JPH0724446A - Water purifier - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To selectively obtain purified water having a purity conforming with the purpose of use by using this water purifier. CONSTITUTION:This water purifier consists essentially of first to third water purification tanks 2 to 4, a casing 5 and a discharge pipe 7. The tank 2 is packed with a wound filter 2A, the tank 3 with an activated-carbon filter 3A and a hollow-fiber membrane filter 3B and the tank 4 with a reverse-osmosis membrane filter 4A. When a lever switch is turned and a microswitch 42 is closed, a solenoid value 26 provided on a branch pipeline 25 is opened, and the second-stage purified water filtered by the tanks 2 and 3 is discharged from the discharge pipe 7 through the branch pipeline 25. When the lever switch is turned and a microswitch 43 is closed, a water feed pump 32 is started, and the third-stage purified water stored in a water storage tank 29 is discharged from the pipe 7.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a water purifier, and more particularly to a water purifier constructed by connecting a plurality of filter media having different filtering precisions in series so that cleaner water can be obtained.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional water purifier has a structure for removing impurities contained in tap water by passing tap water through any filter such as a wind filter, an activated carbon filter or a hollow fiber membrane filter having different filtration accuracy. ing. Furthermore, a water purifier has been developed in which the above filters having different filtration accuracy are connected in series to obtain cleaner water.

As this type of water purifier, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 6
There is one described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-11956. In the water purifier of this publication, a water supply section, an activated carbon first layer, an activated carbon second layer, and a cation exchange resin layer are laminated from below in a hollow cylindrical container, and water that has passed through pipes extending from below to each layer is passed. Is cleaned in each layer.

[0004]

In the conventional water purifier, the degree of purification cannot be changed according to the purpose of use, and for example, when it is used as drinking water or when it is used for washing the surface or washing food such as vegetables. Clean water that has been purified with the same filtration accuracy will be used. However, when the water purified by the water purifier is used as drinking water, it is necessary to obtain more clean water, but when it is used for washing the surface or washing food such as vegetables, for example, activated carbon first layer or activated carbon second Although it is possible to sufficiently use the purified water that has passed through the layer, the conventional water purifier cannot change the degree of purification. Further, since the amount of tap water is reduced each time it passes through each filter, there is a problem that the amount of tap water becomes insufficient when it is desired to use a large amount of water such as when washing the surface or washing dishes.

Moreover, since tap water is always filtered by passing through all the filters, the subsequent filters are uselessly used and the service life is shortened.

Further, in recent years, a reverse osmosis membrane has attracted attention as a filter material having a high degree of purification. Although this reverse osmosis membrane can obtain highly purified water, on the other hand, the amount of purified water produced is extremely small and it is necessary to store it in a tank. That is, a water purifier that uses a reverse osmosis membrane does not satisfy the requirement that a large amount of water is required.

As described above, the required degree of purification and the amount of water differ depending on the intended use of water. None of the conventional water purifiers can achieve such various purposes, and most of them can only select purified water or tap water (raw water).

An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems, and to provide a water purifier which satisfies various uses of water and has high use efficiency of a filter medium.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a water purifier in which a plurality of filtration media having different filtration accuracy are connected in series, and a branch line connecting the plurality of filtration media is branched to form a filter at the front stage. A branch pipe line for taking out purified water filtered by the material is provided, and an opening / closing valve that is opened when taking out the purified water filtered with the arbitrary filtration accuracy is provided in the branch pipe line.

[0010]

According to the present invention, by branching from the pipe line connecting a plurality of filter media and opening the on-off valve provided in the branch pipe line for taking out the purified water filtered by the previous filter media, it is used. It becomes possible to selectively obtain purified water having a purification degree suitable for the purpose, and the filter medium can be effectively used.

[0011]

1 to 3 show an embodiment of a water purifier according to the present invention.

In each of the drawings, a water purifier 1 is a box-shaped casing 5 having roughly first to third water purification tanks 2 to 4 and a bracket 5a for supporting the water purification tanks 2 to 4 in an upright state, and a casing. 5 and a discharge pipe 7 extending from a joint 6 provided on the upper surface 5b of the pipe 5. The water purification tanks 2 to 4 are casings 5
Are provided in parallel to the front surface 5c of the above, and are connected so as to communicate in series by a pipe line described later. The discharge pipe 7 is made of a flexible tube, the discharge position can be freely changed, and the discharge pipe 7 can swivel around the joint 6.

Each of the water purification tanks 2 to 4 has a cylindrical container 8 to, respectively.
A plurality of filter media having different filtration accuracies are housed in 10, and by removing the lids 8a to 10a of the containers 8 to 10, each filter media in the inside can be easily separated from the front side of the water purifier 1. Can be replaced or cleaned.

A first lever switch 11 is provided between the water purification tanks 2 and 3, and a second lever switch 12 is provided between the water purification tanks 3 and 4. . The first lever switch 11 is operated when the purified water purified by the water purification tanks 2 and 3 is discharged from the discharge pipe 7, and the second lever switch 12 discharges the purified water purified by the water purification tanks 2 to 4. It is operated when discharging from the pipe 7.

The structure of the water supply system passage of the water purifier 1 and the inside of the casing 5 will now be described with reference to FIGS.

The water purification tank 2 is filled with a wind filter 2A formed by winding untwisted yarn in a cylindrical shape inside a container 8 and removes impurities having a size of 30 to 40 μ or more contained in raw water.

The inside of the container 9 of the water purification tank 3 is divided into a lower chamber 9b and an upper chamber 9c by a partition plate 13. The lower chamber 9b is filled with an activated carbon filter 3A, and the upper chamber on the partition plate 13 is filled with the activated carbon filter 3A. The hollow fiber membrane filter 3B is filled in 9c. The activated carbon filter 3A is filtered by the water purification tank 2 to remove free chlorine compounds and the like contained in the raw water.

The partition plate 13 is provided with holes 13a, and the water filtered by the activated carbon filter 3A is
It passes through the hole 13a of the partition plate 13 and flows into the upper chamber 9c.
Therefore, the hollow fiber membrane filter 3B removes impurities having a size of 0.04 μ or more contained in the water filtered by the wind filter 2A and the activated carbon filter 3A. Therefore, the water that has passed through the water purification tank 3 does not destroy nutrients such as vitamins even when used for washing and cooking food.

The container 10 of the water purification tank 4 is filled with a reverse osmosis membrane filter 4A. The reverse osmosis membrane filter 4A removes impurities of 0.0001 μ or more such as heavy metals contained in water filtered by the wind filter 2A, the activated carbon filter 3A, and the hollow fiber membrane filter 3B. That is, the high-purity purified water filtered by the reverse osmosis membrane filter 4A is purified water from which trihalomethane and heavy metals contained in the raw water are removed, and is highly safe as drinking water.

As shown in FIG. 5, the reverse osmosis membrane filter 4A is formed by winding a reverse osmosis membrane 15 in a tubular shape around the outer circumference of a pipe 14 having a large number of holes formed therein. A mesh-shaped spacer 16 is provided between the outer reverse osmosis membrane 15 and
a is present. Water that has passed through the water purification tank 3 has an inlet 17
The spacer 16a is further provided in the pipe 14 that flows into the gap between the reverse osmosis membranes 15, passes through the reverse osmosis membranes 15 and extends to the central portion.
It is filtered by flowing in through the finer mesh-shaped spacer 16b.

Since the raw water supplied to the water purification tank 4 is filtered by the wind filter 2A, the activated carbon filter 3A and the hollow fiber membrane filter 3B of the water purification tanks 2 and 3 described above, it has a size of 0.04 μm or more. The impurities are removed, and the impurities removed by the reverse osmosis membrane filter 4A are reduced as much as possible to improve the purification performance of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 4A. Further, the water (dilute solution) filtered by the reverse osmosis membrane 15 is taken out through the pipe 14, and the water (concentrated solution) removed by the reverse osmosis membrane 15 is discharged from the outlet 1.
Drained from 8.

The reverse osmosis membrane 15 is a membrane having a two-layer structure called a rob membrane, and is formed by laminating a dense layer having no apparent pores and a porous layer supporting the dense layer. This reverse osmosis membrane 15
The principle of reverse osmosis is a separation method utilizing the phenomenon that the solvent in the liquid moves from the concentrated solution side to the diluted solution side by applying a pressure (water pressure) larger than the osmotic pressure to the concentrated solution side. That is, the above-mentioned reverse osmosis refers to "osmosis" in which the solvent of the dilute solution moves to the concentrated solution side in an attempt to reach equilibrium between the concentrated solution and the dilute solution, while the concentrated solution side and the dilute solution side when the permeation reaches equilibrium. It is a method of removing impurities contained in the concentrated solution side by applying an osmotic pressure, which is a pressure difference between the two, to the concentrated solution side.

In FIG. 4, a water supply conduit 19 connected to a water pipe (not shown) is connected to the lower portion of the first water purification tank 2.

Further, the first-stage purified water filtered by the wind filter 2A flows through the pipe line 22 connected to the pipe 21 and is supplied to the lower portion of the second water purification tank 3 to activate the activated carbon filter 3A and the hollow fiber membrane. It is filtered by the filter 3B and flows into the central pipe 23.

Further, the second-stage purified water filtered by the activated carbon filter 3A and the hollow fiber membrane filter 3B flows through the pipe line 24 connected to the pipe 23 and is supplied to the lower portion of the third purified water tank 4. In the middle of this pipeline 24, the branch pipeline 2
5 is branched and connected, and the second-stage purified water filtered by the second purified water tank 3 is supplied to the third purified water tank 4 and the branch pipeline 25.

The downstream end of the branch pipe 25 is provided with the discharge pipe 7.
It is connected to the. A first solenoid valve 26 is arranged in the branch pipe line 25. Therefore, when the first electromagnetic valve 26 is opened, the second-stage purified water filtered in the second purified water tank 3 is discharged from the discharge pipe 7.

A second solenoid valve 27 is provided in the pipeline 24 downstream of the branch point with the branch pipeline 25. Therefore, the second-stage purified water flowing through the conduit 24 is supplied to the third purified water tank 4 by opening the electromagnetic valve 27, and is filtered by the reverse osmosis membrane filter 4A as described above. Then, the third-stage purified water filtered by the reverse osmosis membrane filter 4A is supplied to the water storage tank 29 housed in the casing 5 via the pipe line 28 connected to the pipe 14.

A liquid level sensor 30 for monitoring the amount of stored water is provided in the water storage tank 29. The liquid level sensor 30 outputs a detection signal when the water storage tank 29 is full, and as a result, the solenoid valve 27 is activated. The valve is closed. Reference numeral 31 is a water intake pipe, one end of which is inserted from the upper part to the bottom of the water storage tank 29 and the other end of which is connected to the discharge pipe 7 described above. A water pump 32 and a check valve 33 are arranged in the water intake pipe 31.

The water supply pump 32 is started by operating the second lever switch 12, and sends the purified water in the water storage tank 29 to the discharge pipe 7. Further, the check valve 33 is the second
It prevents the purified water of the stage from flowing back to the water storage tank 29.

In the reverse osmosis membrane filter 4A, when the impurity concentration in the water purification tank 4 becomes high, the osmotic pressure becomes high and filtration cannot be performed. Therefore, in order to keep the impurity concentration in the water purification tank 4 at a constant value, It is necessary to drain the residual water of. Therefore, the third water purification tank 4 has a small-diameter first drain pipe line 34 for draining waste liquid, which is a concentrated solution containing impurities, to the outside.
And a second drain line 35 having a diameter larger than that of the first drain line 34.
And are connected. Then, a small amount of water is constantly discharged from the first drainage pipe 34.

A third solenoid valve 36 is opened every predetermined time to drain residual water in the water purification tank 4 and clean the reverse osmosis membrane filter 4A.

As shown in FIG. 7, inside the casing 5,
The water storage tank 29, the water feed pump 32, the casing 5
A sterilizing lamp 37 for sterilizing the inside with ultraviolet rays, a valve unit 39 in which the above-mentioned electromagnetic valves 26, 27, 36 are attached to a support plate 38, and a temperature for measuring the water temperature of the raw water provided in the water supply conduit 19. The sensor 40 is stored.
When the temperature sensor 40 detects that the temperature of the raw water is 45 ° C. or higher, the solenoid valves 26 and 27 are closed to prevent heat deterioration of the filters, and the water purification process is interrupted.

As described above, the water purifier 1 has the first
-Third water purification tanks 2 to 4 are provided, and a water storage tank 29 and a first water storage tank 29 are provided in the casing 5 provided at the rear of the water purification tanks 2 to 4.
~ Pipe lines 22, 2 including the third solenoid valves 26, 27, 36, etc.
4, 25, 28, 31, 34, 35 are stored.
And the pipe lines 22, 24 connected to the respective water purification tanks 2 to 4,
25 and 28 are casings 5 corresponding to the rear parts of the water purification tanks 2 to 4.
The filter replacement work can be easily performed only by removing the lids 8a to 10a.

As shown in FIG. 8, the lever switches 11 and 12 provided between the water purification tanks 2 to 4 are rotatably supported by a bracket 41 projecting from the front surface 5b of the casing 5, and are operated by a rotating operation. The ends 11a, 12a abut the contact pieces 42a, 43a of the microswitches 42, 43. In this embodiment, the micro switches 42 and 43 are closed when the lever switches 11 and 12 are rotated in the A direction, and the micro switches 42 and 43 are closed when the lever switches 11 and 12 are rotated in the B direction. The switches 42 and 43 are opened.

Reference numeral 44 is a control circuit for the solenoid valves 26, 2
7, 36, the liquid level sensor 30, the water pump 32, the temperature sensor 40, the micro switches 42 and 43, and the sterilization lamp 37 are connected. Therefore, the control circuit 44 controls the liquid level sensor 3
0, the temperature sensor 40, and the electromagnetic valves 26, 27, 36 and the water feed pump 32 are controlled according to signals from the microswitches 42, 43.

When the lever switch 11 is rotated in the direction A and the micro switch 42 is closed, the control circuit 44 opens the electromagnetic valve 26 provided in the branch conduit 25. Therefore, the second-stage purified water filtered by the water purification tanks 2 and 3 is discharged from the discharge pipe 7 through the branch pipe line 25. Then, when the lever switch 11 is rotated in the B direction to open the micro switch 42, the electromagnetic valve 26 is closed.

Further, the control circuit 44 activates the water feed pump 32 when the lever switch 12 is rotated in the direction A and the micro switch 43 is closed. Therefore, the third stage purified water stored in the water storage tank 29 is the water pump 3
It is pressure-fed by 2 and discharged from the discharge pipe 7. When the lever switch 12 is rotated in the B direction and the micro switch 43 is opened, the water feed pump 32 is stopped.

When the lever switches 11 and 12 are simultaneously rotated in the direction A, the micro switch 43
The signal from is given priority and the water feed pump 32 is started.

When the liquid level sensor 30 detects that the amount of water in the water storage tank 29 is less than or equal to full, the control circuit 44 opens the second electromagnetic valve 27 to open the second water purification tank 3.
The second-stage purified water filtered in step 3 is supplied to the third purified water tank 4. When the liquid level sensor 30 detects that the water storage tank 29 is full, the electromagnetic valve 27 is closed.

Since the third water purification tank 4 contains the reverse osmosis membrane filter 4A which filters by a pressure larger than the above osmotic pressure, the amount of water supplied to the water storage tank 29 via the pipe 28 is considerably reduced. To be Therefore, the water storage tank 29
When the amount of water in the storage tank 29 decreases from full, the electromagnetic valve 27 is opened so that the water storage tank 29 is always filled with water. Therefore, the amount of water does not become insufficient when using high-purity purified water filtered by the reverse osmosis membrane filter 4A.

Further, as described above, the branch line 25 is connected to the line 24.
Are branched and connected, the lever switches 11 and 12
By the operation, the second-stage purified water purified by the water purification tank 3 and the third-stage purified water purified by the water purification tank 4 can be selectively used according to the purpose of use. For example, when using it for washing or dishwashing, operate the lever switch 11 to use the second-stage purified water, and when using it as drinking water, operate the lever switch 12 to use the third-stage purified water. You can

Therefore, even when washing or dishwashing, which requires a relatively large amount of water, the amount of water does not become insufficient, and not all of the purified water is filtered by the reverse osmosis membrane filter 4A. 4A is less likely to become dirty, and the life of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 4A can be extended.

Although the branch pipe 25 is provided between the water purification tanks 3 and 4 in the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and the branch pipe 25 may be provided between the water purification tanks 2 and 3. good. In that case, any one of three types of purified water, that is, purified water in the first stage filtered in the water purification tank 2, purified water in the second stage filtered in the purification tank 3, and purified water in the third stage filtered in the purification tank 4 You can select and use purified water with a degree of purification of.

In the above embodiment, three water purification tanks 2 to 4 are used.
However, the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to a water purifier having two or three or more water purification tanks connected in series.

[0045]

As described above, the water purifier according to the present invention is provided with the branch pipe branching from the pipe connecting the plurality of filter media to take out the purified water filtered by the filter media at the preceding stage. By opening the on-off valve provided in the pipe, it is possible to selectively obtain drinking water or purified water with a degree of purification that suits the purpose of use such as cleaning, and it is effective to use filtration media with different filtration accuracy. It has the advantage that it can be used for

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a water purifier according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a water purifier.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a water purifier.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of a water purifier.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view for explaining the configuration of a reverse osmosis membrane filter.

FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of each water purification tank.

FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a configuration inside a casing.

FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the inside of the casing as viewed from the side.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Water purifier 2 1st water tank 2A Wind filter 3 2nd water tank 3A Activated carbon filter 3B Hollow fiber membrane filter 4 3rd water tank 4A Reverse osmosis membrane filter 5 Casing 7 Discharge pipe 8-10 Container 8-10 11 First lever switch 12 Second lever switch 25 Branch line 26 First solenoid valve 27 Second solenoid valve 29 Water tank 30 Liquid level sensor 32 Water pump 36 Third solenoid valve 42, 43 Micro switch 44 Control circuit

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Kazuya Sakamoto, 7800 Nakase, Hamakita City, Shizuoka Prefecture Toyo Roki Machine Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor, Taiyoshi Kabe 7800, Nakase, Hamakita City, Shizuoka Prefecture Toyo ▼ Machine Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A water purifier in which a plurality of filtration media having different filtration precisions are connected in series, and a purified water filtered by a previous filtration media is taken out by branching from a pipe line connecting the plurality of filtration media. A water purifier characterized in that a branch pipe is provided, and an opening / closing valve that is opened when the purified water filtered with the desired filtration accuracy is taken out is provided in the branch pipe.