JPH0338919B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a filter for filtering drinking water and the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Cartridge-type filters equipped with a filter cartridge (hereinafter referred to as "cartridge") in which activated carbon is sealed as a filtering medium in the main body are used in general households. In such a filter, if the same cartridge is used for a long time, the filtration performance of activated carbon deteriorates, and it becomes necessary to replace the cartridge with a new one. Usually, cartridges are replaced at intervals of a period of use (for example, every four months) set in advance by the manufacturer.
However, since the period of use set by the manufacturer is based on the frequency of use in an average household, the conditions will vary significantly if the degree of turbidity of the water or the frequency of use differs significantly. For example, in homes where filters are used very frequently, the filtration performance deteriorates significantly before the use period has elapsed, and it is unreasonable to use the filter without noticing the drop in filtering performance. Furthermore, in households where the cartridge is used very infrequently, the cartridge ends up being replaced even though the filtration performance has not deteriorated significantly. In order to solve these problems, a filter has been proposed that can predict the decline in the filtering performance of activated carbon and determine when it is time to replace it, as shown in FIG. In Figure 7, 24
25 is a filter inserted into the bottom of the filter medium accommodating portion of the filtration cartridge 24; and 26 is a filter medium made of activated carbon that is accommodated above the filter 25 in the filter medium accommodating portion.

Visually observing the discoloration of the filter 25 can be considered as a guide to predicting the decline in the filtration performance of the activated carbon 26 and determining when to replace it, but it is difficult to visually observe the filter 25 housed inside from the outside. . Therefore, in the past, a dedicated pre-filter 28 was installed in the water channel 27 for raw water to indicate when it was time to replace the cartridge.
A transparent stopper 29 is placed over an opening formed in the outer shell of the cartridge so that the prefilter 28 can be viewed from the outside.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, with the above configuration, there was a problem in that the prefilter 28 provided resistance to the water flow, resulting in a significant decrease in the flow rate of raw water. In addition, raw water contains quite large particles of dust, so even if a coarse filter material with low resistance to water is used, these large particles can clog the prefilter 28. There was a possibility that this could happen. If the prefilter 28 becomes clogged, not only will the flow rate of raw water decrease, but the activated carbon 28 will also become clogged.
6, the prefilter 28 becomes extremely discolored even though the filtration performance of the filter 6 has not deteriorated significantly, resulting in a problem that the user cannot accurately judge when to replace the cartridge 24.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a filter that reduces the resistance to the flow of raw water and allows the vehicle in use to accurately determine when to replace the cartridge. The purpose is to

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the present invention inserts a filter piece for displaying filtration performance into the raw water canal, leaving a flow path through which the raw water can pass without any hindrance, and A window was installed to allow for visual inspection from the outside.

Effect By configuring as above, the raw water can flow smoothly avoiding the filter pieces, and the resistance given to the water is extremely small, and even if the raw water flows avoiding the filter pieces, The turbid components in the raw water gradually adhere to the upper air filter pieces, and the filter pieces change color due to the turbid components. The filter pieces can be visually observed from the outside through the window.

EXAMPLE Hereinafter, a filter in an example of the present invention will be described.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a switching valve part, 2 is a cartridge case, and 3 is a lid of the cartridge case 2. As shown in FIG. The cartridge case 2 is fixed to the switching valve section 1. The lid 3 is attached to the cartridge case 2 with screws. A cartridge accommodating portion is formed by the cartridge case 2 and the lid 3. Reference numeral 4 denotes a cylindrical valve body, which is rotatably accommodated in a valve casing formed within the switching valve section 1. A water channel 6 is formed in the inside of the valve body 4 to guide the incoming raw water to the cartridge accommodating portion side, and a recess 7 is formed in the outer side to guide the incoming raw water to the outside as it is. There is. When the valve body 4 is in the filtering state, a waterway is formed that passes through the raw water inlet 1a, the waterway 6, and the waterway 1b. On the other hand, when the valve body 4 is displaced so that the raw water flows out, a waterway is formed from the raw water inlet 1a to the raw water discharge pipe 1c via the waterway formed between the recess 7 and the inner wall of the valve casing. be done. Reference numeral 5 denotes a filter cartridge (hereinafter referred to as "cartridge"), which is accommodated in the cartridge accommodating section. Activated carbon 8 is sealed as a filter medium in a filter medium housing portion in the cartridge 5. Further, a filter 10 for removing turbidity components in the water is provided in the filter medium housing portion of the cartridge 5 on the side closer to the filtered water outlet 9 than the activated carbon 8. 11 is a net for preventing activated carbon 8 from leaking to the outside.
Reference numeral 12 denotes a water channel for guiding the raw water flowing into the cartridge 5 to the filter medium storage section. A pipe 13 for injecting raw water protrudes from the switching valve into the cartridge case 2, and is connected to the raw water inlet of the cartridge 5. Reference numeral 14 denotes a filtrate water discharge pipe provided at the bottom of the cartridge case 2, and is connected to the filtrate water outlet 9 of the cartridge 5.

The outer wall of the cartridge facing the end of the water channel 12 is provided with an opening 5a as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.
is provided, and a filter piece for displaying filtration performance to which turbidity components in raw water adhere is inserted into the opening 5a, and this filter piece is made of synthetic resin fibers molded into a plate shape, and is hereinafter referred to as a pre-filter. Call it 15. Then, after inserting the prefilter 15,
A transparent stopper 16 is attached to close the upper air opening.

The portion in which the prefilter 15 is housed will be described in detail below based on FIGS. 3 and 4. A disc-shaped pre-filter 1 is installed on the upper part of the water channel 12.
A prefilter accommodating portion 17 for accommodating the filter 5 is formed. A crescent-shaped platform 18 is formed below the prefilter accommodating section 17, leaving the water channel 12 as shown in FIG. 3, and the platform 18 is provided with a groove 19 through which raw water flows. Further, a side hole 20 for inflowing raw water is provided in the side wall of the prefilter accommodating portion 17 and penetrates toward the filter medium accommodating portion side. Stopper 1
An annular rib 21 is formed on the back side of 6.
The plug 16 is inserted into the cartridge 5 with the rib 21 facing inward.
can be attached to.

In this embodiment, since the prefilter 15 is not bonded, etc., the prefilter 15 is slightly movable within the prefilter accommodating portion 17. Further, since the prefilter 15 is larger than the cross section of the water channel 12, the prefilter 15 does not enter into the water channel 12. Further, since the width of the prefilter 15 is larger than the side hole 20, the prefilter 15 does not enter the filter medium storage portion through the side hole 20.

Next, the prefilter 1 of the filter in this embodiment
The effect of No. 5 will be explained. When raw water flows into the prefilter accommodating portion 17 through the water channel 12, the prefilter 15 is pressed against the stopper 16 by water pressure as shown in FIG. At this time, the plug 16
The ribs 21 provided in the prefilter 15 support the prefilter 15. Then, the raw water flows into the filter medium storage section from the side hole 20 of the prefilter storage section 17. At this time, most of the raw water flows directly into the side hole 20 without passing through the prefilter 15. However, some of the water passes through the prefilter and flows into the space between the plug 16 and the prefilter 15 as shown by arrow A. When passing through the prefilter 15, turbid components such as iron rust pass through the prefilter 15.
Attach to.

By using it for a long time, the filtration performance of the activated carbon 8 and the filter 10 deteriorates, and along with this, the prefilter 15 also becomes contaminated with cloudy components and gradually discolors. The user inserts the prefilter 15 through the transparent stopper 16 from the outside of the cartridge 5.
The degree of discoloration of the prefilter 15 can be monitored.

Therefore, by appropriately selecting the material, thickness, etc. of the prefilter 15, the filtration performance of the activated carbon 8 and the filter 10 can be predicted from the degree of discoloration of the prefilter 15.

As the prefilter 15, synthetic resin fibers are used which have a much lower water permeability than ordinary filters. And its thickness is 0.6mm~0.8
mm.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In FIG. 6, 16 is a transparent stopper that closes the opening at the top of the cartridge, as in the previous embodiment. Reference numeral 22 denotes a water channel for guiding the raw water flowing into the cartridge to the filter medium storage section. 23 is a pre-filter for displaying filtration performance, and is bonded and fixed to the rib 21 of the stopper 16. As the prefilter 23, synthetic resin fibers with high water permeability are used. Then, it becomes thicker and protrudes into the raw water channel.

The raw water flows into the water channel 22, flows as indicated by the arrow, and flows into the filter medium storage section. At this time, most of the water flows directly into the filter medium storage portion without passing through the prefilter 23, but some water passes through the prefilter 23. When the raw water passes through the prefilter 23, turbid components in the raw water adhere to the prefilter 23, and the prefilter 23 gradually changes color. Therefore, in this embodiment as well, by appropriately selecting the material and thickness of the prefilter 23, the activated carbon 8 and the filter 10 can be
The filtration performance of the prefilter 23 can be predicted from the degree of discoloration of the prefilter 23.

In this embodiment, since the prefilter 23 is fixed to the rib 21 of the stopper 16 by adhesive, the structure of the prefilter accommodating portion can be simplified. In addition, in this embodiment, the prefilter 23 is made thicker and is configured to protrude into the raw water channel.
By using synthetic resin fibers with high water permeability as the material, raw water can be easily passed through the prefilter 23.
to penetrate. When used for a long time, the entire prefilter 23 becomes discolored. The user can see the prefilter 23 through the transparent stopper 16 and monitor the degree of discoloration of the prefilter 23.

Effects of the Invention In the present invention, a filter piece for displaying filtration performance is inserted into the raw water channel of the cartridge, leaving a channel through which the raw water can pass without any hindrance, so that most of the water avoids the upper air filter and remains as it is. This allows the water to pass through the water, significantly reducing the resistance to the water, and the filter pieces become discolored due to the turbid components in the raw water being attached to them. It is possible to predict a decline in performance.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a filter according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a cartridge of the same filter, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the same cartridge, and FIG.
The figure shows the cartridge along the line B-B shown in Figure 3.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the cartridge in the state in which it is used, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the filter according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a conventional filter. 1...Switching valve part, 2...Cartridge case,
3... Lid, 4... Valve body, 5... Filtration cartridge, 8... Activated carbon, 12... Water channel, 13... Pipe, 14... Filtered water discharge pipe, 15... Prefilter, 16... Plug .

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A filtration cartridge equipped with a filter medium inside;
It has an inlet for raw water, an outlet for filtered water, and a filter body that accommodates a cartridge for upper air filtration, so that the raw water does not interfere with the waterway leading from the raw water inlet of the upper air filtration cartridge to the filter medium storage part. A filter characterized in that a filter piece is provided for displaying filtration performance while leaving a flow path through which the upper air can pass, and a transparent part is provided for visually observing the upper air filter piece from the outside. 2. A patent claim characterized in that the filtration cartridge is provided with a filter piece accommodating part that communicates with a waterway from the raw water inlet to the filter medium accommodating part, and a filter piece for displaying filtration performance is housed in the upper air filter piece accommodating part. The filter according to item 1.