A self-cleaning, energy-saving tap water purification device

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of water purification equipment and discloses a self-cleaning, energy-saving tap water purification device. The device is connected to an external tap water pipe and includes a housing, a drain section, a valve, and a water-driven cleaning component. The housing has an outlet and a drain port. The valve is installed at the drain port. The cleaning component is housed within the housing. The drain section is elastically extendable within the housing and connected to the valve. By using the valve in conjunction with the drain section, the filter element can be self-cleaned simply by blocking the outlet. Simultaneously, the valve automatically opens to discharge water containing dirt. The drain port only gradually closes after the drain section descends to a certain height, achieving delayed closure. The cleaning component is driven directly by the water flow energy of the purification device, avoiding the consumption of electrical or hydraulic energy and reducing the overall energy consumption of the equipment. Compared to equipping an additional drive mechanism, this method is more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of water purification equipment, and more particularly to a self-cleaning, energy-saving tap water purification device. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, when cleaning ceramic filter cartridges in water purifiers, the water purification device is disassembled, and clean water is used to rinse away the dirt that has been removed by scrapers or brushes from the ceramic filter cartridges, restoring their permeability. However, this type of filter cartridge requires manual disassembly of the water purification device for cleaning every 1-2 weeks. The operation is troublesome, and manual cleaning can easily damage the filter cartridges due to difficulty in controlling the force.

[0003] To address this, existing technologies employ a cleaning mechanism within the water purification device, using water pressure to drive the mechanism and automatically clean the ceramic filter element. However, regardless of the cleaning mechanism, the cleaned dirt remains in the water within the purification device. Typically, most water purification devices only have an inlet and an outlet. To discharge the dirt-containing water, a separate drain valve is required. This means that to achieve the entire self-cleaning and discharge process, manual intervention is still needed to clean the drain valve, failing to achieve true self-cleaning, i.e., automatic cleaning and automatic discharge. Furthermore, existing technologies also utilize the inlet to handle both tap water input and discharge of dirt-containing water. However, during the discharge of dirt-containing water, some dirt remains in the inlet pipe, which is then carried back into the purification device the next time tap water is input. Therefore, it is necessary to design a water purification device that can automatically discharge dirt-containing water after completing self-cleaning. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a self-cleaning, energy-saving tap water purification device to solve the problem that while existing water purification devices can self-clean their ceramic filter elements, the dirt removed from the ceramic filter elements still remains inside the purification device and is mixed with the water. Manual cleaning is still required even with methods such as installing a drain valve. Furthermore, if the inlet is used to both input tap water and discharge water containing dirt, some dirt will still remain in the inlet pipe, and the next time tap water is input, the dirt will be carried back into the purification device. The specific technical solution is as follows:

[0005] A self-cleaning, energy-saving tap water purification device is provided. The device is connected to an external tap water pipe and includes a housing, a drain section, a valve, and a water-driven cleaning component. The housing has an outlet and a drain port. The valve is installed at the drain port. The cleaning component is disposed in the housing. The drain section is elastically extendable and retractable within the housing and is positioned above the cleaning component. The drain section is connected to the valve. By blocking the outlet, the internal pressure of the housing is increased, squeezing the drain section. The valve is associated with the drain section and opens the drain port immediately or closes it laterally depending on the degree of extension and retraction of the drain section.

[0006] As an improvement to the above technical solution, the housing is rotatably connected to a filter element, the filter element is disposed on the outlet, the cleaning assembly is sleeved on the outside of the filter element, the top of the filter element is provided with a protrusion, the protrusion passes through the cleaning assembly and is connected to a water wheel.

[0007] As an improvement to the above technical solution, the cleaning assembly includes a bracket for connecting brush bristles inside the bracket, the filter element is disposed inside the bracket, and the brush bristles are in contact with the outer side of the filter element.

[0008] As an improvement to the above technical solution, the drainage part includes a squeezing block, a support rod, and a spring. The support rod is connected to the squeezing block and slidably connected inside the housing. The spring is sleeved on the outside of the support rod, and both ends of the spring are connected to the squeezing block and the inner wall of the housing, respectively.

[0009] As an improvement to the above technical solution, the drain outlet is tubular, and the inner wall of the drain outlet is provided with a groove for accommodating the valve. A movable rod is connected to the top of the valve. The movable rod passes through the drain outlet and the housing and is connected to the support rod. The valve is driven to move up and down reciprocally by the extension and retraction of the drain section.

[0010] As an improvement to the above technical solution, the valve includes a sliding member with a groove. The groove opening is narrowed, and the end of the movable rod passes through the groove opening and enters the groove. The outer side of the end of the movable rod is provided with a protrusion.

[0011] As an improvement to the above technical solution, a magnet is embedded in the inner wall of the sewage outlet, and a metal layer that can be magnetically attracted is provided inside the sliding member.

[0012] As an improvement to the above technical solution, the metal layer is disposed inside the top surface of the sliding member, and the magnetic field range of the magnet covers the upper half of the inside of the drain outlet.

[0013] As an improvement to the above technical solution, an air bladder is provided on the outer bottom of the sliding member, and the groove opening gradually narrows from top to bottom.

[0014] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: by setting a valve in conjunction with the drainage section, the filter element can be self-cleaned simply by blocking the outlet. At the same time, the valve can be automatically opened to discharge water containing dirt. Although the drainage section will descend, it does not affect the drain outlet in the early stage of the descent. Only when the drainage section descends to a certain height will the drain outlet gradually close, which means delayed closure, allowing water containing dirt to flow out from the shell.

[0015] This invention directly utilizes the kinetic energy of the water flow in the water purification equipment to drive the cleaning components, avoiding the consumption of electrical or hydraulic energy, reducing the overall energy consumption of the equipment, and is more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly than equipping an additional drive mechanism.

[0016] Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Of course, implementing any product or method of this application does not necessarily require achieving all of the advantages described above at the same time. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 This is another structural schematic diagram of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the water turbine structure of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the cleaning component of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the valve structure of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 6 This is another structural schematic diagram of the valve of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the metal layer of the present invention.

[0025] In the diagram: 1. Shell; 2. Drainage section; 3. Valve; 4. Cleaning assembly; 5. Filter element; 6. Water wheel; 7. Magnet; 11. Inlet; 12. Outlet; 13. Sewage outlet; 21. Squeezing block; 22. Spring; 23. Support rod; 31. Sliding part; 32. Airbag; 33. Movable rod; 41. Bracket; 42. Brush bristles; 311. Metal layer. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0027] While existing water purification equipment can self-clean ceramic filters, the dirt removed from the ceramic filters remains inside the equipment and mixed in with the water. Manual intervention is still required to clean them, even with the help of drain valves. If the inlet is used to both input tap water and output water containing dirt, some dirt will remain in the inlet pipe during the discharge process. When tap water is input again, the dirt will be carried back into the water purification device.

[0028] Please see Figures 1-6 The present invention provides some embodiments to solve the above problems, specifically including a housing 1, a drainage part 2, a valve 3, and a cleaning component 4 driven by water flow. The housing 1 is provided with an inlet 11, an outlet 12, and a drain outlet 13. The inlet 11 is used to connect to an external tap water pipe. A filter element 5 is also rotatably connected inside the housing 1. The filter element 5 is set on the outlet 12. The normal filtration method is as follows: connect the inlet 11 to the tap water pipe, turn on the switch controlling the tap water pipe, such as a faucet, and the tap water flows into the housing 1 through the inlet 11. The tap water is then filtered by the filter element 5 and flows out from the outlet 12, thus completing the filtration.

[0029] In the above process, since the present invention is mainly applied to ceramic filter element 5, the micron-sized pores (usually 0.5-1μm) of ceramic filter element 5 block suspended particles, colloidal substances and microorganisms in the water through physical sieving. These impurities accumulate on the surface of filter element 5 to form a visible dirt layer. In the initial stage of filtration, when water flows through filter element 5 under pressure (3-5 bar), large particles of impurities are directly blocked by the pores, forming an initial dirt layer. After long-term use, small molecule impurities that are not completely filtered (such as dissolved minerals) continue to precipitate on the surface of filter element 5 due to the concentration gradient, and the dirt layer gradually thickens, which may block some pores. Therefore, it is necessary to use a scraper or brush to clean the dirt.

[0030] Therefore, the present invention provides a cleaning component 4 that uses water flow to clean the filter element 5 without the need for an additional drive mechanism. The cleaning component 4 is driven directly by the water flow energy of the water purification equipment, avoiding the consumption of electrical or hydraulic energy and reducing the overall energy consumption of the equipment. Compared with the use of an additional drive mechanism, it is more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.

[0031] Specifically, the cleaning component 4 is disposed in the housing 1, and the drain part 2 is elastically and retractably disposed in the housing 1, and the drain part 2 is disposed above the cleaning component 4. The top of the filter element 5 is provided with a protrusion, which passes through the cleaning component 4 and is connected to the water wheel 6. The cleaning component 4 includes a bracket 41 to connect to the bristles 42 inside the bracket 41. The filter element 5 is disposed inside the bracket 41 or the bracket 41 is sleeved on the outside of the filter element 5, and the bristles 42 are in contact with the outside of the filter element 5. Its working principle is that when the water flows through the water wheel 6, it will drive the water wheel 6 to rotate. The rotation of the water wheel 6 will drive the filter element 5 to rotate relative to the bracket 41. It can be understood that since the filter element 5 is not used for filtration at this time, the rotation of the filter element 5 will not cause any impact. During the rotation of the filter element 5, the bristles 42 inside the bracket 41 will rub against the surface of the filter element 5, thereby cleaning the dirt on the surface of the filter element 5.

[0032] Preferably, this solution is not limited to the rotation of the filter element 5. In some embodiments, the filter element 5 is fixedly connected to the inside of the housing 1, and the bracket 41 is rotatably connected to the housing 1. The water wheel 6 is connected to the top of the bracket 41. In this way, the water flow can drive the water wheel 6 to drive the bracket 41 to rotate relative to the filter element 5, and the filter element 5 can also be cleaned.

[0033] Considering that the removed dirt remains inside the water purification equipment and is mixed with the water, manual intervention is still required even with a drain valve. Therefore, this invention also provides some embodiments to solve the above problems. Specifically,

[0034] Valve 3 is installed at drain outlet 13. Drainage part 2 is connected to valve 3. By blocking outlet 12, the inside of housing 1 is pressurized and squeezed drainage part 2. Valve 3 is associated with drainage part 2. Valve 3 opens drain outlet 13 immediately or closes drain outlet 13 later depending on the degree of expansion and contraction of drainage part 2.

[0035] It should be noted that in the above embodiments, since the drainage part 2 of the present invention is directly connected to the valve 3, when the drainage part 2 is squeezed to a certain extent, that is, during the process of the drainage part 2 being squeezed and moving upward, the valve 3 will also be driven to move upward. Therefore, the opening of the valve 3 is actually synchronized with the squeezed drainage part 2. In this embodiment, the valve 3 gradually moves upward and gradually opens the drain outlet 13. Correspondingly, the valve 3 opens the drain outlet 13 in real time according to the degree of expansion and contraction of the drainage part 2.

[0036] When the drain outlet 13 is opened, the water inside the housing 1 will be released. At this time, the pressure inside the housing 1 will decrease and will not be enough to support or squeeze the drain section 2. The squeezed drain section 2 is in an elastic energy storage state. During the release process, it will squeeze the water inside the housing 1 and accelerate the flow of water inside the housing 1. At this time, the flow rate of water through the water wheel 6 will increase, and the rotation speed of the water wheel 6 and the filter element 5 will be faster.

[0037] However, since the drain section 2 is directly connected to the valve 3, meaning the movement of the drain section 2 and the valve 3 is synchronized, if the valve 3 is not improved or a traditional valve 3 structure is simply adopted, another problem arises: during the drainage process, the descent of the drain section 2 also causes the valve 3 to descend. At this time, the water inside the housing 1 is not drained before the valve 3 begins to gradually close. Furthermore, based on the self-cleaning principle mentioned above, the cleaning component 4 only begins cleaning the moment the drain outlet 13 opens, and most of the dirt will be mixed in with the subsequent water flow. Therefore, when the drain section 2 descends, the valve 3 needs to close with a delay, rather than gradually closing synchronously with the descent of the drain section 2. Synchronous descent of the drain section 2 will block the flow of water mixed with most of the dirt. To address this, the present invention also provides some embodiments, specifically:

[0038] The drainage section 2 includes a squeezing block 21, a support rod 23, and a spring 22. The support rod 23 is connected to the squeezing block 21 and is slidably connected inside the housing 1. The spring 22 is sleeved on the outside of the support rod 23, and both ends of the spring 22 are connected to the squeezing block 21 and the inner wall of the housing 1, respectively. The drain outlet 13 is tubular, and the inner wall of the drain outlet 13 is provided with a groove for accommodating the valve 3. The top of the valve 3 is connected to a movable rod 33, which passes through the drain outlet 13 and the housing 1 and is connected to the support rod 23. The valve 3 is driven to move up and down by the extension and retraction of the drainage section 2. Preferably, the housing 1 is provided with a receiving space for accommodating the movable rod 33. The top of the movable rod 33 is bent and connected to the support rod 23, so that the squeezing block 21 can move synchronously with the valve 3.

[0039] The valve 3 includes a sliding member 31, which has a groove with a narrowed opening. The end of the movable rod 33 passes through the groove and enters the groove. The outer side of the end of the movable rod 33 has a protrusion. A magnet 7 is embedded in the inner wall of the drain outlet 13. The sliding member 31 has a metal layer 311 that can be magnetically attracted inside. The metal layer 311 is located inside the top surface of the sliding member 31, and the magnetic field range of the magnet 7 covers the upper half of the drain outlet 13.

[0040] The specific working principle is as follows:

[0041] Connect a tap water pipe to the inlet 11 of housing 1 so that housing 1 receives tap water. When the water purifier needs to self-clean, block the outlet 12 (e.g., by threading an end cap to outlet 12). Tap water continuously flows into housing 1, pressurizing the interior. In other words, as tap water flows in, the water level inside housing 1 rises and compresses the compression block 21. The water exerts an upward force on the compression block 21, which in turn compresses the spring 22 and drives the support rod 23 upward. During the upward movement of the support rod 23… The moving rod 33 will move upward. By default, the sliding member 31 is set in the groove. The sliding member 31 and the moving rod 33 (wide enough to cover the drain outlet 13) will block the drain outlet 13 from closing. As the moving rod 33 moves upward, the moving rod 33 will drive the sliding member 31 to move upward. When the top of the sliding member 31 enters the upper part of the drain outlet 13, it enters the adsorption range of the magnet 7. Under the attraction of the magnet 7, the sliding member 31 moves upward along the moving rod 33 and is adsorbed on the magnet 7.

[0042] During the upward movement of the movable rod 33 and the sliding member 31, it is equivalent to opening the drain outlet 13. The water inside the housing 1 will flow out along the drain outlet 13. At this time, the squeezing block 21 will descend and synchronously drive the movable rod 33 to move downward. Since the sliding member 31 is attracted to the magnet 7 at this time, the movable rod 33 will not affect the sliding member 31 during the initial downward movement. It is only when the movable rod 33 descends to a certain extent, that is, when the bottom surface of the movable rod 33 abuts against the bottom surface of the sliding groove of the sliding member 31, that the movable rod 33 will push the sliding member 31 to separate the sliding member 31 from the magnet 7, so that the sliding member 31 can move downward until the sliding member 31 enters the groove and closes the drain outlet 13 again.

[0043] Preferably, an airbag 32 is provided on the bottom outer side of the sliding member 31, and the groove opening gradually narrows from top to bottom. By setting the airbag 32, the sealing effect of the valve 3 can be enhanced. Secondly, when water flows through the bottom of the sliding member 31, the airbag 32 can float up using buoyancy to ensure that the drain outlet 13 can be fully opened when it is necessary to open the drain outlet 13.

[0044] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that the invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered in all respects as exemplary and non-limiting, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, it is intended that all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims be included within the present invention.

Claims

1. A self-cleaning, energy-saving tap water purification device, wherein the purification device is externally connected to a tap water pipe, characterized in that, The device includes a housing, a drain section, a valve, and a water-driven cleaning assembly. The housing has an outlet and a drain port. The valve is installed at the drain port. The cleaning assembly is disposed in the housing. The drain section is elastically and retractably disposed in the housing and is located above the cleaning assembly. The drain section is connected to the valve. By blocking the outlet, the internal space of the housing is pressurized and the drain section is squeezed. The valve is associated with the drain section. The valve opens the drain port immediately or closes the drain port later depending on the degree of expansion and contraction of the drain section. The drainage section includes a squeezing block, a support rod, and a spring. The support rod is connected to the squeezing block and slidably connected inside the housing. The spring is sleeved on the outside of the support rod, and both ends of the spring are connected to the squeezing block and the inner wall of the housing, respectively. The drain outlet is tubular, and the inner wall of the drain outlet has a groove for accommodating the valve. The top of the valve is connected to a movable rod, which passes through the drain outlet and the housing and is connected to the support rod. The valve moves up and down reciprocally by the extension and retraction of the drain section. The valve includes a sliding member with a groove. The groove opening is narrowed. The end of the movable rod passes through the groove opening and enters the groove. The outer side of the end of the movable rod has a protrusion. The inner wall of the drain outlet is embedded with a magnet, and the sliding component has a metal layer that can be magnetically attracted inside.

2. The self-cleaning, energy-saving tap water purification device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The housing is rotatably connected to a filter element, which is disposed on the outlet. The cleaning assembly is sleeved on the outside of the filter element. The top of the filter element has a protrusion that passes through the cleaning assembly and is connected to a water wheel.

3. The self-cleaning, energy-saving tap water purification device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The cleaning assembly includes a support for connecting brush bristles inside the support, the filter element being disposed inside the support, and the brush bristles contacting the outer side of the filter element.

4. The self-cleaning, energy-saving tap water purification device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The metal layer is disposed inside the top surface of the sliding member, and the magnetic field range of the magnet covers the upper half of the inside of the drain outlet.

5. The self-cleaning, energy-saving tap water purification device according to claim 1, characterized in that: An air bladder is provided on the outer bottom of the sliding member, and the groove opening gradually narrows from top to bottom.

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