WO2012002004A1

WO2012002004A1 - Water purifier

Info

Publication number: WO2012002004A1
Application number: PCT/JP2011/055115
Authority: WO
Inventors: 佐藤　一博; 中島　泰仁; 美枝子野辺
Original assignee: 株式会社Ｌｉｘｉｌ
Priority date: 2010-07-02
Filing date: 2011-03-04
Publication date: 2012-01-05
Also published as: CN102510836B; CN102510836A; JP5807258B2; JP2012030218A

Abstract

A water purifier which has high performance in purifying raw water and which can maintain the high performance over an extended period of time. A water purifier (40) is configured in such a manner that a purification material is contained within a case (62) provided with a raw water inlet (76) and a purified water outlet (78), raw water which flows from the raw water inlet (76) into the water purifier (40) is caused to pass through the purification material to purify the raw water, and the purified water is allowed to flow out of the purified water outlet (78). The purification material is formed by arranging in order, from the upstream side to the downstream side of the raw water which flows from the raw water inlet (76) into the water purifier (40), a first activated carbon layer (88), a hollow fiber membrane filter (130), and a second activated carbon layer (132). The raw water is purified by being caused to pass through the first activated carbon layer (88), the hollow fiber membrane filter (130), and the second activated carbon layer (132) in that order.

Description

Water purifier

The present invention relates to a water purifier for purifying tap water through a purifying material, and more particularly to a device characterized by technical means for improving purification performance.

Tap water may contain various particles such as red rust and other turbid components, residual chlorine, agricultural chemicals, lead and other harmful components.
In addition, harmful trihalomethane produced by the reaction of chlorine and organic substances in tap water and other harmful trichloroethane (1,1,1-trichloroethane) mixed in the river also enter the tap water and are contained therein. Sometimes it is.
Therefore, conventionally, tap water is generally used after being purified through a water purifier.
The tap water (raw water) is passed through the purification material inside the water purifier and becomes purified water by the purification action of the purification material and flows out of the water purification device.

Conventionally, in such a water purifier, activated carbon (granular activated carbon) and a hollow fiber membrane filter are used in combination as a purification material.
Activated carbon removes residual chlorine, trihalomethane, trichloroethane, etc. dissolved in tap water mainly by adsorption.
In addition, the hollow fiber membrane filter removes solids such as particles contained in tap water and other turbid components and floc (aggregated particles) from tap water by filtration.

The hollow fiber membrane has innumerable fine pores (through-holes), and tap water can pass from the outside to the inside of the membrane through these pores. Turbid component particles (water particles) are filtered and removed from the tap water.
The pores of the hollow fiber membrane are extremely fine, and particles of turbid components such as particulate matter contained in tap water can be removed by this hollow fiber membrane filter to as small as about 0.1 μm.

In water purifiers using these activated carbon and hollow fiber membrane filters as purification materials, conventionally, an activated carbon layer (activated carbon layer) is disposed on the upstream side, and a hollow fiber membrane filter is disposed on the downstream side. The raw water flowing in from the raw water inlet is first passed through an activated carbon layer as shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 11, where residual chlorine, trihalomethane, trichloroethane and the like in tap water are removed by an adsorption reaction, and then hollow. By passing through the thread membrane filter, the turbid component particles are removed by filtration, and the raw water (tap water) is purified and the purified water is discharged from the purified water outlet.
For example, this type of water purifier is disclosed in Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2 below.

Thus, in the water purifier in which the purification material is arranged in the order of the activated carbon layer and the hollow fiber membrane filter, the activated carbon layer on the upstream side not only removes harmful components dissolved in the raw water by adsorption, but also the activated carbon layer has a large turbidity substance. Is also removed, clogging of the downstream hollow fiber membrane filter is reduced, and the service life is extended.

The hollow fiber membrane filter not only removes particulate matter in the raw water, but also prevents the activated carbon (granular) from flowing upstream, and the invasion of germs into the water purifier from the purified water outlet, that is, preventing back contamination of germs. Can play multiple functions and roles at the same time.
As a result, this type of water purifier has been widely used as an excellent balance between compactness and long life.

However, in the water purifier in which the activated carbon layer is arranged on the upstream side and the hollow fiber membrane filter is arranged on the downstream side, turbid components such as iron rust and dust, and suspended particles in water at the water purification plant are settled. For harsh overseas tap water with low water quality, which contains a large number of floc particles such as flocs of flocculant added to make it (aluminum flocculant derived from polyaluminum chloride added as flocculant) Since the surface of activated carbon is covered with these impurities and the adsorption or oxidation reaction on the surface is inhibited, the purification performance cannot be sufficiently exhibited.

Therefore, even if trihalomethane and trichloroethane, which are harder to adsorb than residual chlorine, can be removed together with residual chlorine in tap water in the activated carbon layer at the beginning, trihalomethane and trichloroethane are removed by the activated carbon layer due to a decrease in adsorption performance as they continue to be used. There is a possibility that these may be included in the purified water flowing out of the water purifier.

In addition, since the upstream activated carbon layer removes particulate matter that is the cause of clogging of the hollow fiber membrane filter, clogging of the downstream hollow fiber membrane filter is suppressed, resulting in clogging of the hollow fiber membrane filter. The durability life is extended.

General users usually continue to use until the water purifier is clogged and the flow rate is reduced. In this case, there is a possibility that the water purifier may be used for a long time in a state where the purification performance by the activated carbon layer is not sufficiently exhibited.

In order to solve these problems, a water purifier in which a hollow fiber membrane filter is disposed on the upstream side and an activated carbon layer is disposed on the downstream side has been proposed. For example, Patent Document 3 below discloses this type of water purifier.
However, in this structure, residual chlorine and various harmful chemical substances contained in the raw water (tap water) directly act on the hollow fiber membrane located upstream, thereby accelerating the deterioration of the hollow fiber membrane and reducing the filtration accuracy. Is a problem.

Further, in the case of this water purifier, since the raw water after the particulate matter is removed by the hollow fiber membrane filter flows into the activated carbon layer, the problem that the activated carbon surface is covered with the particulate matter does not occur. However, the activated carbon layer preferentially adsorbs residual chlorine in tap water that is more easily adsorbed than other substances, thereby inhibiting the adsorption of trihalomethane and trichloroethane, which are relatively difficult to adsorb, and the activated carbon layer inhibits these trihalomethanes and trichloroethane. There is a possibility that trihalomethane, trichloroethane, etc. are partially contained in the purified water and are discharged from the water purifier without being sufficiently removed.

Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-30596 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-253935 Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 8-215678

The present invention has been made for the purpose of providing a water purifier having high purification performance for raw water and capable of maintaining high purification performance for a long period of time against the background as described above.

1st invention of this invention accommodates a purification material in the inside of the case provided with the raw | natural water inlet and the purified water outlet, purifies | cleans the raw | natural water which flowed in from this raw | natural water inlet through this purification | cleaning material, and cleans water to this purified water outlet In the water purifier that flows out from the raw water, as the purification material, the first activated carbon layer from the upstream side to the downstream side of the flow of the raw water flowing in from the raw water inlet, and the raw water is removed through the raw water through the formed through-holes to remove underwater particles. The filter is arranged in the order of the filter and the second activated carbon layer, and the raw water is purified by passing through the first activated carbon layer, the filter and the second activated carbon layer in this order.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the case is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the first activated carbon layer is disposed in a cylindrical accommodating space on the outer peripheral side of the inner space of the case. The filter and the second activated carbon layer are disposed in the central portion inside the first activated carbon layer in the space in the case, and the filter is disposed downstream of the first activated carbon layer. The second activated carbon layer was arranged in the axial direction at a position adjacent to the side portion in the radial direction and the upstream side portion of the first activated carbon layer in the radial direction, and flowed from the raw water inlet. After the raw water is circulated in the axial direction inside the first activated carbon layer, the raw water passes through the filter and flows into and through the second activated carbon layer to be purified, and purified water is discharged from the purified water outlet. It is characterized by.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first and second aspects, the case includes a cylindrical case body having a bottom portion at one end in the axial direction and an opening at the other end. The opening is closed in a state of being axially divided into a cover body that is assembled to the case body in the axial direction, and the cover body is assembled to the case body so that the filter inside the case The activated carbon layer is restrained and fixed in the axial direction by the bottom and the lid.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, the second activated carbon layer is provided in a cylindrical shape, and the second activated carbon layer has a filter side. A cap is attached to the end of the filter, and the cap is provided with a plurality of legs as spacer portions that protrude from the outer periphery to the filter side at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction and abut against the axial end surface of the filter. The leg is characterized in that a gap for water passage is formed between the filter side and the second activated carbon layer side in the axial direction.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect, an outer peripheral side of the second activated carbon layer is provided with an activated carbon case for accommodating the second activated carbon layer therein, and an outer periphery of the cap. The projecting portion is provided with a plurality of projecting portions projecting radially outward and in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the activated carbon case at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction, and the projecting portions are provided with the leg portions. The end of the second activated carbon layer is fixed in a radial position relative to the activated carbon case by contacting the activated carbon case with the activated carbon case, and the activated carbon case and the second activated carbon layer An annular water passage space is formed between them, and a communication passage for communicating the water passage space and the gap is formed between the protrusion and the protrusion.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fifth aspect, a cylindrical ceramic filter made of a porous sintered body is communicated with the purified water outlet at the center of the second activated carbon layer. It is provided as a support member for the second activated carbon layer in a state, and the second activated carbon layer and the ceramic filter perform purification by passing water in a radial direction.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the sixth aspect, the ceramic filter has antibacterial properties.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to seventh aspects, the filter is capable of filtering to fine particles of 0.1 μm.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to eighth aspects, the filter is a hollow fiber membrane filter.
Further, the tenth invention of the present invention is a case having a raw water inlet and a purified water outlet, and a first activated carbon layer disposed in a position closer to the raw water inlet than the purified water outlet in the case, Inside the case, a second activated carbon layer disposed closer to the water purification outlet than the raw water inlet, and a filter disposed between the first activated carbon layer and the second activated carbon layer. It is a water purifier equipped with.
In an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the tenth aspect, the first activated carbon layer has a hollow shape, and the second activated carbon layer and the filter are disposed inside the hollow shape. It is characterized by that.
In addition, in a twelfth aspect of the present invention based on the eleventh aspect, the second surface on the opposite side of the first surface and the first surface is between the second activated carbon layer and the filter. A cap having a surface, the first surface supports the second activated carbon layer, the second surface has a leg, and the leg contacts the end of the filter. In addition, a gap for water passage is formed between the second activated carbon layer and the filter.

As mentioned above, this invention arrange | positions in order of the 1st activated carbon layer from the raw | natural water inlet side as a purification material inside a water purifier, the filter which removes an underwater particle | grain by filtration, and a 2nd activated carbon layer, The first activated carbon layer, the filter, and the second activated carbon layer are passed in order for purification.

In this invention, the raw | natural water which flowed in the inside of a water purifier flows first through a 1st activated carbon layer.
At this time, residual chlorine contained in the raw water is removed by adsorption by the first activated carbon layer.
Accordingly, residual chlorine in the raw water can be prevented from acting on the filter disposed on the downstream side.

Therefore, even when a hollow fiber membrane filter is used as the filter (the ninth invention), the residual chlorine in the raw water is transferred to the hollow fiber membrane as in the conventional water purifier in which the hollow fiber membrane filter is disposed on the most upstream side. It is possible to solve the problem of acting to accelerate the deterioration and lowering the filtration accuracy by the hollow fiber membrane filter. That is, the filtration accuracy by the hollow fiber membrane filter can be maintained with high accuracy.

In the present invention, the raw water flowing through the first activated carbon layer is passed through a filter, and turbid particles such as contaminants in the raw water are removed by the filtering action of the filter.
The second activated carbon layer passes through the filter and passes through raw water from which turbid particles such as particles are removed, and removes harmful components contained in the raw water by adsorption.

At that time, since the raw water flowing to the second activated carbon layer does not contain particulate matter and the surface of the activated carbon is not covered by the adhesion of particulate matter, the second activated carbon layer is originally The maximum purification performance can be achieved.

Since the raw water that has reached the second activated carbon layer has already had its residual chlorine removed by adsorption when it has passed through the first activated carbon layer, the adsorption of trihalomethane and trichloroethane has been eliminated by residual chlorine in the second activated carbon layer. These harmful components are well adsorbed and removed from the raw water without being hindered.

That is, trihalomethane, trichloroethane, and the like contained in the raw water are removed by adsorption even in the first activated carbon layer in the initial stage of use of the water purifier. When the water purifier is used for a long period of time, the activated carbon surface of the first activated carbon layer is covered with particulate matter and the adsorption capacity is lowered, and further, the adsorption performance for trihalomethane and trichloroethane having a weak adsorption force is lowered due to adsorption of residual chlorine. To do. For this reason, components such as trihalomethane and trichloroethane are not completely removed by the first activated carbon layer, but they pass downstream and flow downstream.
In the present invention, since the second activated carbon layer is provided further downstream of the filter, trihalomethane and trichloroethane that could not be removed by the first activated carbon layer are adsorbed well by the second activated carbon layer and removed from the raw water. can do.

As described above, the present invention removes harmful components dissolved in the raw water by sharing the roles of the first activated carbon layer in the former stage and the second activated carbon layer in the latter stage. The water purifier of the present invention exhibits high purification performance from the beginning of use and can maintain the high purification performance over a long period of time.

In addition, since the second activated carbon layer maintains high purification performance for a long period of time, normally, before the purification performance of the second activated carbon layer deteriorates, the filter in the previous stage is clogged, and the water purifier The flow rate of water flowing through is reduced.
Therefore, when a user uses a water purifier with a decrease in the flow rate due to clogging of the water purifier as a guideline for the service life, the water purifier is not clogged even though the purifying performance has deteriorated. It is possible to prevent the user from continuing to use it as it is.

In the present invention, a second activated carbon layer is provided on the downstream side of the filter, and in this case, granular activated carbon is used as the activated carbon, and if this is simply filled in the accommodating portion as in the conventional case, the activated carbon flows out. There is a risk that.
In this case, it may be possible to provide a dedicated filter membrane or the like for preventing the activated carbon from flowing out, but in that case, the number of required parts increases, resulting in an increase in the cost of the water purifier.
Therefore, it is desirable to use molded activated carbon obtained by solidifying granular activated carbon with an adhesive or the like as the second activated carbon layer.
By doing in this way, the holding member which hold | maintains the shape of the whole 2nd activated carbon layer can be made unnecessary, and the outflow of activated carbon can also be aimed at.

In the present invention, the case is formed into a cylindrical shape according to the second invention, and the first activated carbon layer is disposed in the axial direction along the inner peripheral surface of the case in the cylindrical accommodating space on the outer peripheral side of the case inner space. To do. Furthermore, the filter and the second activated carbon layer are disposed in the central portion inside the first activated carbon layer in the space in the case, the filter is positioned adjacent to the downstream portion of the first activated carbon layer in the radial direction, and The second activated carbon layer is arranged side by side in the axial direction so as to be positioned radially adjacent to the upstream side portion of the first activated carbon layer. After the raw water flowing in from the raw water inlet is circulated in the first activated carbon layer in the axial direction, the raw water passes through the filter and flows into and through the second activated carbon layer for purification, and the purified water flows out from the purified water outlet. Can be made.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the distance through which the raw water passes through the purification material can be increased within a limited size case (the contact time can be increased), and the purification capacity can be improved while reducing the size of the water purifier. Can be increased.

Moreover, the capacity | capacitance of a 1st activated carbon layer can be enlarged by arrange | positioning a 1st activated carbon layer to an axial direction along the inner peripheral surface of a case in the outer peripheral side part of the storage space in a case. Furthermore, the axial length can be increased, and the residual chlorine removal performance by the first activated carbon layer can be maintained for a long time.

Next, according to a third aspect of the present invention, the above case is assembled in the axial direction to the case main body in such a manner that the case main body has a bottom portion at one end in the axial direction and an opening at the other end, and the opening is closed. By dividing into a lid body in the axial direction and assembling the lid body to the case body, the filter and the second activated carbon layer inside the case are restrained and fixed in the axial direction by the bottom portion and the lid body. According to the third aspect of the invention, the number of parts for fixing the filter and the second activated carbon layer can be reduced, contributing to the downsizing and cost reduction of the water purifier, and the filter and the second activated carbon. Easy assembly of the layers.

In the present invention, the second activated carbon layer is provided in a cylindrical shape according to the fourth aspect of the present invention. Further, a cap is attached to the end of the second activated carbon layer on the filter side, and the spacer protrudes from the outer periphery to the filter side at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction and contacts the axial end surface of the filter. A plurality of legs are provided. With the legs, a gap for passing water can be formed between the filter side and the second activated carbon layer side in the axial direction.
In the fourth aspect of the invention, since the gap is formed by the legs provided in the cap, a special spacer member for forming the gap is not required separately, and the number of required parts can be reduced.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the outer peripheral portion of the cap is provided with a plurality of projecting portions projecting radially outward and in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the activated carbon case at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction. Provide legs. In addition, the end of the second activated carbon layer is fixed to the activated carbon case in a radially positioned state by the abutment of the plurality of protrusions to the activated carbon case, and an annular shape is provided between the activated carbon case and the second activated carbon layer. A communication passage that forms a water flow space and connects the water flow space and the gap is formed between the protrusion and the protrusion. According to the fifth aspect of the invention, the cap attached to the end of the second activated carbon layer can fix the end of the second activated carbon layer with respect to the activated carbon case in the radial direction. An annular water passage space can be formed between the two activated carbon layers.
Further, the water passage space and the gap between the filter side and the second activated carbon layer side can be communicated through a communication path formed between the protrusions.

That is, water that has flowed out of the filter is first allowed to flow into the gap between the filter side and the second activated carbon layer, and further introduced into the annular water flow space around the second activated carbon layer through the communication path. Can do.
Moreover, by doing in this way, the water from a filter can be smoothly introduce | transduced into the cyclic | annular water flow space around the 2nd activated carbon layer, without raising the pressure resistance with respect to the outflow of the water from a filter.

In addition, the end of the second activated carbon layer is fixed to the activated carbon case, the annular water passage space around the second activated carbon layer is formed, and the communication path between the gap and the water passage space is formed. Can be done in the department. A special member for performing them is not required separately, and the number of parts can be reduced.

In this case, a cylindrical ceramic filter made of a porous sintered body is provided at the center of the second activated carbon layer as a water-permeable support member for the second activated carbon layer, and the second activated carbon layer. And purification can be performed by passing water in the radial direction through the ceramic filter (sixth invention).
In the sixth aspect of the present invention, when the second activated carbon layer is formed of molded activated carbon, it is possible to make the molded activated carbon difficult to break due to the function as a support member of the ceramic filter.

The ceramic filter can have antibacterial properties (seventh invention).
In this way, it is possible to effectively prevent back-contamination where germs enter the inside from the outside of the water purifier through the water purification outlet.

In addition, in this invention, what can be filtered to a 0.1 micrometer fine particle | grain can be used suitably as a filter (8th invention).

A hollow fiber membrane filter can be suitably used as the filter (the ninth invention), but a ceramic filter made of a porous sintered body can also be used.
According to this configuration, a ceramic filter that can be filtered to fine particles of 0.1 μm can be suitably used.

In this invention, although granular activated carbon can be used suitably as a 1st activated carbon layer and a 2nd activated carbon layer, fibrous activated carbon and others can also be used.
When granular activated carbon is used, those having a particle size (average particle size) in the range of 0.05 to 1.0 mm can be suitably used.
This particle size range is an appropriate particle size range with low pressure loss during water passage and excellent purification performance.

FIG. 1 is a view showing a water purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention together with an automatic faucet. (A) in FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the water purifier in FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the lower plate 90. FIG. (A) and (B) in FIG. 3 are the principal part enlarged views of the water purifier. It is the figure which decomposed | disassembled and showed the principal part of the water purifier. (A) and (B) in FIG. 5 are perspective views of a lid and an upper plate in the water purifier. (A), (B), and (C) in FIG. 6 are views showing a lower cap in the water purifier. (A) and (B) in Drawing 7 are the figures which expressed by comparing the water purifier of this embodiment, and the water purifier of a comparative example. (A) and (B) in FIG. 8 are diagrams showing the water purification performance of the water purifier of this embodiment in comparison with a comparative example. It is the figure which showed the principal part of other embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed other embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic diagram which showed the example of arrangement | positioning of the purification material in the conventional water purifier.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.
In FIG. 1, 1 is a sink installed in the kitchen, 2 is a cabinet, 3 is a sink, 10 is a counter, and 11 is an automatic faucet installed on the sink 1 and having a purified water discharge function.
The automatic faucet 11 includes a base body 12 provided in a form standing from the counter 10 and a water discharge pipe 14 extending from the body 12.
Here, the water discharge pipe 14 is rotatable by a predetermined angle with respect to the main body 12.

The main body 12 is provided with a single lever 16 at a position eccentric to the right side of the water discharge pipe 14 in a front view as viewed from the user. Here, the single lever 16 adjusts the flow rate and temperature of the discharged water.
Specifically, the temperature of the water discharge is adjusted by rotating the single lever 16 in the horizontal direction in the drawing, and the flow rate is adjusted by rotating the single lever 16 up and down.

As shown in FIG. 1, the water discharge pipe 14 has a substantially U-shaped gooseneck shape, and has a shape curved downward from a substantially intermediate portion in the tube axis direction to the tip portion.
As shown in the figure, the water discharge pipe 14 has a water discharge port 18 at the tip, a water discharge head 22 that can be pulled out together with the flexible hose 20, and a water discharge head holder that holds the water discharge head 22 in the storage position. And a water discharge pipe main body 24 having the function as described above.

The main body portion 12 is connected to the upper ends of the water supply passage 26 and the hot water supply passage 28, and water and hot water are supplied to the main body portion 12 through the water supply passage 26 and the hot water supply passage 28.
A mixing valve (not shown) is incorporated in the main body 12, and an outflow path 32 extends from the mixing valve. Through the outflow path 32, temperature control water (by mixing the single lever 16, In some cases, the temperature control water in which water and hot water are mixed at a predetermined ratio may consist of only water or hot water (hereinafter referred to as raw water).

The hose 20 has an outflow path 32 formed inside thereof. A raw water valve (electromagnetic valve) 34 for opening and closing the outlet passage 32 is provided on the outflow passage 32. Here, the operation of the raw water valve 34 is controlled by a controller (not shown).
Further, a water purification path 38 branches out from the water supply path 26 and extends, and the tip of the water purification path 38 is connected to the outflow path 32 at the downstream portion of the raw water valve 34.

A water purifier 40 (electromagnetic valve) 42 for opening and closing the water purifier 40 and the water purifying path 38 is provided on the water purifying path 38. The operation of the water purification valve 42 is also controlled by a controller.
In addition, 46 is a water stop cock.

As shown in FIG. 1, the raw water sensor 60 and the water purification sensor 58 are provided on the upper surface of the distal end portion of the water discharge pipe 14, specifically, on the upper surface of the uppermost portion of the substantially intermediate portion in the tube axis direction of the water discharge pipe 14. Are arranged side by side in the pipe axis direction.
Here, the raw water sensor 60 is an alternate sensor that alternately discharges raw water (temperature-controlled water) from the water outlet 18 and stops the water every time the inserted hand is detected.

Specifically, when the hand is held over the raw water sensor 60, the raw water sensor 60 detects the hand in a non-contact manner, discharges the raw water from the spout 18 based on the detection, and then the raw water sensor 60 removes the hand. The raw water continues to be discharged even if the water is drawn.
Then, when the raw water sensor 60 is operated again by extending the hand, that is, when the raw water sensor 60 detects the hand, the discharge of the raw water from the spout 18 is stopped.
The water purification sensor 58 also alternately discharges purified water from the water outlet 18 and stops water discharge (stops water) every time a hand is detected (every human body is detected).
In this embodiment, the raw water sensor 60 is disposed on the front side and the lower side near the user, and the water purification sensor 58 is disposed on the far side and the upper side farther than the raw water sensor 60.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 41 denotes a metal bracket that holds the water purifier 40 inside the cabinet 2 and fixes it to the inner surface of the side wall 43 of the cabinet 2.

Each of the

hoses

38A and 38B forms a part of the water purification path 38 therein. Specifically, the hose 38A guides the inflow path for allowing the raw water to flow into the water purifier 40 in the water purification path 38, and the hose 38B guides the purified water after being purified by the water purifier 40 to the spout 18 side. It forms an outlet for purified water.
As shown in FIG. 1, the pair of hoses 38 </ b> A and 38 </ b> B are fixed to the inner surface of the side wall portion 43 of the cabinet by a fixing portion 52.

The internal structure of the water purifier 40 is specifically shown in (A) and (B) in FIG.
In the figure, 62 is a cylindrical case with both ends in the axial direction closed. This case 62 has a case body 66 having a bottom 64 at one end in the axial direction and an opening at the other end, and the opening is closed. In such a state, it is divided in the axial direction into a lid body 68 that is assembled to the case main body 66 in the axial direction.

The lid 68 integrally has a circular and plate-like closing portion 69 and a cylindrical portion 70, and a male screw portion 72 on the outer peripheral surface of the case main body 66 at a female screw portion 72 on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 70. 74 is screwed together.
The case body 66 and the lid body 68 are sealed watertight by a sealing material.

The closing portion 69 of the lid 68 is integrally provided with a raw water inlet 76 at a position eccentric from the center and a purified water outlet 78 at the center.
The raw water inlet 76 and the purified water outlet 78 are provided so as to protrude from the closing portion 69.
Here, the hose 38A is connected to the raw water inlet 76, and the hose 38B is connected to the purified water outlet 78.

Inside the case 62, a cylindrical filter case 80 for accommodating a hollow fiber membrane filter 130 to be described later and a cylindrical activated carbon case 82 for accommodating a second activated carbon layer to be described later are axially connected to each other. The filter case 80 and the activated carbon case 82 divide the inner space of the case 62 into an outer peripheral side portion and a central portion.
A cylindrical housing space 84 that forms an outer peripheral side portion of the space in the case 62 is filled with activated carbon (here, granular activated carbon) 86-1, and the activated carbon 86-1 forms a first activated carbon layer 88.
Here, the accommodation space 84, that is, the first activated carbon layer 88 is a nonwoven fabric in which one end in the axial direction (lower end in the figure) is defined by the lower plate 90 as a partition plate and the other end (upper end in the figure) forms an activated carbon presser. 92.

In this embodiment, as the granular activated carbon forming the first activated carbon layer 88, one having a particle diameter (average particle diameter) of 0.1 to 1.0 mm can be suitably used.
If the particle size is smaller than 0.1 mm, the particle size is too small, the filling rate of the activated carbon 86-1 becomes too high, and the pressure resistance during water passage becomes high, making it difficult for water to flow.
On the other hand, if the particle diameter is more than 1.0 mm, the particle diameter is too large, the surface area of the entire activated carbon becomes small, and the adsorption efficiency is lowered.

A rib 94 is provided in an upright state at the bottom 64 of the case body 66, and the lower plate 90 is supported by the rib 94 from below.
In this state, the lower plate 90 forms a water passing space 96 between the lower side, that is, the bottom 64.
The lower plate 90 has a through-opening 98 on the outer peripheral side of the filter case 80, and the water passage space 96 and the accommodation space 84 are communicated with each other through the opening 98.
The lower plate 90 further has a through-opening 100 inside and at the center of the filter case 80, and the water passage space 96 communicates with the inside of the filter case 80 through the opening 100.

A projecting portion 102 having a circular ring shape is provided on the upper surface side of the lower plate 90 in the drawing, and a lower end of the filter case 80 in the drawing is fitted to the protruding portion 102 in the drawing.
Thus, the lower end of the filter case 80 is positioned and fixed with respect to the lower plate 90, that is, the case 62 in a state where the filter case 80 is supported from the lower side by the lower plate 90.

A circular upper plate 104 as a presser is arranged on the lid body 68 side.
As shown in FIG. 5, the upper plate 104 has an annular and circular protruding portion 106 standing upward in the figure, and this protruding portion 106 is an inner surface of the closing portion 69 (see FIG. It is fitted in a groove 108 formed in the middle and lower surface.
In this embodiment, when the lid 68 is screwed downward with respect to the case main body 66, the force is transmitted to the upper plate 104, and the nonwoven fabric 92 serving as an activated carbon presser is pressed downward in the figure by the upper plate 104. .

As shown in the partial enlarged view of FIG. 2A, the upper plate 104 is provided with a through opening 110.
The raw water flowing in from the raw water inlet 76 passes through the opening 110 of the upper plate 104 and flows into the first activated carbon layer 88.

As shown in FIG. 5, a radial rib 112 protruding downward from the closing portion 69 and a circular rib 114 are provided on the back surface of the lid 68. Here, the circular rib 114 is a radial rib. The height of the downward protrusion in the figure is lower than that of the rib 112, and the groove 108 is formed by the step.

A fitting portion 116 is provided at the lower end portion of the activated carbon case 82 in the drawing, and the fitting portion 116 is fitted to the upper end portion of the filter case 80 in the drawing state.
By this fitting, the upper end portion of the filter case 80 and the lower end portion of the activated carbon case 82 are connected in the axial direction, that is, in the vertical direction in the figure, while being positioned in the radial direction.
Here, the filter case 80 and the activated carbon case 82 are sealed in a watertight manner by a sealing material.

A lower cap 118 and an upper cap 120 are provided at a lower end portion and an upper end portion of a second activated carbon layer 132 to be described later, respectively.
Thus, as shown in FIG. 4, the upper cap 120 is provided with a first fitting portion 122 at a radially outer position and a second fitting portion 124 at an inner position. And the 1st fitting part 122 is fitted by the upper end part of the activated carbon case 82 in the external fitting state.
And the upper end part of the activated carbon case 82 is positioned by radial direction by the fitting.
Specifically, the upper end of the activated carbon case 82 is fitted upward in the figure inside a circular annular groove formed between the first fitting portion 122 and the second fitting portion 124, and activated carbon The upper end portion of the case 82 is positioned in the radial direction.

At the center of the upper cap 120, a cylindrical male fitting portion 126 is provided upward, and the male fitting portion 126 protrudes into the case of the water purification outlet 78. The portion 128 is fitted in a watertight manner.

In the housing space at the center of the case space defined by the filter case 80 and the activated carbon case 82, the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 is in the lower side in the figure, and the second activated carbon layer 132 having a cylindrical shape is in the figure. It is housed in a state located on the upper side.

That is, the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 is located at a position adjacent in the radial direction to the downstream portion (portion located on the downstream side of the raw water flow) in the first activated carbon layer 88, and the second activated carbon layer 132 is the first activated carbon layer 132. In the activated carbon layer 88, the upstream portion (portion located upstream of the flow of raw water) is positioned adjacent to the radial direction, and they are arranged side by side in the central accommodation space in the axial direction. .

Here, innumerable fine pores are formed in the hollow fiber membrane, and the raw water can pass from the outside to the inside of the membrane through these pores. Solids containing fine particles are filtered off.
The pores of the hollow fiber membrane are extremely fine, and the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 removes even small ones of about 0.1 μm contained in the raw water by filtration.

In this embodiment, the second activated carbon layer 132 is composed of molded activated carbon obtained by previously molding granular activated carbon 86-2 into a cylindrical shape.
Here, as the granular activated carbon 86-2 forming the second activated carbon layer 132, one having a smaller particle diameter than the activated carbon 86-1 forming the first activated carbon layer 88 can be used.
For example, granular activated carbon 86-1 forming the first activated carbon layer 88 having a particle diameter of 0.15 mm to 0.30 mm is used, and granular activated carbon 86-2 forming the second activated carbon layer 132 is used as the particle diameter. Having a thickness of 0.05 mm to 0.15 mm can be used.
However, activated carbon 86-2 and activated carbon 86-1 may have the same particle size.

At the center of the second activated carbon layer 132, a cylindrical ceramic filter 136 made of a porous sintered body allows water permeability to the second activated carbon layer 132 in a state where the inside thereof communicates with the water purification outlet 78. It is provided as a support member.
Here, the ceramic filter 136 can remove particles up to a size of 0.5 μm by filtration.
Diatomaceous earth 138 is integrally laminated on the outer peripheral surface of the ceramic filter 136 over almost the entire surface. Here, the diatomaceous earth 138 is baked on the ceramic filter 136.

In the present embodiment, the ceramic filter 136 has antibacterial properties.
Specifically, in the present embodiment, the ceramic filter 136 is made of a porous sintered body of calcium aluminosilicate.
Specifically, it is composed of a porous sintered body of calcium aluminosilicate having a composition of SiO ₂ : 75 to 85%, Al ₂ O ₃ : 5 to 10%, and CaO: 10 to 20% in terms of mass%. When it adheres or is immersed in water, it releases antibacterial effects by gradually releasing Ca ²⁺ ions as antibacterial components.

This calcium aluminosilicate is obtained by blending siliceous wax, limestone, and clay such that SiO ₂ , Al ₂ O ₃ , and CaO have the above ratios, and firing and sintering the mixture.
The calcium aluminosilicate having this composition effectively produces a large amount of β-wollastonite (CaO · SiO ₂ ) by firing. This β-wollastonite gradually dissolves Ca ²⁺ ions over a long period of time to form a weakly alkaline state, thereby acting as an antibacterial.

The calcium aluminosilicate having this composition is known (disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3612766), and in the present invention, the one disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3612766 can be suitably used.
Since this calcium aluminosilicate is a known one disclosed in the patent, further detailed explanation is omitted here.

The upper and lower ends of the ceramic filter 136 in the figure protrude from the second activated carbon layer 132 in a minute dimension upward and downward.
The upper end of the upper cap 120 is fitted into the male fitting portion 126.
Further, the lower end portion is fitted into a fitting hole 140 (see (A) to (C) in FIG. 6) in the center of the lower cap 118 described later.

The lower cap 118 is water-impermeable (this also applies to the upper cap 120, the filter case 80, and the activated carbon case 82), and the main body as shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C. And a circular rising portion 142 that rises upward in the drawing along the outer peripheral portion thereof. The lower cap 118 is attached to the end of the second activated carbon layer 132 so that the lower end of the second activated carbon layer 132 is fitted inside the rising portion 142.

The lower cap 118 is provided with projecting portions 144 projecting radially outward at four locations separated by 90 ° in the circumferential direction. These projecting portions 144 are shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the activated carbon case 82 is in contact with the inner peripheral surface.
By the contact, the lower cap 118 is fixed to the activated carbon case 82, that is, the lower end portion of the second activated carbon layer 132 in the figure is fixed in a radial position relative to the activated carbon case 82.
At the same time, an annular and circular water passage space 148 is formed around the second activated carbon layer 132 between the activated carbon case 82 and the second activated carbon layer 132 by the abutment of the protrusions 144 on the activated carbon case 82. Has been.

These protruding portions 144 are provided with legs 146 as spacer portions that protrude downward and come into contact with the upper surface of the hollow fiber membrane filter 130, and by the contact of the legs 146, the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 side is provided. A gap 150 for passing water is formed between the lower cap 118, that is, between the second activated carbon layer 132 side.
Further, the gap 150 and the annular water passage 148 communicate with each other between the

protrusions

144 and 144 by the protrusion 144.
That is, the water flowing out of the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 can flow into the water flow space 148 through the communication path 152 shown in FIG. 3B between the gap 150 and the

protrusions

144 and 144. .

In this embodiment, the second activated carbon layer 132 and the ceramic filter 136 perform purification by passing raw water in the radial direction.
The upper end portion of the second activated carbon layer 132 is fitted into the second fitting portion 124 of the upper cap 120, whereby the upper end portion of the second activated carbon layer 132 is the plate-like portion of the upper cap 120. Positioned in the radial direction in a contact state with 156.
Note that the lower end portion of the second activated carbon layer 132 is brought into contact with the plate-like portion 154 of the lower cap 118.

In this embodiment, the lid 68 is attached to the case body 66 in a state where the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 and the second activated carbon layer 132 are set in the center of the case body 66 together with the filter case 80 and the activated carbon case 82. On the other hand, when screwed downward in the figure and assembled in the axial direction, they are automatically restrained in the axial direction by the bottom portion 64 and the lid body 68 of the case main body 66 via the lower plate 90 and the upper plate 104 to be in a fixed state. Become. That is, it is in an assembled state with respect to the case 62.

In the drawing, there is a minute gap between the upper plate 104 and the upper cap 120, but this gap absorbs variation due to dimensional tolerance, and the gap is formed between the fitting portion 116 of the activated carbon case 82 and the gap. The fitting depth (depth in the axial direction) with the filter case 80 is minute, and after the lid 68 is assembled, the filter case 80 and the activated carbon case 82 are not separated from each other. The fitting state, that is, the assembled state is maintained.

In the water purifier 40 of the present embodiment, the raw water flowing from the raw water inlet 76 first passes through the first activated carbon layer 88 in the axial direction, and then passes through the opening 98 of the lower plate 90 and passes through the lower plate 90. It flows out into the water space 96.
The raw water that has flowed into the water flow space 96 passes through the opening 100 at the center of the lower plate 90, flows into the filter case 80, flows through the hollow fiber membrane from the outside to the inside, and then flows through the hollow fiber membrane. It flows out to the gap 150 between the upper end of 130 and the second activated carbon layer 132, specifically, the lower cap 118 attached to the lower end portion thereof.
Further, it passes through the communication passage 152 shown in FIG. 3B and flows into the annular water passage space 148 inside the activated carbon case 82, and then passes through the second activated carbon layer 132 in the radial direction. After flowing, it passes through the ceramic filter 136 disposed at the center thereof in the same radial direction and flows out into the space inside the ceramic filter 136.
The purified water after being purified by passing through the first activated carbon layer 88, the hollow fiber membrane filter 130, the second activated carbon layer 132, and the ceramic filter 136 flows out from the purified water outlet 78.

As described above, in this embodiment, the raw water that has flowed into the water purifier 40 first flows through the first activated carbon layer 88, and the residual chlorine contained in the raw water at this time is the first activated carbon layer. It is removed by adsorption by 88.
Accordingly, it is possible to prevent residual chlorine in the raw water from acting on the hollow fiber membrane filter 160 disposed on the downstream side.

Therefore, the residual chlorine in the raw water acts on the hollow fiber membrane and accelerates its deterioration as in the conventional water purifier 40A in which the hollow fiber membrane filter 130A is arranged on the most upstream side, and the filtration accuracy by the hollow fiber membrane filter 130A is reduced. The problem of damaging can be solved, and the filtration accuracy by the hollow fiber membrane filter 130A can be maintained with high accuracy.

In the present embodiment, the raw water flowing through the first activated carbon layer 88 is passed through the hollow fiber membrane filter 130, and turbid particles such as particles in the raw water are removed by the filtration action of the hollow fiber membrane filter 130. Remove.
The second activated carbon layer 132 passes through the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 and passes the raw water from which turbid particles such as particulate matter are removed, and removes harmful components contained in the raw water by adsorption.

At that time, the raw water flowing to the second activated carbon layer 132 contains no particulate matter, and the surface of the activated carbon 86-2 is not covered by the adhesion of the particulate matter. The activated carbon layer 132 can maximize the original purification performance.

In addition, since the residual chlorine that has reached the second activated carbon layer 132 has already been removed by adsorption after passing through the first activated carbon layer 88, the second activated carbon layer 132 adsorbs trihalomethane or trichloroethane. Are not inhibited by residual chlorine and their harmful components are well adsorbed and removed from the raw water.

That is, trihalomethane, trichloroethane, and the like contained in the raw water are removed by adsorption in the first activated carbon layer 88 in the initial stage of use of the water purifier 40, but if the use of the water purifier 40 is used for a long time, the first The surface of the activated carbon 86-1 of the activated carbon layer 88 is covered with particles to reduce the adsorption capacity, and further, the adsorption performance for trihalomethane and trichloroethane having a weak adsorption force due to the adsorption of residual chlorine decreases. Components such as trichloroethane are not completely removed by the first activated carbon layer 88, but they flow downstream through the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 at the subsequent stage.
In the present embodiment, since the second activated carbon layer 132 is provided further downstream of the hollow fiber membrane filter 130, trihalomethane and trichloroethane that cannot be removed by the first activated carbon layer 88 are removed by the second activated carbon layer 132. Adsorbs well and can be removed from raw water.

As described above, in this embodiment, the first activated carbon layer 88 in the former stage and the second activated carbon layer 132 in the latter stage each share a role and remove harmful components dissolved in the raw water. As a result, the water purifier 40 according to the present embodiment exhibits a high purification performance from the beginning of use, and can maintain the high purification performance over a long period of time.

In addition, since the second activated carbon layer 132 maintains high purification performance for a long period of time, the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 in the preceding stage is usually clogged before the purification performance of the second activated carbon layer 132 decreases. The flow rate of water flowing through the water purifier 40 is reduced.
Accordingly, when the user uses the water purifier 40 with the decrease in the flow rate due to the clogging of the water purifier 40 as a guide for the life, the clogging is not caused even though the purifying performance is lowered. It is possible to prevent the device 40 from being used as it is.

In this embodiment, as the second activated carbon layer 132, molded activated carbon obtained by solidifying granular activated carbon 86-2 with an adhesive or the like is used. In this case, the entire second activated carbon layer 132 is maintained in a cylindrical shape. This eliminates the need for the holding member and reduces the number of parts for holding the shape.

In addition, since a cylindrical ceramic filter 136 is disposed as a support member at the center of the second activated carbon layer 132, the second activated carbon layer 132 made of molded activated carbon can be prevented from being broken on the center side. Even if a part of the filter collapses, the ceramic filter 136 can prevent the ceramic filter 136 from flowing out of the water purifier 40.

Further, in the present embodiment, the case 62 has a cylindrical shape, and the first activated carbon layer 88 is disposed in the axial direction along the inner peripheral surface of the case 62 in a portion on the outer peripheral side of the inner space of the case 62. The hollow fiber membrane filter 130 and the second activated carbon layer 132 are disposed in the central portion inside the first activated carbon layer 88, and the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 is adjacent to the downstream portion of the first activated carbon layer 88 in the radial direction. The second activated carbon layer 132 is arranged in the axial direction so that the second activated carbon layer 132 is positioned adjacent to the upstream side portion of the first activated carbon layer 88 in the radial direction. After the inside of the activated carbon layer 88 is axially distributed and moved over substantially the entire length of the case 62, the flow is folded back in the vicinity of the bottom 64 to flow into the hollow fiber membrane filter 130, and pass through this to pass through the second Life Since it purifies by flowing in and through the coal bed 132 and purifies the purified water through the purified water outlet 78, the distance through which the raw water passes through the purification material in the case 62 of a limited size is increased ( The contact time can be lengthened), and the purification capacity can be enhanced while making the water purifier 40 compact.

Further, by disposing the first activated carbon layer 88 in the axial direction along the inner circumferential surface of the case 62 in the outer peripheral side portion of the inner space of the case 62, the capacity of the first activated carbon layer 88 can be increased. The axial length can be increased, and the residual chlorine removal performance by the first activated carbon layer 88 can be maintained for a long time.

In this embodiment, the lid body 68 is assembled to the case body 66, so that the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 and the second activated carbon layer 132 inside the case 62 are axially restrained and fixed by the bottom portion 64 and the lid body 68. Therefore, the number of parts for fixing the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 and the second activated carbon layer 132 can be reduced, contributing to the downsizing and cost reduction of the water purifier 40 and the hollow fiber membranes. The filter 130 and the second activated carbon layer 132 can be easily assembled.

In addition, in this embodiment, the lower cap 118 is attached to the end of the second activated carbon layer 132 provided in a cylindrical shape on the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 side, and a plurality of legs 146 are provided on the lower cap 118. 146, a water passage gap 150 is formed between the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 side and the second activated carbon layer 132 side. Therefore, a special spacer member for forming the gap 150 is required separately. The required number of parts can be reduced.

In addition, the end portions of the second activated carbon layer 132 are fixed to the activated carbon case 82 in a radially positioned state by the plurality of protrusions 144 provided on the lower cap 118, and the activated carbon case 82, the second activated carbon layer 132, An annular water passage space 148 is formed between the projection portion 144 and the projection portion 144, and a communication passage 152 that connects the water passage space 148 and the gap 150 is formed. The end of the second activated carbon layer 132 is fixed to the activated carbon case 82, the annular water passage space 148 around the second activated carbon layer 132 is formed, and the communication path 152 between the gap 150 and the water passage space 148 is formed. Therefore, a special member is not required separately, and the number of parts can be reduced.

Further, the water flowing out from the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 is allowed to flow into the gap 150, and further introduced into the annular water passage space 148 around the second activated carbon layer 132 through the communication path 152. Water from the hollow fiber membrane filter 130 can be smoothly introduced into the annular water passage space 148 around the second activated carbon layer 132 without increasing the pressure resistance against the outflow of water from the hollow fiber membrane filter 130.

Furthermore, since the ceramic filter 136 at the end of the flow that forms the support member of the second activated carbon layer 132 has antibacterial properties, it is effective for back-contamination in which bacteria enter the inside through the water purification outlet 78 from the outside of the water purifier 40. Can be prevented.

<Experimental example>
A comparative test of water purification performance was performed using the water purifier 40 of the above embodiment and the water purifier 40A of the comparative example shown in FIG.
The water purifier 40 shown in FIG. 7 (A) is the same as the water purifier shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, and is shown in FIG. 7 (A) for comparison with the water purifier of Comparative Example 40A. It is a thing.

Here, as raw water for testing, free residual chlorine is 1.0 mg / L, total carbon concentration is 1.0 mg / L, total trihalomethane is 0.1 mg / L, and a water purifier at a flow rate of 2.5 L / min. The raw water was poured into 40 and 40A, and the removal rate of total trihalomethane with respect to the integrated flow rate was examined.

Here, in the water purifier 40A of the comparative example shown in FIG. 7B, the arrangement of the hollow fiber membrane filter 130A, the second activated carbon layer 132A, and the ceramic filter 136A is the water purifier 40 of this embodiment, that is, FIG. 7A. It is upside down with the water purifier 40 shown.
Further, in the water purifier 40A of the comparative example, the water that has passed through the first activated carbon layer 88A passes through the through water passage hole provided in the lower part of the non-permeable activated carbon case 82A in the drawing, and the inner annular water passage space 148A. It is the structure which flows into.
In this test, the water purifier 40 of the present embodiment sets the amount of activated carbon in the first activated carbon layer 88 to 350 cc and the amount of activated carbon in the second activated carbon layer 132 to 90 cc.

Also in the water purifier 40A of the comparative example shown in FIG. 7B, the activated carbon amount of the first activated carbon layer 88A is 350 cc, and the activated carbon amount of the second activated carbon layer 132A is 90 cc.
That is, the amount of activated carbon is the same in this embodiment and in the comparative example, and the arrangement differs between the two.

In the water purifier 40A of the comparative example shown in FIG. 7B, the raw water flowing in from the raw water inlet 76A first passes through the first activated carbon layer 88A in the axial direction, and then the second activated carbon layer 132A and its center. Part of the ceramic filter 136A, and then passes through the hollow fiber membrane filter 130A disposed on the upper side in the drawing, and flows out from the purified water outlet 78A.

Further, in the water purifier 40 of the present embodiment, the granular activated carbon in the first activated carbon layer 88 and the second activated carbon layer 132 is the same having a particle size distribution of 0.15 mm to 0.30 mm.
The hollow fiber membrane has a membrane area of 0.75 m ² .
On the other hand, in the water purifier 40A of the comparative example, as the granular activated carbon of the first activated carbon layer 88A and the second activated carbon layer 132A, the activated carbon having the same particle size as that of the present embodiment is used. The thing of the form was used.

The result is shown in FIG.
Among these, (A) in FIG. 8 is a result at the time of using the water purifier 40 of this embodiment, (B) in FIG. 8 is a result at the time of using the water purifier 40A of a comparative example.
In addition, about what used the water purifier 40A of the comparative example, the test was performed 3 times about the same thing, and each result is shown.

When the water purifier 40A of the comparative example shown in FIG. 7 (B) is used, the total trihalomethane removal rate is slightly over 80% at the time of the accumulated flow rate of the raw water of 10000L, and the time until it reaches 10000L. The removal rate is not high enough.
In addition, the total trihalomethane removal rate rapidly decreases when the integrated flow rate exceeds 12000 L.

On the other hand, when the water purifier 40 of this embodiment is used, a high total trihalomethane removal rate of 95% or more is maintained at an integrated flow rate of 10000 L, and the total trihalomethane removal rate is also reached until reaching this point. It shows a high value.
Furthermore, although the total trihalomethane removal rate tends to decrease from around 12,000 liters of the integrated flow rate, the decreasing tendency is not as remarkable as that shown in FIG.
From this, when the water purifier 40 of this embodiment is used, it can be seen that high water purification performance is exhibited from the beginning of water flow and that the high water purification performance is maintained for a long time.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, this is merely an example of the present invention.
For example, in the above embodiment, the raw water inlet 76 and the purified water outlet 78 are provided at the same axial end of the case 62. By doing so, the hose can be connected to the case 62 on the same axial side, Although the hose can be easily routed and the hose can be prevented from occupying a large space inside the cabinet 2 shown in FIG. 1, the present invention can provide advantages such as the raw water inlet 76 and the purified water outlet 78. Can be arranged coaxially on the opposite sides of the case 62 in the axial direction. In this case, an advantage of easily connecting the water purifier in the middle of the straight line is obtained.

As shown in FIG. 9, a check valve 160 for preventing a backflow is provided at the raw water inlet 76, and when the raw water flows from the raw water inlet 76, the check valve 160 is opened to prevent a reverse flow. By closing the check valve 160, it is possible to prevent the water inside the water purifier 40 from flowing out from the raw water inlet 76.

In this way, a connection error of reverse connection such as connecting the hose 38A to be connected to the raw water inlet 76 to the purified water outlet 78 by mistake, and connecting the hose 38B to be connected to the purified water outlet 78 to the raw water inlet 76 is avoided. Can be prevented.

If the reverse connection is made in this way, the water does not flow out of the water purifier 40 due to the function of the check valve 160. Therefore, even if a connection error is made in the reverse connection, it can be noticed, and the water purifier can be relieved. 40 can be used.

In addition, this invention can also comprise a water purifier with various forms other than an example.
FIG. 10 shows an example.
In this example, the amount of protrusion of the female fitting portion 128 into the case is made larger than that shown in FIG. 2A, and the sponge 162 is sandwiched between the upper cap 120 and the upper plate 104. Further, a cylindrical rib 164 is raised from the bottom 64 of the case 62 at a position on the outer peripheral side of the filter case 80 so as to be higher than the rib 94 shown in FIG. Rectangular cutouts 166 are provided at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction, and water that has flowed downward from the opening 98 in the figure is moved radially inward through the cutouts 166.
Further, the height of the first activated carbon layer 88, the second activated carbon layer 132, the ceramic filter 136 and the diatomaceous earth 138 is set lower than that shown in FIG. 2A, and the thickness of the diatomaceous earth 138 is further illustrated. 2 is thicker than that shown in (A), and its outer diameter is increased.

In addition to the above, in the present invention, it is also possible to use fibrous activated carbon or the like as the activated carbon. Further, as a filter disposed between the first and second activated carbon layers, not only the hollow fiber membrane filter but also ceramics. It is also possible to use a filter. However, in this case, it is preferable to use a ceramic filter capable of removing even small particles of 0.1 μm.
In addition, this invention can be comprised in the form which added the various change in the range which does not deviate from the meaning.

Although the present invention has been described in detail and with reference to specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-152253 filed on Jul. 2, 2010, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

40 Water Purifier 62 Case 64 Bottom 66 Case Body 68 Lid 76 Raw Water Inlet 78 Purified Water Outlet 82 Activated Carbon Case 84 Storage Space 86-1, 86-2 Activated Carbon 88 First Activated Carbon Layer 118 Lower Cap 120 Upper Cap 130 Hollow Fiber Membrane Filter 132 Second activated carbon layer 136 Ceramic filter 144 Protruding portion 146 Leg 148 Water passing space 150 Gap 152 Communication path

Claims

In a water purifier that contains a purification material inside a case having a raw water inlet and a purified water outlet, purifies the raw water flowing in from the raw water inlet through the purified material, and flows purified water out of the purified water outlet.
As the purification material, a first activated carbon layer from the upstream side to the downstream side of the flow of raw water flowing in from the raw water inlet, a filter that removes underwater particles by filtration through raw water through the formed through holes, a second activated carbon It arrange | positions in the order of a layer, and purifies raw water through the order of this 1st activated carbon layer, a filter, and a 2nd activated carbon layer.
2. The case according to claim 1, wherein the case is cylindrical, and the first activated carbon layer is disposed in an axial direction along an inner peripheral surface of the case in a cylindrical accommodation space on an outer peripheral side of the case inner space. The filter and the second activated carbon layer at the central portion of the inner space inside the first activated carbon layer, and the filter at a position adjacent to the downstream portion of the first activated carbon layer in the radial direction, Further, the second activated carbon layer is arranged in the axial direction at a position adjacent to the upstream side portion in the first activated carbon layer in the radial direction,
The raw water flowing in from the raw water inlet is circulated in the axial direction inside the first activated carbon layer and then purified by passing through the filter and flowing into and passing through the second activated carbon layer. A water purifier characterized by being discharged from a water purification outlet.
The case according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the case has a cylindrical case body having a bottom portion at one end in the axial direction and an opening at the other end, and the case body is pivoted to the case body in a state in which the opening is closed. The cover is assembled in the axial direction, and the cover is assembled to the case main body so that the filter and the second activated carbon layer inside the case are separated by the bottom and the cover. A water purifier characterized by being restrained and fixed in the axial direction.
The second activated carbon layer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second activated carbon layer is provided in a cylindrical shape, and a cap is attached to an end of the second activated carbon layer on the filter side,
The cap is provided with a plurality of legs as spacer portions that protrude from the outer peripheral portion to the filter side at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction and abut against the axial end surface of the filter. A water purifier, wherein a water passage is formed between the filter side and the second activated carbon layer side.
5. The activated carbon case for housing the second activated carbon layer therein is provided on the outer peripheral side of the second activated carbon layer, and the outer peripheral portion of the cap protrudes radially outward. Protrusions that come into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the activated carbon case are provided at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction, and the legs are provided at the protrusions,
The abutment of the plurality of protrusions to the activated carbon case fixes the end of the second activated carbon layer in a radially positioned state with respect to the activated carbon case, and the activated carbon case and the second activated carbon case A water purification system characterized in that an annular water passage space is formed between the activated carbon layer and a communication passage that connects the water passage space and the gap is formed between the protrusion and the protrusion. vessel.
In Claim 5, the cylindrical ceramic filter which consists of porous sintered bodies in the center part of the said 2nd activated carbon layer is a support with respect to this 2nd activated carbon layer in the state which connected the said water purification outlet. A water purifier provided as a member, wherein the second activated carbon layer and the ceramic filter perform purification by passing water in a radial direction.
The water purifier according to claim 6, wherein the ceramic filter has antibacterial properties.
The water purifier according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the filter is capable of filtering fine particles of 0.1 µm.
The water purifier according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the filter is a hollow fiber membrane filter.
A case having a raw water inlet and a purified water outlet;
In the inside of the case, a first activated carbon layer disposed closer to the raw water inlet than the water purification outlet,
Inside the case, a second activated carbon layer disposed at a position closer to the water purification outlet than the raw water inlet,
A filter disposed between the first activated carbon layer and the second activated carbon layer;
Water purifier with
The first activated carbon layer has a hollow shape,
The water purifier according to claim 10, wherein the second activated carbon layer and the filter are disposed inside the hollow shape.
A cap having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface is disposed between the second activated carbon layer and the filter,
The first surface supports the second activated carbon layer;
The second surface has legs;
The water purifier according to claim 11, wherein the leg portion is in contact with an end portion of the filter, and a gap for water passage is formed between the second activated carbon layer and the filter.