Filter element and filter device

Abstract

This invention discloses a filter element and a filter device. The filter element includes: a filter body component comprising a plurality of flatly stacked filter membranes, each filter membrane comprising two opposing membrane sheets, a flat purified water channel defined between the two membrane sheets of each filter membrane, and a flat concentrated water channel defined between each pair of adjacent filter membranes; a purified water outlet is constructed on at least one side of the filter body component by closing the edge of the concentrated water channel corresponding to that side and opening the edge of the purified water channel; a raw water inlet and a concentrated water outlet are respectively constructed on the other two sides of the filter body component by closing the edges of the purified water channels corresponding to those two sides and opening the edges of the purified water channels; a sheet-like component disposed in the purified water channel and the concentrated water channel; and a sealing component connected to the side of the filter body component corresponding to the purified water outlet, the sealing component being used to form a purified water collection chamber communicating with the purified water outlet.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of water purification technology, and in particular to a filter element and a filter device. Background Technology

[0002] In the prior art, a filtration device for preparing purified water includes a housing and a filter element installed in the housing, the filter element being typically formed by rolling up multiple filter membranes.

[0003] However, the rolled structure of the filter element has the following drawbacks: 1. The throttling pressure generated between the purified water outlet and the concentrated water outlet and the raw water inlet is large (i.e., the water is subject to greater resistance), resulting in low filtration efficiency.

[0004] 2. Poor diffusion of solutes in the concentrate within the concentrate flow channels defined between the filter membranes, especially when the concentrate flow rate and volume are low (e.g., when the pressure of the raw water from the tap water pipe is low and / or the discharge volume of the concentrate outlet is small, resulting in low concentrate flow rate and volume).

[0005] 3. Poor diffusion of concentrate in the concentrate channel and low concentrate flow rate make it easy for solute particles to adhere to the membrane, causing rapid fouling of the filter elements and requiring frequent cleaning or replacement of the filter elements.

[0006] 4. Poor diffusion effect of concentrated water in the concentrated water channel and low flow rate of concentrated water result in different solute concentrations of concentrated water flowing out from different areas of the concentrated water outlet and concentrated water flowing out of the concentrated water outlet sequentially. As a result, the real-time measurement results of the concentration of concentrated water (including solute concentration) at the concentrated water outlet cannot accurately reflect the overall concentration of concentrated water, thus rendering the measurement results meaningless. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To address the aforementioned technical problems in the prior art, embodiments of the present invention provide a filter element and a filter device.

[0008] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution adopted in the embodiments of the present invention is as follows: A filter element, comprising: A filter body component includes a plurality of flatly stacked filter membranes, each filter membrane including two opposing membrane sheets, a flat purified water flow channel defined between the two membrane sheets of each filter membrane, and a flat concentrated water flow channel defined between each pair of adjacent filter membranes; a purified water outlet is constructed on at least one side of the filter body component by closing the edge of the concentrated water flow channel corresponding to that side and opening the edge of the purified water flow channel; a raw water inlet and a concentrated water outlet are respectively constructed on the other two sides of the filter body component by closing the edges of the purified water flow channels corresponding to those two sides and opening the edges of the concentrated water flow channels. A sheet-like component is arranged in the purified water channel and the concentrated water channel to maintain the channel width; The encapsulation component is connected to the side of the filter body component corresponding to the purified water outlet, and the encapsulation component is used to form a purified water collection chamber that communicates with the purified water outlet.

[0009] Preferably, the encapsulation component is a hollow structure, which serves as the purified water collection chamber.

[0010] Preferably, the encapsulation component is a plate-shaped structure, and the side of the encapsulation component facing away from the filter body component and the housing of the filter device form the purified water collection chamber.

[0011] The present invention also discloses a filtration device, comprising: case; The filter element is installed in the housing; wherein: The filter element includes a filter body component, a sheet-like component, and an encapsulation component; The filter body component includes a plurality of flatly stacked filter membranes, each filter membrane including two opposing membrane sheets, with a flat purified water flow channel defined between the two membrane sheets of each filter membrane, and a flat concentrated water flow channel defined between each pair of adjacent filter membranes; a purified water outlet is constructed on at least one side of the filter body component by closing the edge of the concentrated water flow channel corresponding to that side and opening the edge of the purified water flow channel; a raw water inlet and a concentrated water outlet are respectively constructed on the other two sides of the filter body component by closing the edges of the purified water flow channels corresponding to those two sides and opening the edges of the concentrated water flow channels. Plate-shaped components are arranged in the purified water channel and the concentrated water channel to maintain the channel width; The side of the filter body component corresponding to the purified water outlet is connected to the encapsulation component, and the encapsulation component is used to form a purified water collection chamber that communicates with the purified water outlet; The housing has a raw water inlet connector that communicates with the raw water inlet, a purified water outlet connector that communicates with the purified water collection chamber, and a concentrated water outlet connector that communicates with the concentrated water outlet.

[0012] Preferably, the filter body component is installed in the housing in such a way that the filter membrane stands upright.

[0013] Preferably, the housing extends axially and has two axially positioned ends; the filter membrane is rectangular in shape. The filter element is installed in the housing such that the long side of the filter body component is aligned with the axial direction of the housing. The raw water inlet connector, the purified water outlet connector, and the concentrated water outlet connector are all arranged at the first end of the housing.

[0014] Preferably, The purified water outlet is formed on the upper long side of the filter body component, and the encapsulation component is an axially extending hollow structure, which forms the purified water collection chamber. The raw water inlet is formed on the lower long side of the filter body component, and the lower long side of the filter body component and the shell form a raw water inlet cavity. The raw water inlet connector is connected to the raw water inlet cavity. The concentrate outlet is formed on the short side of the second end of the filter body component near the housing. A concentrate collection chamber is constructed on the outside of the concentrate outlet. A concentrate outlet pipe is led out from the concentrate collection chamber toward the first end of the housing. The concentrate outlet connector is connected to the concentrate outlet pipe.

[0015] Preferably, The purified water outlet includes one, which is formed on a short side of the filter body component near the first end of the housing, and the encapsulation component and the first end of the housing define the purified water collection chamber; The raw water inlet is formed on the upper long side of the filter body component, and the upper long side of the filter body component and the shell form a raw water inlet cavity. The raw water inlet connector is connected to the raw water inlet cavity. The concentrate outlet is formed on the lower long side of the filter body component, and the lower long side of the filter body component and the housing form a concentrate collection chamber. The concentrate outlet connector is connected to the concentrate collection chamber.

[0016] Preferably, the purified water outlet includes two outlets, which respectively form two short sides of the filter body component. The encapsulation component is located at the purified water outlet near the first end of the housing and defines a first purified water collection chamber with the first end of the housing. A cover is provided outside the purified water outlet near the second end of the housing, which forms a second purified water collection chamber. A purified water outlet pipe extends from the second purified water collection chamber toward the first purified water collection chamber and communicates with the first purified water collection chamber.

[0017] Preferably, the sheet-like component arranged in the purified water channel is a sheet-like grid or a flow channel cloth; the sheet-like component arranged in the concentrated water channel is a sheet-like grid or a flow channel cloth.

[0018] Preferably, the sheet-like component arranged in the purified water flow channel is a sheet-like grid or a flow channel cloth; the sheet-like component arranged in the concentrated water flow channel is a flow channel plate; The flow channel plate includes: The sheet-like body has multiple vertically extending and horizontally spaced protruding ribs on both sides, and the area above the protruding ribs of the sheet-like body is a flat area. The first guide hole comprises multiple rows arranged along the extension of the rib; the first guide hole penetrates the sheet-like body and is vertically inclined; wherein: The vertical inclination direction of the first guide hole above and the first guide hole below in the same column are opposite; The ports of the first guide hole are located on both sides of the protruding rib; The flat area is provided with a plurality of second flow guide holes that penetrate the sheet-like body.

[0019] Preferably, a concentrate outlet pipe is provided inside the concentrate collection chamber, one end of the concentrate outlet pipe is connected to the concentrate outlet connector, and the other end of the concentrate outlet pipe extends to the middle area of ​​the concentrate collection chamber.

[0020] Preferably, the filter body component is provided with support plates on both the left and right sides in the radial direction. The support plates have multiple vertically extending and horizontally arranged support ribs on the side facing the filter body component, and multiple support plates that match the housing and are arranged axially on the side facing the inner wall of the housing.

[0021] Preferably, the filter body component is provided with support plate frames on both the left and right sides in the radial direction. The support plate frames have a plurality of vertically spaced support plates that match the inner wall of the housing on the side facing the inner wall of the housing. Each support plate is configured to be horizontal.

[0022] Preferably, the housing is a cylindrical structure; the first end of the housing is an open end, and the first end of the housing has an end cap for sealing the housing.

[0023] Preferably, the desalination rates of two adjacent filter membranes are different.

[0024] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the filter element and filter device disclosed in this invention are: 1. In the filter element provided by the present invention, the concentrated water flow channel and the purified water flow in the filter body component are defined as a flat straight channel by the stacked filter membrane. The flat straight channel has a more uniform width and has a better diffusion effect compared with the spiral flow channel (or approximately arc-shaped flow channel) in the filter body component with the roll structure in the prior art.

[0025] 2. Compared with the spiral flow channel in the filter body component of the filter element of the present invention with a stacked and rolled filter membrane structure, the flat straight flow channel obtained in the filter body component of the filter element of the present invention has less resistance to purified water and concentrated water, so that even when the concentrated water flow rate or flow rate is low, the concentrated water or purified water has a better diffusion effect.

[0026] 3. Compared with the spiral flow channel in the prior art, the flat straight flow channel obtained by the filter membrane stacking has a uniform width in any region, with fewer narrow and sharp corner regions, which greatly reduces the amount of solute particles enriched due to narrow and sharp corner regions.

[0027] 4. The better diffusion effect and lower resistance of the flat DC channel obtained by stacking filter membranes make it difficult for solute particles to adhere to the membrane.

[0028] 5. The better diffusion effect of the flat straight channel obtained by the stacking of filter membranes makes the concentration of concentrate in different areas of the concentrate channel more uniform. This makes the concentration of concentrate flowing out of the concentrate outlet less affected by the unevenness of concentrate, so that the real-time measurement results of the concentrate concentration at the concentrate outlet can truly reflect the overall concentration of concentrate.

[0029] 6. Arranging the filter elements so that the filter membrane is vertical is beneficial for utilizing the gravity of water to make the concentrate flow more uniform in the concentrate channel, or it is beneficial for utilizing the gravity of water to reduce the adhesion of solute particles.

[0030] 7. In the first type of filtration device provided by the present invention: the concentrated water located at the top of the concentrated water channel mixes with the concentrated water located at the bottom under the action of gravity, and the concentrated water located at the top mixes with the raw water that has just entered the concentrated water channel. This is beneficial to equalize the concentration of the concentrated water in the concentrated water channel, thereby facilitating the preparation of purified water with stable water quality, and also facilitating the monitoring of the concentration of the concentrated water.

[0031] 8. In the second type of filtration device provided by the present invention: the raw water inlet and the concentrated water outlet of the main filter component are respectively located on the upper long side and the lower long side of the main filter component. This makes the concentrated water flow channel shorter, and with the help of gravity, the raw water forms concentrated water after filtration and flows out more smoothly from the concentrated water outlet. This is beneficial for flushing the membranes on both sides of the concentrated water flow channel. Therefore, the filtration device of this structure has better anti-fouling ability, is more suitable for filtering raw water with poor water quality, and can maintain a high filtration efficiency.

[0032] It should be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and illustrative only, and are not intended to limit the invention.

[0033] The overview of various implementations or examples of the technology described in this invention is not a complete disclosure of the full scope or all features of the disclosed technology. Attached Figure Description

[0034] In drawings that are not necessarily drawn to scale, the same reference numerals may describe similar parts in different views. The same reference numerals with or without letter suffixes may indicate different instances of similar parts. The drawings generally illustrate various embodiments by way of example rather than limitation and, together with the description and claims, serve to explain embodiments of the invention. Where appropriate, the same reference numerals are used in all drawings to refer to the same or similar parts. Such embodiments are illustrative and not intended to be exhaustive or exclusive embodiments of the apparatus or method.

[0035] Figure 1 A front view of the filter element in a filter device of a first structure provided for an embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A sectional view along the AA direction.

[0037] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A magnified view of part E.

[0038] Figure 4 for Figure 2 A magnified view of section F.

[0039] Figure 5 A partially unfolded view of the filter membrane of the filter body component in a filter device with a first structure provided for an embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 6 for Figure 1 View B.

[0041] Figure 7 for Figure 1 The C-direction view.

[0042] Figure 8 for Figure 1 The D-direction view.

[0043] Figure 9 This is a front sectional view of a filter device with a first structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 10 for Figure 9 GG section view.

[0045] Figure 11 for Figure 9 The H-direction view.

[0046] Figure 12 A cross-sectional view of the support plate frame in a filter device with a first structure provided for an embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] Figure 13 for Figure 12 The I-direction view.

[0048] Figure 14 A front view of the flow channel plate in a filter device with a first structure provided for an embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] Figure 15 for Figure 14 JJ sectional view.

[0050] Figure 16 A front view of the filter element (with a purified water collection chamber) in a filter device of a second structure provided for an embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] Figure 17 for Figure 16 Sectional view along A'-A'.

[0052] Figure 18 for Figure 17 A magnified view of a portion of F'.

[0053] Figure 19 A partially unfolded view of the filter membrane of the filter body component in a filter device with a second structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0054] Figure 20 for Figure 16 The view from E'.

[0055] Figure 21 for Figure 16 The view from direction D'.

[0056] Figure 22 for Figure 16 The view from direction B'.

[0057] Figure 23 for Figure 16 The C' view.

[0058] Figure 24 A main sectional view of a filter device with a second structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention (having a purified water collection chamber).

[0059] Figure 25 for Figure 24 The cross-sectional view along the G'-G' direction.

[0060] Figure 26 for Figure 24 The H' view.

[0061] Figure 27 A front view of the filter element (with two purified water collection chambers) in the second structure of the filter device provided in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0062] Figure 28 A main sectional view of a second-structured filtration device (with two purified water collection chambers) provided for an embodiment of the present invention.

[0063] Figure 29 for Figure 28 Sectional view along the I'-I' direction.

[0064] Figure label: 10-Filter element; 11-Filter body component; 111-Raw water inlet; 112-Purified water outlet; 113-Concentrated water outlet; 12-Encapsulation component; 121-Purified water collection chamber; 122-Plug-in connector; 13-Filter membrane; 131-Membrane sheet; 141-Purified water flow channel; 142-Concentrated water flow channel; 15-Sheet grid; 16-Flow channel plate; 161-Protruding rib; 162-First guide hole; 163 - Flat area; 164- Second guide hole; 20- Shell; 21- First end; 22- Second end; 23- End cap; 24- Limiting strip; 31- Raw water inlet connector; 32- Clean water outlet connector; 33- Concentrate outlet connector; 41- Raw water inlet chamber; 42- Concentrate collection chamber; 421- Tail cap; 422- Concentrate outlet pipe; 50- Support plate frame; 51- Support plate; 52- Support rib; 60- Support plate.

[0065] 10'-Filter element; 11'-Filter body component; 111'-Raw water inlet; 112'-Clean water outlet; 113'-Concentrate outlet; 12'-Encapsulation component; 121'-Clean water collection chamber; 121''-Clean water collection chamber; 123'-Plug-in connector; 124'-Plug-in connector; 125'-Cover; 126'-Clean water outlet pipe; 141'-Clean water flow channel; 142'-Concentrate flow channel; 31'-Raw water inlet connector; 32'-Clean water outlet connector; 33'-Concentrate outlet connector; 41'-Raw water inlet chamber; 42'-Concentrate collection chamber; 421'-Concentrate outlet pipe; 50'-Support plate frame; 51'-Support plate. Detailed Implementation

[0066] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the described embodiments of the present invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0067] Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in this invention shall have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terms "first," "second," and similar terms used in this invention do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different components. Terms such as "comprising" or "including" mean that the element or object preceding the word encompasses the elements or objects listed following the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. Terms such as "connected" or "linked" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but can include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. Terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," and "right" are used only to indicate relative positional relationships; when the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0068] To keep the following description of the embodiments of the present invention clear and concise, detailed descriptions of known functions and known components are omitted.

[0069] like Figures 1 to 29 As shown, this invention discloses a filter element 10, 10' and a filtration device including the filter element 10, 10'. The filtration device also includes a housing 20, in which the filter element 10, 10' is encapsulated. When using the filtration device, raw water from a tap water pipe is supplied into the housing 20. The raw water entering the housing 20 is filtered by the filter element 10, 10' to form purified water and concentrated water, which are then discharged from the housing 20.

[0070] like Figures 1 to 8 As shown, the filter elements 10, 10' include filter body components 11, 11' and encapsulation components 12, 12'. The filter body components 11, 11' include a plurality of flat filter membranes 13, which are stacked.

[0071] It should be noted that the so-called flat filter membrane 13 is relative to the rolled filter membrane 13 in the prior art of rolled filter elements 10, 10'. That is to say, in the present invention, the filter membrane 13 is in a non-rolled state and is stacked.

[0072] Each filter membrane 13 includes two opposing membrane sheets 131, which can be formed by folding a larger membrane sheet 131 in half, as shown in the accompanying drawings of the present invention (e.g.). Figure 3The two membranes 131 shown are formed by folding a single membrane 131 in half. The filter membrane 13 formed by folding needs to avoid sharpening at the fold and instead minimize the sharpness of the fold, thereby preventing a decrease in filtration efficiency and the adhesion and accumulation of solutes (which may contain impurities) at the fold. A more preferred solution is that the two membranes 131 of the filter membrane 13 are two separate membranes 131, which avoids sharp areas at the fold of the formed filter membrane 13.

[0073] Each pair of adjacent superimposed filter membranes 13 defines a concentrate flow channel 142, 142', thereby forming multiple layers of spaced concentrate flow channels 142, 142' in the filter body components 11, 11'; each filter membrane 13 defines a purified water flow channel 141, 141' between two membrane sheets 131, thereby forming multiple layers of spaced purified water flow channels 141, 141' in the filter body components 11, 11', which are arranged alternately with the multiple layers of concentrate flow channels 142, 142'. Raw water enters the concentrate flow channels 142, 142' and is filtered by the membrane sheets 131 on both sides to form purified water, which then enters the purified water flow channels 141, 141'. The raw water in the concentrate flow channels 142, 142' is continuously filtered to form concentrate.

[0074] like Figure 2 As shown, sheet-like components are arranged in each of the purified water channels 141, 141' and the concentrated water channels 142, 142'. These sheet-like components support the diaphragm 131 to maintain the width of the channel and prevent the diaphragm 131 from being deformed under pressure, thus narrowing the entire or partial area of ​​the channel. These sheet-like components not only need to have good pressure resistance but also need to ensure that water can pass through them. Sheet-like grids 15 or channel fabric with good pressure resistance can be selected as the sheet-like components.

[0075] A rectangular filter membrane 13 is made by cutting the membrane 131 into a rectangle, and the filter body components 11, 11' formed by stacking the filter membranes 13 have four sides consistent with the filter membrane 13. Raw water inlets 111, 111', purified water outlets 112, 112', and concentrated water outlets 113, 113' are respectively constructed on different sides of the filter body components 11, 11', so that the raw water entering the housing 20 enters the concentrated water channels 142, 142' through the raw water inlets 111, 111' and is filtered by the membrane 131 during the process of passing through the concentrated water channels 142, 142'. The filtered purified water flows out of the filter body components 11, 11' through the purified water channels 141, 141' and out of the purified water outlets 112, 112', while the concentrated water formed after filtration flows out of the filter body components 11, 11' through the concentrated water outlets 113, 113'.

[0076] The construction methods for raw water inlets 111 and 111', purified water outlets 112 and 112', and concentrated water outlets 113 and 113' are as follows: like Figure 4 As shown, the edges of all concentrate channels 142, 142' corresponding to the sides where the raw water inlets 111, 111' are located are open, while the edges of the purified water channels 141, 141' corresponding to the same side are closed. For example, the filter membrane 13 is formed by folding a membrane sheet 131 in half, with the folded area serving as the side. In this way, the edges of the purified water channels 141, 141' are naturally closed. Alternatively, a colloid is filled between the edges of the two membrane sheets 131 of each filter membrane 13 corresponding to the same side to close the edges of the purified water channels 141, 141'. Or, the two membrane sheets 131 are sealed together by heat fusion. The edges of the sheet-like components in the concentrate channels 142, 142' corresponding to the same side are flush with the edges of each pair of adjacent filter membranes 13, thus achieving an open edge for the concentrate channels 142, 142'.

[0077] like Figure 3 As shown, the edges of the purified water channels 141 and 141' corresponding to the sides where the purified water outlets 112 and 112' are located are all open, while the edges of the concentrated water channels 142 and 142' corresponding to the same sides are all closed. For example, the edges of the concentrated water channels 142 and 142' are closed by filling the edges of each pair of adjacent filter membranes 13 corresponding to the same side with colloid, or by using a heat-sealing method to seal the edges of the two filter membranes 13; the edges of the sheet-like components in the purified water channels 141 and 141' corresponding to the same side are flush with the two membrane sheets 131 of the filter membrane 13 to achieve the openness of the purified water channels 141 and 141'.

[0078] like Figure 6 As shown, the edges of the concentrate channels 142 and 142' corresponding to the sides where the concentrate outlets 113 and 113' are located are open, while the edges of the clean water channels 141 and 141' corresponding to the same sides are closed. For example, a colloid is filled between the edges of the two membrane sheets 131 of each filter membrane 13 corresponding to the same side to close the edges of the clean water channels 141 and 141', or the two membrane sheets 131 are sealed by heat fusion; the edges of the sheet-like components in the concentrate channels 142 and 142' corresponding to the same side are flush with the edges of each pair of filter membranes 13 to achieve the open edges of the concentrate channels 142 and 142'.

[0079] like Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, the encapsulation components 12, 12' have attachment slots. The sides of the filter body components 11, 11' containing the clean water outlets 112, 112' are inserted into these attachment slots and connected to the encapsulation components 12, 12' using a sealing connection method such as adhesive bonding to form an integral unit. The combination of the encapsulation components 12, 12' and the filter body components 11, 11' has advantages such as ease of installation and use. For example, the encapsulation components 12, 12' are combined with the filter body components 11, 11' so that the filter elements 10, 10' can be purchased as a separate product, thus avoiding the need to purchase the entire filter device. Furthermore, the attachment slots of the encapsulation components 12, 12' limit the water outlets 112, 112', ensuring a stable flow cross-section and reducing the impact of pressure on the flow cross-section, preventing deformation at the water outlets, especially preventing expansion deformation. Additionally, after the filter elements 10, 10' are installed in the housing 20, the interior of the housing 20 positions the encapsulation components 12, 12', making it easy for the entire filter element 10, 10' to achieve a defined assembly position.

[0080] The encapsulation component can have various structural forms, and its specific structure is related to the construction of the housing 20, the collection of purified water, and the method of outlet. For example, ... Figure 1 As shown, the encapsulation component can be constructed as a hollow structure, which serves as a purified water collection chamber 121 and communicates with the purified water outlet 112. Purified water flowing from the purified water outlet 112 first enters the purified water collection chamber 121 and then exits from the housing 20. For example, as... Figure 16 and Figure 24 As shown, the encapsulation component can be a plate-shaped structure. After the filter element 10' is installed into the housing 20, the plate-shaped encapsulation component 12' and the housing 20 can form a purified water collection chamber 121'.

[0081] The housing 20 is used to encapsulate the filter elements 10 and 10' to create a closed environment within the housing 20 during the preparation of purified water. The housing 20 can be constructed in various ways, and its structure is related to the structure of the filter elements 10 and 10', the purified water preparation system (or water purification system), etc.

[0082] For filter body components 11, 11' with a roughly square cross-section obtained by stacking rectangular filter membranes 13 with a certain aspect ratio, the present invention provides a housing 20 with a structure such as... Figure 9 and Figure 24As shown, the housing 20 is constructed as a cylindrical structure with a certain axial length. The housing 20 has a first end 21 and a second end 22 in the axial direction, and an end cap 23 is provided at the first end 21 of the housing 20. Filter elements 10, 10' are installed into the housing 20 from the port of the first end 21 of the housing 20, and the end cap 23 is used to encapsulate the filter elements 10, 10' in the housing 20.

[0083] Based on the cylindrical structure of the housing 20, the present invention also provides an arrangement of the housing 20 itself and the filter elements 10, 10' relative to the housing 20. For example... Figure 9 and Figure 10 as well as Figure 24 and Figure 25 As shown, the arrangement is as follows: the housing 20 is placed horizontally; the filter elements 10, 10' are installed in the housing 20 such that the filter membrane 13 is erected vertically; and the filter elements 10, 10' are installed in the housing 20 such that the long side of the filter body components 11, 11' is aligned with the axial direction of the housing 20.

[0084] Raw water inlet connectors 31, 31', purified water outlet connectors 32, 32', and concentrated water outlet connectors 33, 33' are arranged on the housing 20. Inside the housing 20, the raw water inlet chambers 41, 41' are constructed in the areas facing the raw water inlets 111, 111' of the filter main components 11, 11', purified water collection chambers 121, 121' are constructed in the areas facing the purified water outlets 112, 112', and concentrated water collection chambers 42, 42' are constructed in the areas facing the concentrated water outlets 113, 113'. The raw water inlet connectors 31, 31' are connected to the raw water inlet chambers 41, 41', the purified water outlet connectors 32, 32' are connected to the purified water collection chambers 121, 121', and the concentrated water outlet connectors 33, 33' are connected to the concentrated water collection chambers 42, 42'. Thus, raw water from the tap water pipe enters the raw water inlet chambers 41 and 41' of the housing 20 through the raw water inlet connectors 31 and 31'. During the flow in the raw water inlet chambers 41 and 41', it enters the concentrated water channels 142 and 142' of each layer through the raw water inlets 111 and 111' of the filter main components 11 and 11'. The purified water obtained by filtration flows out from the purified water outlets 112 and 112' through the purified water channels 141 and 141' and enters the purified water collection chambers 121 and 121'. Then, it flows out from the housing 20 through the purified water outlet connectors 32 and 32'. The concentrated water produced by purification flows into the concentrated water collection chambers 42 and 42' from the concentrated water outlets 113 and 113', and then flows out from the housing 20 through the concentrated water outlet connectors 33 and 33'.

[0085] like Figure 10 and Figure 25As shown, support plates 50 and 50' are arranged on the left and right sides of the filter body components 11 and 11' in the radial direction. Limiting strips 24 are provided on the inner walls of the housing 20 above and below the support plates 50 and 50' to position the support plates 50 and 50'. These support plates 50 and 50' not only ensure the filter body components 11 and 11' are in a defined assembly position, but also limit the expansion of the filter body components 11 and 11' in the radial direction to the left and right, which is extremely beneficial for maintaining the width of the concentrate flow channels 142 and 142' and the clean water flow channels 141 and 141'.

[0086] The filtration device with the above-described structure provided by the present invention has the following advantages: 1. In the filter elements 10, 10' provided by the present invention, the concentrated water channels 142, 142' and the purified water fluid in the filter body components 11, 11' are defined as flat straight channels by the stacked filter membrane 13. The flat straight channels have a more uniform width and have a better diffusion effect compared with the spiral channels (or approximately arc-shaped channels) in the rolled structure filter body components 11, 11' in the prior art.

[0087] 2. Compared with the spiral flow channels in the filter body components 11, 11' of the existing filter membrane 13 stacked and rolled structure, the flat straight flow channels obtained in the filter body components 11, 11' of the filter elements 10, 10' of the present invention have less resistance to purified water and concentrated water, so that even when the concentrated water flow rate or flow rate is low, the concentrated water or purified water has a better diffusion effect.

[0088] 3. Compared with the spiral flow channel in the prior art, the flat straight flow channel obtained by stacking filter membranes 13 has a uniform width in any region, with fewer narrow and sharp corner regions, which greatly reduces the amount of solute particles enriched due to narrow and sharp corner regions.

[0089] 4. The better diffusion effect and lower resistance of the flat DC channel obtained by stacking filter membranes 13 make it difficult for solute particles to adhere to membrane 131.

[0090] 5. The better diffusion effect of the flat straight channel obtained by stacking filter membranes 13 makes the concentration of concentrate in different regions of concentrate channels 142 and 142' more uniform. This makes the concentration of concentrate flowing out of concentrate outlets 113 and 113' less affected by the uneven concentration of concentrate, so that the real-time measurement results of concentrate concentration at concentrate outlets 113 and 113' can truly reflect the overall concentration of concentrate.

[0091] 6. Arranging the filter elements 10 and 10' so that the filter membrane 13 is vertical is beneficial to utilizing the gravity of water to make the concentrate in the concentrate flow channels 142 and 142' more uniform or to utilizing the gravity of water to reduce the adhesion of solute particles.

[0092] This invention provides two types of filtration devices with different structures for the locations of the raw water inlet, purified water outlet, and concentrated water outlet in the main filtration component.

[0093] The first type of filtration device like Figures 1 to 15 As shown, in the filtration device of this structure, the raw water inlet 111 of the filter body component 11 of the filter element 10 is formed on the lower long side of the filter body component 11, the purified water outlet 112 is formed on the upper long side of the filter body component 11, and the concentrated water outlet 113 is formed on the short side of the filter body component 11 near the second end 22 of the housing 20.

[0094] The encapsulation component 12 is a strip-shaped component with an arc-shaped cross-section extending axially. This encapsulation component 12 has a hollow structure, forming purified water collection chambers 121 that extend axially to both ends of the housing 20. The upper long side of the filter body component 11 is attached to the bottom attachment slot of the encapsulation component 12, allowing the purified water outlet 112 to communicate with the purified water collection chamber 121. The arc-shaped outer peripheral surface of the upper surface of the encapsulation component 12 matches the inner wall of the housing 20 to achieve a compact assembly effect.

[0095] The lower long side of the filter body component 11 and the bottom of the inner wall of the housing 20 define a raw water inlet chamber 41 that extends axially to both ends of the housing 20.

[0096] A tail cap 421 is provided on the short side of the second end 22 of the housing 20 near the filter body component 11. The tail cap 421 and the short side form a concentrate collection chamber 42. A concentrate outlet pipe 422 is led out from the concentrate collection chamber 42 and extends toward the first end 21 of the housing 20.

[0097] Raw water inlet connector 31, purified water outlet connector 32, and concentrated water outlet connector 33 are formed on the end cap 23 at the first end 21 of the housing 20, and are respectively positioned opposite to the raw water inlet chamber 41, the purified water collection chamber 121, and the concentrated water outlet pipe 422. The inner side of the raw water inlet connector 31 extends into the raw water inlet chamber 41 and communicates with the raw water inlet chamber 41. The end of the encapsulation component 12 near the first end 21 of the housing 20 leads out a plug connector 122, which is inserted into the inner side of the purified water outlet connector 32 so that the purified water outlet connector 32 communicates with the purified water collection chamber 121. The end of the concentrated water outlet pipe 422 is inserted into the inner side of the concentrated water outlet connector 33 so that the concentrated water outlet connector 33 communicates with the concentrated water collection chamber 42 through the concentrated water outlet pipe 422.

[0098] like Figure 9As shown, raw water from the tap water pipe enters the raw water inlet chamber 41 through the raw water inlet connector 31 and flows along the raw water inlet chamber 41 toward the second end 22 of the shell 20. At the same time, under pressure, the raw water enters the concentrate flow channel 142 in various regions along the axial direction of the raw water inlet chamber 41. Under pressure, the concentrate flow channel 142 is filled. The membrane 131 of the filter membrane 13 filters the raw water in the concentrate flow channel 142, so that purified water is formed in the purified water flow channel 141. Under pressure, the purified water finally flows into the purified water collection chamber 121, and then flows toward the first end 21 of the shell 20 and flows out from the purified water outlet connector 32. Under pressure, the concentrated water produced by filtration finally flows out from the concentrated water outlet 113 and enters the concentrated water collection chamber 42. Then, guided by the concentrated water outlet pipe 422, it flows out from the concentrated water outlet connector 33.

[0099] In the filtration device of this structure, such as Figure 10 , Figure 12 , Figure 13 As shown, the support plate frames 50 on both sides of the filter main body component 11 have the following characteristics: Multiple vertically extending and horizontally arranged support ribs 52 are formed on the side of the support plate frame 50 facing the filter main body component 11; multiple support plates 51 matching the housing 20 and arranged axially are formed on the side of the support plate frame 50 facing the inner wall of the housing 20. Furthermore, to avoid interference with the concentrate outlet pipe 422, a channel axially penetrating all the support plates 51 is provided on the support plate frame 50, through which the concentrate outlet pipe 422 passes.

[0100] The above-described structure of the support frame 50 has the following advantages: 1. The support ribs 52 on the support plate frame 50 form a flow channel between the support plate frame 50 and the side of the filter body component 11, thereby preventing solute particles from adhering between the support plate frame 50 and the filter body component 11.

[0101] 2. The support plates 51 on the support plate frame 50 define the flow channel, so that the fluid (including concentrated water and raw water) can pass through the flow channel to flush the areas on both sides of the filter body component 11, thereby causing the water to circulate in the housing 20.

[0102] In the filtration device of this structure, such as Figure 9 As shown, a support plate 60 is provided below the first end 21 of the filter body component 11 near the housing 20. The support plate 60 has a structure that mates with the bottom of the filter body component 11 and the bottom of the inner wall of the housing 20. The inner side of the concentrate outlet connector 33 passes through the support plate 60. The bottom of the tail cap 421 at the concentrate outlet 113 of the filter body component 11 has a support plate, which is supported by the inner wall of the housing 20. In this way, the support plate 60 and the support plate support the two ends of the filter body component 11 in the axial direction.

[0103] The advantages of this filter device structure are: The concentrated water at the top of the concentrated water channel 142 mixes with the concentrated water at the bottom under the action of gravity, and the concentrated water at the top mixes with the raw water that has just entered the concentrated water channel. This helps to balance the concentration of the concentrated water in the concentrated water channel 142, which in turn helps to produce purified water with stable water quality and helps to monitor the concentration of the concentrated water.

[0104] In this filtration device, a sheet-like grid 15 is arranged in the clean water flow channel 141 of the filter body component 11, while a flow channel plate with the following structure is arranged in the concentrated water flow channel 142: like Figure 14 and Figure 15 As shown, the flow channel plate includes a sheet-like body, a first flow guide hole 162, and second flow guide holes 164. The sheet-like body can be injection molded from plastic material. Multiple vertically extending and horizontally spaced protruding ribs 161 are formed on both sides of the sheet-like body. The area above the protruding ribs 161 is a flat region 163. The first flow guide holes 162 include multiple rows extending along the protruding ribs 161. The first flow guide holes 162 penetrate the sheet-like body and are vertically inclined. The vertical inclination direction of adjacent upper first flow guide holes 162 in the same row is opposite to that of lower first flow guide holes 162. The ports of the first flow guide holes 162 are located on both sides of the protruding ribs 161. The first flow guide holes 162 can be drilled on the sheet-like body using a laser drilling tool. Multiple second flow guide holes 164 penetrating the sheet-like body are arranged in the flat region 163. The top of the flow channel plate 16 is provided with stepped structures 165 protruding to both sides, and the thickness of the stepped structure 165 is consistent with the thickness defined by the ribs 161 on both sides, thereby making the width of the edge of the concentrate flow channel 142 consistent with the width of the area corresponding to the ribs 161.

[0105] The aforementioned flow channel plate 16 has the following advantages: The ribs 161 support the membranes 131 on both sides of the flow channel plate 16, which facilitates the flow of water in the concentrate channel 142. Furthermore, the vertical flow channel defined between adjacent ribs 161 promotes mixing of the upper and lower concentrates. The first guide hole 162 allows some concentrate in the flow channel to shuttle between the sides of the flow channel plate 16, which not only has a scouring effect on the membranes 131 but also on the junction of the two sides of the ribs 161, thus preventing solute particles from adhering. Moreover, the shuttle of concentrate between the sides of the flow channel plate 16 also facilitates thorough mixing of the concentrate on both sides of the flow channel plate 16. The concentrate finally flows through the flat region 163 at the top of the flow channel plate 16 and exits from the concentrate outlet 113. During its passage through the flat region 163, the concentrate on both sides of the flow channel plate 16 is mixed through the second guide hole 164. The flat area 163 is positioned above the flow channel plate 16 to guide the concentrate, which is beneficial for the concentrate to obtain a balanced concentration before being discharged from the concentrate outlet 113.

[0106] The second type of filtration device like Figures 16 to 26 As shown, in the filtration device of this structure, the raw water inlet 111' of the filter body component 11' of the filter element 10' is formed on the upper long side of the filter body component 11', the purified water outlet 112' is formed at least on the short side of the filter body component 11' near the first end 21 of the housing 20, and the concentrated water outlet 113' is formed on the lower long side of the filter body component 11'.

[0107] The encapsulation component 12' is a disc-shaped structure that matches the inner wall of the housing 20. The disc-shaped component is disposed in the housing 20 near the first end 21 of the housing 20. The encapsulation component 12' and the end cap 23 form a purified water collection chamber 121'. The disc-shaped encapsulation component 12' also provides better support for the filter body component 11'.

[0108] The upper long side of the filter body component 11' and the top of the inner wall of the housing 20 define the raw water inlet chamber 41'.

[0109] The lower long side of the filter body component 11' and the bottom of the inner wall of the housing 20 define a concentrate collection chamber 42'. A concentrate outlet pipe 421' is provided in the concentrate collection chamber 42', which extends from the first end 21 of the housing 20 to the middle of the concentrate collection chamber 42'.

[0110] Raw water inlet connector 31', purified water outlet connector 32', and concentrated water outlet connector 33' are formed on the end cap 23 at the first end 21 of the housing 20, and are respectively positioned opposite the raw water inlet chamber 41', the purified water collection chamber 121', and the concentrated water outlet pipe 421'. The upper part of the encapsulation component 12' forms a plug connector 123' which is plugged into the inner side of the raw water inlet connector 31' to form a communication state; the lower part of the encapsulation component 12' forms a plug connector 124' which is plugged into the concentrated water outlet pipe 421' and the concentrated water outlet connector 33', so that the concentrated water outlet connector 33' is connected to the concentrated water outlet pipe 421'; the purified water outlet connector 32' is connected to the purified water collection chamber 121'.

[0111] like Figure 24 As shown, raw water from the tap water pipe enters the raw water inlet chamber 41' located above the filter body component 11' through the raw water inlet connector 31' and flows along the raw water inlet chamber 41' toward the second end 22 of the housing 20. At the same time, under the action of pressure and gravity, the raw water enters the concentrate flow channel 142' from various regions along the axial direction of the raw water inlet 111'. Under the action of pressure and gravity, the concentrate flow channel 142' is filled. The membrane 131 of the filter membrane 13 filters the raw water in the concentrate flow channel 142', so that purified water is formed in the purified water flow channel 141'. Under the action of pressure, the purified water finally flows into the purified water collection chamber 121' and then flows out from the purified water outlet connector 32'. Under pressure and gravity, the concentrated water produced by filtration eventually flows out from the concentrated water outlet 113' and enters the concentrated water collection chamber 42', and then flows out from the concentrated water outlet connector 33' under the guidance of the concentrated water outlet pipe 421'.

[0112] In this filtration device, the support plates 50' on both sides of the filter body 11' have the following characteristics: On the side of the support plate 50' facing the inner wall of the housing 20, multiple vertically spaced support plates 51' are formed, matching the inner wall of the housing 20, and each support plate 51' is configured in a horizontal state. These horizontal support plates 51' intercept the raw water to prevent it from flowing directly from the gap between the filter body 11' and the housing 20 to the concentrate collection chamber 42'.

[0113] In a more preferred structure, such as Figures 27 to 29As shown, both short sides of the filter body component 11' form purified water outlets 112', 112'', and another purified water collection chamber 121'' is formed by providing a cap 125' at the short side of the filter body component 11' near the second end 22 of the housing 20. Thus, both ends of the filter body component 11' form purified water collection chambers 121', 121''. A purified water outlet pipe 126' extends from the purified water collection chamber 121'' near the second end 22 of the housing 20, and this purified water outlet pipe 126' extends to the purified water collection chamber 121' near the first end 21 of the housing 20. In this way, the two purified water collection chambers 121', 121'' simultaneously collect purified water and finally merge into the purified water collection chamber 121' near the first end 21 of the housing 20, and then flow out from the purified water outlet connector 32'.

[0114] The advantages of this filter device structure are: The raw water inlet 111' and the concentrated water outlet 113' of the filter body component 11' are located on the upper and lower long sides of the filter body component 11', respectively. This makes the concentrated water channel 142' shorter. With the help of gravity, the concentrated water formed after the raw water passes through the filter flows out more smoothly from the concentrated water outlet 113'. This is beneficial for flushing the membranes 131 on both sides of the concentrated water channel 142'. Therefore, the filter device with this structure has better anti-fouling ability, is more suitable for filtering raw water with poor water quality, and can maintain a high filtration efficiency.

[0115] In the two types of filtration devices described above, the filter membrane 13 is arranged in the following manner to achieve the desired desalination rate: The two adjacent filter membranes 13 are made of membrane sheets 131 with different desalination rate specifications (different pore sizes). This is beneficial to obtain a solute concentration in the purified water beyond the desalination rate specification limit, which increases the diversity of purified water quality and provides users with a wider range of drinking experiences.

[0116] Furthermore, although exemplary embodiments have been described in this invention, their scope includes any and all embodiments based on the invention that have equivalent elements, modifications, omissions, combinations (e.g., schemes involving intersections of various embodiments), adaptations, or alterations. Elements in the claims will be interpreted broadly based on the language used in the claims and are not limited to the examples described in this specification or during the implementation of this application, and such examples will be interpreted as non-exclusive. Therefore, this specification and examples are intended to be considered illustrative only, and the true scope and spirit are indicated by the full scope of the following claims and their equivalents.

[0117] The above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. For example, the above examples (or one or more of them) can be used in combination with each other. Other embodiments may be used by those skilled in the art upon reading the above description. Furthermore, in the above detailed description, various features may be grouped together to simplify the invention. This should not be construed as an intention that a disclosed feature, which is not claimed, is necessary for any claim. Rather, the subject matter of the invention may be less than all the features of the particular disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are incorporated herein by reference as examples or embodiments, wherein each claim is independently considered as a separate embodiment, and these embodiments are contemplated as being possible in various combinations or arrangements. The scope of the invention should be determined by reference to the appended claims and the full scope of their equivalents.

[0118] The above embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the claims. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications or equivalent substitutions to the present invention within its spirit and scope of protection, and such modifications or equivalent substitutions should also be considered to fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A filtration device, characterized in that, include: case; The filter element is installed in the housing; wherein: The filter element includes a filter body component, a sheet-like component, and an encapsulation component; The filter body component includes a plurality of flatly stacked filter membranes, each filter membrane including two opposing membrane sheets, with a flat purified water flow channel defined between the two membrane sheets of each filter membrane, and a flat concentrated water flow channel defined between each pair of adjacent filter membranes; a purified water outlet is constructed on at least one side of the filter body component by closing the edge of the concentrated water flow channel corresponding to that side and opening the edge of the purified water flow channel; a raw water inlet and a concentrated water outlet are respectively constructed on the other two sides of the filter body component by closing the edges of the purified water flow channels corresponding to those two sides and opening the edges of the concentrated water flow channels. Plate-shaped components are arranged in the purified water channel and the concentrated water channel to maintain the channel width; The side of the filter body component corresponding to the purified water outlet is connected to the encapsulation component, and the encapsulation component is used to form a purified water collection chamber that communicates with the purified water outlet; The housing has a raw water inlet connector that communicates with the raw water inlet, a purified water outlet connector that communicates with the purified water collection chamber, and a concentrated water outlet connector that communicates with the concentrated water outlet. The filter body component is installed in the housing in such a way that the filter membrane stands upright; The housing extends axially and has two axial ends; the filter membrane is rectangular in shape. The filter element is installed in the housing such that the long side of the filter body component is aligned with the axial direction of the housing. The raw water inlet connector, the purified water outlet connector, and the concentrated water outlet connector are all arranged at the first end of the shell; The purified water outlet is formed on the upper long side of the filter body component, and the encapsulation component is an axially extending hollow structure, which forms the purified water collection chamber. The raw water inlet is formed on the lower long side of the filter body component, and the lower long side of the filter body component and the shell form a raw water inlet cavity. The raw water inlet connector is connected to the raw water inlet cavity. The concentrate outlet is formed on the short side of the second end of the filter body component near the housing. A concentrate collection chamber is constructed on the outside of the concentrate outlet. A concentrate outlet pipe is led out from the concentrate collection chamber toward the first end of the housing. The concentrate outlet connector is connected to the concentrate outlet pipe. The sheet-like components arranged in the purified water flow channel are sheet-like grids or flow channel fabrics; the sheet-like components arranged in the concentrated water flow channel are flow channel plates; The flow channel plate includes: The sheet-like body has multiple vertically extending and horizontally spaced protruding ribs on both sides, and the area above the protruding ribs of the sheet-like body is a flat area. The first guide hole comprises multiple rows arranged along the extension of the rib; the first guide hole penetrates the sheet-like body and is vertically inclined; wherein: The vertical inclination direction of the first guide hole above and the first guide hole below in the same column are opposite; The ports of the first guide hole are located on both sides of the protruding rib; The flat area is provided with a plurality of second flow guide holes that penetrate the sheet-like body.

2. The filtration device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Support plates are provided on the left and right sides of the filter body component in the radial direction. The support plates have multiple vertically extending and horizontally arranged support ribs on the side facing the filter body component. The support plates have multiple support plates that match the housing and are arranged axially on the side facing the inner wall of the housing.

3. The filtration device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The housing is a cylindrical structure; the first end of the housing is an open end, and the first end of the housing has an end cap for sealing the housing.

4. The filtration device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The desalination rates of two adjacent filter membranes are different.

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