the stepped portion 513 and is inserted into a guide projection 504 formed on the inner wall of the large diameter portion 500 for positioning. As a result, the lower pipe member 50 and the upper pipe member 51 are coupled and integrated. As for bonding, they are integrated by an appropriate method such as press-fitting, adhesion, or welding.

The inner diameter of the tube body 510 has the same dimensions as the inner diameter of the large diameter portion 500 . An annular gap S is formed between the inner wall of the pipe body 510 and the outer wall of the upper pipe body 41 . This annular gap S functions as a flow path.

The guide protrusions 504 described above are formed at six locations along the inner wall of the large diameter portion 500 in the circumferential direction. On the other hand, six guide protrusions 514 are formed along the inner wall of the pipe body 510 in the circumferential direction. These guide protrusions 504 and 514 are protrusions along the longitudinal direction (vertical direction), and the lower pipe member 50 and the upper pipe member 51 are coupled so as to be in the same phase.

When the second pipe 5 is lifted upward, the first guide projection 412 and the second guide projection 413 are guided by the large diameter portion 500 and the guide projections 504 and 514 formed on the inner wall of the pipe main body 510. Therefore, the second pipe 5 can be lifted in a stable posture. A space where the guide projections 504 and 514 are not formed functions as an annular gap S.

A cover member 52 is provided on the upper portion of the second pipe 2, and is fixed onto the upper pipe member 51 by an appropriate method such as welding or adhesion. A ring-shaped protrusion 520 is formed on the rear surface of the lid member 52 and is set to a size that allows the second guide protrusion 413 formed on the upper pipe main body 41 to fit therein.

The second pipe 5 is arranged concentrically with the first pipe 4 and configured to be fitted around the outer circumference of the first pipe 4 . As a result, as described above, the annular gap S is formed between the first pipe 4 and the second pipe 5, and the second pipe 5 is configured to be rotatable around the tube axis of the first pipe 4. there is

As shown in FIG. 5C, a discharge portion 100a is formed in the outer casing main body 10, and the filtered water discharged from the discharge port 512 of the second pipe 5 is returned from the discharge portion 100a into the water tank. be Further, the lid 11 is formed with recesses 11a on both sides of the lid member 52 so that a finger can be inserted therein. Similarly, the lid member 52 is formed with a curved portion 521 and the upper pipe member 51 is also formed with a curved surface 515 to facilitate finger insertion. Thereby, the second pipe 5 can be lifted by inserting a finger.

<Circulation state of the filter device>
Next, the operation of the filter device 1 according to this embodiment will be described. First, the flow of water in a normal water circulation state will be described. Water introduced from the openings 10a of the outer casing main body 10 passes through the filter 2 and is filtered. The filtered water is sucked by the pump 3 and sent upward.

As indicated by the arrow in FIG. 5A, the sent water rises inside the lower pipe body 40 of the first pipe 4 and collides with the wall surface 411 . Here the direction of flow of the water changes and is pushed out towards the circumference of the first pipe 4 through the opening 42 . This water continues to rise while passing through the annular gap S formed between the upper pipe body 41 of the first pipe 4 and the pipe body 510 of the second pipe 5 . The rising water is redirected horizontally from the pipe main body 510 to the horizontal conduit 511 and discharged from the discharge port 512 . This water is further returned into the water tank from the discharge part 100a (see FIGS. 8 and 5C). The position of the second pipe 5 shown in FIG. 5A is the first position.

<First stage to second stage of discharge operation>
Next, the operation for discharging the water in the water tank to the outside of the water tank will be described. In order to perform the discharging operation, it is necessary to pull up the second pipe 5 as the first step. FIG. 6A is a vertical cross-sectional view of a state in which the second pipe 5 is pulled upward. FIG. 6B is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 5A. FIG. 6C is a partially enlarged view similarly showing the appearance. Moreover, FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a state in which the second pipe 5 including the water tank W is pulled upward.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the second pipe 5 is pulled upward from the first position to the second position. In this state, as shown in FIG. 6B, the engaging protrusion 502 formed at the lower end of the engaging claw portion 501 of the second pipe 5 engages with the ring-shaped groove 410 of the first pipe 4 . Thereby, the second pipe 5 can be stably held at the second position. Also, the stepped portion formed at the bottom of the large-diameter portion 500 abuts on the first guide protrusion 412 . The second pipe 5 is regulated so that it cannot move upward any more.

Also, the engaging claw portion 501 is in a state of being substantially in contact with the outer periphery of the upper pipe main body 41 . Further, since the wall surface 411 is also present, the water sent by the pump 3 collides with the lower part of the wall surface 411 to change direction and is sent from the opening 42 . This water is returned from the outlet 100a of the outer casing body 10 into the water tank. That is, no water is introduced into the second pipe 5 . Therefore, it is not discharged from the discharge port 512 of the second pipe 5 .

As a second step, the second pipe 5 is rotated around the first pipe 4 from the state in which the second pipe 5 is pulled up. Since the second pipe 5 is engaged by the engaging projection 502 described above, the second pipe 5 will not inadvertently move downward toward the first position during the rotating operation. Therefore, the second pipe 5 can be rotated while maintaining a state in which water is not discharged from the discharge port 512 of the second pipe 5 .

FIG. 3 shows a state in which the second pipe 5 is rotated 180° to the short side of the water tank W. As shown in FIG. It should be noted that it may be rotated by 90 degrees to the long side. In order to discharge the water, the discharge port 512 should be positioned outside the water tank, so the angle of rotation of the second pipe 5 can be appropriately set.

<Third stage of discharge operation>
Next, as a third step, the second pipe 5 is lowered. The lowered position corresponds to a third position between the first and second positions. FIG. 7A shows the second pipe 5 lowered to the third position. FIG. 7B is an enlarged view of the main portion of FIG. 7A. FIG. 7C is a partially enlarged view similarly showing the appearance.

As shown in FIG. 7A, the amount of lowering is at least to the position where the opening 42 is closed by the second pipe 5 . As shown in the figure, the water discharged from the opening 42 passes through the annular gap S and is discharged from the discharge port 512 . The flow of water is the same as when the second pipe 5 is in the first position, but since the discharge port 512 is positioned outside the water tank W, the water in the water tank W can be discharged outside the water tank. can.

FIG. 4 shows how the water discharged from the discharge port 512 is collected with a PET bottle. Note that the container to be collected is not limited to a PET bottle, and can be appropriately determined according to the amount of water to be discharged.

<Another embodiment>
The configuration of the flow path is not limited to this embodiment, and various modifications are possible. In this embodiment, the first pipe 4 and the second pipe 5 constitute the flow passage forming portion, but additional pipes may be provided. As for the connection between the pump 3 and the first pipe 4, another pipe may be added and connected. The delivery pipe 3a of the pump 3 and the first pipe 4 may be directly connected.

S Annular gap W Water tank (aquarium)
1 casing main body 10 outer casing main body 10a opening hole 10b filter chamber 10c pump chamber 11 lid 2 filter 2a filter support 3 pump 4 first pipe 40 lower pipe main body 400 ring-shaped groove 401 lower end portion 41 upper pipe main body 410 ring-shaped groove 411 Wall surface 412 First guide projection 413 Second guide projection 42 Opening 43 Connecting portion 5 Second pipe 50 Lower pipe member 500 Large diameter portion 501 Engagement claw 502 Engagement projection 503 Upper inner wall 504 Guide projection 51 Upper pipe Member 510 Pipe main body 511 Lateral conduit 512 Discharge port 513 Stepped portion 514 Guide projection 52 Lid member

Claims (6)

a filter installed in the water tank for filtering water in the water tank;
a pump for delivering filtered water;
a flow path forming part in which a flow path is formed for transferring water sent out from the pump;
A water tank filter device having a discharge port provided in the flow path forming portion and capable of returning the transferred water to the water tank,
The flow path forming portion is
comprising a first pipe located upstream and a second pipe located downstream,
The first pipe has an opening formed in the pipe surface,
The second pipe is fitted onto the first pipe, is movable between a first position and a second position in the vertical direction, and is rotatable about the tube axis of the first pipe. cage,
At the first position, water sent from the pump is discharged from the discharge port via the first pipe and the second pipe,
The water tank filter device is characterized in that, in the second position, water sent from the pump is returned into the water tank through the opening. 2. The aquarium filter device according to claim 1, wherein the opening is formed in the side surface of the first pipe, and the first pipe is closed at the top surface of the opening. 3. The aquarium filter according to claim 1, wherein an annular gap is formed between the first pipe and the second pipe, and water is delivered to the discharge port through this annular gap. Device. 4. The aquarium filter device according to claim 3, wherein a guide protrusion for guiding the vertical movement of the second pipe is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the first pipe in the annular gap. The aquarium filter device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising an engaging portion for engaging the second pipe with the first pipe at the second position. 5. The aquarium filter device according to claim 4, wherein the guide protrusion has a function of restricting upward movement of the second pipe.

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