JP7325025B2 - Electrolyzed water generator - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to an electrolyzed water generator.

Conventionally, development of electrolyzed water generators for generating electrolyzed water such as ozonized water has been carried out. An electrolyzed water generator includes an anode, a cathode, and a cation exchange membrane provided between the anode and the cathode. The electrolyzed water generator has a water inflow port and a water outflow port, and includes a housing containing an anode, a cathode, and a cation exchange membrane. The housing includes a container portion for receiving the anode, cathode, and cation exchange membrane, and a lid portion closing the opening of the container portion.

JP 2017-176993 A

The conventional electrolyzed water generator described above is assembled such that the lid presses the anode, the cathode, and the cation exchange membrane toward the bottom of the container. In addition, the electrolyzed water generator includes an elastic body provided between the bottom surface of the container and the anode, cathode, and cation exchange membrane. This elastic body absorbs the pressure applied from the lid side to the anode, cathode, and cation exchange membrane when assembling the electrolyzed water posture device, and adjusts the anode, cathode, and cation exchange membrane so that they are in a moderate pressing state. have a function.

However, in the conventional electrolyzed water generator, since the elastic body is solid, depending on the pressure received from the lid side, the elastic body deforms so as to push the side wall of the container outward. As a result, the container may be deformed or damaged.

The present invention has been made in view of such problems of the prior art. An object of the present invention is to provide an electrolyzed water generator capable of suppressing the deformation of the elastic body from adversely affecting the container.

In order to solve the above problems, an electrolyzed water generator according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes an anode, a cathode, a cation exchange membrane provided between the anode and the cathode, and an inlet into which water flows. and a housing for enclosing the anode, the cathode, and the cation exchange membrane, wherein the housing includes the anode, the cathode, and the cation exchange membrane. a container part for receiving a membrane; and a lid part for closing the opening of the container part. Further, the lid portion is configured to press the anode, the cathode, and the cation exchange membrane toward the elastic body, and the elastic body is configured such that the elastic body is attached to the side wall of the container portion. It includes a hollow portion that restrains it from deforming toward it. When the lid presses the anode, cathode, and cation exchange membrane toward the elastic body, the inner surface of the hollow section deforms inward to absorb the force pressing the elastic body.

According to the electrolyzed water generator of the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress the deformation of the elastic body from adversely affecting the container.

1 is an exploded perspective view of an electrolyzed water generator according to an embodiment; FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view cut along the width direction of the electrolyzed water generator of the embodiment. FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a reverse-insertion prevention structure for elastic bodies of the electrolyzed water generator of the embodiment;

An electrolyzed water generator according to an embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In a plurality of drawings, parts with the same reference numerals have the same functions as each other, unless otherwise specified, even if there are some differences in shape on the drawings. .

In the present embodiment, the electrolyzed water generator 100 is an ozonated water generator that generates ozonated water as electrolyzed water. Since ozonated water is effective for sterilization or decomposition of organic matter, it is used in the water treatment, food, or medical fields, and has the advantages of low persistence and no generation of by-products. ing.

In this specification, the X direction in FIG. 1 is the direction along the water flow path and is called the water flow direction. As shown in FIG. 1, the electrolyzed water generator 100 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape whose longitudinal direction is the X direction. The Y direction in FIG. 1 is the direction across the water flow path and is called the width direction.
The Y direction shall be the direction along the horizontal plane. The Z direction in FIG. 1 is the direction in which the feeder F, the anode A, the cation exchange membrane I, and the cathode C are stacked, and is called the stacking direction. In FIG. 1 , the up-down direction is shown as the Z direction with the lid 2 of the electrolyzed water generator 100 positioned on the upper side. The X direction, Y direction, and Z direction are not limited to the combination of directions shown in FIG. 1, and the electrolyzed water generator 100 may be provided in any posture.

However, the electrolyzed water generator 100 of the embodiment is desirably incorporated in another device in such a posture that the flow path extends along the vertical direction. More specifically, the electrolyzed water generator 100 is preferably incorporated into another apparatus in such a posture that the inlet Fin faces downward and the outlet Fout faces upward. In other words, the attitude of the electrolyzed water generator 100 is preferably set so that water flows upward from below. The reason for this is that it is preferable to quickly separate the ozone from the surface of the anode A before the ozone generated on the surface of the anode A undergoes bubble growth. That is, when the inlet Fin faces downward and the outlet faces upward, the ozone quickly leaves the surface of the anode A due to buoyancy. According to this, ozone is suppressed from remaining in a bubble state, and becomes easier to dissolve in water, thereby improving the efficiency of generating ozonated water. However, the electrolyzed water generating device 100 may be incorporated in another device in any posture other than the posture in which the flow path extends along the vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, the electrolyzed water generator 100 includes an anode A composed of a feeder F and an anode body AM, a cathode C, and a cation exchange membrane I provided between the anode A and the cathode C. , is equipped with In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the anode A is composed of the anode body AM and the feeder F. However, the anode A may be composed of one material, and may be composed of three or more materials. may be

The feeder F, the anode body AM, the cation exchange membrane I, and the cathode C constitute a laminate structure 4 . The feeder F, the anode main body AM, the cation exchange membrane I, and the cathode C all have a flat plate shape. The flat plate shape has a rectangular planar shape with the X direction, that is, the water flow direction, as the longitudinal direction and the Y direction as the lateral direction, and has a thickness in the Z direction, that is, the vertical direction. The feeder F, the anode main body AM, the cation exchange membrane I, and the cathode C are stacked in this order from bottom to top in the Z direction.

The cathode C has a V-shaped through hole in plan view. The cation exchange membrane I is provided with a plurality of through holes in a direction transverse to the direction of water flow. Ozone is generated in the through-holes of the cathode C and the through-holes of the cation exchange membrane I and dissolves in the water in the container part 1 . Ozonated water is thereby generated.

As shown in FIG. 1, the electrolyzed water generator 100 of this embodiment includes a housing 5. As shown in FIG. The housing 5 has an inlet Fin through which water flows in and an outlet Fout through which water flows out, and contains an anode A, a cathode C, and a cation exchange membrane I. The housing 5 includes a container portion 1 that receives the feeder F, the anode A, the cathode C, and the cation exchange membrane I, and the lid portion 2 that closes the opening of the container portion 1 .

As shown in FIG. 1, an elastic body 3 is placed on the bottom of the container part 1 . Laminated structure 4 is placed on elastic body 3 . The lid portion 2 is fixed to the upper surface of the container portion 1 so as to press the laminated structure 4 .

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the housing 5 includes positioning recesses T that fit with the protrusions P of the external device 200 . Therefore, the electrolyzed water generator 100 can be easily positioned with respect to the external device 200 . In this embodiment, the positioning recess T is provided in the lid portion 2 . Therefore, the container part 1 can be formed while suppressing a decrease in strength caused by the positioning recess T. However, the positioning concave portion T may be provided in the container portion 1 .

The external device 200 has claws 201 hanging down from its outer edge. The electrolyzed water generator 100 is inserted between the claws 201 of the external device 200 so that the claws 201 of the external device 200 are hooked under the flange 12 extending outward from the upper end of the container 1. . Thereby, the electrolyzed water generator 100 is fixed to the external device 200 . Note that the external device 200 is a device that uses the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generator 100, such as ozone water.

The lid portion 2 includes a thin portion 21 having a relatively small thickness and a thick portion 22 having a relatively large thickness. The positioning recess T is provided in the thick portion 22 . Therefore, it is possible to prevent the strength of the lid portion 2 from decreasing. The positioning recess T is a groove extending along the longitudinal direction of the lid 2 . Therefore, the electrolyzed water generator 100 can be stably positioned with respect to the convex portion P of the external device 200 .

The lid portion 2 contains a laser-transmitting resin having a color that relatively easily transmits a laser. The container part 1 contains a laser-absorbing resin of a color that relatively easily absorbs laser light. The thin portion 21 is irradiated with a laser from the upper side of the lid portion 2 in the Z direction. Thereby, the laser transmitted through the thin portion 21 heats the lower surface of the thin portion 21 of the lid portion 2 and the upper surface of the container portion 1 . As a result, in this embodiment, the thin portion 21 of the lid portion 2 and the container portion 1 are fixed to each other by laser resin welding. Therefore, the lid portion 2 and the container portion 1 can be easily fixed. Note that the container part 1 has a black color or a color close to it, and the lid part 2 has a transparent or white color or a color close to it.

The thin portion 21 of the lid portion 2 constitutes the bottom portion of the groove formed in the lid portion 2, and the convex portion 11 of the container portion 1 is inserted into the groove. Therefore, the lid portion 2 and the container portion 1 can be firmly fixed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the anode A is electrically connected to a power supply shaft AS for the anode A. As shown in FIG. The anode A and the power supply shaft AS for the anode A are connected via the spring portion AB for the anode A. A power supply shaft AS for the anode A is inserted into a through hole 1A provided in the bottom surface of the container portion 1 . A portion of the power supply shaft AS for the anode A protruding outside the container part 1 is electrically connected to the positive electrode of the power supply part.

As shown in FIG. 1, the cathode C is electrically connected to a power supply shaft CS for the cathode C. As shown in FIG. The cathode C and the power supply shaft CS for the cathode C are connected via the spring portion B for the cathode C. As shown in FIG. A power supply shaft CS for the cathode C is inserted into a through hole 1C provided in the bottom surface of the container portion 1 . A portion of the power supply shaft CS for the cathode C protruding outside the container 1 is electrically connected to the negative electrode of the power supply unit.

A portion of the power supply shaft AS for the anode A protruding outside the container 1 and a portion of the power supply shaft CS for the cathode C protruding outside the container 1 include an O-ring O, a washer W, a washer S, and a hexagonal nut. N is inserted. As a result, the feeder F, the anode A, the cation exchange membrane I, and the cathode C constituting the laminated structure 4 can be fixed by tightening the hexagonal nut N.

The housing 5 includes a container portion 1 that receives the feeder F, the anode A, the cathode C, and the cation exchange membrane I, and the lid portion 2 that closes the opening of the container portion 1 . The electrolyzed water generator 100 includes an elastic body 3 between the bottom surface of the container part 1 and a laminated structure 4 composed of a feeder F, an anode A, a cathode C, and a cation exchange membrane I.

The container part 1 receives the elastic body 3 so as to be in contact with its bottom surface. The container part 1 has a shape corresponding to the shape of the elastic body 3 . A laminated structure 4 is provided so as to be in contact with the upper surface of the elastic body 3 . The lid portion 2 is configured to press the feeder F, the anode A, the cathode C, and the cation exchange membrane I toward the elastic body 3 . Specifically, a projecting portion projecting downward from the lid portion 2 presses the upper surface of the cathode C on the lower side of the lid portion 2 . The laminate structure 4 is thereby pushed downwards. At this time, the elastic body 3 absorbs the force applied from the lid portion 2 to the laminated structure 4 on the lower side of the laminated structure 4 .

In general, the elastic body 3 tends to be deformed so as to bulge sideways by a force that presses the cover 2 downward through the laminated structure 4 . However, the elastic body 3 of this embodiment includes a hollow portion H that suppresses deformation of the elastic body 3 toward the side wall of the container portion 1 . Therefore, the inner surface of the hollow portion H serving as the through hole of the elastic body 3 deforms inward. Deformation of the elastic body 3 exerting an adverse effect on the inner wall of the container portion 1 , specifically, deformation and damage of the container portion 1 can be suppressed. In addition, deformation of the elastic body 3 can be prevented from adversely affecting the container portion 1, the power feeder F, the anode A, the cathode C, and the cation exchange membrane I.

The hollow portion H is a plurality of through holes extending from the lid portion 2 toward the bottom surface of the container portion 1 . The plurality of through holes extend parallel to each other in the vertical direction. Therefore, the hollow portion H can be easily formed. If it is possible to suppress the deformation of the elastic body 3 from adversely affecting the container part 1 and the laminated structure 4, the hollow part H may be formed on the upper surface and the lower surface of the elastic body 3 instead of through holes. Alternatively, a concave portion may be provided in the elastic body 3 .

The elastic body 3 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape extending along a certain direction. A substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape does not mean a strictly rectangular parallelepiped in a mathematical sense, but may have some unevenness as long as the shape is reminiscent of a rectangular parallelepiped as a whole.

The hollow portions H are arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction of the rectangular parallelepiped. Specifically, the hollow portion H is provided so that the elastic body 3 has a shape similar to a building concrete block or lattice shape. Further, the hollow portion H has a shape in which a plurality of through holes are arranged in a line along the water flow direction.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the container portion 1 includes an arc-shaped corner portion R1 that connects the bottom surface of the container portion 1 and the inner side surface of the container portion 1 so as to be continuous. The elastic body 3 includes an arc-shaped chamfered portion R2 that continuously connects the lower surface of the elastic body 3 and the side surface of the elastic body 3 . The arc-shaped chamfered portion R2 has a shape corresponding to the arc-shaped corner portion R1, that is, a shape that fits into the arc-shaped corner portion R1, and is in close contact with the arc-shaped corner portion R1. Therefore, the elastic body 3 firmly adheres to the container portion 1 and is stably fixed to the container portion 1 .

The surface of the elastic body 3 on the laminated structure 4 side is a flat plane. Therefore, the elastic body 3 adheres to the lower surface of the laminated structure 4 and supports the laminated structure 4 stably.

The elastic body 3 includes elastic body fitting portions PR projecting outward from both side surfaces of the elastic body 3 in the longitudinal direction. In the present embodiment, the elastic body fitting portion PR is a convex portion, but may be a concave portion. The container portion 1 includes two container fitted portions RE that respectively receive the two elastic body fitting portions PR. In the present embodiment, the container fitted portion RE is a concave portion, but may be a convex portion. The elastic body fitting portion PR and the container fitted portion RE may have any shape as long as they fit together.

In addition, the elastic body 3 has a mirror-symmetrical shape with respect to the central axis along each of the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction when viewed along the Z-axis direction. On the other hand, the elastic body 3 has an asymmetric structure in the Z-axis direction. In addition, the elastic body 3 is mirror-symmetrical with respect to a virtual plane perpendicular to the direction of water flow. Therefore, in the elastic body 3, any of the two elastic body fitting portions PR can be inserted into any of the two container fitted portions RE. In other words, as long as the elastic body 3 having a longitudinal direction is arranged so that the longitudinal direction extends along the water flow direction, the container part 1 can can be properly fitted in the Therefore, fitting of the elastic body 3 into the container portion 1 is facilitated.

If the elastic body 3 is put in the container part 1 upside down in the stacking direction, a gap remains between the container part 1 and the elastic body 3, and the elastic body 3 may be deformed. , cathode C, and cation exchange membrane I are not stable. However, in the elastic body fitting portion PR and the container fitted portion RE, the elastic body 3 is attached to the housing 5 in the stacking direction of the anode A, the cation exchange membrane I, and the cathode C, i.e., vertically in FIGS. It has a structure that prevents it from being inserted in the opposite direction. Specifically, the elastic body fitting portion PR is a convex portion, and protrudes only from a portion of the upper end side of the side surface of the elastic body 3 . The container fitted portion RE has a concave shape that fits into the convex portion as the elastic body fitting portion PR. Therefore, it is possible to easily prevent the insertion of the elastic body 3 into the housing 5 in a state in which the vertical direction is reversed, that is, the reverse insertion. As a result, it is possible to easily prevent the problem that the arc-shaped concave portion R1 and the arc-shaped convex portion R2 do not adhere to each other due to the reverse insertion of the elastic body 3 in the stacking direction. Therefore, the elastic body 3 can stably support the laminated structure 4 .

The electrolyzed water generator 100 of the embodiment is an ozone water generator that generates ozone water, but the substance to be generated is not limited to ozone water. For example, the electrolyzed water generator may exhibit a sterilizing action by generating hypochlorous acid. Further, the electrolyzed water generator may generate oxygen water, hydrogen water, chlorine-containing water, hydrogen peroxide water, or the like.

The anode A of the electrolyzed water generator 100 of the present embodiment can generate electrolyzed water such as conductive silicon, conductive diamond, titanium, platinum, lead oxide, or tantalum oxide, and has conductivity and durability. It may be composed of any material as long as it has. In this embodiment, for example, the anode body AM is made of conductive diamond, and the feeder F is made of titanium. When the anode A is a diamond electrode, the manufacturing method of the anode A is not limited to the manufacturing method by film formation, and materials other than metal may be used.

The cathode C may be an electrode having conductivity and durability, and may be made of, for example, platinum, titanium, stainless steel, or conductive silicon.

The electrolyzed water generator 100 of the present embodiment can be used by being attached to a device capable of increasing the concentration of electrolyzed water generated in an electrolyzed liquid. The devices include, for example, water treatment equipment such as water purifiers, washing machines, dishwashers, hot water washing toilet seats, refrigerators, hot water supply equipment, sterilizers, medical equipment, air conditioners, kitchen equipment, and the like.

Hereinafter, the characteristic configuration of the electrolyzed water generator 100 of the embodiment and the effects obtained thereby will be described.

(1) The electrolyzed water generator 100 includes an anode A, a cathode C, and a cation exchange membrane I provided between the anode A and the cathode C. The electrolyzed water generator 100 has an inlet Fin through which water flows in and an outlet Fout through which water flows out. The housing 5 includes a container portion 1 that receives the anode A, the cathode C, and the cation exchange membrane I, and a lid portion 2 that closes the opening of the container portion 1 . The electrolyzed water generator 100 further includes an elastic body 3 provided between the bottom surface of the container portion 1 and the anode A, the cathode C, and the cation exchange membrane I. The lid portion 2 is configured to press the anode A, the cathode C, and the cation exchange membrane I toward the elastic body 3 . The elastic body 3 includes a hollow portion H that suppresses deformation of the elastic body 3 toward the side wall of the container portion 1 . According to this, it is possible to suppress the deformation of the elastic body 3 from adversely affecting the anode A, the cathode C, and the cation exchange membrane I.

(2) The hollow portion H is a through hole extending from the lid portion 2 toward the bottom surface of the container portion 1 . According to this, the hollow portion H can be formed easily.

(3) The elastic body 3 may have a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape extending along a certain direction, and the hollow portions H may be arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction of the rectangular parallelepiped. This also allows the through holes to be arranged in a line along the direction of water flow.

(4) The electrolyzed water generator 100 includes an anode A, a cathode C, and a cation exchange membrane I provided between the anode A and the cathode C. The electrolyzed water generator 100 has an inlet Fin through which water flows in and an outlet Fout through which water flows out. The housing 5 includes a container portion 1 that receives the anode A, the cathode C, and the cation exchange membrane I, and a lid portion 2 that closes the opening of the container portion 1 . The electrolyzed water generator 100 further includes an elastic body 3 provided between the bottom surface of the container portion 1 and the anode A, the cathode C, and the cation exchange membrane I. The container portion 1 may include an arc-shaped corner portion R1 that connects the bottom surface of the container portion 1 and the inner side surface of the container portion 1 so as to be continuous. The elastic body 3 may include an arc-shaped chamfered portion R2 that connects the lower surface of the elastic body 3 and the side surface of the elastic body 3 so as to be continuous and adheres to the arc-shaped corner portion R1. The container portion 1 may include a container fitted portion RE on the inner side surface of the container portion 1 . The elastic body 3 may include an elastic body fitting portion PR that fits with the container fitted portion RE on the side surface of the elastic body 3 . The elastic body fitting portion PR and the container fitted portion RE have a structure that prevents the elastic body 3 from being inserted into the housing 5 upside down in the stacking direction of the anode A, the cation exchange membrane I, and the cathode C. may be configured. According to this, it is possible to easily prevent the elastic body 3 from being turned upside down in the stacking direction of the elastic body 3 in the housing 5 .

(5) The elastic body 3 has mirror symmetry with respect to a virtual plane perpendicular to the direction of water flow. According to this, as long as the elastic body 3 is arranged to extend along the direction of water flow, the elastic body 3 can be properly fitted into the container part 1 regardless of which direction the both ends face. Therefore, fitting of the elastic body 3 into the container portion 1 is facilitated.

1 Container Part 2 Lid Part 3 Elastic Body 5 Housing 100 Electrolyzed Water Generator A Anode C Cathode Fin Inlet Fout Outlet H Hollow Part I Cation Exchange Membrane PR Elastic Body Fitting Part RE Vessel Fitting Part R1 Circular Corner Part R2 Circular chamfer

Claims (6)

an anode;
a cathode;
a cation exchange membrane provided between the anode and the cathode;
a housing having an inlet for inflow of water and an outlet for outflow of the water, and containing the anode, the cathode, and the cation exchange membrane;
The housing includes a container for receiving the anode, the cathode, and the cation exchange membrane, and a lid for closing the opening of the container,
Further comprising an elastic body provided between the bottom surface of the container portion and the anode, the cathode, and the cation exchange membrane,
The lid is configured to press the anode, the cathode, and the cation exchange membrane toward the elastic body,
the elastic body includes a hollow portion that suppresses deformation of the elastic body toward the side wall of the container;
The electrolyzed water generating device , wherein the elastic body includes fitting portions on both longitudinal side surfaces, and the container portion includes a fitted portion that fits with the fitting portions. The electrolyzed water generator according to claim 1, wherein the elastic body is configured to have mirror symmetry with respect to a virtual plane perpendicular to the direction of water flow. The electrolyzed water generator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the fitting portion of the elastic body and the fitting portion of the container portion are provided on one end side of the elastic body in the vertical direction. an anode;
a cathode;
a cation exchange membrane provided between the anode and the cathode;
a housing having an inlet for inflow of water and an outlet for outflow of the water, and containing the anode, the cathode, and the cation exchange membrane;
The housing includes a container for receiving the anode, the cathode, and the cation exchange membrane, and a lid for closing the opening of the container,
Further comprising an elastic body provided between the bottom surface of the container portion and the anode, the cathode, and the cation exchange membrane,
The lid is configured to press the anode, the cathode, and the cation exchange membrane toward the elastic body,
the elastic body includes a hollow portion that suppresses deformation of the elastic body toward the side wall of the container;
An electrolyzed water generator , wherein the bottom of the container part has a protrusion that enters the hollow part . The electrolyzed water generator according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the hollow portion is a through hole extending from the lid portion toward the bottom surface of the container portion. the elastic body has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape extending along a certain direction;
The electrolyzed water generator according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the hollow portions are arranged in a line along the longitudinal direction of the rectangular parallelepiped.

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