JP4490624B2 - Air / water purifier with water drain - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
[Technical field to which the invention belongs]
The present invention relates to a water purifier, and more particularly, to a water purifier using a ceramic filter or a hollow fiber filter in which precise filtration holes are formed on a filtration surface as a filter.
[0002]
[Technical field to which the invention belongs]
It has been strongly pointed out that tap water has been worse for the past few years. The causes include an increase in the amount of chlorine used due to an increase in the degree of contamination of the raw water, rust, and odor. Furthermore, it has recently been pointed out that trihalomethane, which is a carcinogen, exists. Under these circumstances, household water purifiers that remove harmful substances for the human body have attracted attention and have been widely used in ordinary households. As one of the types of water purifiers currently known, the type using a combination of activated carbon and a ceramic filter as shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2 below, or the type using a combination of activated carbon and a hollow fiber membrane filter The rust and bacteria that cannot be removed by activated carbon are removed by the microfiltration action of the ceramic membrane and hollow fiber membrane.
[0003]
In recent years, water purifiers have been required to be smaller, more efficient, and have a higher filtration flow rate. A ceramic filter such as a ceramic membrane filter with a coating film that ensures a predetermined sterilization performance on the surface or a ceramic honeycomb filter with a coating film similarly applied to a honeycomb substrate and an activated carbon cartridge filled with activated carbon are also fixed. In addition, a stationary water purifier configured to purify raw water supplied from a raw water inlet through purified carbon by passing through activated carbon and a ceramic filter in this order is known (see Patent Document 1 below). And 2). Here, first, in order to understand the present invention, a specific example of a water purifier using a ceramic honeycomb filter disclosed in the following Patent Document 2 will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0004]
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration of an example of a water purifier disclosed in Patent Document 2 below, and FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the flow of raw water and purified water in the water purifier shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the water purifier 100 is configured by providing a ceramic honeycomb filter 104 and an activated carbon cartridge 106 in an outer case 102. And it is comprised so that purified water can be obtained by the raw | natural water supplied passing the activated carbon cartridge 106 and the ceramic honeycomb filter 104 in order.
[0005]
The outer case 102 includes a case base 112 having a raw water inlet 108 and a purified water outlet 110, a cylindrical case main body 114 that can be fixed by screwing to the case base 112, and screwed to an upper portion of the case main body 114. It is comprised from the case cover part 116 which can be fixed. A hole 118 that communicates with the raw water inlet 108 is provided separately from the purified water outlet 110 at the center of the upper portion of the case base 112, and a protrusion 120 is provided at the upper outer periphery of the case base 112. A female screw portion 122 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of 120. The case main body 114 is provided with a male screw portion 126 on the outer periphery of the lower portion thereof and a female screw portion 128 on the inner periphery of the upper portion thereof. The case lid 116 is provided with a protruding portion 132 on the inner surface when the outer case 102 is configured, and a male screw portion 134 is provided on the outer periphery of the protruding portion 132. Further, the case lid 116 is provided with an air / water draining mechanism 136.
[0006]
The ceramic honeycomb filter 104 is provided with an upper support member 138 on its upper side surface and a lower support member 140 on its lower side surface. The activated carbon cartridge 106 that supports the activated carbon 142 therein includes a cartridge body 144, an upper support portion 146, and a lower support portion 148. A raw water outflow hole 150 is provided at the center of the upper support 146, and a water permeable filter 152 made of, for example, a non-woven fabric is provided in the raw water outflow hole 150 to prevent the activated carbon 142 from flowing out. Yes. In addition, a protrusion 154 that protrudes from the upper support 146 is provided on the outer periphery of the upper support 146. A raw water inflow hole 156 for introducing raw water is provided at the center of the lower support portion 148, and a water permeable filter 157 made of, for example, a nonwoven fabric is provided in the raw water inflow hole 156. It is designed to prevent spillage. Further, around the raw water inflow hole 156, an introduction pipe 158 is provided integrally with the activated carbon cartridge 106 so as to introduce the raw water from the inside thereof, and the purified water flows along the outside thereof.
[0007]
As shown in FIG. 8, each component member is fixed after the component members are set, and then the case main body 114 and the case base portion 112 are screwed to the male screw portion 126 and the female screw portion 122. The main body 114 and the case lid 116 can be easily operated by simply screwing the female screw 128 and the male screw 134. At this time, the upper support member 138 of the ceramic honeycomb filter 104 is liquid-tightly connected to the recess of the protrusion 132 of the case lid 116, and the lower support member 140 of the ceramic honeycomb filter 104 is connected to the protrusion of the activated carbon cartridge 106. 154 and the upper support part 146 are connected in a liquid-tight manner to a recess part. Further, the introduction pipe 158 of the activated carbon cartridge 106 is inserted into the hole 118 of the case base 112. And in the hole part 118, while connecting the raw | natural water inlet 108 and the raw | natural water introduction part of the inlet pipe 158, it is comprised so that the purified water derivation | leading-out part of the purified water outlet 110 may be provided in another path | route. . Reference numeral 160 denotes a raw water hose connected to the raw water inlet 108, and 162 denotes a purified water outlet nozzle connected to the purified water outlet 110.
[0008]
Next, according to FIG. 9, the flow of the raw | natural water and the purified water in the water purifier 100 currently disclosed by the following patent document 2 is demonstrated. In the example shown in FIG. 9, raw water supplied from the raw water inlet 108 is supplied to the activated carbon cartridge 106 through the inside of the introduction pipe 158. The raw water supplied to the activated carbon cartridge 106 is once purified by contacting with the activated carbon 142. The raw water once purified in contact with the activated carbon 142 is then supplied to the ceramic honeycomb filter 104. In the ceramic honeycomb filter 104, the supplied raw water moves from the bottom to the top. Since the upper part is closed by the case lid 116, the raw water is moved in the outer peripheral direction at the same time and passes through the ceramic honeycomb filter 104. Water is purified, and finally gathers between the ceramic honeycomb filter 104 and the inner surface of the outer case 102. The collected purified water moves downward between the ceramic honeycomb filter 104 and the inner surface of the case main body 114, passes between the activated carbon cartridge 106, the case main body 114 and the case base 112, and the outer periphery of the introduction pipe 158, It is obtained as purified water from the purified water outlet 110.
[0009]
Next, the ceramic honeycomb filter 104 used for the water purifier 100 disclosed in Patent Document 2 below will be described. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an example of the ceramic honeycomb filter 104, and FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating another example of the ceramic honeycomb filter 104. In the example shown in FIG. 10, the ceramic honeycomb filter 104 includes a ceramic honeycomb structure including a plurality of orthogonal cell walls 164, through holes 166 defined by the cell walls 164, and an outer peripheral wall 168. In the example shown in FIG. 11, a plurality of purified water passage slits 170 are provided separately from the through holes 166 along the through holes 166. When the slit 170 is provided in the filter, the purified water at the center of the filter is easily discharged to the outside through the purified water passage slit 170. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the ceramic honeycomb filter 104 without the slit shown in FIG. As compared with, the portion contributing to filtration can be increased, the amount of water permeation can be increased, and a more efficient water purifier can be obtained.
[0010]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 05-077685 (Claims, FIGS. 1 and 2)
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-11-277051 (Claims, FIGS. 1 and 2)
[0011]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
If you continue to use a water purifier equipped with a porous ceramic filter with precise filtration holes inside such a ceramic honeycomb filter, you will encounter a phenomenon where the filtration flow rate often decreases as the usage time increases. did. This phenomenon is caused by the presence of air on the filtration surface while the inside of the ceramic filter of the water purifier is wet with raw water. Air cannot pass through the fine pores of the wet filtration surface, and an air block is formed by staying in the air. As a result, the filtration flow rate is reduced. For example, in the conventional example shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the upper part of the ceramic honeycomb filter 104 is closed by the case lid part 116 and the upper support member 138 is provided on the upper side surface. An air block is formed at least up to a position where the upper support member 138 provided on the upper side surface of the ceramic honeycomb filter 104 exists, and the area involved in the filtration is reduced only by that portion. This air block is not only when the water purifier is first used, but also when the cartridge is removed, when it is stopped for a long time, or when the switching valve (not shown) on the raw water side is switched, or It is caused by water breakage.
[0012]
This air block can recover the original filtration flow rate by removing the air forming the air block from the inside of the water purifier. However, for example, as shown by reference numeral 136 in FIG. 8, an air / water draining mechanism is provided even in a water purifier using a ceramic honeycomb filter of a conventional example. The purpose is to remove the air that is inevitably mixed in the water purifier when various water purification cartridges are attached to the water purifier, and the air formed inside the water purifier is used. It was not suitable for applications where the blocks were removed periodically.
[0013]
In other words, when various water purification cartridges are attached to the water purifier, the air / water draining mechanism is opened to gradually remove the air accumulated in the water purifier through the raw water, and water overflows from the air / water draining mechanism. The supply of raw water is stopped when it comes, and then the air / drainage mechanism is closed for normal use. The user usually overflows from the air / drainage mechanism. This is because it was possible to easily prevent the overflowed water from splashing around because the amount of overflowing water was small and the work was carried out in a place where it could get wet.
[0014]
However, if an air block occurs as described above, opening the conventional air / drainage mechanism on the spot will not only predict the amount of air forming the air block, but will also apply water pressure to the interior. In some cases, a large amount of water may overflow just by opening the air / drainage mechanism, and in order to eliminate the air block generated in the ceramic filter, There was a problem that the overflowing water wets the surroundings due to the necessity of flowing water.
[0015]
On the other hand, in the case of a water purifier using a hollow fiber filter, some hollow fiber filtration membranes are mixed with a hydrophobic membrane that is difficult to wet with water, and an air block is generated inside the filter. Also, air that has gradually accumulated from the hydrophobic film is discharged to the outside. However, there is a limit to increasing the space of the hydrophobic membrane in order to reduce the volume of the entire hollow fiber filtration membrane while ensuring a predetermined filtration flow rate. However, there is a limit to recovering the predetermined filtration flow rate to improve the feeling of use.
[0016]
On the other hand, both the ceramic filter and the hollow fiber filter contain water from which chlorine has been removed with activated carbon on the raw water side (primary side) of the filter. This causes problems such as bacteria breeding and smelling water. For this purpose, waste water before using the water purifier is effective, but basically the bacteria on the raw water side are not discharged to the water purification side, so the amount of bacteria that stays increases as the period of use increases. It will be. Further, since the fine particles captured by the filtration surface do not pass through the filtration surface and are not discharged to the outside, the amount of the retained fine particles increases as the service period becomes longer, which causes a decrease in the filtration flow rate.
[0017]
The present invention was made in order to solve the problems of the water purifier having a ceramic filter having a conventional air / drainage mechanism as described above and the water purifier having a hollow fiber filter. To provide a stationary water purifier that can easily eliminate air blocks even if they occur, does not flood the surroundings, and easily discharges bacteria and particulates that have accumulated on the raw water side of the filter to the outside. With the goal.
[0018]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  The above object of the present invention can be achieved by the following configurations. That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention,
  (1) a water purification cartridge assembly having at least a filter, a raw water inflow nozzle, a purified water outflow nozzle, and an air / drainage nozzle;
  (2) A water purifier comprising a raw water supply channel, a purified water discharge channel, and an air / water drain channel that are separately engaged with the raw water inflow nozzle, the purified water outflow nozzle, and the air / water drain nozzle of the water purification cartridge assembly. The body,
In the water purifier comprising: a flow path switching means for opening and closing the air / water drain flow path is provided in the water purifier body.,
The flow path switching means closes the purified water flow path simultaneously when opening the air / drainage flow path, and opens the purified water flow path simultaneously when closing the air / drainage flow path.A water purifier with air / water drainage.
According to such a configuration, even if an air block occurs during use, it can be easily eliminated by operating the flow path switching means provided in the water purifier main body, and the surroundings can be submerged. Disappear.
When the air / water drainage channel is opened, the water purification channel is closed at the same time, so the raw water flows directly into the air / water drainage channel without any pressure loss. The air block can be eliminated well.
[0020]
Furthermore, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a water purifier with an air / water drain, wherein the air / water drain nozzle of the water purification cartridge assembly is communicated with a flow path on the upstream side of the filter. According to such an aspect, since the raw water that has accumulated on the upstream side of the filter is discharged to the outside, the accumulated bacteria and fine particles captured by the filtration surface are also discharged to the outside as the use period increases. Not only can the phenomenon such as smelling of water caused by the staying bacteria be prevented, but also the reduction of the filtration flow rate caused by the trapped fine particles can be recovered.
[0021]
According to still another aspect of the present invention, when the water purification cartridge assembly is attached to the water purifier main body in the lateral direction, an air / drainage nozzle of the water purification cartridge assembly is provided above the closing member on the upstream side. A water purifier with air / drainage is provided that communicates with the perforated holes. According to this aspect, the water purification cartridge assembly can be attached arbitrarily in both the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, but the air block can be effectively eliminated even if attached in the horizontal direction.
[0022]
In still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a water purifier with an air / drainage, wherein the filter is made of ceramics. According to this aspect, the water permeability can be made higher than that of a conventional water purifier using a hollow fiber membrane filter, so that a more compact and highly efficient water purifier can be obtained.
[0023]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a specific example of the present invention will be described using a ceramic filter as an example, with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of an example of a water purifier with an air / drainage using a ceramic filter, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a water purification cartridge assembly in the water purifier shown in FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view for explaining the air / water drain valve assembly shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a plan view of a lower case (water purifier main body) for fixing the water purification cartridge assembly. In the example shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the water purifier 10 includes a water purification cartridge assembly 15 including a ceramic filter 13 and an activated carbon cartridge 14 in a space formed by an upper case 11 and a lower case 12. The raw water is passed through the activated carbon cartridge 14 and the ceramic filter 13 in order so that purified water is obtained. This ceramic filter may be a ceramic membrane filter or a ceramic honeycomb filter.
[0024]
The lower case 12 has a raw water inflow passage 16, a purified water outflow passage 17, a drain passage 18, and holes 19 and 19 'for discharging water accumulated in the lower case 12 to the outside. 11 and the lower case 12 are detachably fixed by a manual screw 20. The raw water inflow path 16 and the purified water outflow path 17 are integrally coupled to one end side of the lower portion of the lower case 12 and are attached to be rotatable at the same time by a rotating mechanism 21, respectively. Connected to the hose 22. Further, the lower case 12 is provided with an air / water drain valve assembly 23 at the end opposite to the portion where the raw water inflow passage 16 and the purified water outflow passage 17 are provided.
[0025]
The water purification cartridge assembly 15 has a substantially cylindrical shape that is elongated in the lateral direction, and a raw water inflow nozzle 24 that communicates with a raw water inlet formed in the lower portion of the side surface from the rotation mechanism 21 of the lower case 12, and an air / drain valve. Purified water outflow nozzle 26 communicating with the first flow path switching unit 25 of the assembly 23 and an air / drainage nozzle 28 communicating with the second flow path switching unit 27 of the air / drainage valve assembly 23. A cylindrical cartridge main body 29 and a lid member 30 that closes the open end of the cartridge main body 29 are formed. The nozzles 24, 26, and 28 have O-rings 31, 31 ', 31 "around them, respectively. Are provided in a liquid-tight manner so as to be detachable from the raw water inlet formed from the rotation mechanism 21 and the first flow path switching unit 25 and the second flow path switching unit 27 of the air / drain valve assembly 23. The water purification cartridge assembly 15 is also provided with a locking projection 33 fitted to the locking arm 32 of the lower case 12 at the lower side of the side surface, so that the water purification cartridge assembly 15 is firmly attached to the lower case 12. They are attached so that they are not easily separated by vibration or water pressure.
[0026]
The water purification cartridge assembly 15 includes a ceramic filter 13 and an activated carbon cartridge 14 inside. The activated carbon cartridge 14 is covered with a middle cylinder 34 and a middle cylinder lid 35, and the inside thereof has an inlet filter member 38 made of a first nonwoven fabric 36 and a sponge 37 from the inlet to the outlet, a first activated carbon layer 39, The partition plate 40, the second activated carbon layer 41, and the second nonwoven fabric 42 are provided in this order, and are disposed at the entrance end of the water purification cartridge assembly 15. On the other hand, in the ceramic filter 13, an annular ceramic sleeve 44 is disposed at the inlet end via a first L-shaped packing 43, and the bottom of the cartridge body 29 is disposed at the other end via a second L-shaped packing 45. The ceramic sleeve 44 is pressed to be fixed at a predetermined position of the water purification cartridge assembly 15 by screwing the annular ceramic presser 46 into the inner wall of the bottomed cylindrical cartridge main body 29. . By providing the first and second activated carbon layers, filter media having different removal performance can be filled. For example, the first activated carbon layer has a granular activated carbon layer in which an antibacterial material is attached or mixed, and the second activated carbon layer has It can also be filled with granular activated carbon mixed with a lead removing material. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and both can be applied to the case where the same activated carbon layer is used.
[0027]
Further, the ceramic filter 13 is provided with a predetermined number of through holes 13 ′ in a honeycomb shape, and the through holes 13 ′ are located at the bottom of the cartridge main body 29 and the raw water for the filtration surface of the ceramic honeycomb filter. The closing member 48 is blocked by a closing member 48, and an opening 47 is provided in the upper portion of the closing member 48, and an air / drainage channel 49 is provided between the ceramic filter 13 and the bottom of the cartridge body 29. The air / water drain passage 49 is formed so as to communicate with the air / water drain nozzle 28.
[0028]
As shown in FIG. 3, the air / water drain valve assembly 23 includes a manual handle 50, a first flow path switching unit 25 that switches a flow of purified water that is rotationally driven by the manual handle, and an air / water drain flow path 49. And a second flow path switching unit 27 for switching the flow of air and the like. The upper part of the first flow path switching unit 25 receives the purified water inlet 51 for receiving the purified water outflow nozzle 26 of the purified water cartridge assembly 15, and the upper part of the second flow path switching unit 27 also receives the air / drainage nozzle 28. An air / water inlet 52 is provided.
[0029]
When the first flow path switching unit 25 is connected to the purified water inlet 51 by the manual handle 50, the second flow path switching unit 25 is closed and the air / drainage flow path 49 is sealed. Therefore, since the raw water cannot flow through the opening 47 of the closing member 48, the raw water is purified by passing through the ceramic filter 13 in a direction perpendicular to the inflow direction of the raw water. The purified water outflow opening 53 of the first flow path switching unit 25, the connection hose 54 (see FIG. 4), the purified water outflow path 17, and the twin hose 22 flow from the inlet 51 to the purified water side. Further, when the manual handle 50 is switched to close the first flow path switching unit 25 so that the purified water does not flow, the second flow path switching unit 27 is opened at the same time, and the air / drainage flow path 49 and the drain flow are opened. Since the passage 18 is connected, the raw water in the ceramic filter 13 and the air forming the air block pass through the opening 47 of the closing member 48 and pass through the air / drain passage 49 and the drain passage 18. Is discharged. At this time, since the purified water does not flow, there is little loss of the water pressure of the raw water, so the raw water quickly and efficiently flows out the air forming the air block to the drain channel. The air / water drain valve assembly according to the configuration of the present application does not cause the stagnant water or air on the primary side of the filter to flow out to the flow path on the purified water side, so that the contamination of the purified water side flow path can be eliminated. The drain channel 18 is provided with a drain tube as required so as not to be immersed in the surroundings. The air / water drain valve assembly is preferably made of ABS resin and the packing is made of silicon rubber for ease of molding.
[0030]
The air / water drain valve assembly described in the present embodiment has been described by a system in which the first flow path switching unit 25 is rotated by the rotation of the manual handle 50 to switch the flow path, but a ball using a plurality of balls. Similar effects can be obtained by the check type or the type of switching the flow path by sliding the flow path switching unit in the axial direction. Further, in this embodiment, the raw water inflow nozzle 24, the purified water outflow nozzle 26, and the air / drainage nozzle 28 all project at right angles to the axial direction of the water purification cartridge assembly 15 and are fitted to corresponding portions on the main body side. The nozzle is installed in the cartridge axial direction, for example, a clean water outflow nozzle and an air / water drain nozzle at the left end of the cartridge, and a raw water inflow nozzle at the right end of the cartridge. You may connect with appropriate piping.
[0031]
Next, a lock mechanism between the water purification cartridge assembly 15 and the lower case 12 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a right side cross-sectional view of the locking arm 32 provided in the lower case 12 at a position corresponding to the line AA in FIG. A substantially rectangular parallelepiped-shaped locking protrusion 33 is provided at the lower side of the side surface of the water purification cartridge assembly 15, and the two protrusions 55, 55 ′ of the locking arm 32 provided on the lower case 12 are provided on the locking protrusion 33. A groove (not shown) that fits into (see FIG. 5) is provided along the length direction of the water purification cartridge assembly 15. The lateral width of the locking projection 33 has a width that abuts between the tapered portions 56 and 56 ′ formed above the two stepped portions 55 and 55 ′ of the locking arm 32.
[0032]
Accordingly, when the water purification cartridge assembly 15 is brought into contact with a predetermined position of the lower case 12 and pushed downward, the raw water inflow nozzle 24, the purified water outflow nozzle 27, and the air / drainage nozzle 28 of the water purification cartridge assembly 15 are respectively lowered. The raw water inlet formed from the rotating mechanism 21 of the case 12, the purified water inlet 51 and the air / water inlet 52 of the air / water drain valve assembly 23 are fitted in a fluid-tight manner, and the taper portion 56 of the locking arm 32 is fitted. , 56 'and slide the surface downward to push the locking arm 32 outward, and finally the stepped portions 55, 55' of the locking arm 32 engage in the locking groove of the locking projection 33. Thus, the water purification cartridge assembly 15 and the lower case 14 are coupled in a locked state.
[0033]
When the water purification cartridge assembly 15 is removed from the lower case 12, the interval between the stepped portions 55 and 55 'of the locking arm 32 is turned by rotating the unlocking cam 58 connected to the locking / unlocking knob 57. Is released from the groove portion of the locking projection 33 of the cartridge assembly 15 to release the lock. As a material for the locking arm 32 and the unlocking cam 58, POM (polyacetal) is preferable because it can ensure spring elasticity and wear resistance.
[0034]
Next, the rotation mechanism 21 of the twin hose 22 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 is a view showing a connection joint 59 constituting a part of the rotation mechanism 21. FIG. 6A is a front view, and FIG. 6B is a BB line in FIG. 5A. FIG. FIG. 7 is a view showing a pressing ring 66 for fixing the rotating mechanism 21 to the lower case 12, FIG. 7 (A) is a plan view, and FIG. 7 (B) is a C- in FIG. 7 (A). It is front sectional drawing along the C line.
[0035]
The rotation mechanism 21 includes a connection joint 59 having a twin hose 22 connected to the lower side surface and a housing 60, and a protruding portion 61 extending above the connection joint 59 can be liquid-tightly rotated inside the housing 60. And the upper end portion 62 of the projecting portion 61 is disposed so as to slightly protrude from the upper end portion 63 of the housing 60. The projecting portion 61 of the connection joint includes the upper end portion 62 and the housing 60. A retaining washer 64 is locked between the upper end portion and the connection joint 59 and the housing 60 are integrated so as not to be separated and to be able to rotate 360 degrees.
[0036]
The housing 60 has a large-diameter portion 65 provided in a ring shape at a lower portion thereof. The large-diameter portion 65 is substantially C-shaped from above with the large-diameter portion 65 in contact with the upper surface of the lower case 12. The holding ring 66 is fixed to the lower case 12 so as not to be detached from the lower case 12 by screwing. The holding ring 66 includes a plurality of spring members 67, 67 ', 67 "that extend inward and upward from the inner peripheral lower portion, and the inner peripheral portions of the spring members 67, 67', 67" are housings. 60, the housing 60 can be rotated in the horizontal direction in an angle range corresponding to the open end side of the pressing ring 66, and the spring members 67, 67 ′, 67 Within a range that can be expanded and contracted, is slightly movable in the horizontal direction, whereby the raw water inflow nozzle 24, the purified water outflow nozzle 26, and the air / drainage nozzle 28 of the water purification cartridge assembly 15 In addition to absorbing dimensional errors during manufacturing, the deformation stress applied to the twin hose 22 is absorbed.
[0037]
On the other hand, the connection joint 59 is divided into two chambers, one chamber forms the raw water inflow channel 16, and the other chamber forms the purified water outflow channel 17. The raw water inflow passage 16 is connected to the raw water inflow nozzle 24 of the water purification cartridge assembly 15 through a raw water supply passage formed by the rotation mechanism 21 so as to be able to rotate in a liquid-tight manner. A water purification channel 69 formed in an annular shape between the connection joint 59 and the inner peripheral surface of the housing 60 via an opening 68 provided on the side of the connection joint 59, and the water purification channel 69 are connected. It communicates with an internal water purification hose connection port 70 provided in the housing 60. The purified water purified by the purified water cartridge assembly 15 includes a purified water outflow nozzle 27, a first flow path switching unit 25 of the air / water drain valve assembly 23, a sensor elbow 80 connected to the flow path switching unit, and a flow rate sensor. 81, the sensor socket 84, and the connection hose 54 (see FIG. 4) in that order, and then flows into the internal water purification hose connection port 70 provided in the housing 60. Further, both ends of the connection hose are inserted into an internal water purification hose connection port 70 provided in the sensor socket 84 and the housing 60, respectively, and then the connection hose is prevented from being detached by a clip 84 made of an elastic material. In this state, the connection joint 59 can be rotated 360 degrees horizontally in a liquid-tight manner with respect to the housing 60, and 360 in a liquid-tight state with respect to the raw water inflow nozzle 24 of the water purification cartridge assembly 15. Since the housing 60 is rotatably supported by spring members 67, 67 ', 67 "of the pressing ring 66, the housing 60 can be rotated horizontally within an angle range corresponding to the open end side. Can be rotated.
[0038]
The liquid crystal device 82 uses a battery (not shown) stored in the battery box 83 as a power source. Based on the rotation pulse of a propeller (not shown) detected by the flow rate sensor 81 when purified water is flowing, the liquid crystal device 82 The flow rate, the life of the water purification cartridge assembly 15 and the life of the battery stored in the battery box 83 are calculated by the built-in electronic circuit, and these are displayed on the liquid crystal surface exposed to the outside of the liquid crystal device 82. In addition, although the one-touch metal fitting 72 for making attachment / detachment possible to the fixing plate (not shown) attached to the wall is provided in the back part of the lower case 12, detailed description regarding this part is abbreviate | omitted.
[0039]
Also, here, the filter member in the water purification cartridge assembly 15 has been described using a ceramic filter 13 such as a ceramic membrane filter or a ceramic honeycomb filter, but the present invention uses a known hollow fiber membrane filter as the filter member. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the same applies to. In addition, here, the water purification cartridge assembly 15 is shown as having a structure in which the water purification cartridge assembly 15 is attached to the lower case 12 in the horizontal direction, but it is also possible to attach it in the vertical direction. Therefore, detailed description in that case is omitted.
[0040]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the water purifier with an air / water drain according to the present invention, even if an air block is generated during use, it can be easily eliminated and the surroundings are not immersed in water. Bacteria and fine particles staying on the raw water side of the water can be easily discharged to the outside, and the stagnant water and air on the primary side of the filter will not flow out to the flow path on the purified water side, so that the contamination of the purified water side flow path can be eliminated A water purifier is obtained.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of an example of a water purifier according to the present invention.
2 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a water purification cartridge assembly in the water purifier shown in FIG. 1. FIG.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view for explaining the air / water drain valve assembly shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a plan view of a lower case for fixing the water purification cartridge assembly.
5 is a right side cross-sectional view of the locking arm 32 provided on the lower case 12 at a position corresponding to the line AA in FIG. 4;
6 is a view showing a connection joint, FIG. 6 (A) is a front view, and FIG. 6 (B) is a plan sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 5 (A).
7 is a view showing a pressing ring, FIG. 7 (A) is a plan view, and FIG. 7 (B) is a front sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 7 (A).
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration of an example of a conventional water purifier.
9 is a diagram for explaining the flow of raw water and purified water in the conventional water purifier shown in FIG. 8. FIG.
FIG. 10 is a view for explaining a ceramic honeycomb filter used in the conventional water purifier shown in FIG. 8;
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a ceramic honeycomb filter having another configuration used in the conventional water purifier shown in FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Water purifier
12 Lower case
15 Water purification cartridge assembly
18 Drain flow path
23 Air / water drain valve assembly
25 1st flow path switching part
27 Second flow path switching unit
28 Nozzle for air / water drain
32 Locking arm
33 Locking protrusion
47 Opening
49 Air / water drainage channel
55, 55 'Stepped part
56, 56 'Taper
57 Lock / Unlock knob
58 Unlocking cam
60 housing
64 retaining washer
66 Presser ring
67, 67 ', 67 "Spring member

Claims (4)

A water purification cartridge assembly having at least a filter, a raw water inflow nozzle, a purified water outflow nozzle, and an air / drainage nozzle;
A water purifier main body comprising a raw water supply channel, a purified water discharge channel and an air / water drain channel which are separately engaged with the raw water inflow nozzle, the purified water outflow nozzle and the air / water drain nozzle of the water purification cartridge assembly;
In the water purifier comprising, the water purifier main body is provided with flow path switching means for opening and closing the air / water drain flow path ,
The flow path switching means is configured to close the purified water flow path at the same time when opening the air / drainage flow path and to open the purified water flow path at the same time when closing the air / drainage flow path. A water purifier with air / water drainage.   2. The water purifier with an air / water drain according to claim 1, wherein the air / water drain nozzle of the water purification cartridge assembly communicates with an upstream side of the filter. When the water purification cartridge assembly is attached to the water purifier main body in the lateral direction, the air / drainage nozzle of the water purification cartridge assembly is communicated with a hole provided in the upper part of the closing member on the upstream side of the filter. The water purifier with an air / water drain according to claim 2 . The water filter with an air / water drain according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the filter is made of ceramics.

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