JPS61153113A - Filter - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make a filter visible from the position over a wide range by making the filter visible also from the oblique position. CONSTITUTION:A transparent body 5 formed by an acrylic material, etc. which is thicker than the wall of a visual window part is provided to the visual window 4 provided to the filter main body 1, and the side wall surface of the transparent body 5 is formed with a total reflection surface. Consequently, since the image of a filter 8 is reflected on the side wall surface of the transparent body 5, the filter 8 is easily visible from an oblique position and the filter 8 is also visible from positions over a wide range. Accordingly, the filter 8 is visible even in a narrow space in a kitchen, etc., and the exchange time of a cartridge 2 can be easily decided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a filter having a cartridge-type filter medium (hereinafter referred to as a cartridge) and used by being attached to the tip of a water faucet.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In general, cartridge-type filters lose their effectiveness after long-term use, so it is necessary to replace them with new cartridges. The filter installed inside the cartridge becomes dirty and discolored after long-term use, so a viewing window is provided in the filter body so that the filter can be seen visually, and by visually observing the discoloration of the filter from the outside, it is possible to determine when it is time to replace the cartridge. Was.

A conventional filter will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a conventional filter viewed from above.

In FIG. 4, 16 is a filter main body, and a cartridge 16 is housed inside. The cartridge 16 includes a filter 17 inside a container made of a transparent material, and also has a filter medium 18 of a large size.

On the other hand, a cartridge 16 is inserted into the filter main body 16 from the outside.
A viewing window is provided so that the filter 17 inside can be viewed visually, and a see-through plate 19 is provided in the viewing window.

The filter of this conventional example is constructed as described above, and raw water is passed through the filter medium 18 and the filter 17 in the cart exchanger 16 to perform the filtering. By using this filter for a long time,
Since the filter 17 becomes dirty and discolored due to turbidity in the raw water, the time to replace the cartridge 16 is determined by visually observing the degree of dirt on the filter 17 from the outside through the see-through plate 19i.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in such a configuration, in order to visually see the filter 17 through the entire transparent plate 19, the line of sight must be directed near the front of the transparent plate 19, for example, in the area F shown in FIG. Need to move. Therefore, in a relatively narrow space near the kitchen sink,
Move the view to near the front of the see-through plate 19, and remove the filter 1.
There were cases where it was troublesome to visually check 7.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and when the filter 17 inside the filter 17 is visually observed from the outside, the filter 17 can be easily viewed from a wide range without moving the line of sight to near the front of the transparent plate 19. 0 Means for clearly solving the problems aimed at providing a filter that can be visually observed. The present invention provides a transparent body that is thicker than the wall thickness of the viewing window of the cartridge, and the side wall surface of the transparent body that is perpendicular to the surface of the viewing window serves as a total reflection surface. The image of the filter is reflected on the side wall surface of the transparent body, and the filter can be viewed from an oblique direction, thereby expanding the visible range.

EXAMPLE Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1st
The figure is a sectional view of the essential parts of the filter in this embodiment, viewed from above. In FIG. 1, 1 is a filter body, 2 is a cartridge housed in the filter body 1, and 3 is a lid for housing and fixing the cartridge 2 in the filter body 1. A viewing window 4 is provided in the filter body 1 so that the cartridge 2 inside can be viewed visually, and a see-through body 5 made of a thick acrylic material is fitted and fixed in the viewing window 4.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the filter shown in FIG. 1 taken along the line AA'. In FIG. 2, 6 is a raw water inlet and is connected to the cartridge 2.

Further, 7 is a filtered water outlet, which is connected to the cartridge 2. The cartridge 2 includes a filter 8 inside a container made of a transparent material, and a filter medium 9 sealed therein.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the viewing window of the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the thickness of the see-through body 6 is thicker than the wall thickness of the viewing window part of the filter body, and the bottom surface 6a protrudes into the inside of the filter body.
close to the outer shell of Further, the outer surface portion 6b projects to the outside of the filter main body 1. On the other hand, the side wall surface 6C is mirror-finished so that the portion that comes into contact with the air becomes a total reflection surface. 6 into the cartridge 2. The raw water is filtered by the filter medium 9 in the cartridge 2, passes through the filter 8, and flows out from the filtrate outflow lower. At this time, the filter 8 removes garlic from the raw water and changes color.

On the other hand, the discoloration of the filter 8 can be visually observed from the outside of the filter through the transparent body 6. In this embodiment, the transparent body 5 is made of an acrylic material, and the side wall surface 6C which is in contact with the air has a total reflection function, that is, a function similar to that of a mirror. The broken line shown in FIG. 3 is an example of the optical path when point B on the filter 8 is viewed from outside the filter. The light from point B is reflected at point C on the side wall surface 6C, and the light from point B is reflected at point C on the outer surface portion 6b.
It is incident at an angle of 1. The light is further refracted at the outer surface portion 5b and transmitted to the outside at an angle of 0°, which is smaller than θ. In this way, the light emitted from the filter 8 and reflected by the side wall surface 6C travels obliquely forward from the outer surface portion 5b.

Further, since the side wall surface 6d opposite to the side wall surface 5C shown in FIG. 3 also has a similar total reflection effect, the light is reflected by the side wall surface 6d and also travels obliquely backward.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the transparent body 6 made of acrylic material is provided in the viewing window 4 so as to protrude into the inside and outside of the filter, so that a total reflection phenomenon occurs on the side wall surface 5C.
As shown in FIG. 3, the filter 8 can be easily seen from diagonally forward as indicated by arrow E. Further, a total reflection phenomenon also occurs on the side wall surface 5d, and the filter 8 can be visually observed from the diagonally backward direction.

Although FIG. 3 shows that total reflection occurs on the side wall surfaces 6C and 5d and the filter 8 can be viewed diagonally from the front and from the rear, it is also possible to see the filter 8 from the upper and lower directions, which are not shown in FIG. A similar total reflection phenomenon occurs, and the filter 8 can be visually observed from diagonally downward and obliquely upward directions, so that the visible range is greatly expanded. Therefore, the filter 8 can be easily seen even in a relatively narrow place such as the kitchen, and it is possible to easily determine when it is time to replace the cartridge.

Effects of the Invention The present invention provides a viewing window provided in the filter body with a transparent body that is thicker than the wall thickness of the viewing window and makes the side wall surface of the transparent body a total reflection surface. Since it is reflected from the side wall surface of the body, the filter can be easily seen even from an oblique direction, and the filter can be seen from a wide range, and its practical effects are great.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts of a filter according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the filter in Fig. 1 taken along section A-A', and Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the filter in Fig. 2. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the main part of the figure and a sectional view of a conventional filter. 1... Filter body, 2... Cartridge, 4... Viewing window, 5... Transparent body, 8...
····filter. Name of agent: Patent attorney Toshio Nakao (1st person)
Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Claims] A viewing window is provided in the filter body, which has an inlet and an outlet for water and stores a cartridge-type filter medium inside, so that the cartridge-type filter medium inside can be visually observed, and a transparent body is provided in this viewing window. is thicker than the wall thickness of the viewing window portion of the filter body, and the side wall surface of the transparent body perpendicular to the viewing window surface is a total reflection surface.