KR102497120B1 - Drain filtering device including rotating filtering unit including barbed fiber and drain system including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided are a drain filter device including a rotary filtering unit including barbed fibers, and a drain system. The drain filter device may include a housing having an inner space; and a filtering unit rotatably disposed within the housing and including a rotary shaft and a plurality of barbed fibers arranged in the outer circumferential direction of the rotary shaft. The drain filter device according to the present invention can prevent the generation of differential pressure even when the service life of the drain filter device is exhausted.

Description

Drainage filter device including a rotary filtering unit including barbed fiber and a drainage system including the same

The present invention relates to a drainage filter device and a drainage system including the same. Specifically, the present invention relates to a drainage filter device and drainage system comprising a rotary filtering unit comprising a barbed piper.

Conventionally, micro-plastics may be defined as micronized synthetic polymer materials of 5 mm or less. Microplastics are recognized as a great threat to the marine ecosystem because they take a considerable amount of time to decompose naturally, and recently, problems caused by microplastics are becoming more issues in relation to environmental problems.

Microplastics accumulate throughout all stages of the marine food chain, such as in fish and marine mammals. Accordingly, UNESCO has selected microplastic reduction as a major issue in the field of marine ecosystem health protection. Microplastics that have flowed into the ocean not only cause direct damage to animals and plants that make up the marine ecosystem, but also accelerate the destruction of the ecosystem as the amount accumulates. Even recently, a significant concentration of microplastics has been found in drinking water that people drink, causing a big problem.

According to a recent report on the causes of microplastics by the Dutch National Institute of Public Health and Environment (RIVM), synthetic fiber fabrics and clothing rank high. In this way, among microplastics, especially those generated from fiber products are also referred to as micro-plastic fibers or micro-fibers (fine fibers).

The length of plastic fibers used in the manufacture of clothing varies from several nanometers (nm) to several millimeters (mm) and even tens of millimeters. Plastic fibers are physically weathered during repeated use and washing and can form small-sized microplastics. Other studies have reported that thousands of microplastic fibers are released when one garment is washed once.

In case the fine plastic fibers generated from the clothes during the washing process are not filtered out and drained as they are, the aforementioned problems may occur. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a technology for reducing microplastic fibers, in particular, a technology for collecting microplastic fibers generated when washing clothes at home.

As a method for collecting fine plastic fibers in drain water, it may be considered to provide a drain filter having a mesh structure or a porous structure to the drain flow path (or drain pipe) of the washing machine. Filtering can be performed by using the size of the mesh to block penetration of foreign substances having a larger size than the mesh.

When filtered microplastics remain in the filter device as the filtration is repeated, the mesh or pores are gradually blocked, causing a decrease in permeation flow rate and a large increase in permeation pressure. That is, when the lifespan of the filter device is exhausted, differential pressure between the flow passages before and after the filter device may occur. If the filter device is not replaced despite the lifespan of the filter device being exhausted, problems such as bursting of the filter, malfunction of the washing machine, or reverse flow of drainage may occur due to differential pressure in the passage. Moreover, since the washing machine is generally not close to a person's circulation, it is not easy to frequently check the replacement time of the filter device. The above problems act as a factor hindering the popularization of drain filters for washing machines.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a filter device having a new structure capable of preventing generation of differential pressure even when the life of the filter device is exhausted. Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a filter device capable of notifying the replacement time of the filter device in an easy way.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a drainage system using the above filter device.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a method for providing replacement time information of the filter device.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a computing device capable of informing replacement time information of the filter device.

The tasks of the present invention are not limited to the technical tasks mentioned above, and other technical tasks not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

A filter device according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above object is a housing having an inner space; and a filtering unit rotatably disposed within the housing, including a rotary shaft and a plurality of barbed fibers arranged in an outer circumferential direction of the rotary shaft.

The barbed fiber may include a fiber body extending in one direction and a branch protruding in an oblique direction from the fiber body.

Also, branches of the plurality of barbed fibers may be arranged to at least partially contact each other.

The barbed fiber may include a material having a melting point of 150° C. or higher and having flexibility.

In some embodiments, the filter device may further include a sensor that detects a rotational speed of the filtering unit.

The housing may have a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, and the filtering unit may be configured to be rotatable by fluid flowing inside the housing.

Also, the filtering unit may be located on a line connecting the inlet and the outlet.

The barbed fibers may be disposed in a normal direction of the rotation end surface of the rotating shaft unit or in a direction inclined with respect to the normal line.

The housing may have a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet spaced apart in a first direction, and the filtering unit may be configured to rotate in a plane to which the first and third directions belong.

In this case, the filtering unit may be located on one side of the housing in the third direction.

A drainage system according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above other problems includes a fluid inlet pipe and a fluid outlet pipe; and a filter device fluidly coupled between the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe, wherein the filter device is a housing having an inlet and an outlet, wherein the inlet is connected to the inlet and the outlet is connected to the outlet. A housing, and a filtering unit rotatably disposed within the housing, including a filtering unit including a rotating shaft and a plurality of barbed fibers arranged in an outer circumferential direction of the rotating shaft.

In order to solve the another problem, a method for providing a replacement alarm for a filter device according to an embodiment of the present invention provides replacement time information for a filter device including a housing and a filtering unit rotatably disposed in the housing. As, it is performed by a computing device including at least one processor, receives information about the rotational speed of the filtering unit, compares the rotational speed with a predetermined reference value, and provides information about the replacement alarm of the filter device. includes doing

A computing device according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above another problem is provided with information about a rotational speed of the filtering unit from a filter device including a housing and a filtering unit rotatably disposed in the housing. rotational speed collector; a determining unit comparing the collected rotation speed with a predetermined reference value; and an alarm unit providing information on a replacement alarm according to a result of the determination of the determination unit.

Other embodiment specifics are included in the detailed description.

According to embodiments of the present invention, a filter device capable of filtering out microplastics may be installed in a drain passage, for example, a drain passage of a washing machine to filter particulate matter such as microplastics in wastewater such as wash water.

In addition, even when the lifespan of the filter device is exhausted, problems such as bursting of the filter device or reverse flow of drainage can be prevented in advance by suppressing an increase in permeation flow rate or an increase in differential pressure in the passage. For example, when the space between the barbed fibers provided in the filter device is sufficiently blocked by the microplastics to no longer exhibit filtering ability, the filtering unit may be configured to rotate rather than exhibit the filtration characteristics of the microplastics. .

That is, according to the present invention, it is used to collect microplastics during the lifespan of the filter device, but when the lifespan is over, the filtering capacity is automatically lowered and it is possible to ensure that the filter device does not explode. Of course, when the lifespan of the filter device is exhausted, it is impossible to sufficiently collect the microplastics, but considering the problem of the filter device bursting, the effect of reducing the microplastics can be shown compared to the case where the filter device is not installed at all.

In addition, the life of the filter device can be estimated or measured by a relatively simple method such as measuring the rotation amount or rotation speed of the rotation filtering unit, rather than a complicated method such as measuring the differential pressure, and this can be used as an alarm for replacing the filter. It can be used as information for

Effects according to the embodiments of the present invention are not limited by the contents exemplified above, and more diverse effects are included in the present specification.

1 is a schematic diagram of a drainage system using a filter device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the filter device of Fig. 1;
3 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the filter device of FIG. 2;
Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional side view of the filter device of Fig. 2;
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a filtering unit of the filter device of Fig. 2;
6 is a schematic diagram showing any one of the barbed fibers of FIG. 5;
7 is a cross-sectional view of the barbed fiber of FIG. 6;
8 is a schematic view showing a permeable surface or a filtering surface formed by barbed fibers.
9 is a schematic diagram showing a filter device in a state where the life of the filter device remains.
10 is a schematic diagram showing a filter device in a state in which the life of the filter device is exhausted.
11 is a cross-sectional side view of a filter device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
12 is a cross-sectional side view of a filter device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
13 is a perspective view of a filter device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the filter device of Fig. 13;
Fig. 15 is a cross-sectional side view of the filter device of Fig. 13;
16 is a perspective view of a filtering unit according to another embodiment of the present invention.
17 is a schematic diagram of a filter device replacement alarm system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
18 is a hardware configuration diagram of the server of FIG. 17;
19 is a flowchart illustrating a method for alarming a filter device replacement time according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Advantages and features of the present invention, and methods of achieving them, will become clear with reference to the detailed description of the following embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but will be implemented in a variety of different forms, and only the embodiments make the disclosure of the present invention complete, and those skilled in the art in the art to which the present invention belongs It is provided to fully inform the person of the scope of the invention, and the invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. That is, various changes may be made to the embodiments provided by the present invention. The embodiments described below are not intended to be limiting on the embodiments, and should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents or substitutes thereto.

The spatially relative terms 'above', 'upper', 'on', 'below', 'beneath', 'lower', etc. are not included in the drawings. As shown, it can be used to easily describe the correlation between one element or component and another element or component. Spatially relative terms should be understood as encompassing different orientations of elements in use in addition to the orientations shown in the figures. For example, when elements shown in the figures are turned over, elements described as 'below' or 'below' other elements may be placed 'above' the other elements. Accordingly, the exemplary term 'below' may include directions of both down and up.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in this specification may be used in a meaning commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. In addition, terms defined in commonly used dictionaries are not interpreted ideally or excessively unless explicitly specifically defined.

In this specification, 'and/or' includes each and every combination of one or more of the recited items. In addition, singular forms also include plural forms unless otherwise specified in the text. As used herein, 'comprises' and/or 'comprising' does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other elements other than the recited elements. A numerical range expressed using 'to' indicates a numerical range including the values listed before and after it as the lower limit and the upper limit, respectively. 'About' or 'approximately' means a value or range of values within 20% of the value or range of values set forth thereafter.

In the present specification, in referring to components, ordinal modifiers such as 'first component', 'second component', and 'first-first component' are used to distinguish one component from another. it just becomes Therefore, the first component referred to below may be referred to as a second component within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. For example, what is referred to as a first component in one embodiment may be referred to as a second component in another embodiment. Also, what is referred to as a first element in the description of the invention may be referred to as a second element in the claims.

In the present specification, the first direction (X) means any one direction in a plane, and the second direction (Y) means another direction that crosses or is perpendicular to the first direction (X) in the plane. In addition, the third direction (Z) means another direction that intersects or is perpendicular to the plane.

The size, thickness, width, length, etc. of the components shown in the drawings may be exaggerated or reduced for convenience and clarity of explanation, so the present invention is not limited to the illustrated form.

Unless defined otherwise, the terms 'fiber' or 'thread' or 'thread' refer collectively to any natural or man-made elongated fibrous object. For example, a fiber may refer to an object having a length-to-width ratio of about 3 times or more, or about 5 times or more, or about 10 times or more, or about 50 times or more, or about 100 times or more. In addition, fibers may be a general term for those made of materials such as polymers or metals.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a schematic diagram of a drainage system using a filter device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring first to FIG. 1 , the drainage system 1 according to the present embodiment may include a washing machine 20 having a washing tub and a drain pipe 10 fluidly connected to the washing machine 20 .

The washing machine 20 may include a washing machine for washing textiles or laundry. The washing machine 20 may include a washing tub in which laundry is put into and washing is performed. Although FIG. 1 illustrates a laundry drainage system as a drainage system, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, the drainage system 1 and the filter device 11 may be applied in an industrial drainage system.

The drain conduit 10 is fluidly connected to the washing tub and may provide a fluid path through which liquid such as wash water, drainage, or waste water discharged after washing the laundry is discharged. The drain conduit 10 includes the first conduit part 10a (or the fluid inlet pipe), the second conduit part 10b (or the fluid outlet pipe) and the fluid path on the first conduit part 10a and the second conduit part ( 10b) may include a filter device 11 positioned between them. That is, the first conduit part 10a connects the washing tub and the filter device 11 to provide a fluid path, and the fluid passing through the filter device 11 can be completely discharged through the second conduit part 10b. . Although not shown in the drawing, in another embodiment, the first conduit part 10a, the second conduit part 10b, and/or the filter device 11 are not connected to the outside of the washing machine 20, but the washing machine ( 20) may be provided inside. Alternatively, the first conduit portion 10a and/or the second conduit portion 10b may be omitted.

Hereinafter, the filter device 11 according to the present embodiment will be described in more detail. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the filter device of FIG. 1, in which the interior is projected. 3 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the filter device of FIG. 2; Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional side view of the filter device of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a filtering unit of the filter device of Fig. 2; 6 is a schematic diagram showing any one of the barbed fibers of FIG. 5; 7 is a cross-sectional view of the barbed fiber of FIG. 6; 8 is a schematic view showing a permeable surface or a filtering surface formed by barbed fibers.

2-7 , the filter device 11 may include a housing 100 having a fluid inlet 121h and a fluid outlet 122h and a filtering unit 200 disposed within the housing 100. there is.

The housing 100 may be a part forming the exterior of the filter device 11 . The housing 100 may have an internal space through which a fluid may flow. The housing 100 may include a housing body 110 and a first coupling part 121 and a second coupling part 122 disposed at both ends of the housing body 110 . The housing body 110, the first coupling portion 121, and the second coupling portion 122 may be integrally formed without a physical boundary. The housing 100 may be made of polycarbonate resin or the like, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The housing 100 may be partially made of a transparent material so that the filtering unit 200 therein is visible.

The first coupling portion 121 may form a fluid inlet 121h (or first fluid outlet), and the second coupling portion 122 may form a fluid outlet 122h (or second fluid outlet). The first coupling portion 121 and the second coupling portion 122 may be means for coupling with the first conduit portion 10a and the second conduit portion 10b, respectively. For example, each of the first coupling portion 121 and the second coupling portion 122 may have threads formed on the outer or inner circumferential surfaces thereof, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The fluid introduced through the first conduit part 10a may flow into the inner space of the housing body 110 through the fluid inlet 121h. In addition, the fluid flowing out of the inner space of the housing body 110 through the fluid outlet 122h may flow into the inner space of the second conduit part 10b. Fluid introduced through the fluid inlet 121h and discharged through the fluid outlet 122h may form a fluid path substantially in the first direction X within the housing body 110 . That is, as known, the fluid flowing along the flow path may form various flows such as forming vortexes, but the main fluid flow path within the housing body 110 may be approximately in the first direction (X).

The filtering unit 200 may be disposed in the inner space of the housing body 110 . The filtering unit 200 may be disposed on the main flow path of the fluid flowing therethrough. For example, the filtering unit 200 may be located on a line connecting the first coupling portion 121 and the second coupling portion 122 and/or the fluid inlet 121h and the fluid outlet 122h. there is.

The filtering unit 200 may include a rotation shaft portion 210 forming a rotation axis and a plurality of barbed fibers 230 disposed on the rotation shaft portion 210 .

The rotating shaft 210 may include a rotating shaft. The filtering unit 200 may be configured to be rotatable using the housing 100 and the rotating shaft 210 rotatably fixed. At this time, the filtering unit 200 may be configured to rotate within a plane to which the aforementioned main flow direction of the fluid, that is, the first direction (X) belongs. This embodiment illustrates a case in which the filtering unit 200 rotates within a plane to which the first direction (X) and the third direction (Z) belong. In this case, the filtering unit 200 may be expressed as rotating in at least a first direction (X) or rotating in at least a third direction (Z). On the other hand, it can be understood as not rotating in at least the second direction (Y). The rotating shaft 210 has a shape extending in the second direction (Y), and the third direction (Z) may be a direction parallel to the direction of gravity, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The plurality of barbed fibers 230 may be a means for directly filtering microplastics included in fluid flowing along the inside of the housing 100 . The barbed fiber 230 may be understood as a substantially linear structure extending in approximately one direction for filtration of microplastics. Hereinafter, the barbed fiber 230 will be described in detail.

The barbed fiber 230 may be arranged to extend in an outer circumferential direction of the rotating shaft portion 210 . The outer circumferential direction may refer to a substantially radial direction based on the rotation center of the rotating shaft portion 210 . For example, the barbed fibers 230 may be arranged to extend in a direction perpendicular to a tangential line of the surface of the rotating shaft 210, that is, in a normal direction. The number of barbed fibers 230 may be about 100 or more, or about 500 or more, or about 1,000 or more, or about 2,000 or more, or about 3,000 or more.

At least some of the barbed fibers 230 may be arranged along the second direction (Y). In addition, at the point of view of the rotation cross-section as shown in FIG. 4 and the like, the barbed fibers 230 may be rotated at a predetermined angle with respect to the center of rotation. According to the above regular arrangement, the filtering unit 200 including the barbed fibers 230 may have a shape similar to that of a waterwheel.

Any one barbed fiber 230 may include a fiber body 230a (or fiber body) and a branch 230b protruding from the fiber body 230a. An extension direction of the fiber body 230a may coincide with an extension direction of the barbed fiber 230 . That is, the fiber body 230a may be disposed to extend from the rotating shaft 210 in an outer circumferential direction or in a substantially radial direction.

The branch 230b may refer to a protruding or extending portion from the fiber body 230a. The extension direction of the branch 230b may intersect with the extension direction of the fiber body 230a. The branch 230b may be integrally formed without a physical boundary with the fiber body 230a.

As a non-limiting example, the barbed fiber 230 according to the present embodiment may be prepared by partially cutting a fibrous structure having a substantially uniform thickness in an oblique direction and spreading the cut portion. Branches 230b may be formed regularly or irregularly. Accordingly, the fiber body 230a may have a partially depressed portion 230c on the side surface. The size and shape of the depression 230c may substantially correspond to that of the adjacent branch 230b. That is, when the branch 230b is pressed, it is inserted into the depression 230c and may be in the shape of the first fibrous structure. A width of the barbed fiber 230 in a portion where the depression 230c is formed may be smaller than a width in a portion where the recessed portion 230c is not formed. The maximum width (W) or maximum thickness of the fiber body (230a) may be about 0.1 mm to 2 mm, or about 0.5 mm to 1.8 mm, or about 0.7 mm to 1.5 mm.

As described above, the branch 230b may be prepared by cutting and spreading a fibrous structure having an initial uniform thickness. In an exemplary embodiment, the ratio (Wg/W) of the width (Wg) of the cut portion to the maximum width (W) of the fiber body (230a) may be about 50% or less, or about 40% or less. In addition, the lower limit of the ratio (Wg/W) may be about 30% or more. Here, the width Wg of the cut portion may mean the width of the recessed portion 230c in the fiber thickness direction.

If the ratio (Wg/W) is too large, the width of the fiber body 230a becomes too small near the recessed portion 230c, and the barbed fiber 230 breaks near the recessed portion 230c, resulting in poor durability. may be lowered On the other hand, when the ratio (Wg/W) is smaller than the above range, it may be difficult to form the branch 230b having a sufficient length (L).

In addition, an angle between the extension direction of the branch 230b and the extension direction of the fiber body 230a, for example, an acute angle θ1, may be a major factor influencing the efficiency of collecting microplastics during drainage. For example, the angle θ1 formed between the branch 230b and the fiber body 230a may be an acute angle ranging from about 1 degree to less than 90 degrees, or about 10 degrees to 89 degrees. The branch 230b may be inclined to form an acute angle toward the outside in the aforementioned outer circumferential direction, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Preferably, the first angle θ1 formed by the extension direction of the branch 230b and the fiber body 230a may be within a range of about 40 degrees to 60 degrees, or about 45 degrees to 55 degrees. Adjacent barbed fibers 230 may be entangled with each other, and specifically, branches 230b may be entangled with each other to form pores P for permeation of fluid and filtration of microplastics. If the angle θ1 is too small, it may be difficult to form an entangled structure with another adjacent barbed fiber 230 . On the other hand, if the angle θ1 is too large, the barbed fibers 230 cannot be sufficiently arranged in the second direction Y, and collection efficiency may decrease.

On the cross-sectional view of the barbed fiber 230, the minimum angle θ2 formed between the side surface of the fiber body 230a and the recessed portion 230c is the ratio (Wg/W) occupied by the width (Wg) of the cut portion, branch It may be appropriately selected or designed considering the angle θ1 of the extension direction of 230b, the length L of the branch, etc., but, for example, the side surface of the fiber body 230a and the recess 230c The minimum angle θ2 to form may be in the range of about 10 degrees to about 45 degrees. If the minimum angle θ2 is too small, the thickness of the branch 230b may become too thin and the branch 230b may be detached from the fiber body 230a. In this case, the detached branches 230b may be drained, causing the microplastics to be drained. On the other hand, if the minimum angle θ2 is too large, it may be difficult to form the branch 230b to a sufficient length L within the limited width Wg of the depression 230c.

In some embodiments, the extended length L of branch 230b may range from about 0.3 mm to 1.0 mm, or from about 0.4 mm to 0.8 mm, or from about 0.5 mm to 0.7 mm. If the length (L) of the branch (230b) is too large, the gap in the entangled structure formed between the adjacent branches (230b) may be too large. On the other hand, when the length L of the branch 230b is too small, it may be difficult to form an entangled structure with the adjacent branch 230b.

The barbed fiber 230 may include a plastic material. Specifically, the barbed fiber 230 may be made of a material that has sufficient ductility and does not cause shape deformation even under high hydrothermal conditions. For example, the barbed fiber 230 has excellent flexibility and can withstand a temperature of about 100°C or higher, or about 120°C or higher, or about 140°C or higher, or about 150°C or higher, or about 160°C or higher, or about 180°C or higher. , or a plastic resin having a melting point of about 190° C. or higher, or about 200° C. or higher, such as polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) or polypropylene (PP). Preferably, the barbed fiber 230 may be made of a plastic resin material having a melting point of about 150° C. or higher.

Although the present invention is not limited thereto, in the case of polyethylene (PE) resin having a melting point of less than 150 ° C, it is melted in the high temperature drainage process, so that the concentration of the plastic resin component increases during drainage, or at least the shape deformation of the barbed fiber 230 This may cause it not to be suitable.

The barbed fibers 230 of the filtering unit 200 according to the present embodiment may at least partially contact or contact each other to form an entangled structure. For a specific example, each branch 230b of the barbed fibers 230 adjacent to each other may contact, contact, or cross each other. On the other hand, each fiber body 230a of the barbed fibers 230 adjacent to each other may be spaced apart from each other. Accordingly, fine voids P are formed between the barbed fibers 230, and water permeation is performed using the voids, and at the same time, fine plastics in the discharged fluid are filtered using the branch 230b and/or the fiber body 230a. or collection can be performed.

Specifically, the plurality of barbed fibers 230 arranged in the second direction (Y) are permeable surfaces or filters for fluid flowing in a direction perpendicular to or crossing the second direction (Y), for example, in the first direction (X). It forms a surface and can function roughly like a mesh.

In some embodiments, filter device 11 may further include a sensor unit 300 and/or a communication unit 400 .

The sensor unit 300 may be a means for measuring the rotational speed, rotational amount, and/or rotational direction of the filtering unit 200, specifically, the rotating shaft 210. In addition, the communication unit 400 may include a baseband circuit for processing wired/wireless signals. For example, the communication unit 400 is a mobile communication network such as code division multiple access (CDMA), wide band code division multiple access (WCDMA), high-speed packet access (HSPA), long term evolution (LTE) or Ethernet, Data may be transmitted and received using a wired communication network such as digital subscriber line (xDSL), optical coaxial network (HFC), and optical subscriber network (FTTH), but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Although not represented in the drawings, the filter device 11 may further include a processor and/or a speaker. The processor may implement operations and functions so that the communication unit 400 may transmit a result measured by the sensor unit 300 . Alternatively, an alarm may be provided through a speaker based on a result measured by the sensor unit 300 . Power for the operation of the sensor unit 300, communication unit 400, speaker and/or processor of the filter device 11 may be supplied from a battery (not shown) or may be supplied from the washing machine 20 or the like. may be

Hereinafter, the operation of the filter device 11 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the filter device 11 in a state where the life of the filter device remains, for example, in a state in which microplastics collected in the barbed fiber 230 are relatively small. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the filter device 11 in a state in which the life of the filter device is exhausted, for example, in a state in which microplastics collected in the barbed fiber 230 are relatively large.

First, further referring to FIG. 9 , the fluid flowing along the inside of the housing 100, specifically the inside of the housing body 110, passes through the water permeable surface formed by the plurality of barbed fibers 230 of the filtering unit 200. can In the process, microplastics included in the fluid may be filtered by the barbed fiber 230 .

As a non-limiting example, the filtering unit 200 may rotate counterclockwise based on FIG. 9 . This may be because the third direction Z is parallel to the direction of gravity, so that the flow of fluid is concentrated to the lower side of the filtering unit 200, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, the second direction (Y) may be substantially parallel to the direction of gravity.

In this state, the filter device 11 exhibits excellent microplastics collection efficiency and can contribute to reducing microplastics in the discharged fluid. In addition, the microplastics (MF) filtered by the barbed fibers 230 block some of the air gaps formed by the barbed fibers 230, but the barbed fibers 230 can exhibit a sufficient amount of water permeation, so that the filtering unit 200 ) may not rotate substantially, or may rotate at a relatively small speed. That is, despite the flow of the fluid, the fluid may flow through the barbed fiber 230 rather than rotating the filtering unit 200 .

On the other hand, further referring to FIG. 10 , as the filter device 11 continues to be used, the microplastics MF filtered through the barbed fibers 230 may block most of the pores formed by the barbed fibers 230. . Accordingly, the water permeability of the water permeable surface (or filter surface) formed by the barbed fibers 230 may be reduced. That is, the flow of fluid may rotate the filtering unit 200 rather than passing through the barbed fiber 230 . Therefore, in this state, the filtering unit 200 may rotate at a relatively high speed compared to the previous case.

Unlike the present invention, if a mesh having a fixed position and shape is used as a filter device, a differential pressure is generated on the fluid path in the front and rear of the mesh as the microplastic filtered through the mesh accumulates, and the differential pressure is excessively large, resulting in the permeation of the fluid. If it becomes difficult, the problem of the filter device bursting may occur. However, in the filter device 11 according to the present embodiment, the permeation of the fluid acts predominantly in the initial state to perform the filtration of the microplastics, but when the pores are blocked to the extent that the permeation of the fluid becomes difficult, the filtering surface is rotated. By configuring it, the flow of the fluid can not be blocked, and the formation of differential pressure can be suppressed in advance. Therefore, even if the user does not recognize that the life of the filter device 11 is exhausted, it is possible to prevent the filter device 11 from exploding.

In addition, when the filter device uses a mesh having a fixed location and shape as in the prior art, the life of the filter device is limited because only a filter surface having a limited fluid cross-sectional area is provided. In addition, even when a plurality of meshes are arranged in series, there is a problem in that a differential pressure occurs in the entire filter device when any one mesh is blocked. However, the filter device 11 according to the present embodiment provides a filtration surface of a predetermined area by using the arrayed barbed fibers 230, but since they are rotated in the rotational direction of the filtering unit 200, even one filtration Even when the lifespan of the surface is exhausted, the rotated other filtering surface can contribute to the collection of microplastics, and as a result, the lifespan of the filter device 11 can be greatly increased.

Hereinafter, other embodiments of the present invention will be described. However, a description of the same or extremely similar configuration as the above-described embodiment will be omitted, which will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the accompanying drawings.

11 is a cross-sectional side view of a filter device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 11, the filtering unit 202 of the filter device 12 according to the present embodiment is rotatably arranged in a plane to which the first direction (X) and the third direction (Z) belong, and the barbed fiber It is different from the filter device according to the above-described embodiment in that the 230 are not disposed completely in the normal direction on the surface of the rotating shaft portion 210, but are arranged inclined so as to cross the normal direction.

In an exemplary embodiment, the plurality of barbed fibers 230 arranged along the second direction (Y) may be arranged inclined at the same angle as each other. The extension direction of the barbed fiber 230, that is, the angle between the inclined direction and the normal direction may be in a range of about 3 degrees to about 15 degrees, or about 5 degrees to about 10 degrees. When the angle at which the barbed fibers 230 are inclined is greater than the above range, the barbed fibers 230 may not receive sufficient fluid resistance, and thus the microplastic collection efficiency may decrease.

As described above, the filtering unit 202 may be configured to be rotatable by the fluid flowing along the inside of the housing 100 . At this time, forming a consistent rotation direction of the filtering unit 202 may be an important factor in terms of preventing or separating the microplastics attached to the barbed fibers 230 . At this time, in the flow resistance of the fluid that affects the rotation direction of the filtering unit 202, since the barbed fiber 230 on one side is configured to receive a large fluid flow resistance, the fluid flow in the corresponding direction becomes dominant and uses this The direction of rotation of the filtering unit 202 can be controlled.

Therefore, in the filtering unit 202 of the filter device 12 according to the present embodiment, rotation of the filtering unit 202 in one direction can be further facilitated by the inclined arrangement of the barbed fibers 230 .

12 is a cross-sectional side view of a filter device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 12, the filtering unit 203 of the filter device 13 according to the present embodiment is rotatably disposed in a plane to which the first direction X and the third direction Z belong, and the filtering unit ( 203) is different from the filter device according to the above-described embodiment in that it is disposed on one side in the third direction Z within the housing 100.

That is, the shortest separation distance between the filtering unit 203 and the inner wall on any one side of the third direction (Z) of the housing 100 (the upper inner wall in FIG. 12) is the third distance between the filtering unit 203 and the housing 100 The direction (Z) may be different from the shortest separation distance between the other inner wall (lower inner wall in FIG. 12).

As described above, forming a consistent rotational direction of the filtering unit 203 may be an important factor in terms of separating or preventing the microplastics attached to the barbed fibers 230 from falling off. At this time, since the barbed fiber 230 can form flow resistance to the fluid, when a fluid path that can flow bypassing the barbed fiber 230 is formed, the flow of the fluid in that direction becomes dominant. It is possible to control the rotation direction of the filtering unit 203 by using. That is, the path through which the fluid can bypass is relatively small in the upper part of the filtering unit 203 of FIG. 12 , while the lower part of the filtering unit 203 has a predetermined separation space between the inner wall and the housing 100. This formation may provide a path through which the fluid can bypass.

Therefore, the filtering unit 203 of the filter device 13 according to the present embodiment can be more easily rotated in one direction by the separation distance from the inner wall of the housing 100 .

13 is a perspective view of a filter device according to another embodiment of the present invention, in which the interior is projected; Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the filter device of Fig. 13; Fig. 15 is a cross-sectional side view of the filter device of Fig. 13;

13 to 15, the filtering unit 204 of the filter device 14 according to the present embodiment is rotatably disposed in a plane to which the first direction (X) and the third direction (Z) belong, It differs from the filter device according to the above-described embodiment in that the housing 104 partially includes portions having different widths.

In an exemplary embodiment, the housing 104, specifically, the housing body 114 includes a first housing portion 114a having a relatively small width (eg, a passage space width and an inner width) in the third direction Z, and A second housing portion 114b having a relatively wide width in the third direction Z may be included. 13 and the like illustrate a case where the second housing part 114b is positioned between two first housing parts 114a spaced apart from each other in the first direction X.

In this case, the maximum width of the filtering unit 204 in the third direction Z may be greater than the width of the first housing part 114a and smaller than or equal to the width of the second housing part 114b. The filtering unit 204 may be disposed within the second housing portion 114b. Specifically, the rotary shaft portion 210 of the filtering unit 204 may be disposed within the second housing portion 114b.

In addition, among the plurality of barbed fibers 230 disposed in the radial direction to surround the rotating shaft portion 210, at least some of them overlap or overlap the first housing portion 114a in the first direction X, and at least Some may be disposed so as not to overlap with the first housing part 114a in the first direction (X). Accordingly, the fluid flowing from the fluid inlet 121h along the fluid outlet 122h is filtered through the water permeable surface formed by the barbed fiber 230 overlapping the first housing portion 114a in the first direction (X). The barbed fiber 230 passing only the first housing part 114a and not overlapping with the first housing part 114a may not substantially affect the flow of the fluid. Through this, the filtering unit 204 may be induced to rotate counterclockwise (refer to FIG. 15 ) by the fluid flowing along the inside of the housing 104 .

In addition, when the volume of the inner space of the housing 104 is too large, a bottleneck phenomenon may occur in the flow of fluid passing through the filter device 14 and flowing into the second conduit unit. Therefore, there is an effect that the volume of the passage provided by the housing 104 can be configured to be relatively small.

16 is a perspective view of a filtering unit according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 16, the filtering unit 205 of the filter device according to the present embodiment includes a rotating shaft portion 210 and a plurality of barbed fibers 230 disposed in an outer circumferential direction of the rotating shaft portion 210, but the barb The filtering unit according to the above-described embodiment differs in that the hard fibers 230 are arranged in the second direction (Y) to form a group, and the group is not rotated in the rotational direction but regularly or irregularly arranged in the outer circumferential direction. that is different. That is, the filtering unit 205 according to the present embodiment may not have a shape like a waterwheel, but may be recognized as a shape like a brush.

In some embodiments, barbed fibers 230 that are closest to each other may or may not abut each other.

Hereinafter, a filter replacement alarm system and method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

17 is a schematic diagram of a filter device replacement alarm system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 18 is a hardware configuration diagram of the server of FIG. 17; 19 is a flowchart illustrating a method for alarming a filter device replacement time according to an embodiment of the present invention.

17 to 19, the filter device replacement alarm system according to the present embodiment includes a filter device 11 (or a drainage system 1 equipped with the filter device 11), and a server 2 and A user terminal 3 may be further included.

As described above, the filter device 11 includes a filtering unit rotatably disposed within the housing, and a sensor unit and/or a sensor unit capable of collecting information about the rotational speed, amount and/or direction of rotation of the filtering unit. Alternatively, it may further include a communication unit. The communication unit may be configured to transmit/receive wireless signals to and from the server 2 and/or the user terminal 3, including a baseband circuit. For example, the processor of the filter device 11 may transmit a measurement result of the sensor unit or an operation based on the measurement result to the user terminal 3 and/or the server 2 through a communication unit. Alternatively, in some embodiments, a signal requested from the user terminal 3 and/or the server 2 may be received through the communication unit of the filter device 11 and the operation of the filter device 11 may be controlled. Since the filter device 11 has been described in detail above, duplicate descriptions will be omitted.

The user terminal 3 may be a mobile computing device or a stationary computing device. For example, the computing device may include one or more of a smart phone, a smart watch, a laptop, a phablet, a tablet, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a desktop, a workstation, and a server, but the present invention is not limited thereto no.

The server 2 will be described below. In an exemplary embodiment, the server 2 may include a processor 910 , a memory 920 , a storage 930 , an input/output interface 940 and a communication interface 950 .

The processor 910 may implement operations and/or functions related to the method according to the present invention based on instructions according to software in which the method according to the present invention is implemented resident in the memory 920 . The software may be a computer-readable program stored in a storage medium to perform a filter device replacement alarm providing method to be described later. A known processor may be used, but may be implemented through, for example, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or other chipset, logic circuit, and/or data processing device.

Software implementing the method may be loaded in the memory 920 . A well-known memory may be used, but may be implemented through, for example, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), flash memory, memory card, storage medium, and/or other storage devices. The memory 920 may be internal or external to the processor 910 and may be connected to the processor 910 by known means.

The storage 930 may store an application programming interface (API), a library, a resource file, and the like necessary for the execution of software in which the method is implemented. Also, the storage 930 may store software in which the method is implemented.

The input/output interface 940 may include an input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, a joystick, a touch panel, a touch pad, a camera, and a sensor, and an output device such as a display, a printer, and a plotter.

The communication interface 950 may transmit/receive wired/wireless signals with a communication unit of the filter device 11 and/or a communication interface of a user terminal.

The aforementioned processor 910, memory 920, storage 930, input/output interface 940 and communication interface 950 may be connected through a data bus. Data can be transferred between each component through the data bus.

In addition, various components shown in FIG. 18 may be implemented by various means, for example, hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. Each component on a block diagram or block diagram may represent a module, segment, or piece of code that includes one or more executable instructions for executing a specified logical function. Therefore, a function provided by a component on a block diagram or block diagram may be implemented by a plurality of more subdivided components, or a plurality of components on a block diagram or block diagram may be implemented by an integrated component. is of course

That is, within the scope of the object of the present invention, one or more components may be selectively combined and operated. In addition, all components may be implemented as one independent hardware, and some or all of the components are selectively combined to have a program module that performs some or all of the combined functions in one or a plurality of hardware It may also be implemented as a computer program. Codes and code segments constituting the computer program can be easily inferred by those skilled in the art belonging to the technical field of the present invention.

In the case of hardware implementation, one embodiment of the present invention includes one or more Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), Digital Signal Processing Devices (DSPDs), Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), FPGAs ( Field Programmable Gate Arrays), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, etc.

In addition, in the case of implementation by firmware or software, an embodiment of the present invention is implemented in the form of a module, procedure, function, etc. that performs the functions or operations described above, and is stored on a recording medium readable through various computer means. can be recorded. Here, the recording medium may include program commands, data files, data structures, etc. alone or in combination.

Program instructions recorded on the recording medium may be those specially designed and configured for the present invention, or those known and usable to those skilled in computer software. For example, recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tapes, optical media such as CD-ROMs (Compact Disk Read Only Memory) and DVDs (Digital Video Disks), floptical It includes hardware devices specially configured to store and execute program instructions, such as magneto-optical media, such as a floptical disk, and ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions may include high-level language codes that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like as well as machine language codes generated by a compiler. These hardware devices may be configured to operate as one or more pieces of software to perform the operations of the present invention, and vice versa.

Hereinafter, a case in which the collection unit 911, the determination unit 912, and the alarm unit 913 are included as functional components performed by the processor 910 will be described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, of course. am.

In the method for providing a replacement alarm for a filter device according to an embodiment of the present invention, information on the rotational speed of a filtering unit of a filter device 11 is provided (S100), the collected rotational speed is compared with a reference value (S200), It may include providing an alarm according to the comparison result (S300).

The collection unit 911 may collect rotational information such as rotational speed, rotational amount, and rotational direction of the filtering unit of the filter device 11 ( S100 ). The collection is performed by the sensor unit of the filter device 11 and transmitted and received through the communication unit as described above.

The determination unit 912 may compare the collected rotation information of the filtering unit with a reference value (S200). For example, the rotational speed of the filtering unit may be compared with a reference value. As a result of the comparison, for example, when the rotational speed of the filtering unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined standard, that is, when it is recognized to rotate at a relatively high speed, it can be determined that the lifespan of the filter device 11 is somewhat exhausted. . On the other hand, when the rotational speed of the filtering unit is less than or less than a predetermined standard, that is, when it is recognized to rotate at a relatively slow speed, it may be determined that the life of the filter device 11 remains.

As described above, according to the use of the filter device 11, the microplastics block the pores formed by the barbed fibers of the filtering unit, and as the blockage progresses, the flow of fluid may rotate the filtering unit. According to the present invention, the life of the filter device 11 can be measured or estimated based on the rotational speed of the filtering unit without a complicated configuration such as deriving differential pressure by measuring pressure at a plurality of locations in the flow path as in the prior art. .

As a result of the determination, when it is determined that the speed of the filtering unit is high, the alarm unit 913 provides alarm information regarding that the life of the filter device 11 has been exhausted and that all or part of the filter device 11 needs to be replaced or repaired. can be generated (S300). On the other hand, as a result of the determination, when it is determined that the speed of the filtering unit is slow, the collecting unit 911 may continuously monitor information about the rotational speed of the filtering unit.

The alarm information generated by the alarm unit 913 may be implemented by being delivered to the user terminal 3 through the communication interface 950 or the like. In this case, the alarm implemented in the user terminal 3 may include a pop-up message, a push message, an SNS message, an SMS message, and/or a sound.

The filter device 11 according to the present invention can prevent the problem of the filter device bursting by suppressing the generation of differential pressure even when the lifespan is exhausted, but the filter device 11 can no longer perform the function of filtering microplastics. or the filtration capacity may be reduced. Therefore, prompt replacement can be induced by notifying the user of the current state of the filter device 11, the replacement time, or the need for replacement in a simple way.

In another embodiment, the filter device replacement alarm system may omit a server and transmit/receive data between the filter device 11 and the user terminal 3 . In this case, all or part of the components of the server 2 described above may be understood as being by the user terminal 3 . That is, components related to the above-described collection unit 911 , determination unit 912 , and alarm unit 913 should be interpreted as computing devices constituting the server 2 or the user terminal 3 .

In another embodiment, the replacement alarm system of the filter device may omit the user terminal 3 . In this case, it can be understood that all or some of the components of the server 2 described above are included in the filter device 11. That is, components related to the above-described collection unit 911, determination unit 912, and alarm unit 913 should be interpreted as computing devices constituting the server 2, user terminal 3, or filter device 11. . Also, the alarm generated by the alarm unit 913 may be implemented through a speaker of the filter device 11 and/or a light emitting unit such as an LED.

Although the above has been described with reference to the embodiments of the present invention, this is only an example and does not limit the present invention, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs will be able to It will be appreciated that various modifications and applications not exemplified above are possible.

Therefore, it should be understood that the scope of the present invention includes modifications, equivalents, or substitutes of the technical ideas exemplified above. For example, each component specifically shown in the embodiment of the present invention may be modified and implemented. And the differences related to these modifications and applications should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

1: Laundry drainage system
11: filter device
100: housing
200: filtering unit
300: sensor unit
400: communication unit

Claims (12)

a housing having an inner space;
a filtering unit rotatably disposed within the housing, including a rotating shaft and a plurality of barbed fibers arranged in an outer circumferential direction of the rotating shaft; and
A filter device comprising a sensor for sensing a rotational speed, rotational amount or rotational direction of the filtering unit. According to claim 1,
The barbed fiber includes a fiber body extending in one direction and a branch protruding in an oblique direction from the fiber body. According to claim 2,
Branches of the plurality of barbed fibers are disposed to at least partially contact each other. According to claim 1,
The barbed fiber has a melting point of 150 ° C. or higher and includes a material having flexibility. delete According to claim 1,
The housing has a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet,
The filtering unit is configured to be rotatable by the fluid flowing inside the housing. According to claim 6,
The filtering unit is located on a line connecting the inlet and the outlet. According to claim 1,
The barbed fiber is arranged in a normal direction of the rotation end surface of the rotation shaft portion or in a direction inclined with respect to the normal line. According to claim 1,
The housing has a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet spaced apart in a first direction,
The filtering unit is configured to rotate in a plane to which the first and third directions belong,
The filtering unit is located in the housing, biased toward one side in the third direction. a fluid inlet pipe and a fluid outlet pipe; And a filter device coupled to be fluidly connected between the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe,
The filter device,
A housing having an inlet and an outlet, wherein the inlet is connected to an inlet pipe and the outlet is connected to an outlet pipe;
A filtering unit rotatably disposed within the housing, including a rotary shaft and a plurality of barbed fibers arranged in an outer circumferential direction of the rotary shaft; and
and a sensor for detecting a rotational speed, rotational amount or rotational direction of the filtering unit. A method of providing replacement time information of a filter device including a housing and a filtering unit rotatably disposed in the housing, comprising:
performed by a computing device comprising at least one processor;
being provided with information about the rotational speed of the filtering unit;
and comparing the rotational speed with a predetermined reference value to provide information regarding a filter device replacement alarm. a rotational speed collection unit receiving information about a rotational speed of the filtering unit from a filter device including a housing and a filtering unit rotatably disposed within the housing;
a determining unit comparing the collected rotation speed with a predetermined reference value; and
And an alarm unit for providing information on a replacement alarm according to a result of the determination of the determination unit.

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