JPH07328343A - Filtering apparatus for warm bath water circulating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make a filtering apparatus itself for a warm bath water circulating apparatus compact without lowering the filter medium storing capacity, save the installation space, stir the filter medium at the time of cleaning of the filter medium without using a motor, and heighten the filtering function. CONSTITUTION:Water flowing in through a flow inlet 24a formed in one end side in the transverse direction of a filtering apparatus 24 passes a hollow material 24f along the center axis in the transverse direction, turns at the other end side, passes through a filter medium 28 set in the outer circumferential part of the hollow material 24f to be filtered, and reaches the flow outlet 24b formed in the same side as that of the flow inlet 24a. With this structure, the filter medium 28 is stored highly efficiently and the external size of the filtering apparatus 24 can be made compact.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a filtering device such as a circulating hot bath, and more particularly to a technique for downsizing the device while maintaining the filtering ability.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a hot water circulation type bath device (referred to as a circulation hot bath machine) has been provided. This circulating hot bath
The bath water in the bathtub is pumped up by a circulation pump, heated to a desired temperature by a heater, and filtered or purified by a filter device to remove foreign matter such as dust contained in the bathwater, and then again in the bathtub. The flow path switching valve switches the flow path, and the normal operation mode of heating and filtering (purifying) the bath water or the flow opposite to the normal operation mode is generated. It is operated in a cleaning mode or the like for cleaning the filter medium. In order to save space and reduce the size of the filter device used in such a circulating hot water bath or the like, downsizing of the filter device itself is desired without reducing the storage capacity of the filter material.

In particular, when the circulating hot water bath is of a short horizontal type, the filtering device, pump and other members mounted inside the device are arranged side by side in the lateral direction.
It is necessary to keep the height of the filtration device small.
In addition, since the filter medium is contaminated by water stains and the like as it is used, it is necessary to wash the filter medium at appropriate intervals. In that case, stirring the filter medium is more effective than statically fixing it. Therefore, there is a conventional one in which the filter medium is stirred by driving a motor or the like.

Further, when the filter medium is washed, in order to flow water through the filter medium in the direction opposite to that in the normal operation of the circulating warm bath machine, the flow channel is switched using the flow channel switching valve.
If this is attempted using a small number of, for example, one flow path switching valve, a flow path from this flow path switching valve to the filtering device and a return flow path that returns from the filtering device to the flow path switching valve are provided. It will be. However, in the conventional filtering device, the type in which the one side end has the inflow port and the other side end has the outflow port is the main stream, so that the flow path switching valve is arranged near the one side end. Then, the return flow path is routed outside the filtering device.

[0005]

However, it is difficult to reduce the size and shape of the filtering device itself in the filtering device having the conventional structure without lowering the filtering material accommodation capacity, and the cleaning effect of the filtering device is also improved. When the motor is driven to agitate the filter medium in order to increase the number of components, the number of motors and other parts increases, resulting in high cost. further,
As described above, when the return flow path that returns from the filtering device to the flow path switching valve is routed outside the filtering device, the dead space around the space through which the return flow path increases increases, saving space. Will be at a disadvantage. The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has a configuration in which water that is filtered in the lateral direction flows, and reduces the outer shape of the filtering device itself without reducing the capacity of the filtering medium. It is also possible to agitate the filter medium without using a motor or the like when cleaning the filter medium, and furthermore, the return flow path is not routed outside the filter device, which is advantageous in saving space. An object of the present invention is to provide a filtering device such as a circulating hot bath.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, a filtration device such as a circulating hot bath machine according to claim 1 heats, filters and circulates bath water in a bath tub, and a lateral direction of the device main body. A water inlet and a water outlet are disposed on one end side, and a hollow member is provided along the lateral center axis of the device body to guide the water flowing from the inlet to the other end of the device body. A filter material is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the member to filter the water that is folded back at the other end.
Further, in the filtration device such as the circulating hot water bath according to claim 2, in addition to the configuration of claim 1, the filtration material is stored in a filtration material storage container, and the filtration material storage container is rotatable inside the apparatus main body. It is configured to be rotated by the force of the water flow when it is supported by the filter medium and the filter medium is flushed with water to wash the filter medium. In addition, in the filtration device such as the circulating hot water bath according to claim 3, in addition to the configuration according to claim 1 or 2, the inner wall of the filter material storage container is configured by the hollow member, and further, in the filter material storage container. Is partitioned into a plurality of chambers in the axial direction, and a partition wall is provided for causing the flow path in the filter medium storage container to meander.

[0007]

According to the filtering device of the circulating hot water bath or the like having the above-mentioned structure, the water flowing in from the inflow port arranged at one lateral end of the device body is along the lateral central axis of the device body. It folds back through the hollow member on the other end side, is filtered through the filter material provided on the outer peripheral portion of the hollow member, and reaches the outlet port arranged on the same side as the inlet port. The water thus filtered reciprocates in the lateral direction, and a hollow member along the lateral center axis of the device body is used as a part of the passage for the reciprocation, so the volume of the filter medium to be accommodated. The efficiency is improved, and therefore the outer shape of the filter device can be reduced without reducing the capacity of the filter medium. Further, according to the filtration device such as the circulating hot bath machine of the second aspect, in addition to the above-described action, the filter medium storage container in which the filter medium is stored is rotated by the force of the water flow at the time of cleaning, so that the cleaning effect is obtained. Go up. Further, according to the filtration device such as the circulating hot bath machine of claim 3, the filtration material storage container has the hollow member as the inner diameter wall, and the filtration material is provided in the plurality of chambers partitioned by the partition walls so as to meander the flow path in the outer peripheral portion thereof. Since it is provided, the filtering effect by the filtering material and the cleaning effect thereof are improved.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state where a circulating hot water bath having a filter device according to the present embodiment is installed in a bath,
FIG. 2 is a side view in which the outer case of the circulating hot water bath is removed and a part thereof is broken. The outer casing 11a of the circulation warm bath machine 11 (hereinafter referred to as a machine body) is horizontally long and has a lengthwise dimension larger than the width of the bathtub 12, and is installed on the side edge portion 12a of the bathtub 12. It The machine body 11 is installed by adsorbing a suction cup (not shown) provided at the center of the bottom surface of the outer case 11a to the side edge portion 12a of the bathtub 12. The lengthwise dimension of the outer case 11a is set to the bathtub 12
Since it is larger than the width of the machine, the machine body 11 does not easily fall into the bathtub 12, and since it is a horizontal type with a low height instead of a vertical type, the machine body 11 may fall over. There are few things.

Further, the machine body 11 has a suction pipe 15 having a suction port 14 which faces the bathtub 12 and pumps the bath water 13 into the machine body, and hot water which has been subjected to treatment such as heating and purification inside the machine body. Is connected to a discharge pipe 17 having a discharge port 16 for circulating and discharging the The suction pipe 15 and the discharge pipe 17 are extended downward from a position on the front side in the center of the bottom surface of the machine body 11. In addition, drain pipes 18a, 18 for draining the waste water after cleaning when the operation for cleaning the filter 24 is performed.
b is extended in the left-right direction at the bottom rear position of the outer case 11a. One of the drainage pipes 18a and 18b is selectively used according to the position where the machine body 11 is installed on either side of the side edge portion 12a of the bathtub 12. Aircraft 11 has
An operation unit 19 having a display panel for setting temperature and the like, a switch for selecting an operation mode, a control circuit, etc. is provided,
Further, a power cord 20 that supplies power to various components arranged in the outer case 11a is connected. The suction pipe 15 and the discharge pipe 17 are provided so that the angle can be adjusted as appropriate, and a member such as a suction cup for fixing the suction pipe 15 and the discharge pipe 17 to the bathtub 12 is provided on the back side surface thereof.

Further, in the machine body 11, as shown in FIG. 2, a circulation pump 21 for pumping and circulating the bath water 13 in the bathtub 12 through a suction pipe 15, and a pump motor 22 for driving the circulation pump 21. A heater tank 2 for heating the bath water 13 drawn up by the circulation pump 21 to a predetermined temperature.
3, a filtering device 24 which is a filter for filtering the bath water 13 pumped up by the circulation pump 21, a flow channel switching valve 25 for switching the flow channel of the pumped bath water 13 according to the operation mode, A valve drive motor 26 that drives the flow path switching valve 25 is provided.

These pump motor 22 and circulation pump 2
1, heater tank 23, valve drive motor 26 and flow path switching valve 2
5. The filter devices 24 are arranged side by side in this order in the lateral direction. With such an arrangement, as described above, the machine body 11 can be configured as a horizontal type with a low height. As the flow path of the machine body 11, the suction pipe 15 is the heater tank 2
3, the heater tank 23, the circulation pump 21, the water pipe 27, and the flow path switching valve 25. The flow path switching valve 25 includes the filtering device 2
4, the inflow port 24a and the outflow port 24b, the discharge pipe 17, and the drain pipes 18a and 18b are connected, and these are selectively switched and communicated according to the operation mode. In addition, the inflow port 24a and the outflow port 24b of the filtering device 24 are
Is disposed at one end side in the horizontal direction. The arrow in FIG. 2 indicates the flow of bath water in the normal (filtration) mode operation.

The heater tank 23 is a heater 23 which is a sheathed heater or the like arranged in the central portion of the heater case.
a and a temperature sensor (not shown) that detects the temperature of the circulating bath water 13, and the heater 23a is heated and controlled so that the detected temperature of the bath water reaches the set temperature. The filtration device 24 is detachably provided on the machine body 11, and contains therein a filtration material 28 (see FIG. 3) such as a porous ceramic ball for filtering water passing therethrough.
The water flow passing through the inside of the filtering device 24 is turned back at the tip side and reciprocates.

Circulating hot water bath 11 constructed as described above
When the user operates the operation unit 19, the valve drive motor 26 drives the flow path switching valve 25 to switch the flow path, thereby operating in various modes of the normal mode, the jet mode, and the cleaning mode. Explaining each mode, in the normal mode, the bath water 13 pumped through the suction pipe 15 by the drive of the circulation pump 21 enters the heater tank 23 and is heated there, and further, the circulation pump 21, the water passage pipe 27, After passing through the flow path switching valve 25, it enters the filtering device 24 through the inflow port 24a at one end in the lateral direction, is filtered here, and exits from the outflow port 24b on the same side as the inflow port 24a to reach the flow path switching valve 25. , And is circulated and discharged into the bath 12. In the jet mode, the bath water 13 is vigorously discharged as a jet stream into the bathtub 12 through only the heater tank 23 without passing through the filtration device 24. In the cleaning mode, the bath water 13 is caused to flow in the opposite direction to the normal mode to clean the filtration device 24, and the water after the cleaning is drained out of the bath 12.

Next, regarding the detailed structure of the filtering device 24,
This will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 shows the state of the normal (filtration) mode, and FIG. 4 shows the state of the cleaning mode. A water inlet 24a is provided at the center of one end of the filtering device 24 in the lateral direction, and an outlet 24b is provided at a position deviated from the center. These outlets 24a and 24b are provided during normal mode operation. The bath water 13 flows in and out, and the former serves as the outlet and the latter serves as the inlet because the bath water 13 flows backward during the cleaning mode operation. In this description, the member names are used in unification. . The filtration device 24 accommodates a cylindrical outer case 24c forming a filtration tank, outer case lids 24d located on both sides in the lateral direction, and a filter material 28 rotatably provided along a central axis in the filtration tank. It includes a filter medium storage container 24e which is a middle case.

The inner diameter wall on the center side of the filter medium storage container 24e is constituted by a hollow member 24f, one end side of the hollow member 24f communicates with the inflow port 24a, and the other end side is open. Due to the presence of the hollow member 24f, the water that has entered the inside of the filtering device 24 is folded back at the tip and reciprocates. In addition, a partition wall 24 that axially partitions into a plurality of chambers is provided inside the filter medium storage container 24e at the outer peripheral portion of the hollow member 24f.
g, a filter medium 28 is housed in each chamber, and an opening provided in this partition wall 24g has a plug 24 having a hole.
The h and the plug 24i having no hole are fitted in a staggered manner, whereby the flow path passing through the filter medium 28 meanders.

A shaft 24 is provided at both ends of the hollow member 24f.
j is provided, and this shaft 24j is rotatably supported by a bearing 24k fixed to the outer case lid 24d. Also,
A fin 24m is integrally provided on a member forming the shaft 24j on one end side of the hollow member 24f.
When the water flow flowing in from the outlet 24b in the cleaning mode (FIG. 4) hits the filter, a rotational force is generated in the filter medium storage container 24e. In addition, the filter medium storage container 24e
Is provided so as to be slightly movable in the axial direction due to the difference in the direction of the water flow of the bath water 13. When moving in the normal (filtration) mode, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, it moves to the left in the figure. An O-ring 24n is inserted between the shaft 24j and the bearing 24k and between the outer case 24c and the outer case lid 24d. Further, the seal rubber 24p for preventing the flow that does not pass through the filter medium 28 in the normal (filtering) mode is provided with the outer case 24.
It is provided on the inner wall surface of c.

The operation of the filtering device 24 constructed as described above will be explained. In the normal (filtration) mode of FIG. 3, the bath water 13 flowing in from the inflow port 24a passes through the hollow member 24f to the other end side. The flow proceeds, is folded back here, and enters the container 24e for storing the filter medium, is filtered by the filter medium 28, and is discharged from the outlet 24b. Since the partition wall 24g is provided so that the flow path meanders when passing through the inside of the filter medium storage container 24e,
The contact area with the filter material 28 is increased, and the filtration capacity is improved. Further, the filter medium storage container 24e is moved and urged toward the inflow port 24a by the water flow that is folded back at the tip end portion as shown by the arrow in the figure, and the O-ring 24n is pressed to enhance the sealing effect.

In the cleaning mode of FIG. 4, the bath water 13 flowing in from the outlet 24b hits the fins 24m and pushes the filter medium storage container 24e to the left in the drawing, and also generates a rotational force. The bath water 13 flows in the filter medium container 24e in the direction opposite to the normal mode to wash the filter medium 28, and the washed water is discharged from the inflow port 24a through the hollow member 24f. In this cleaning mode, the filter medium storage container 24e
Is rotated, the filter medium 28 is agitated, and the cleaning effect is enhanced. Moreover, since a motor or the like is not required to rotate the filter medium storage container 24e, the cost is reduced.

According to the filtering device 24 of the present embodiment, the hollow member 24f is arranged in the central axis portion of the filter medium storage container 24e, and the filter medium 28 is stored in the outer peripheral portion thereof, whereby the storage efficiency of the filter medium 28 is improved. As a result, the diameter of the filter device 24 can be reduced without reducing the storage capacity of the filter medium 28. Further, when the filtering device 24 is installed in the lateral direction together with other parts and the switching of the flow paths is performed by the single flow path switching valve 25 in accordance with the operation mode, the flow path configuration requires that the filtering device 24 be connected to the filter device 24. The inflow of water and the outflow of water from the filtering device 24 are conveniently provided on the same side of the filtering device 24, in which case a return passage is required. In that respect, according to the filter device 24 of the present embodiment, since the hollow member 24f is arranged inside the filter device 24 to form the return passage, compared to the case where the return passage is formed outside the filter device 24. As a result, the space can be effectively used, and the diameter of the filter device 24 can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to provide the filtration device 24 which is suitable for a low horizontal circulation warm bath or the like.

The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example, in the above embodiment, the filter medium storage container 24e is shown to rotate only in the cleaning mode. However, it may be configured to rotate even in the normal mode. In addition to the circulating hot bath,
It can be applied to various uses for filtering a liquid.

[0021]

As described above, according to the filtration device such as the circulating hot bath machine according to the invention of claim 1, the water to be filtered or the water for cleaning the filter medium is allowed to flow in and out from one end of the device body. Since a hollow member is provided on the central axis in the lateral direction in the main body of the device and a filter medium is provided on the outer periphery of the hollow member to cause water to reciprocate in the main body of the device, the capacity of the filter medium is not reduced and The height dimension can be reduced, which is suitable for a horizontal type device. In addition, since the return flow path is not routed outside the filtering device in order to allow water to flow in and out from one end side of the device body, it is advantageous in saving space. Further, according to the filtration device such as the circulation warm bath machine according to the invention of claim 2, in addition to the above effects, since the filter medium storage container can be rotated by the force of the water flow, at the time of cleaning the filter medium. The filter medium can be agitated without using a driving means such as a motor, and the cleaning effect is enhanced. Further, according to the filtration device such as the circulating hot bath machine according to the invention of claim 3,
In addition to the above effects, since the flow path in the filter medium storage container is made to meander, the filter effect of the filter medium is enhanced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a circulating hot water bath equipped with a filtering device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the circulating warm bath machine.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a normal mode state of the filtration device.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a cleaning mode state of the filtration device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 circulation warm bath machine 12 bathtub 13 bath water 24 filtration device 24a inflow port 24b outflow port 24c filter medium storage container 24f hollow member 24g partition wall 28 filter medium

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A filter device used in a circulating hot bath machine or the like for heating, filtering, and circulating bath water in a bathtub, wherein a water inlet and a water outlet are provided at one lateral side of the device body. A hollow member that guides the water flowing in from the inflow port to the other end of the device main body is provided along the lateral center axis in the main body of the device, and is folded back to the outer peripheral portion of the hollow member on the other end side. A filtering device such as a circulating hot bath machine, which is provided with a filtering material that allows water to pass through and filters the water. 2. The filter medium is stored in a filter medium container, the filter medium container is rotatably supported in the main body of the apparatus, and water is poured into the filter medium to wash the filter medium. The filtration device for a circulating hot bath or the like according to claim 1, wherein the filtration device is configured to be rotated by the force of the water flow. 3. The inner wall of the filter material storage container is constituted by the hollow member, and further, the inside of the filter material storage container is partitioned into a plurality of chambers in the axial direction, and a flow path in the filter material storage container is formed. The filtration device for a circulating hot bath or the like according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a partition wall is provided for making it meander.