Pure water generation device

Abstract

To improve the maintainability of filters in pure water production systems. [Solution] The pure water generator (80) comprises a housing (81) and a cylindrical housing (94) located inside the housing (81) that houses a filter including a reverse osmosis membrane, wherein the axis (A) of the housing (94) is inclined with respect to the vertical direction (V).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a pure water generation apparatus that generates pure water.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as car wash water used when performing car washing with a car wash machine, for example, tap water using surface water, groundwater or the like as a water source has been used. Tap water contains residual chlorine for disinfection, and minerals such as sodium, calcium and magnesium. For this reason, when water droplets remaining on the vehicle surface after car washing dry, these impurities remain on the vehicle surface as ionic deposits (water spots).

[0003] In order to reduce such ionic deposits, car wash machines that use pure water as car wash water are known. Regarding this type of car wash machine, Patent Document 1 discloses a pure water car wash apparatus including a pure water generation module that generates pure water by a reverse osmosis membrane method.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in the above-described conventional technology, the cylindrical pure water generation module is arranged vertically inside a storage box. In such a configuration, when replacing the filter inside the pure water generation module, for example, it is necessary to take out the entire pure water generation module from the storage box, or pull out the filter inside the pure water generation module in the vertical direction and take it out from the storage box. For this reason, the filter replacement work was not easy.

[0006] One aspect of this disclosure has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems and aims to provide a pure water generating apparatus with improved maintainability of the filter. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the aforementioned problems, a pure water generating apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a housing and a cylindrical housing disposed within the housing and containing a filter including a reverse osmosis membrane, wherein the housing's axis is inclined with respect to the vertical. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to one aspect of this disclosure, the maintainability of filters in a pure water generator can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a schematic front view showing a car wash machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a schematic side view showing the car wash machine. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the pure water generation apparatus. [Figure 4] Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the pure water generator with the front door removed. [Figure 5] Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the main components of the pure water generator with the exterior panel and front door removed. [Figure 6] Figure 5 is a side view showing the main components of the pure water generation device. [Figure 7] Figure 6 is an exploded view showing the RO filter section. [Figure 8] Figure 7 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the RO filter section cut by a plane passing through the axis of the housing. [Figure 9] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the pure water production flow in a pure water production apparatus according to an embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] An embodiment of this disclosure will be described below. Note that the following description is an example of a pure water generating apparatus related to this disclosure, and the technical scope of this disclosure is not limited to the illustrated example.

[0011] In this embodiment, an example of applying the pure water generating device according to the present disclosure to a car wash machine for washing vehicles will be described. However, the pure water generating device according to the present disclosure is not limited to car wash machines and can be applied to various devices that use pure water.

[0012] [Overview of the car wash machine] First, an overview of the car wash machine 2 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a schematic front view showing the car wash machine 2 according to this embodiment. Figure 2 is a schematic side view showing the car wash machine 2 shown in Figure 1.

[0013] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the car wash machine 2 according to this embodiment is configured to perform washing (car washing) on ​​the vehicle X while the car wash machine body 4 moves relative to the vehicle X. The car wash machine 2 is, for example, a finishing pure water type car wash machine, and is a car wash machine capable of performing a car wash process that includes a washing process involving brushing of the vehicle X and a finishing washing process that performs a finishing wash using pure water.

[0014] In this disclosure, the liquid used in the washing process performed by the car wash machine 2 is referred to as the cleaning solution, and the water used in the final washing process is referred to as pure water. The cleaning solution includes, for example, tap water (water supply) or industrial water, which are sourced from surface water, groundwater, etc. Tap water and industrial water vary depending on the region from which they are drawn and the type of raw water, but they usually have an electrical conductivity of about 70 μS / cm to 300 μS / cm. Pure water is water with a lower electrical conductivity than the cleaning solution. The electrical conductivity of pure water according to this disclosure is, for example, 0 μS / cm to 20 μS / cm, and preferably 0 μS / cm to 10 μS / cm.

[0015] The car wash machine 2 includes a pure water generation device 80 that generates pure water and supplies it to the car wash machine main body 4. As will be described later, this pure water generation device 80 includes a cylindrical housing 94 that accommodates a filter F for generating pure water by a reverse osmosis membrane method, and the housing 94 is arranged inside a casing 81 so as to be inclined with respect to the vertical direction (see FIG. 6). This facilitates the filter replacement work in the pure water generation device 80, and improves the maintainability of the filter.

[0016] [Configuration of Car Wash Machine] Next, the configuration of each part included in the car wash machine 2 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the car wash machine 2 includes a car wash machine main body 4, a remote panel 6, a tap water tank 62, a pure water tank 72, and a pure water generation device 80. The tap water tank 62 constitutes a part of a cleaning liquid injection mechanism for injecting tap water as a cleaning liquid onto the vehicle X. Further, the pure water tank 72 and the pure water generation device 80 constitute a part of a pure water injection mechanism for injecting pure water onto the vehicle X.

[0018] (Car Wash Machine Main Body) As shown in FIG. 1, the car wash machine main body 4 includes, for example, two frames 8 and a ceiling portion 10 that connects upper ends of the two frames 8. The car wash machine main body 4 has a structure that allows the vehicle X to pass through a space 4S surrounded by the frames 8 and the ceiling portion 10 along the entry direction DA of the vehicle X shown in FIG. 2. In this specification, the entry direction DA is defined as the direction from the front surface 4A to the rear surface 4B of the car wash machine main body 4. Further, in the present disclosure, the front surface 4A is, for example, a surface on which an operation panel 42 to be described later is provided.

[0019] The car wash machine body 4 is equipped with wheels 12 located at the bottom of each frame 8. By rotating the wheels 12, the car wash machine body 4 moves relative to the vehicle X in the longitudinal direction along rails R arranged on the ground G. The rails R are formed, for example, along the entry direction DA. While moving relative to the vehicle X, the car wash machine body 4 performs washing (cleaning) of the vehicle X in the space 4S.

[0020] The car wash machine body 4 is equipped with multiple rotating brushes that slide over the vehicle X. For example, the car wash machine body 4 includes a top brush 14, a side brush 16, and a rocker brush 18, each rotated by a rotary motor (not shown). The top brush 14 slides along the top surface of the vehicle X and cleans the top surface of the vehicle X. The side brush 16 and the rocker brush 18 clean both sides of the vehicle X.

[0021] The car wash machine body 4 has a plurality of nozzles for spraying liquid onto the vehicle X. These plurality of nozzles include a top water nozzle 24, a high-pressure nozzle 26, and a side high-pressure nozzle 27.

[0022] The water supply nozzle 24 is a washing liquid nozzle connected to the water supply tank 62 and sprays water onto the vehicle X. As shown in Figure 2, the water supply nozzle 24 may include, for example, a first nozzle 24A located on the front 4A side of each frame 8 of the car wash machine body 4, and a second nozzle 24B located on the rear 4B side. The water sprayed by the water supply nozzle 24 may have pressure supplied by the low-pressure pump P1. On the other hand, the water sprayed by the water supply nozzle 24 does not have to have pressure and may flow only due to its own weight or the like.

[0023] The high-pressure nozzle 26 is connected to the pure water tank 72 and is a nozzle that injects high-pressure pure water onto the vehicle X. In particular, the high-pressure nozzle 26 injects pure water at a higher injection pressure than the injection pressure of tap water by the tap water nozzle 24. The pressure of the pure water injected by the high-pressure nozzle 26 may be between 100 kPa and 2 MPa. For example, the high-pressure nozzle 26 may inject pure water at a higher injection pressure than the injection pressure of tap water by the tap water nozzle 24 by injecting pure water from a smaller injection hole compared to the injection hole of the tap water nozzle 24. In this case, the pure water injection mechanism may include a pump that sends pure water to the high-pressure nozzle 26 at approximately the same pressure as the low-pressure pump P1, instead of the high-pressure pump P2.

[0024] Multiple high-pressure nozzles 26 are formed on a beam 26B that extends horizontally from the car wash machine body 4 and through which pure water can flow. The beam 26B is supported on the ceiling 10 by an arm (not shown) that is movable vertically from the car wash machine body 4. As a result, when the beam 26B moves vertically from the car wash machine body 4, the high-pressure nozzles 26 move vertically from the car wash machine body 4 together with the beam 26B.

[0025] For example, each high-pressure nozzle 26 sprays pure water downwards as pure water is supplied to the inside of the beam 26B. In this embodiment, the high-pressure nozzles 26S located at the end of the beam 26B in the extension direction spray pure water toward the center in the left-right direction of the car wash machine body 4 rather than downward in the vertical direction. For example, the angle and range in which each high-pressure nozzle 26 sprays pure water are determined so that the pure water sprayed from the multiple high-pressure nozzles is sprayed onto the vehicle X substantially evenly without gaps. The length of the beam 26B in the extension direction is longer than the width of the vehicle X that can be washed by the car wash machine 2.

[0026] The side high-pressure nozzle 27 is connected to the pure water tank 72 and is a nozzle that sprays pure water onto the vehicle X. In particular, the side high-pressure nozzle 27 sprays pure water at a higher injection pressure than the injection pressure of tap water by the tap water nozzle 24. The pressure of the pure water sprayed by the side high-pressure nozzle 27 may be between 100 kPa and 2 MPa. Similar to the high-pressure nozzle 26, the side high-pressure nozzle 27 may also spray pure water from an injection hole that is smaller than the injection hole of the tap water nozzle 24 that sprays tap water.

[0027] The side high-pressure nozzles 27 are located below the high-pressure nozzles 26 and are formed on each of the frames 8. Therefore, the side high-pressure nozzles 27 are located on both the left and right sides of the car wash machine body 4, below the high-pressure nozzles 26. However, the side high-pressure nozzles 27 may be located on only one end of the car wash machine body 4.

[0028] For example, each side high-pressure nozzle 27 sprays pure water toward the center of the car wash machine body 4 in the left-right direction. In this embodiment, each side high-pressure nozzle 27 is configured to spray pure water toward the direction above the horizontal. For example, each side high-pressure nozzle 27 is configured to change the direction of pure water spraying from the horizontal to the vertical direction by, for example, a rotation mechanism (not shown) that rotates each side high-pressure nozzle 27 about the front-rear direction of the car wash machine body 4 as an axis.

[0029] In addition to the tap water nozzle 24, high-pressure nozzle 26, and side high-pressure nozzle 27, nozzles for spraying tap water or pure water may also be located at any other position on the car wash machine body 4.

[0030] The car wash machine body 4 has a first connecting pipe that connects a path 50 located outside the car wash machine body 4 to the water supply nozzle 24, the high-pressure nozzle 26, and the side high-pressure nozzle 27. The first connecting pipe includes a distribution pipe section 22 that distributes the liquid flowing in through the path 50 to each nozzle, and a drainage path 23 that communicates with the distribution pipe section 22. The water supply nozzle 24, the high-pressure nozzle 26, and the side high-pressure nozzle 27 are each led out from the distribution pipe section 22 via solenoid valves (not shown).

[0031] The car wash machine body 4 also includes a first detergent nozzle 28, a second detergent nozzle 30, a water-repellent coating nozzle 32, and a wax nozzle 34. The first detergent nozzle 28 and the second detergent nozzle 30 are located on the front 4A and rear 4B sides of each frame 8, respectively, and are cleaning nozzles that spray a liquid containing detergent, such as shampoo, onto the vehicle X. The water-repellent coating nozzle 32 and the wax nozzle 34 are located on the rear 4B of the car wash machine body 4. The water-repellent coating nozzle 32 sprays a liquid water-repellent coating agent onto the vehicle X. The wax nozzle 34 sprays wax onto the vehicle X. A tank storage section 20 is located on the side of the car wash machine body 4, which houses multiple storage tanks (not shown) containing various liquids such as detergent or wax. The liquids from each storage tank are distributed to the corresponding nozzles via distribution piping sections similar to the distribution piping section 22 described above.

[0032] Furthermore, the car wash machine body 4 is equipped with a blower 36 that generates airflow. A top air blower nozzle 38 and side air blower nozzles 40 are connected to the blower 36. The top air blower nozzle 38 is located at the top center of the car wash machine body 4 and blows air toward the roof surface of the vehicle X. The side air blower nozzles 40 are located on both sides of the car wash machine body 4 and blow air toward the sides of the vehicle X. The car wash machine body 4 removes water from or dries the vehicle X after washing by blowing air toward the vehicle X from the top air blower nozzle 38 and the side air blower nozzles 40.

[0033] In Figures 1 and 2, for the sake of simplicity, only the essential parts of the equipment necessary for washing the vehicle X, which is provided by the car wash machine body 4 described above, are shown, and other equipment is omitted from the illustration. Furthermore, the equipment provided by the car wash machine body 4 shown in each figure is merely illustrative, and the car wash machine body 4 may also be equipped with equipment for washing the vehicle X, and equipment to assist in said washing, including conventionally known configurations, on the frame 8 or ceiling 10, in addition to the equipment described above.

[0034] An operation panel 42 is located on the front of one frame 8 of the car wash machine body 4. The operation panel 42 is equipped with operation buttons (not shown) for setting car wash conditions. For example, a user who has gotten out of vehicle X, or another technician, may operate the operation buttons to set car wash conditions, etc.

[0035] The car wash machine body 4 further includes a sensor 52 as a vehicle shape information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle shape information, which is information relating to at least a part of the external shape of the vehicle X. The sensor 52 is located, for example, on the front surface 4A of the car wash machine body 4, closer to the side brush 16. In particular, the car wash machine 2 may use the sensor 52 to acquire vehicle shape information, which includes information relating to the vehicle height of the vehicle X and information relating to the external shape of the vehicle X when viewed from the side.

[0036] Sensor 52 is a sensor for acquiring information about the external shape of vehicle X. More specifically, sensor 52 can detect the height of vehicle X as it crosses a predetermined point. For example, sensor 52 may be a multi-axis optical sensor in which a pair of light-emitting and light-receiving units are arranged on the front side and space 4S side of the frame 8 of the car wash machine body 4, with each of the two frames 8. In this multi-axis optical sensor, individual optical axis sensors are arranged so that multiple optical axes are aligned in the vertical direction, and each optical axis is on a substantially horizontal plane. Therefore, each optical axis sensor in the multi-axis optical sensor is configured to detect the presence or absence of a vehicle at different heights. In this case, sensor 52 may detect the height of vehicle X by, for example, checking the number of optical axis sensors detecting vehicle X while the car wash machine body 4 moves relative to vehicle X from the front to the rear.

[0037] As a result, the car wash machine body 4 can estimate the height of vehicle X, or in other words, the vehicle height, for each position in a plan view, from the change in the number of optical axis sensors that detect vehicle X among the multi-axis optical axis sensors included in sensor 52. In other words, sensor 52 generates information for estimating at least a part of the shape of vehicle X. As a result, sensor 52 may determine at least a part of the outer shape of vehicle X for each position in a plan view.

[0038] (Remote Panel) The remote panel 6 is a panel operated to obtain the washing conditions of vehicle X by the car wash machine body 4. In Figure 2, the outline of vehicle X is shown with a dotted line to indicate that vehicle X is located further back from the remote panel 6 in the viewer's-eye view of the paper. The remote panel 6 is located, for example, on the front side of the car wash machine body 4 and is positioned along the direction of movement of the car wash machine body 4. Also, as shown in Figure 2, the front of the remote panel 6 is positioned to face the side of vehicle X before it is washed by the car wash machine body 4, in other words, before it enters the interior of the car wash machine body 4. For this reason, the back of the remote panel 6 is shown in Figure 2.

[0039] As shown in Figure 2, the remote panel 6 comprises a housing 46 and support columns 48 erected on the ground G to support the housing 46. The remote panel 6 may acquire at least a portion of the car wash conditions for the vehicle X by the car wash machine body 4 through the operation of a touch panel or buttons (not shown) provided on the housing 46. The car wash machine 2 may control the car wash machine body 4 and wash the vehicle X based on at least a portion of the car wash conditions acquired by the remote panel 6.

[0040] (Cleaning fluid spray mechanism) The car wash machine 2 is equipped with a cleaning fluid spraying mechanism for spraying tap water as a cleaning fluid onto the vehicle X. In this embodiment, the car wash machine 2 includes a tap water tank 62, a first path 61 for supplying tap water to the car wash machine body 4, and a tap water nozzle 24 provided on the car wash machine body 4 for spraying tap water onto the vehicle X.

[0041] The water tank 62 is a tank for storing tap water and is equipped with a low-pressure pump P1. The low-pressure pump P1 is a pump that sends tap water from the water tank 62 to the tap water nozzle 24 via a first path 61 or the like. In the cleaning fluid injection mechanism for spraying tap water onto the vehicle X, the water tank 62 is not essential, and the first path 61 may be connected to a water pipe or the like via a valve that can be opened and closed.

[0042] (Pure water injection mechanism) The car wash machine 2 is equipped with a pure water injection mechanism for spraying pure water onto the vehicle X. In this embodiment, the car wash machine 2 includes a pure water generator 80, a pure water tank 72, a second path 71 for supplying pure water to the car wash machine body, a high-pressure nozzle 26 for spraying pure water onto the vehicle X, and a side high-pressure nozzle 27 as the pure water injection mechanism.

[0043] The pure water generator 80 is a device that reduces the electrical conductivity of a liquid. The pure water generator 80 may be, for example, a device that generates pure water by reverse osmosis. The car wash machine 2 may also be equipped with a third path 73A for supplying pure water from the pure water generator 80 to the pure water tank 72. Details of the pure water generator 80 will be described later.

[0044] The pure water tank 72 is a tank for storing pure water produced by the pure water generator 80 and is equipped with a high-pressure pump P2. The high-pressure pump P2 is a pump that sends pure water from the pure water tank 72 to the high-pressure nozzle 26 via a second path 71 or the like. For example, the high-pressure pump P2 may send pure water to the high-pressure nozzle 26 at a pressure higher than the pressure at which the low-pressure pump P1 sends tap water to the tap water nozzle 24.

[0045] In this embodiment, the first path 61 and the second path 71 merge and connect to a single path 50, which may be connected to the car wash machine body 4. In this case, tap water is supplied to the car wash machine body 4 via the first path 61 and path 50, and pure water is supplied to the car wash machine body 4 via the second path 71 and path 50. For example, the tap water supplied to the car wash machine body 4 is sent to the tap water nozzle 24 by the distribution piping section 22, and the pure water supplied to the car wash machine body 4 is sent to the high-pressure nozzle 26 by the distribution piping section 22. Thus, in this embodiment, the tap water path from the tap water tank 62 to the tap water nozzle 24 and the pure water path from the pure water tank 72 to the high-pressure nozzle 26 are partially common. This simplifies the mechanism for supplying tap water and pure water to each nozzle in the car wash machine 2.

[0046] Furthermore, the water supply route and the pure water route may be completely separated. In this case, the car wash machine 2 can reduce the mixing of water supply with the pure water sprayed from the high-pressure nozzle 26, and can improve the purity of the pure water sprayed from the high-pressure nozzle 26.

[0047] [Configuration of a pure water generator] Next, the configuration of the pure water generator 80 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 3 to 8. Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the pure water generator 80 shown in Figure 1. Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the pure water generator 80 shown in Figure 3 with the front door 89 removed. Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the main components of the pure water generator 80 shown in Figure 3 with the exterior panel 88 and front door 89 removed. Figure 6 is a side view showing the main components of the pure water generator 80 shown in Figure 5.

[0048] In Figures 3 to 6, for the sake of simplicity, only the essential components of the pure water generator 80 necessary for producing pure water are shown, and the illustration of components such as pipes has been omitted. Furthermore, the devices included in the pure water generator 80 are merely examples, and the pure water generator 80 may include conventionally known configurations in addition to the illustrated devices.

[0049] In the following explanation, when viewing the pure water generator 80 from the front door 89 side, the width direction of the housing 81 may be referred to as the left-right direction, the depth direction of the pure water generator 80 may be referred to as the front-back direction, and the height direction of the housing 81 may be referred to as the up-down direction (vertical direction).

[0050] As shown in Figures 3 to 6, the pure water generator 80 comprises a housing 81, a pre-filter section 82, a pressure pump 83, an RO filter section 84, a heating section 85, and a display section 86. The pre-filter section 82, pressure pump 83, RO filter section 84, heating section 85, and display section 86 are arranged in a housing space inside the housing 81. In this embodiment, the pure water generator 80 has three RO filter sections 84: a first RO filter section 84A, a second RO filter section 84B, and a third RO filter section.

[0051] (Enclosure) The housing 81 has an internal storage space for housing various parts of the pure water generator 80, such as electrical components. The housing 81 has a housing frame 87, an exterior panel 88, a front door (door) 89, and a bottom plate 90. The storage space of the housing 81 is the space enclosed by the exterior panel 88, the front door 89, and the bottom plate 90.

[0052] The enclosure frame 87 is the framework that constitutes the skeleton of the enclosure 81. The enclosure 81 includes a lower frame 87A, a support frame 87B, and an upper frame 87C as the enclosure frame 87. The enclosure frame 87 has a rectangular lower frame 87A as its base, and four support frames 87B protruding from the four corners of the lower frame 87A support the upper frame 87C.

[0053] The exterior panel 88 is a plate material fixed to the housing frame 87. The exterior panel 88 is fixed to the outer surface of the housing frame 87 such that the lower side of the housing frame 87, specifically the lower frame 87A and a part of the support frame 87B protruding from the lower frame 87A, are exposed.

[0054] The enclosure 81 includes, as exterior panels 88, a front plate 88A provided at the front of the enclosure frame 87, a back plate 88B provided at the rear of the enclosure frame 87, a pair of side plates 88C provided on the left and right sides of the enclosure frame 87, and a top plate 88D provided at the top of the enclosure frame 87.

[0055] The front plate 88A is fixed to the support frame 87B at a distance below the upper frame 87C. This creates a rectangular opening 81A on the upper side of the front plate 88A, through which the filter F can be inserted and removed. A door 89 with a grip 89A is attached to this opening 81A in a detachable (openable and closable) manner by a pair of left and right fasteners 89B.

[0056] The bottom plate 90 is a plate material that constitutes the bottom of the housing space of the enclosure 81. The bottom plate 90 is fixed to the inner surface of the support frame 87B, with a gap above the lower frame 87A, so as to close the lower opening of the exterior panel 88. As a result, the enclosure 81 has a structure in which the housing space for electrical components and the like is positioned at a distance from the ground G. This allows the various electrical components housed in the housing space of the enclosure 81 to be positioned at a height of, for example, 60 cm or more from the ground G.

[0057] For example, when installing a pure water generator 80 in a location where flammable vapors may be generated, such as a gas station, the Fire Service Act requires that electrical components be placed at a height of 60 cm or more above the ground G. Since the pure water generator 80 is designed to meet these Fire Service Act standards, it can be suitably installed in locations where flammable vapors may be generated.

[0058] The bottom plate 90 may be inclined with respect to the horizontal direction. In this embodiment, the bottom plate 90 is inclined forward with respect to the direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction such that the front end (lower end) 90A on the front side is lower than the rear end (upper end) 89B on the rear side. As a result, water in the housing space of the housing 81, generated by, for example, water leakage or condensation, drips onto the bottom plate 90 and flows toward the front end 90A side. This guides the water inside the housing 81 toward the front end 90A side, allowing it to be discharged to the outside of the housing 81 through a drain hole provided on the front plate 88A or the front end 90A side of the bottom plate 90.

[0059] Furthermore, the housing 81 has support members for supporting the various parts of the pure water generator 80 within its dwelling space. The housing 81 includes a first support plate 91, a second support plate 92, and a third support plate 93 as support members. The first support plate 91, the second support plate 92, and the third support plate 93 are each fixed to the support frame 87B from above in that order.

[0060] The first support plate 91 is positioned corresponding to the height of the opening 81A. The first support plate 91 has a shape that is inclined forward with respect to the horizontal direction on the side facing the opening 81A. Specifically, the first support plate 91 includes an inclined portion 91A that is positioned inclined forward with respect to the horizontal direction, and a horizontal portion 91B that is connected to the rear end of the inclined portion 91A and is positioned substantially parallel to the horizontal direction.

[0061] The inclined section 91A has through-holes formed in the thickness direction through which each housing 94 of the RO filter section 84 is inserted, and is designed to support the outer peripheral surface of the upper side of the housing 94. As a result, each housing 94 is supported by the inclined section 91A, with its upper part protruding from the inclined section 91A, and is aligned in the left-right direction. This allows workers to easily access each housing 94 through the opening 81A by removing the front door 89.

[0062] Furthermore, the horizontal section 91B has a through-hole formed in the thickness direction through which the upper part of the pressure pump 83 is inserted.

[0063] The second support plate 92 is positioned below the inclined portion 91A of the first support plate 91. The second support plate 92 is positioned parallel to the horizontal direction.

[0064] The third support plate 93 is positioned below the horizontal portion 92B of the first support plate 91. The third support plate 93 is positioned approximately parallel to the horizontal direction. The bottom of the pressure pump 83 is supported by the third support plate 93. In addition, a support member 93A that supports the lower side of the housing 94 of the RO filter unit 84 is fixed to the third support plate 93.

[0065] (Pre-filter section) The pre-filter section 82 contains a filter for filtering tap water, housed within a roughly cylindrical housing. The pre-filter section 82 removes, for example, relatively large impurities contained in the tap water. In this case, the pre-filter section 82 may be equipped with a PP (polypropylene) filter, which is a relatively coarse nonwoven fabric.

[0066] Furthermore, the pre-filter section 82 may remove organic matter such as free chlorine compounds contained in the tap water that has passed through the PP filter. In this case, the pre-filter section 82 may be equipped with an AC (activated carbon) filter.

[0067] The pre-filter section 82 removes relatively large impurities and organic substances such as free chlorine compounds contained in the tap water, thereby reducing clogging and chlorine damage to the RO filter in the RO filter section 84 located downstream.

[0068] (Pressurized pump) The pressure pump 83 is positioned in the flow path between the pre-filter section 82 and the RO filter section 84. The pressure pump 83 pressurizes the tap water that has passed through the pre-filter section 82 and introduces it into the RO filter section 84. By applying a constant pressure to the tap water with the pressure pump 83, the tap water becomes able to pass through the reverse osmosis membrane (RO membrane) M housed in the housing 94 of the RO filter section 84 (see Figure 8).

[0069] (RO filter section) The RO filter section 84 contains a filter F including a reverse osmosis membrane M housed in a substantially cylindrical housing 94. As described above, in this embodiment, the pure water generator 80 has three RO filter sections 84: a first RO filter section 84A, a second RO filter section 84B, and a third RO filter section 84C.

[0070] The first RO filter section 84A, the second RO filter section 84B, and the third RO filter section 84C are arranged in the housing space of the housing 81.

[0071] Figure 7 is an exploded view showing the RO filter section 84 shown in Figure 6. Figure 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the RO filter section 84 shown in Figure 7 cut by a plane passing through the axis of the housing 94. The first RO filter section 84A, the second RO filter section 84B, and the third RO filter section 84C all have the same structure.

[0072] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the RO filter section 84 comprises a substantially cylindrical housing 94, and a filter F having a reverse osmosis membrane M is housed inside this housing 94.

[0073] The housing 94 includes a substantially cylindrical tubular portion 95, an upper cover portion 96 detachably attached to the upper end of the tubular portion 95, a lower cover portion 97 detachably attached to the lower end of the tubular portion 95, a watertight ring 98, and a fixing band 99. The tubular portion 95, the upper cover portion 96, and the lower cover portion 97 may be made of a metal such as stainless steel.

[0074] The cylindrical portion 95 is a cylindrical member with circular openings at both ends. The upper cover portion 96 is attached to the upper end of the cylindrical portion 95 via a water-sealing ring (water-sealing material) 97. The upper cover portion 96 has a drain port 96A formed therein for draining concentrated water W3 that did not pass through the reverse osmosis membrane M from the housing 94.

[0075] The fixing band 99 is attached to the connection portion between the cylindrical portion 95 and the upper lid portion 96, and to the connection portion between the cylindrical portion 95 and the lower lid portion 97, preventing the upper lid portion 96 and the lower lid portion 97 from falling off. The fixing band 99 includes a pair of arc-shaped portions 99A and a fastener 99B that connects the pair of arc-shaped portions 99A together. The fixing band 99 has an annular structure in which both ends of the pair of arc-shaped portions 99A are connected by the fastener 99B. The cylindrical portion 95 and the upper lid portion 96 are fixed together by being tightened by the fixing band 99 at the connection portion between the cylindrical portion 95 and the upper lid portion 96.

[0076] The lower cover portion 97 is attached to the lower end of the cylindrical portion 95 via a water-sealing ring (water-sealing material) 98. The lower cover portion 97 has an intake port 97A for taking in the tap water W1 that has passed through the pre-filter portion 82 into the housing 94, and an outlet port 97B for taking out the pure water W2 that has permeated the reverse osmosis membrane M from the housing 94. In addition, a fixing band 99 is attached to the connection portion between the cylindrical portion 95 and the lower cover portion 97 to prevent the lower cover portion 97 from falling off.

[0077] As shown in Figure 8, a roughly cylindrical filter F is housed inside the housing 94. The filter F includes a reverse osmosis membrane M that removes ionic components contained in the tap water W1 that has passed through the pre-filter section 82. The filter F has a structure in which the reverse osmosis membrane M is wound around the outer surface of a pipe P that has numerous holes drilled in it.

[0078] The reverse osmosis membrane M is made of a cross-linked polymer membrane with a mesh-like structure. Due to the size of this mesh, basically only water molecules can pass through the reverse osmosis membrane M, thus separating impurities from water molecules and achieving high purification performance.

[0079] The tap water W1 that has permeated the reverse osmosis membrane M becomes pure water W2 and is taken out from the housing 94. On the other hand, the tap water W1 that has not permeated the reverse osmosis membrane M becomes concentrated water W3 and is taken out from the housing 94.

[0080] In this embodiment, the housing 94 is supplied with tap water W1 that has passed through the pre-filter section 82, through an intake port 97A formed in the lower cover section 97. Of the tap water W1 supplied to the housing 94, the pure water W2 that has permeated the reverse osmosis membrane M is removed from an outlet 97B formed in the lower cover section 97. In addition, of the tap water W1 supplied to the housing 94, the concentrated water W3 that has not permeated the reverse osmosis membrane M is removed from a drain port 96A formed in the upper cover section 96.

[0081] The filter F is modularized (cartridge-based) so that it can be replaced periodically. In the pure water generator 80, when replacing the filter F, the worker opens the front door 89 and removes the top cover 96 of each housing 94 through the opening 81A to replace the filter F.

[0082] In the pure water generator 80, the axis A of the housing 94 is tilted forward by an angle θ with respect to the vertical (up and down) direction V, in order to facilitate the replacement of the filter F. Therefore, when replacing the filter F, the operator can easily see the inside of the housing 94 from the side of the housing 81, and can remove the filter F from the housing 94 by pulling it diagonally upward along the axis A without removing the housing 94 from the housing 81.

[0083] Therefore, compared to the conventional configuration in which the housing 94 is oriented vertically, that is, the configuration in which the axis A of the housing 94 is positioned within the housing 81 so as to be approximately parallel to the vertical direction, the replacement of the filter F becomes easier, and the maintainability of the filter F is improved.

[0084] Furthermore, as mentioned above, when installing the pure water generator 80 in a location where flammable vapors may be generated, it is necessary to position the electrical components at a height of 60 cm or more from the ground G. For this reason, in pure water generators 80 installed in locations where flammable vapors may be generated, the housing 94 tends to be positioned relatively high. Even in such cases, the housing 94 is positioned tilted forward with respect to the vertical direction V, which facilitates the replacement of the filter F and improves the maintainability of the filter F.

[0085] The inclination angle θ of the housing 94 may be, for example, 10 degrees or more and 50 degrees or less, or 20 degrees or more and 40 degrees or less. However, the inclination angle θ is not particularly limited and can be appropriately changed depending on the dimensions of the housing 94, the dimensions of the enclosure 81, or the mounting position of the front door 89 on the enclosure 81. In other words, the value of the inclination angle θ can be appropriately changed within the range of greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees.

[0086] Furthermore, the housing 94 may be tilted so that its axis A is inclined toward the opening 81A with respect to the vertical direction V. This allows the housing 94 to be positioned within the housing 81 so as to be tilted toward the opening 81A side of the housing 81, that is, toward the worker performing the replacement work, thus facilitating the replacement of the filter F.

[0087] Furthermore, the housing 94 includes a cylindrical portion 95 into which the filter F is inserted, and a top cover portion 96 that is detachably attached to the upper end of the cylindrical portion 95, the top cover portion 96 of which may be positioned at the height of the opening 81A. In other words, the housing 94 may be positioned at an angle toward the opening 81A such that the top cover portion 96 is located inside the opening 81A when viewed from the front of the pure water generator 80. This makes it easier to attach and detach the fixing band 99 that secures the top cover portion 96 of the housing 94 through the opening 81A, and further facilitates the replacement of the filter F.

[0088] (heating part) The heating unit 85 is a heater that heats the housing space of the housing 81. The heating unit 85 is supported between the second support plate 92 and the bottom plate 90 by a support part 85A that protrudes from the bottom plate 90. Because the pure water generator 80 is equipped with a heating unit 85 that heats the housing space inside the housing 81, it is possible to effectively prevent freezing and condensation, for example, in winter.

[0089] The heating unit 85 may be installed at a relatively low position within the internal space of the housing 81, for example, lower than the RO filter unit 84. This allows the entire internal space of the housing 81 to be effectively heated.

[0090] (Display) The display unit 86 is a display that shows various information such as the operating status of the pure water generator 80. The display unit 86 is fixed to the inclined portion 91A of the first support plate 91, and by removing the front door 89, the operator can view the screen 95A through the opening 81A. The display unit 86 may be fixed to the inclined portion 91A of the first support plate 91 such that the screen 95A is substantially parallel to the direction perpendicular to the water, so that the operator can easily view the displayed information.

[0091] [Pure water generation flow in a pure water generator] Next, the pure water production flow in the pure water generator 80 will be explained based on Figure 9. Figure 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating the pure water production flow in the pure water generator 80.

[0092] As shown in Figure 8, the pure water generator 80 includes a pre-filter section 82 that removes relatively large impurities and organic substances such as free chlorine compounds contained in the tap water W1, a pressurizing pump 83 that pressurizes the tap water W1 that has passed through the pre-filter section 82, and an RO filter section 84 that removes ionic components contained in the tap water W1. The pre-filter section 82, the pressurizing pump 83, and the RO filter section 84 are arranged in this order from the upstream side of the flow path within the pure water generator 80.

[0093] A primary-side pressure gauge 101 and a primary-side electric valve 102 may be placed in the flow path between the pre-filter section 82 and the pressure pump 83. The primary-side pressure gauge 101 detects the water pressure of the tap water W1 that has passed through the pre-filter section 82, in other words, the water pressure of the tap water W1 supplied to the pure water generator 80. The primary-side electric valve 102 switches the flow of tap water W1 supplied to the RO filter section 84 ON / OFF.

[0094] Furthermore, a secondary water pressure gauge 103 may be placed in the flow path between the pressurizing pump 83 and the RO filter unit 84. The secondary water pressure gauge 103 detects the water pressure of the tap water W1 supplied to the RO filter unit 84.

[0095] The water W1 pressurized by the pressure pump 83 is supplied to the RO filter section 84. Of the water W1 supplied to the RO filter section 84, the pure water W2 that has passed through the reverse osmosis membrane M is taken out of the pure water generator 80 through the pure water line L1 and supplied to the car wash machine body 4. The pure water line L1 may be equipped with a check valve 104 to prevent backflow of pure water W and an electrical conductivity sensor 105 to measure the electrical conductivity of pure water W2.

[0096] On the other hand, concentrated water W3 of the tap water W1 supplied to the RO filter section 84 that did not pass through the reverse osmosis membrane M is taken out of the pure water generator 80 through the concentrated water line L2 and drained. The concentrated water line L2 may be equipped with a secondary electric valve 106 that switches the flow of concentrated water W3 through the concentrated water line L2 ON / OFF, and a needle valve 107 that adjusts the flow rate of concentrated water W3 through the concentrated water line L2. By controlling the valve opening of these secondary electric valve 106 and needle valve 107, the amount of water and pressure inside the housing 94 can be adjusted.

[0097] In this embodiment, the water W1 pressurized by the pressure pump 83 is first supplied to the first RO filter section 84A. Of the water W1 supplied to the first RO filter section 84A, the pure water W that has passed through the reverse osmosis membrane M of the first RO filter section 84A is taken out from the bottom of the housing 94 into the pure water line L1 and supplied to the car wash machine body 4. On the other hand, the primary concentrated water W31 that has not passed through the reverse osmosis membrane M of the first RO filter section 84A is taken out from the top of the housing 94 and supplied to the second RO filter section 84B.

[0098] Next, of the primary concentrated water W31 supplied to the second RO filter unit 84B, the pure water W that has passed through the reverse osmosis membrane M of the second RO filter unit 84B is taken out from the bottom of the housing 94 into the pure water line L1 and supplied to the car wash machine body 4. On the other hand, the secondary concentrated water W32 that has not passed through the reverse osmosis membrane M of the second RO filter unit 84B is taken out from the top of the housing 94 and supplied to the third RO filter unit 84C.

[0099] Next, of the secondary concentrated water W32 supplied to the third RO filter section 84C, the pure water W that has passed through the reverse osmosis membrane M of the third RO filter section 84C is taken out from the bottom of the housing 94 into the pure water line L1 and supplied to the car wash machine body 4. On the other hand, the tertiary concentrated water W33 that has not passed through the reverse osmosis membrane M of the third RO filter section 84B is taken out from the top of the housing 94 and drained to the outside of the pure water generator 80 through the concentrated water line L2.

[0100] Thus, the pure water generator 80 is equipped with multiple RO filter units 84 and is configured to generate pure water W2 from concentrated water W3 by sequentially supplying concentrated water W3 to multiple housings 94 that house the filters F. As a result, the pure water recovery rate (V2 / V1), which is the ratio of the volume of pure water W2 produced (V2) to the volume of tap water W1 (V1) supplied to the pure water generator 80, can be increased to about 50%, allowing for effective utilization of tap water W1.

[0101] The number of housings 94 in the pure water generator 80 is not limited to multiple housings. There may be just one housing 94. The number of housings 94 in the pure water generator 80 can be changed as appropriate depending on the amount of pure water W2 used in the car wash machine body 4.

[0102] [Effects and Effects of a Pure Water Generator] As described above, the pure water generator 80 according to this embodiment comprises a housing 81 and a cylindrical housing 94 arranged inside the housing 81 and housing a filter F including a reverse osmosis membrane M, wherein the axis A of the housing 94 is inclined with respect to the vertical direction V.

[0103] In the pure water generator 80, the cylindrical housing 94 containing the filter F, which includes the reverse osmosis membrane M, is positioned at an angle to the vertical direction V within the housing 81, making it easier to replace the filter F and improving the maintainability of the filter F. Furthermore, the pure water generator 80 allows for a reduction in the height (vertical) dimension of the housing 81 compared to a conventional configuration where the housing 94 is positioned vertically.

[0104] 〔summary〕 A pure water generating apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure comprises a housing and a cylindrical housing disposed inside the housing and containing a filter including a reverse osmosis membrane, wherein the housing's axis is inclined with respect to the vertical.

[0105] In the above configuration, the cylindrical housing containing the filter, including the reverse osmosis membrane, is positioned at an angle to the vertical within the housing. This makes it easier for the operator to see inside the housing from the side when replacing the filter F, thus facilitating the filter replacement process. Therefore, the above configuration improves the maintainability of the filter. Furthermore, this configuration allows for a reduction in the height dimension of the housing compared to conventional configurations where the filter is placed vertically.

[0106] In the pure water generating apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure, in Embodiment 1, the housing has an opening on the side of the housing through which the filter can be inserted and removed, and the housing may have its axis inclined toward the opening with respect to the vertical direction.

[0107] According to the above configuration, the housing is positioned inside the enclosure so as to be tilted toward the opening side of the enclosure, that is, toward the side of the worker who performs the filter replacement work, thus facilitating the filter replacement process.

[0108] In the pure water generating apparatus according to embodiment 3 of the present disclosure, in embodiment 2, the housing includes a cylindrical portion into which the filter is inserted and a top cover portion that is detachably attached to the upper end of the cylindrical portion, and the top cover portion may be positioned at the height of the opening.

[0109] According to the above configuration, since the housing lid is positioned at the same height as the opening, it becomes easier to attach and detach the housing lid through the opening, making filter replacement even easier.

[0110] In the pure water generating apparatus according to aspect 4 of this disclosure, in any of aspects 1 to 3, the bottom plate of the housing may be inclined with respect to the horizontal direction.

[0111] In the above configuration, water inside the enclosure, such as water leakage or condensation, drips onto the bottom plate and flows towards the lower end of the bottom plate. This makes it easier to guide the water inside the enclosure towards the lower end of the bottom plate and discharge it to the outside of the enclosure.

[0112] The pure water generating apparatus according to embodiment 5 of the present disclosure may further include a heating unit for heating the inside of the housing in any of embodiments 1 to 4.

[0113] According to the above configuration, by heating the inside of the housing with the heating unit, freezing and condensation in winter can be effectively prevented, for example.

[0114] This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in the embodiments are also included in the technical scope of this disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0115] 80:Pure water generator 81: Cabinet 81A: Opening 85: Heating part 89: Front door (door) 90: Bottom plate 94: Housing 95:Cylinder part 96: Top lid A: Axial center F: Filter M: Reverse osmosis membrane V: Vertical direction W1: Water supply W2: Pure water W3: Concentrated water

Claims

1. The casing and A cylindrical housing is placed inside the aforementioned enclosure and houses a filter including a reverse osmosis membrane, Equipped with, The housing is a pure water generating device in which the axis of the housing is tilted with respect to the vertical.

2. The aforementioned enclosure is An opening on the side of the housing through which the filter can be inserted and removed. It has, The pure water generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the housing has an axis that is inclined toward the opening with respect to the vertical direction.

3. The aforementioned housing is The cylindrical portion into which the filter is inserted, A top cover portion that can be detachably attached to the upper end of the cylindrical portion, Includes, The pure water generating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the upper lid is positioned at the height of the opening.

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