Filter unit, textile processing apparatus, its use, and method for filtering particulate matter

Abstract

A filter unit for filtering particulates from a feed liquid containing particulates. The filter unit comprises a filter chamber extending along an axis and including opposing first and second end walls and at least one side wall extending therebetween, both of the first and second end walls coinciding with the axis. The filter unit also comprises a filter cage housed within the filter chamber and configured to rotate about the axis and including one or more filtration media for filtering particulates from the feed liquid. The filter unit also comprises an inlet configured to pass the feed liquid through the first end wall into the filter chamber. The filter unit also comprises an outlet of the filter chamber for passing filtered liquid out of the filter chamber. The filter unit also comprises a drive shaft configured to drive the rotation of the filter cage and extending from the first end wall of the filter chamber to the filter cage. The second end wall is or includes an opening and a removable lid, and in a first configuration, the opening is closed by the removable lid such that the feed liquid cannot pass through said opening, and in a second configuration, the removable lid is removed from the opening such that filtered particulates can be removed from the filter chamber through the opening. The present disclosure also relates to textile processing devices comprising the filter units, uses of the filter units and textile processing devices, and methods for filtering particulates from a particulate-containing feed liquid.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This disclosure relates to a filter unit and a textile processing apparatus comprising the filter unit. This disclosure also relates to the use of the filter unit and the textile processing apparatus, and to a method for filtering particulate matter from a feed liquid containing particulate matter. [Background technology]

[0002] Washing synthetic fibers is considered the largest source of microplastic pollution in the world's oceans, accounting for an estimated 35% of primary microplastics. The release of microplastics from synthetic fibers is caused by the mechanical and chemical stress they experience during the washing cycle in a washing machine. These stresses cause microfibers to detach from the synthetic fibers. Due to their size, the released microfibers partially pass through wastewater treatment plants and end up in the ocean. Microfibers are found on beaches worldwide, in the waters of the Pacific, North Sea, Atlantic, and Arctic, and in deep-sea sediments, and have recently been found in human organs as well. Due to their size, they can be consumed by microorganisms, which are unable to digest them, leaving them to remain and pass through the food chain.

[0003] There is a growing need to prevent microfibers from entering water systems. Numerous particulate filters have been designed to prevent the release of fine particles from washing machines. These particulate filters typically use porous mesh with a pore size of around 100 μm. While these filters can capture most larger synthetic fibers, they cannot capture large quantities of fine particles smaller than 100 μm, whether synthetic or otherwise.

[0004] Many devices have been developed to capture particulate matter. One such device is described in International Publication WO2017 / 173215 and is called Cora Ball®. Cora Ball® has multiple arms with tiny teeth that capture particulate matter between them. Cora Ball® is placed in a washing machine and circulated with the laundry. Independent tests (IE Napper et al Science of the Total Environmental, 738 (2020) 140412) showed that Cora Ball has low filtration efficiency, filtering only 31% of the microfibers collected from wastewater effluent. Perhaps Cora Ball needs to be washed after each use to prevent a decrease in filtration efficiency, which would impose an additional demand on the user. Particulate matter trapped between the teeth of Cora Ball needs to be removed without washing to prevent it from entering the wastewater system.

[0005] Another device used in washing machines is Guppy Friend®, described in U.S. Patent Application No. 2018320306. Guppy Friend is a zippered laundry bag made of porous material that captures particulate matter released from laundry. In the same independent tests, Guppy Friend was found to have a filtration efficiency of 54%. With Guppy Friend, the captured particulate matter must also be emptied from inside the bag without using water. With Guppy Friend, synthetic fiber laundry clothes must also be packed separately from natural fiber clothes. Users also have to empty the bag after each wash. Thus, this imposes an additional requirement on the user.

[0006] Other devices are installed externally between the washing machine's outlet pipe and wastewater drain. One example is PlanetCare (www.planetcare.org), which has developed a filter for use outside the washing machine. The filter uses a static, vertical cylindrical filter medium held within a chamber. Wastewater passes through the filter medium to the outside of the chamber. When the filter becomes clogged, the top of the chamber needs to be opened periodically to remove and replace the filter medium. The efficiency of the device was found to be 29% in the same independent test. Furthermore, most household drains are located at the rear of the washing machine, and the washing machine's outlet pipe usually exits from the rear of the washing machine. This means that the PlanetCare filter and similar filters may need to be installed in a location inaccessible to the user, usually at the back of the washing machine, or they may need to use a pipe to bring the filter to the side of the washing machine. Often, this is not practical for the user.

[0007] Another particulate filter is described in International Publication WO2019 / 122862, filed in the name of Zeros Limited. This filter is a centrifugal filter with a rotating filter cage, the filter cage of which can be removed and emptied. This filter was found to have a filtration efficiency of 79% in the same independent tests. The filter is designed to be installed inside a washing machine. However, the inventors have since determined that the filter described in International Publication 2019 / 122862 is not immediately compatible with all household washing machines, and that the internal layout of some household washing machines may need to be modified to accommodate the filter within the washing machine housing. Furthermore, the inventors have since sought to improve the accessibility of the rotating filter cage described in International Publication 2019 / 122862.

[0008] The inventors have attempted to address one or more of the following problems: i. A filter unit that can be easily incorporated into a wide range of washing machines, especially those currently sold for home use. ii. Improved accessibility to the filter unit. iii. Improved ease of maintenance of the filter unit, particularly regarding the removal of filtered particulate matter. iv. The desire to integrate specific functions of the filter unit into the washing machine in order to provide a simple, familiar, and effective user experience. v. The desire to maintain a sufficiently high filtration efficiency. The purpose of this disclosure is to provide an overall improvement and / or to address at least partially one or more of the aforementioned issues. [Overview of the project]

[0009] In the first embodiment, there is a filter unit for filtering fine particles from a supply liquid containing fine particles, and the filter unit is A filter chamber extending along an axis and comprising a first end wall, an opposing second end wall, and at least one side wall extending between them, wherein both the first and second end walls coincide with the axis, A filter cage housed within the filter chamber and configured to rotate about the axis, wherein the filter cage comprises one or more filtration media for filtering fine particles from the feed liquid, An inlet configured to allow the supply liquid to pass through the first end wall into the filter chamber, An outlet of the filter chamber for passing the filtered liquid out of the filter chamber, A drive shaft configured to drive the rotation of the filter cage, wherein the drive shaft extends from the first end wall of the filter chamber to the filter cage. Equipped with, The second end wall is an opening and a removable lid, or includes an opening and a removable lid, wherein in the first configuration, the opening is closed by the removable lid so that the feed liquid cannot pass through the opening, and in the second configuration, the removable lid is removed from the opening so that filtered particles can be removed from the filter chamber through the opening.

[0010] [Filter Chamber] The filter chamber contains a filter cage and a filter medium, which guides the flow of the feed liquid into the filter medium. The filter chamber may be a sealed unit. That is, in the first configuration, the filter chamber is sealed during filtration, and the liquid can only enter and exit through the inlet and outlet, respectively.

[0011] The filter chamber can take on a variety of shapes, including substantially cylindrical, elliptical, and rectangular prism shapes. Particularly preferred shapes are cylindrical or nearly cylindrical. Prisms based on polygons, especially higher-order polygons, i.e., polygons with five or more sides, with or without smooth edges, are also examples of suitable shapes. Alternatively, shapes with rotational symmetry of order 2 or higher around an axis may also be suitable.

[0012] The filter chamber may have a length of at least 50 mm, at least 100 mm, at least 150 mm, at least 200 mm, at least 250 mm, at least 300 mm, or at least 400 mm.

[0013] The length of the filter chamber must not exceed 600 mm, 500 mm, 400 mm, 300 mm, or 200 mm.

[0014] The filter chamber may have a diameter of at least 20 mm, or at least 30 mm, or at least 40 mm, or at least 50 mm, or at least 60 mm, or at least 70 mm, or at least 80 mm.

[0015] The diameter of the filter chamber shall not exceed 110 mm, or 100 mm, or 80 mm, or 70 mm, or 60 mm, or 50 mm.

[0016] The end wall and the side wall may be connected to form the filter chamber, and may be connected by welding, adhesives, clips, bolts, screws, magnets, threads, interference surfaces, etc. In some cases, at least some non-permanent connections including clips, bolts, screws, magnets, threads, interference surfaces, etc. may be preferred. Non-permanent connections may allow for disassembly to access the inside of the filter chamber. Alternatively, the end wall and the side wall may be integrally formed.

[0017] The chamber wall may be made of engineering materials. Engineering materials may include polymers, metals, and / or ceramic materials. Non-limiting examples of suitable metals include aluminum, titanium, and alloys such as steel (including stainless steel). Polymers may include thermosetting polymers and thermoplastic polymers. Non-limiting examples of suitable polymers include polyetheretherketone (PEEK), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), poly(p-phenylene oxide) (PPO), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyether ketone (PEK), polyamide, polyimide, polyethylene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, polyacetal, and polysulfone.

[0018] The first end wall and / or the second end wall may be planar or may include more complex shapes, such as, among others, hemispherical or conical shapes. The first end wall and / or the second end wall may optionally be aligned perpendicular to the axis.

[0019] The filter unit has a shaft. The shaft preferably coincides with and is parallel to the center of rotation of the filter cage. The shaft may also coincide with and be parallel to the axis of rotational symmetry passing through the filter chamber, or may pass through the center of the filter chamber (i.e., coincide with the center of mass of the chamber, assuming it to be a homogeneous object). Typically, the shaft may be parallel to the horizontal direction. The side walls of the filter chamber may extend parallel to the shaft. Alternatively, the filter chamber may extend from a first end wall to a second end wall.

[0020] [Removable lid and opening] The second end wall is, or includes, an opening and a removable lid therein. In a first arrangement, the opening may be closed by the removable lid so that liquid cannot pass through the opening. Thus, the removable lid may be capable of sealing the opening of the second end wall. In a second arrangement, the removable lid is removed from the opening and the filtered particles can be removed from the filter chamber through the opening. Thus, it may be possible to remove the removable lid from the opening of the second end wall.

[0021] The removable lid may be attached to and sealed against the opening of the second end wall and may comprise any element that can be removed from the opening to allow access to the interior of the filter chamber. The removable lid may, in particular, comprise a plug, a cap, a lift flap, or any physical element suitable for closing the opening. The removable lid can be considered as an object that can be removed from the opening so that the opening is not blocked. The removable lid may be removable from the filter chamber or from any textile processing device in which the filter is used, or may be held there by, for example, a cord, a chain, or a rotatable arm.

[0022] The filter unit may include retaining means for holding a removable lid in an opening in the second end wall. Non-limiting examples of retaining means include, but are not limited to, threads between the removable lid and the second end wall, a bayonet claw on one side of the removable lid and the second end wall and a bayonet groove on the other, one or more latches on the removable lid and / or the second end wall, a press-fit between the removable lid and the second end wall, one or more sliding locking pins on the removable lid and / or the second end wall, or an electromagnetic lock on one side of the removable end wall and the other side and a metallic or magnetic element. The retaining means may be configured such that, when the opening is closed by the removable lid, the removable lid exerts an inward bias toward the first end wall of the filter chamber. The biasing force may be counteracted by the filter cage and / or the second end wall.

[0023] The removable cover may be substantially cylindrical or disc-shaped, and may be sized to fit the circular or disc-shaped opening in the second end wall.

[0024] The removable lid and / or second end wall may be provided with a seal to prevent the supply fluid from leaking around the removable lid. Not limited examples of suitable seals include X-ring seals, O-ring seals, lip seals, cone seals, V-seals, wedge seals, bellows seals, gaskets, U-cup seals, packing seals, and pusher seals. In particular, if the seal is located on the removable lid, the seal may extend around the removable lid so as to be located between the removable lid and the second end wall when the removable lid is positioned at an opening in the second end wall.

[0025] The removable lid may have a handle, knob, or other appropriately shaped element of a size suitable for gripping by hand. If the removable lid has threads, bayonet claws, or other retaining means requiring rotation, the removable lid may have a handle, knob, or other mechanism shaped to allow the user to manually rotate the removable lid.

[0026] If the retaining means includes a bayonet claw or a bayonet groove, the bayonet claw may be provided on the removable lid, and the groove may be on the second end wall. The bayonet claw and bayonet groove may be configured such that a rotation of 30 to 90 degrees is sufficient to move the claw to the end of the groove. The bayonet groove may be inclined toward the first end wall so that when the removable lid is rotated to close it, the removable lid moves toward the first end wall. By moving the removable lid toward the first end wall, the removable lid may be used to press the filter cage into place and secure it. The opening may extend across the entire second end wall. Thus, when the removable lid is removed, the second end wall becomes a complete opening.

[0027] [Entrance and Exit] The inlet and outlet can be considered as openings to and from the filter chamber through which the feed liquid and filtered feed liquid pass during filtration. Optionally, the inlet and / or outlet may have multiple openings in the chamber wall, which are collectively referred to herein in the singular form as "inlet" or "outlet." The inlet is typically the only path through which the feed liquid can enter the filter chamber, and the outlet is typically the only path through which the filtered feed liquid can exit the filter chamber during filtration.

[0028] Optionally, the entrance may be coaxial with the axis. Alternatively, the entrance may be located radially outside the axis.

[0029] The outlet may be located on the side wall, and optionally it may be tangential to the side wall, meaning the filtered feed fluid may flow out through the outlet substantially tangentially to the cylindrical wall. Preferably, the side wall is a cylindrical side wall and the outlet is in contact with it. Alternatively, the outlet may be located on the first or second end wall. Typically, the outlet is located further radially outward from the axis than the inlet.

[0030] [filter cage] The filter cage comprises one or more filtration media. The filter cage is preferably a rigid structure. The filter cage may allow the one or more filtration media to rotate, and in particular, it may allow rotation without the filtration media being significantly distorted or bent by the centrifugal force acting on them during rotation. The filter cage may be integrated with the one or more filtration media, or they may be separate. The filter cage may include one or more filter cage fasteners or filter cage positioning components to assist in fixing or positioning the one or more filtration media within the filter cage. The filter cage may be formed from two rigid layers with the filtration media held between them. The filter cage may have a grid structure with a series of windows between each grid. Optionally, the filtration media may spread across each window.

[0031] The filter cage may have a first end and a second end. The first end is the end of the filter cage adjacent to the first end wall when the filter cage is in its original position within the filter chamber, and the second end is the end of the filter cage adjacent to the second end wall. Optionally, the first and second ends of the filter cage do not contain any filtration medium. Therefore, the first and second ends of the filter cage may be non-porous.

[0032] Optionally, the filter cage may have an opening at a first end of the filter cage. This opening may allow liquid to enter the filter cage from the inlet. The filter cage may surround an internal volume, and the inlet may be positioned to deliver the feed liquid into the internal volume of the filter cage. The opening of the filter cage may coincide with the axis. Optionally, the feed liquid may enter from the inlet via the center of a hollow drive shaft. If the drive shaft is hollow, the opening of the filter cage may be concentric with the drive shaft, or optionally adjacent to the drive shaft.

[0033] In some embodiments, the filter cage may have one end open, and optionally, the open end may be the first end. The open end of the filter cage may be positioned close to the inlet and aligned so that the feed from the inlet enters the filter cage.

[0034] The filter cage may be substantially cylindrical, ellipsoidal, or prism in form. A filter cage that is substantially in the form of the aforementioned shapes may include forms that approximate those shapes, including any shape in between. The prism may be a polygonal prism having four or more sides, for example, four to twenty sides. The polygonal prism may be a regular polygonal prism. If the filter cage is cylindrical, the filter cage has a single cylindrical side wall between two circular end walls. If the filter cage includes a polygonal prism, the number of side walls corresponds to the number of sides of the polygon; for example, a hexagonal prism may have six rectangular side walls between two hexagonal end walls. It is preferable that one or more filtration media are placed inside or on one or more side walls of the filter cage. Preferably, the filter cage is cylindrical.

[0035] The filter cage may be rotationally symmetric and balanced with respect to rotation. Being balanced with respect to rotation preferably means that when the filter cage rotates, for example at 100 rpm, 1500 rpm, or 3000 rpm, it does not tend to shake or vibrate excessively.

[0036] The filter cage may have a length of at least 45 mm, at least 95 mm, at least 145 mm, at least 195 mm, at least 295 mm, or at least 395 mm. The length of the filter cage shall not exceed 595 mm, 495 mm, 395 mm, 295 mm, or 195 mm.

[0037] The filter cage may have a diameter of at least 20 mm, or at least 30 mm, or at least 40 mm, or at least 50 mm, or at least 60 mm. The diameter of the filter cage shall not exceed 95 mm, 75 mm, 65 mm, 58 mm, 45 mm, or 35 mm.

[0038] The filter cage may have a removable cap. The removable cap may be located at a second end of the filter cage, cover a portion of the second end of the filter cage, or cover the entire second end of the filter cage. The removable cap may be any removable closure that, when attached to the filter cage, prevents unfiltered feed fluid from leaking out of the filter cage, but is removable from the filter cage to allow access to the inside of the filter cage. The removable cap may have a means of connection for retaining the removable cap on the filter cage. Non-limiting examples of the means of connection include, but are not limited to, threads between the filter cage and the removable cap, a bayonet claw and a bayonet groove on one of the removable cap and the filter cage, one or more latches on the removable cap and / or the filter cage, a press fit between the filter cage and the removable cap, or one or more sliding pins on the removable cap and / or the filter cage. Optionally, the removable cap may be removed from the filter cage only if the filter cage remains in its original position within the filter. Alternatively, or in addition, a removable cap may be removable from the filter cage after the filter cage has been removed from the filter chamber.

[0039] The removable cap may be mechanically coupled to the removable lid. The mechanical coupling may be any connection that reduces the degrees of freedom of movement between the removable cap and the removable lid. In particular, the mechanical coupling may restrict relative movement such that when the removable lid moves in a particular direction (e.g., along an axis), the removable cap also moves in that particular direction. Optionally, when the removable lid is removed from the filter chamber, the filter cage can be pulled out of the filter chamber via the removable cap. This may further simplify the user experience. Optionally, the removable cap is not mechanically coupled to the removable lid.

[0040] A mechanical coupling may allow rotation between the removable cap and the removable lid. The coupling may allow one of the removable cap or removable lid to rotate relative to the other, and the rotation may be around an axis. The coupling may include a spindle. One or both of the removable cap and removable lid may be rotatable around the spindle. Optionally, the coupling may include one or more bearings or bushings between the spindle and the removable cap and / or removable lid. The spindle may be firmly connected to one of the removable cap or removable lid. In one embodiment, the spindle may include a threaded capped bolt, the bolt connected to the removable cap via a nut, and the capped end of the bolt connected to the removable lid via a bearing.

[0041] When the removable lid is in its original position within the filter chamber and the removable cap is in its original position on the filter cage and within the filter chamber, the removable lid and removable cap may be coaxially aligned on an axis or an axis parallel thereto. That is, the axes passing through the centers of the removable cap and removable lid may be parallel and coincide at this position. Optionally, the mechanical coupling may allow a limited rotation away from the axis. That is, the removable cap and removable lid may move relative to each other via the coupling such that the axes passing through the centers of the removable cap and removable lid are no longer parallel. The coupling may include biasing means that provide a restoring force to return the axes of the removable cap and removable lid to parallel.

[0042] The coupling may include a spherical bearing that allows for limited rotation away from the shaft. The spherical bearing may also provide relative rotation around the shaft as described above. Alternatively, the spindle may be flexible to allow off-axis rotation, and the spindle may also provide a restoring force.

[0043] If the filter cage is rotated by the drive shaft at the first end, the spindle may support the second end to prevent the filter cage from rotating away from the axis.

[0044] The filter cage may be made from engineering materials. The filter cage may be made from the same engineering materials specified for the filter chamber above.

[0045] If the filter chamber is cylindrical, nearly cylindrical, or includes a cylinder as described above, the filter cage may rotate around an axis aligned parallel to the side wall of the filter chamber, more preferably around an axis substantially central to the filter chamber when viewed directly along the axis, for example, the side wall of the filter chamber and the filter cage are concentric when viewed directly along the axis.

[0046] The filter cage may rotate. The filter cage may rotate around the filter medium with a G force of at least 2G, or at least 5G, or at least 20G, or at least 40G, or at least 100G, or at least 175G, or at least 250G, or at least 325G, or at least 450G. The G force shall not, optionally, exceed 10,000G, or 2,000G, or 1,000G, or 500G at the radially outermost part of the filter cage. A filter cage of radius r (cm) rotates at R (revolutions per minute (rpm)) and g is 9.81 m / s 2 If we consider this as acceleration due to gravity, G = 1.118 × 10 -5 rR 2 The filter cage may have a rotations per minute of at least 100, or at least 800, or at least 1000, or at least 1200, or at least 1400, or at least 1800, or at least 2000. The rotations per minute of the filter medium shall not, optionally, exceed 10,000, or 5000, or 2500, or 2100.

[0047] Optionally, the filter cage may be removable from the filter chamber through an opening, and the filtered particles may be removed from the filter chamber by removing the filter cage containing the filtered particles. Optionally, the filtered particles may be removable through the opening in a direction parallel to the axis.

[0048] Therefore, the opening in the second end wall may be sized sufficiently large relative to the filter cage so that the filter cage can pass through. The filter cage may be removable from the filter unit so that it can be removed from the filter chamber. Optionally, the filter cage may be removable from the drive shaft. Alternatively, or in addition, the interior of the filter cage may be accessible to the user through the opening in the second end wall without the need to remove the filter cage.

[0049] [Filtration media] As used in this invention, the term "filter medium" is synonymous with "one or more filter mediums." The filter medium may include porous materials. The pores of the filter medium may have an average pore diameter of 100 μm or less, 90 μm or less, 80 μm or less, 70 μm or less, 60 μm or less, 50 μm or less, 40 μm or less, or 30 μm or less. Such pore sizes have been shown to provide excellent efficiency in removing microfibers while not easily becoming clogged. In increasing order of preference, the pores of one or more filter mediums may have an average pore diameter of at least 1 μm, at least 2 μm, at least 5 μm, at least 10 μm, at least 20 μm, or at least 30 μm. Typically, the filter medium contains pores having an average pore diameter of 10 to 100 μm, or 20 to 70 μm.

[0050] The average pore diameter may also be the arithmetic mean pore diameter. The pore size can be considered as the maximum linear size of the pore. For circular pores, this is the diameter. For pores that take the shape of a slot, this is the length of the slot.

[0051] The average is preferably established by an optical or electron microscope using appropriate image analysis software. The average is preferably the average of at least 100, more preferably at least 1,000, and especially at least 10,000 pores.

[0052] The number of filtration media present in the filter unit is preferably 100 or less, more preferably 50 or less, particularly 20 or less, and most particularly 10 or less. Preferred numbers of filtration media include 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8.

[0053] The filtration medium may include a mesh, a perforated sheet, a woven or nonwoven fiber sheet, a cloth or felt, or a porous material, or any other known filtration material. If the filtration medium includes a mesh, the mesh may include a wire or yarn mesh product, including a woven mesh. The wire or yarn mesh product may be a nonwoven or woven fabric, or may include multiple fiber layers. The fiber layers may optionally include two or more fiber layers aligned in parallel, each typically in a different orientation. The pores of the mesh may be formed from different spacings between the wires or yarns.

[0054] If the filtration medium includes a perforated sheet, the pores may be perforated. The perforated sheet may include a metallic or polymer material in which the material is punched, punctured, cut, slitted, or processed by any known method for introducing perforations into the material.

[0055] If the filtration medium includes a porous material, the porous material may be a porous ceramic, a layered surface having pores (e.g., a porous polymer membrane), or any other material that is inherently porous.

[0056] One or more filter media may be planar in shape, more preferably one or more filter media may be curved, and most preferably one or more filter media may be curved to be substantially the same shape as the side wall or the side wall of the filter cage.

[0057] When a single filter medium is present in the filter cage, the filter medium is preferably cylindrical. When multiple filter mediums are present in the filter cage, the filter mediums preferably act in combination to form a substantially cylindrical shape when placed in the filter cage.

[0058] [Drive shaft] The drive shaft is configured to drive the rotation of the filter cage, and typically extends from the first end wall of the filter chamber to the filter cage. The drive shaft may pass through the first end wall of the filter chamber. A seal may be located between the drive shaft and the first end wall.

[0059] The drive shaft may have a mechanical connection to the drive means. The mechanical connection to the drive means may include a pulley connected to the drive means via a belt, a gear connected to one or more gears of the drive means, a chain between two sprockets, or a direct connection to the drive means. If the drive means is a motor, the direct connection may be, for example, connected to the rotor of the motor or a drive shaft formed integrally with the rotor of the motor. The filter unit may have one or more rotary bearings or bushings between the filter chamber and the drive shaft. The filter unit may have one or more rotary bearings or bushings connected to the drive shaft adjacent to the mechanical connection to the drive means. In particular, the filter unit may have two rotary bearings or bushings connected to the drive shaft on both sides of the mechanical connection to the drive means.

[0060] Optionally, the drive shaft may be hollow. The feed fluid may pass through the center of the hollow drive shaft. The drive shaft may pass through a first end wall, and the inlet may be located inside the hollow drive shaft and inside the first end wall. The hollow drive shaft may also extend to an opening at the first end of the filter cage. The hollow drive shaft may be capable of supplying the feed fluid into the interior of the filter cage through the opening.

[0061] The hollow drive shaft may also be connected to a feed fluid supply pipe to supply feed fluid to the center of the hollow drive shaft. A seal may be present between the supply pipe and the drive shaft. The feed fluid supply pipe may be connected to or form part of the outlet from the processing apparatus. The feed fluid supply pipe may be stationary, while the drive shaft is rotatable during operation. The connection between the feed fluid supply pipe and the drive shaft may be enclosed by a housing. One or more seals may be present between the drive shaft and the housing. The housing may contain feed fluid leaks from between the feed fluid supply pipe and the drive shaft.

[0062] [Join] The drive shaft may be permanently connected to the filter cage. Alternatively, the drive shaft and the filter cage may have a removable coupling between them. The removable coupling of the drive shaft to the filter cage may constitute an arbitrary system that allows the drive from the drive shaft to be transmitted to the filter cage and allows the drive shaft and the filter cage to be separated. In other words, the filter cage may be removable from the drive shaft. In particular, the drive shaft and the filter cage each have mating surfaces that allow the drive shaft to be removablely connected to the filter cage to drive the rotation of the filter cage. That is, the drive shaft may have a mating surface on the drive shaft (i.e., a drive shaft mating surface), and the filter cage may have a mating surface on the filter cage (i.e., a filter cage mating surface). The drive shaft mating surface and the filter cage mating surface may be removable and configured to cooperate to transmit driving force between them.

[0063] The mating surfaces of the drive shaft and the filter cage may have a mutually shaped mechanism, i.e., one or more external shapes on one or both mating surfaces and one or more corresponding mutually shaped recesses on the other surface. Non-limiting examples of mutually shaped mechanisms include, among others, splines and grooves, pins and slots, aligned teeth, and radially aligned stepped surfaces. Optionally, the mating surfaces of the drive shaft and / or the filter cage may have one or more splines.

[0064] The mating surfaces of the drive shaft and the filter cage may be configured to transmit rotation only when the drive shaft is rotated in one direction. A non-limiting example of a mutually shaped mechanism may comprise a plurality of stepped surfaces aligned parallel to the radial direction of the axis, and inclinations that increase circumferentially toward the tips of the stepped surfaces. This mechanism may transmit driving force when it rotates in a first direction and pushes the corresponding stepped surfaces of the mutual mechanism through the stepped surfaces. In a second direction, the corresponding inclinations may allow the mechanisms to pass through each other and operate, for example, like a rotary ratchet.

[0065] The drive shaft may widen toward the mating surface of the drive shaft to give it a head that is distinct from the rest of the drive shaft. The head may have a conical or other tapered shape that narrows toward the end, or may approximate a conical or other tapered shape that narrows toward the end. The head may have a shoulder, flange, or another wide portion. The drive shaft may give it a larger area to include the mating surface.

[0066] [Driving means] The filter unit may be equipped with a drive mechanism. The drive mechanism may be a motor, optionally an electric motor. The electric motor may be equipped with a rotor. The motor may be an annular motor, i.e., a motor having an opening through the center of the rotor. The drive shaft may be connected to the rotor by passing through the opening in the rotor, so that the motor surrounds a portion of the drive shaft and is operable to rotate the drive shaft. Thus, the rotor of the motor may be concentric with the axis and the drive shaft. Alternatively, the motor may be positioned away from the axis, for example, the rotor of the motor may rotate around an axis that is parallel to but does not coincide with the axis of the filter chamber.

[0067] [Impeller] The filter unit may include an impeller configured to rotate with the filter cage. The impeller rotates with the filter cage, circulating the feed fluid in the filter chamber. The impeller may assist in pumping or driving the feed fluid through the filter unit out of the outlet and / or through one or more filtration media. The impeller may include 1 to 10, more preferably 3 to 10, and particularly 4, 5, or 6 impeller blades. The impeller blades can take any shape suitable for circulating the feed fluid in the filter chamber. In particular, the impeller blades may have surfaces radially aligned from the axis, and when rotating, the surfaces may be pressed into the feed fluid and rotate around the filter chamber. The impeller blades may be linear, extend parallel to the axis along the length of the filter cage, or be nonlinear with respect to the axis (e.g., helical around the axis).

[0068] The impeller blades may be located radially inward from the filter medium (e.g., inside the filter cage). The impeller blades may also be located radially outward from the filter cage (e.g., outside the filter cage).

[0069] The impeller may be removable from inside or outside the filter cage. Alternatively, the impeller may be mounted on the filter cage or formed integrally with the filter cage. If the impeller is removable, it may comprise an assembly in which multiple impeller blades are connected. Therefore, when the impeller is removed, all blades are removed simultaneously. In particular, the impeller may comprise a plurality of equally spaced linear blades interconnected with a rigid radial or circumferential element.

[0070] The impeller may be mechanically connected to a removable cap or removable lid of the filter cage. The impeller may be pulled out of the filter cage by removing the removable cap or optionally removable lid and pulling it away from the filter cage. This may further improve the ease of removing the impeller.

[0071] In some embodiments, the filter cage may remain in its original position within the filter chamber while only the impeller is removable from the filter cage. Alternatively, the impeller may be removable from the filter cage when the filter cage is removed from the filter chamber. Optionally, the impeller may be removable both when the filter cage is in its original position within the filter chamber and when the filter cage is removed from the filter chamber.

[0072] [Extraction element] The filter unit may include an extraction element for removing filtered particulate matter from the filter cage. The extraction element may include an element that is removable from inside the filter cage to remove particulate matter from the filter chamber through an opening in the second end wall. The extraction element may be adapted to be pulled out axially from the filter cage to remove particulate matter from the filter chamber. The extraction element may include an elongated portion that extends approximately to the length of the filter cage. The extraction element may also include a filter medium contact portion for contacting the filter medium. Contact between the contact portion and the filter medium may include direct contact or include a small gap between them, for example, less than 2 mm, or less than 1 mm, or less than 0.5 mm, or less than 0.1 mm. When the filter cage is in its original position, the filter medium contact portion may be attached to the end of the elongated portion and proximal to the first end of the filter cage. The filter medium contact portion may include one or more openings to allow the feed liquid from the inlet to pass through. When the extraction element is withdrawn from the filter cage, the filter medium contact portion may contact the filter medium and collect any particulate matter accumulated thereon. Next, the collected particulate matter may be removed from the filter chamber onto an extraction element. The filtration medium contact portion may include a scraper element for contacting the filtration medium. The scraper element may contain rubber or another flexible material and may conform to the shape of the filtration medium. One or more filtration media are preferably rigid or firmly held in place in the filter cage.

[0073] The extraction element may be removable from the filter cage only while the filter cage remains in its original position within the filter chamber. Alternatively, the extraction element may be removable from the filter cage when the filter cage is removed from the filter chamber. Optionally, the extraction element may be removable from the filter cage both while the filter cage remains in its original position within the filter chamber and when the filter cage is removed from the filter chamber.

[0074] The removal element may be mechanically coupled to a removable cap or removable lid. When the removable cap or removable lid is removed from the filter unit, the removal element may also be simultaneously pulled out from the filter cage via the mechanical coupling. This may further improve the ease of removal of the removal element. The removal element may be mounted on or incorporated into the impeller. That is, the impeller may have a contact portion for the filter medium and may function as the removal element.

[0075] [Air venting and secondary drain] If the outlet is located at the bottom (i.e., the vertical base) of the filter chamber, the maximum amount of filtered feed fluid can be discharged from the outlet by gravity. Thus, in this configuration, the feed fluid can be completely discharged from the filter unit after filtration. However, when the filter chamber is filled with feed fluid, air may accumulate at the top of the filter chamber. The filter unit may be provided with an air vent outlet at the top vertical of the filter chamber to remove air. The air vent outlet may be provided with an operable valve that allows air to escape from the filter chamber when the filter chamber contains feed fluid. The valve may be open while the filter chamber is initially filled with feed fluid, or immediately thereafter. The valve may be closed after the air has escaped from the filter chamber. The valve may be a float valve, or any valve with a buoyancy element for operating the valve. The valve may be closed when liquid is detected by a liquid sensor, or after a predetermined time has elapsed, the valve may remain closed throughout the filtration. The air vent outlet may be connected to the wastewater drain or the outlet of the filter chamber, so that any liquid passing through the air vent outlet may be returned to the wastewater drain.

[0076] If the outlet is located at the top (i.e., the apex) of the filter chamber, air can exit the filter chamber through the outlet. However, after filtration, some of the filtered feed may remain in the filter and cannot be drained out through the outlet by gravity. The filter chamber may further include a secondary drain outlet at the bottom (i.e., the base) of the filter chamber. The secondary drain outlet may be operable to drain the retained filtered feed from the filter chamber when the feed supply is stopped. The secondary drain outlet may be equipped with a valve. The valve may remain closed during filtration and open after filtration to drain the retained filtered feed. The secondary drain outlet may be connected to the outlet or wastewater drain of the filter chamber.

[0077] The vertical top or bottom of the filter chamber may refer to the portion of the filter chamber that is the highest or lowest area in the vertical direction when the filter unit is in use. When the filter unit is in use, it is usually oriented so that its axis is aligned horizontally. The vertical top of the filter chamber may typically be the area of ​​the filter chamber where air may accumulate, and water may initially accumulate at the vertical bottom of the filter chamber due to the effects of gravity.

[0078] [Operation] The filter unit may be capable of operating as a centrifugal filter, or capable of operating to use centrifugal force to filter out particulates from a feed solution containing particulates. A filter unit capable of operating as a centrifugal filter, or a filter unit capable of operating to use centrifugal force to filter out particulates, may rotate the feed solution to pass it through the filter medium. Optionally, the rotation of the feed solution may be used to push the feed solution through the filter unit.

[0079] In increasing order of preference, the filter unit may filter the feed from textile processing cycles at least 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 50, and 100 times before it is required to be emptied or washed. The need for washing may be established when the flow rate drops to less than 50% of the initial rate, or more preferably when a rapid decrease in flow rate is observed.

[0080] Typically, particulate matter may be removed from the filter chamber only when the filtered feed solution has been discharged from the filter chamber. Optionally, particulate matter may be removed from the filter chamber only when the filtered feed solution has been discharged to below the lowest point of the opening in the second end wall of the filter chamber.

[0081] The filter unit may be operable to remove filtered particulate matter from the filter chamber when the filtered particulate matter is in a dehydrated state. A dehydrated state may include particulate matter-containing filter residue where the water content of the filter residue has decreased from a suspension or excess of water until the filter residue is in a non-flowing state. A non-flowing state can be thought of as a state in which the filter residue has a large amount of solid compared to the liquid, i.e., the residue may resemble a slurry, paste, or wet granular material, or substantially dry granular material. A large amount of solid compared to the liquid can be thought of as filter residue containing at least 50% by mass of solid, at least 75% by mass of solid, or at least 90% by mass of solid, and optionally up to 98% by mass of solid, or up to 100% by mass of solid. Dehydrated filter residue may optionally include filter residue in which the water content has been reduced until the filter residue contains a large amount of solid compared to the liquid as defined above. Dehydrated particulate matter may be removed from the filter chamber or removal element of the filter cage.

[0082] The filter unit may be operable to dewater filtered particulate matter using centrifugal force. That is, after filtration, water may be drained from the filter chamber and the filter cage may be rotated to remove water from the filter residue containing particulate matter. The rotation may continue until a dewatered state as defined above is achieved. Optionally, the rotation for dewatering filtered particulate matter may be performed at a higher G force than the rotation during filtration. Optionally, a filter operable to dewater may have a filter cage that can rotate at at least 1,000 revolutions per minute, or at least 1,200 revolutions per minute, or at least 1,400 revolutions per minute, or at least 1,800 revolutions per minute, or at least 2,000 revolutions per minute, or at least 5,000 revolutions per minute, or at least 10,000 revolutions per minute.

[0083] [Supply liquid] The feed liquid may be liquid effluent from the textile processing equipment. Preferably, the feed liquid is not in the form of a paste, sludge, or semi-solid. Preferably, the feed liquid is an aqueous liquid. If the feed liquid contains liquids other than water, these may be alcohols, ketones, ethers, cyclic amides, etc. Preferably, the feed liquid contains at least 50% by weight, more preferably at least 80% by weight, and most particularly at least 90% by weight of water.

[0084] The supply solution contains particulate matter. As used herein, the term “particulate matter” may refer to any particulate material having a longest linear dimension of less than 1 mm, less than 0.5 mm, or less than 0.1 mm. Particulate matter may have a longest linear dimension of 1 μm or more. The longest linear dimension can be measured by an optical microscope or electron microscope using appropriate image analysis software. Particulate matter may be particulate matter derived from textiles, in particular textile fibers and monofilaments, and in particular microfibers.

[0085] The feed solution may contain larger particles, such as particles with dimensions exceeding 1 mm. As used herein, the term “solid material” may refer to fine particles in the feed solution, and possibly larger particles.

[0086] The feed liquid may contain less than 30% by weight, or less than 20% by weight, or less than 10% by weight (as a percentage of the total mass of solid material and liquid) of solid material before entering the filter unit. The feed liquid may contain at least 0.001% by weight, or at least 0.01% by weight, or at least 0.1% by weight (as a percentage of the total mass of solid material and liquid) of solid material.

[0087] The feed liquid may contain 0.01% to about 5% by weight of solid material, or about 0.1% to about 3.5% by weight of solid material (as a percentage of the total mass of solid material and liquid).

[0088] The inlet of the filter unit may be connected to the outlet of the textile processing apparatus. The feed liquid from the textile processing apparatus may be effluent. The term “effluent” preferably refers to the feed liquid derived from the effluent of a cycle in the textile processing apparatus, for example, from a washing cycle.

[0089] Alternatively, the feed liquid may be the abrasive feed of the textile processing apparatus. The term “abrasive feed” preferably means the liquid present in the textile processing apparatus during a certain textile processing stage. Typically, the abrasive feed is recirculated between the filter unit and the textile processing apparatus.

[0090] [Microfiber] The fine particles may be microfibers or may contain microfibers. In particular, the filter unit of the first embodiment may be capable of filtering microfibers from a feed liquid containing microfibers. As used herein, the term "microfiber" preferably means microfibers having a longest straight dimension of less than 1 mm. Preferably, in increasing order of preference, the microfibers have a longest straight dimension of 500 μm or less, 250 μm or less, 200 μm or less, 150 μm or less, or 100 μm or less.

[0091] The term microfiber may, additionally or alternatively, refer to fibers with a diameter of less than 10 micrometers.

[0092] The longest linear dimension and diameter can be measured by an optical or electron microscope using appropriate image analysis software. Preferably, the longest linear dimension and / or diameter of the microfibers are averages. The average is preferably an arithmetic mean. The arithmetic mean is established by measuring at least 100, more preferably at least 1,000, and especially at least 10,000 microfibers.

[0093] The microfibers may be synthetic materials, semi-synthetic materials or natural materials or mixtures thereof, and may contain them. Microfibers containing synthetic materials include, but are not limited to, those derived from polyamides, polyesters, and acrylics. Microfibers containing natural materials include, but are not limited to, those derived from wool, cotton and silk, especially those containing cellulose.

[0094] [Efficiency, flow rate and filtered feed liquid] The filtered feed liquid may refer to the feed liquid that has passed through the filtration medium. The filtered feed liquid is the feed liquid from which the particulate portion has been removed by filtration. As used herein, the term "efficiency" may refer to the mass percentage of particulates removed from the feed liquid.

[0095] The filter units, textile treatment devices, methods and uses disclosed herein can remove at least 70%, at least 80%, at least 90%, at least 95%, and at least 99% of all particulates originally present in the feed liquid, in increasing order of preference, by dry mass ratio.

[0096] Efficiency can be established by filtering the feed liquid. Efficiency can be measured across various types of particulates. Preferably, efficiency is first established by capturing all particulates from any treatment cycle collected using a filter bag with a pore size of 1 micron and measuring the dry weight. The dry mass W totav is usually an average value. W tot itself is W f1 -W i1 is given by, where W f1 is the final dry weight of the 1 micron filter bag plus the collected dry particulates, and W i1 is the dry weight of the original filter bag before filtration. W totav is simply the average of the W tot values, and usually the average of 3×W tot values.

[0097] In a similar manner, secondly, the small amount of particulate matter that has passed through the filter unit can be determined by capturing and measuring the dry weight of the particulate matter in the feed solution collected in a 1-micron filter bag after it has left the filter unit. This dry mass of the particulate matter that has passed through the filter unit is W nc And that in itself is W f2 -W i2 It is calculated by, where W f2 This is the final dry total of the 1 micron filter bag with the collected dry particles added, W i2 This is the dry weight of the initial filter bag before filtration.

[0098] And the efficiency is (W totav -W nc ) / W totav It is given by ×100.

[0099] The filter bag and the filtered particulate matter are preferably dried at a temperature of 50 degrees Celsius for at least 12 hours.

[0100] In order of increasing preference, the flow rate of the feed passing through the filter unit is at least 1 liter / min, at least 2 liters / min, at least 3 liters / min, at least 4 liters / min, at least 5 liters / min, at least 6 liters / min, at least 7 liters / min, at least 8 liters / min, at least 9 liters / min, at least 10 liters / min, at least 15 liters / min, at least 20 liters / min, at least 25 liters / min, at least 30 liters / min, at least 35 liters / min, or at least 40 liters / min.

[0101] Typically, the flow rate does not exceed 1,000 liters per minute, 500 liters per minute, 100 liters per minute, or 50 liters per minute.

[0102] In order of increasing preference, the filter units have capacities of at least 100 ml, at least 250 ml, at least 500 ml, at least 750 ml, at least 1,000 ml, or at least 2,000 ml.

[0103] Typically, the filter unit has a capacity of 20,000 ml or less, 10,000 ml or less, 5,000 ml or less, 3,000 ml or less, 2,000 ml or less, or 1,000 ml or less.

[0104] The capacity is typically measured by filling the filter chamber to the brim with water. This is usually done using water at a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius.

[0105] In order of increasing preference, the velocity-to-volume ratio is at least 0.5:1, at least 1:1, at least 2:1, at least 3:1, at least 4:1, at least 5:1, at least 6:1, at least 7:1, at least 10:1, at least 15:1, at least 20:1, or at least 25:1, where velocity is expressed in liters / minute and volume is expressed in liters.

[0106] The flow velocity-to-volume ratio is generally 1000:1 or less, more generally 500:1 or less, or 100:1 or less.

[0107] [Textile processing equipment] According to the second aspect, A housing with a front that the user can access and a door inside, A filter unit according to the first embodiment located within the housing, A drum housed within the housing, comprising an internal volume and an open end aligned with the door on the front of the housing. A textile processing device is provided that includes the following.

[0108] The textile processing apparatus may be any apparatus suitable for processing textiles. In particular, the textile processing apparatus may be suitable for washing textiles. In particular, the textile may include natural fibers (e.g., cellulose-containing fibers), synthetic fibers (e.g., polyester), or a combination of natural and synthetic fibers. The textile may include woven fibers. In particular, the textile may constitute a garment.

[0109] The textile processing apparatus may be adapted to wash textiles using a processing compound containing a liquid, and the drum may be suitable for rotating the textiles and the processing compound. The textile processing apparatus may include a drive unit for rotating the drum and a filter unit according to the first embodiment. In particular, the textile processing apparatus may be a washing machine.

[0110] The textile processing apparatus may include a detergent drawer located at the front of the housing. The detergent drawer may be movable between a closed configuration and an open configuration. In the open configuration, the user can add textile cleaning agents (e.g., detergent). The filter unit may be located behind the detergent drawer. An opening and a removable lid in the second end wall of the filter unit may be accessible to the user through the detergent drawer when the detergent drawer is in the open configuration.

[0111] The detergent drawer may be mechanically connected to a removable lid. When the detergent drawer is opened, the removable lid may be pulled away from the filter chamber. Similarly, when the detergent drawer is closed, the removable lid may return to close the filter chamber. In these embodiments, a filter cage or extraction element may be coupled to the detergent drawer via the removable lid. Thus, when the detergent drawer is opened, particulate matter may be extracted from the filter chamber via the extraction element or filter cage, depending on the embodiment. Similarly, when the detergent drawer is closed, the extraction element or filter cage may be returned to the filter chamber, and the removable lid may be returned to the opening.

[0112] Alternatively, the opening and removable cover may be directly accessible from the front of the housing for user access, or the opening and removable cover may be covered by a flap or panel of the housing.

[0113] The inlet of the filter unit may be connected to the textile processing apparatus so that the supply fluid comes from the processing cycle of the textile processing apparatus. If the textile processing apparatus is a washing machine, the supply fluid may be the outflow from the washing cycle.

[0114] The outlet of the filter unit may be connected to the drain of the textile processing equipment. The drain of the textile processing equipment may be connected to a wastewater drain (e.g., connection to a sewer).

[0115] The textile processing apparatus may include machines suitable for coloring (e.g., dyeing), stonewashing, polishing, and surface treatment applications of garments or textiles used in the manufacture of clothing. The textile processing apparatus may have the capacity to process 15 kg or less, or 25 kg or less, or 50 kg or less, of dry textiles at a time, or 100 kg or less, or 500 kg or less. The drum volume of the textile processing apparatus may be a maximum of 100 L, 500 L, 1000 L, or 5000 L.

[0116] The textile processing device may be a washing machine, and may be a household washing machine or a commercial washing machine. A household washing machine may have a maximum capacity of 15 kg or less of textiles that can be washed and dried at one time. Typically, household washing machines are either front-loading or top-loading. In front-loading and top-loading washing machines, the front is the surface including the door. Therefore, in a top-loading washing machine, the front is the top surface. Household washing machines are often about 60 cm wide, 60 cm deep, and 85 cm high. The drum of a household washing machine preferably has a volume of at least 1 liter, more preferably at least 10 liters, and preferably 150 liters or less, or 120 liters or less.

[0117] Commercial washing machines may have a capacity to wash more than 15 kg of dry textiles at a time. Textile processing drums may have capacities exceeding 120 liters, 150 liters, 200 liters, 400 liters, 900 liters, or 1400 liters. Such large drums are particularly suitable for commercial or industrial applications. There may be an arbitrary upper limit to the drum capacity, but it is preferable that the drum capacity is 20,000 liters or less, or 10,000 liters or less.

[0118] The textile processing apparatus may also include a drive unit. The drive unit is operable to rotate the drum of the textile processing apparatus. The drive unit for rotating the drum may be a motor, preferably an electric motor.

[0119] The liquid in the treatment formulation may be as described above for the feed solution. The liquid may contain one or more treatment additives selected from dyes, pigments, surfactants, enzymes, acids, bases, buffers, oxidizing agents, builders, biocides, and anti-fouling agents.

[0120] The textile processing apparatus is preferably electrically connected to the filter unit according to the first embodiment. The textile processing apparatus may also include a controller unit which is preferably connected to the filter unit according to the first embodiment.

[0121] The controller of the textile processing apparatus may have a programmed memory that operates drive means connected to or included as part of the filter unit when operated by the processor. Similarly, one or more valves may be operated by the controller. The valves operated may be valves associated with inlets, outlets, secondary drain outlets, or air vent outlets (i.e., air vent valves). In this way, the operation of the filter unit may be under the direct control of the textile processing apparatus.

[0122] Alternatively, or additionally, the filter unit may include a controller. The filter unit's controller may sense or receive information related to the operation of the textile processing unit's controller, and the filter unit's controller has a programmed memory that operates drive means connected to or included as part of the filter unit and / or valves associated with the filter unit when operated by the processor. Thus, the filter unit is not under the direct control of the textile processing unit, but instead "recognizes" what the textile processing unit is doing and can respond accordingly. For example, the filter unit's controller may sense that the textile processing unit's wastewater valve has been opened and / or that the wastewater pump has been activated, and may then respond by supplying power to the filter unit's drive means and / or operating the vent valve to begin filtration by the filter unit. The controller's memory may be configured as part of the filter unit and may be accessible via wireless communication.

[0123] The filter unit and / or textile processing apparatus may be equipped with sensors (e.g., a pressure sensor or liquid sensor at the drain outlet or filter chamber of the textile processing apparatus, and / or a sensor for measuring the volume of effluent sent to the filter unit). The controller of the filter unit or textile processing apparatus may be configured to operate the filter unit automatically based on input from such sensors. Alternatively, or in addition to the above, the controller of the filter unit or textile processing apparatus may be configured to operate the filter unit after conditions relating to the washing cycle have been identified (e.g., after the washing cycle is completed).

[0124] The textile processing apparatus may comprise a tab on which a drum is rotatably mounted, the drum having side walls and the side walls having one or more openings configured to allow the processing mixture to exit the drum; a collector located below the drum and optionally located in or below the tab, configured to collect the processing mixture exiting the drum; a filter unit disclosed herein; and a first flow path between the collector and the inlet of the filter unit.

[0125] The outlet of the filter unit may be fluidically connected to a drum. In this way, the liquid that has passed through the filter unit may be returned to the drum. The outlet of the filter unit may be fluidically connected to a drain. Optionally, the outlet of the filter unit may be fluidically connected to both a drain and a drum. Optionally, the textile processing apparatus includes a control valve configured to selectively recirculate the liquid filtrate exiting the outlet of the filter unit to a drum or to a drain.

[0126] The textile processing apparatus may further include recirculation means for recirculating the processing mixture from the collector to the drum, and the filter unit is included in the recirculation means. In this way, the filter unit filters the processing mixture during recirculation from the collector to the drum. Typically, the recirculation means includes a pump and a duct connecting the collector and the drum.

[0127] The textile processing apparatus may include a second filter, not relating to the first aspect of the present invention, or a trap positioned to cause the processing mixture to pass through the second filter before entering the inlet of the filter unit. The second filter or trap may be a coarse filter (e.g., a coin trap) to prevent large pieces or articles of solid material, such as coins, stones, or other items, from entering the filter when washing laundry from pockets.

[0128] [use] According to a third embodiment, the use of a filter unit of the first embodiment or a textile processing apparatus of the second embodiment is provided for filtering fine particles from a feed liquid.

[0129] The use of the textile processing apparatus according to the third embodiment may include processing of textiles. In particular, the processing may include textiles containing synthetic fibers and / or textiles containing cellulose such as cotton or polycotton. The textile processing apparatus may be those described in the second embodiment.

[0130] Use may be carried out by the method of the fourth embodiment.

[0131] [method] According to a fourth aspect, a method is provided for filtering fine particles from a feed liquid containing fine particles, the method being: To provide a filter unit according to the first embodiment, The supply liquid containing fine particles is supplied through the inlet of the first end wall, Rotating the drive shaft in order to rotate the filter cage, The filtered supply liquid is passed outside the outlet, To stop the supply of the fluid to the drive unit and the inlet. Includes.

[0132] This method may include dewatering the filtered particles by operating a drive unit to rotate the filter cage after stopping the supply of the feed solution.

[0133] This method may include removing the filtered particles from the filter chamber through an opening in the second end wall.

[0134] Optionally, removal may include removing the filter cage containing the filtered particles through an opening in the second end wall.

[0135] Optionally, the removal may include removing the filter cage containing the filtered particles through the opening in the second end wall and removing the removal element from the filter cage. Optionally, the removal may also include removing the removal element from the filter cage and filter chamber through the opening in the second end wall.

[0136] Optionally, the feed liquid may be supplied from a textile processing apparatus. The textile processing apparatus may optionally be any textile processing apparatus according to the second embodiment. Furthermore, the feed liquid may be any feed liquid as described in the first or second embodiment. In particular, the textile processing apparatus of this method may be a washing machine. The filter unit may be housed within the housing of the textile processing apparatus. The housing may have a front panel in which a detergent drawer is located, the detergent drawer being movable between an open and a closed configuration, and the filter unit is located behind the detergent drawer.

[0137] Optionally, the textile processing apparatus may process one or more cellulose-containing garments. Therefore, the feed solution may contain cellulose microfibers and effluent from the processing. Typically, the particulate matter consists of or contains microfibers.

[0138] Optionally, removing the detergent may include moving it to the configuration in which the detergent drawer was initially opened.

[0139] The step of supplying a feed liquid containing particulate matter through the inlet may first include the step of priming the filter chamber by filling it with the feed liquid. Priming may include operating the processing device's pump to send the feed liquid into the filter unit. Priming may also include operating an air vent outlet to remove air from the filter chamber. Optionally, after priming the chamber, the drive shaft may be rotated to start filtration.

[0140] Optionally, after stopping the rotation of the filter cage and the supply of feed liquid to the inlet, the valve to the secondary drain outlet may be opened to drain the filtered residual feed liquid from the filter chamber.

[0141] Stopping the supply of liquid to the inlet may include closing a valve upstream of the filter unit, or it may include stopping the operation of the pump that supplies liquid to the inlet.

[0142] Stopping the rotation of the filter cage may include stopping the operation of the drive unit.

[0143] Dehydration may involve rotating a filter cage to remove water from fine particles on one or more filtration media by centrifugal force. The rotation for dehydration may optionally be performed with a higher G-force than the rotation during filtration.

[0144] The supply of feed fluid to the inlet may come from a single processing cycle of the textile processing apparatus. The feed fluid from a single processing cycle may be delivered in a single continuous flow, or it may be supplied intermittently.

[0145] The method of the fourth embodiment may be particularly suitable for filtering microfibers or microfiber-containing particles, in particular microfibers as defined in the first and second embodiments.

[0146] The fine particles filtered by the method of the fourth embodiment may originate from textiles treated in a liquid medium.

[0147] The processes performed by the textile processing apparatus may include washing, coloring (particularly dyeing and pigment coloring), polishing, aging, softening, rinsing, bleaching, sterilization, desizing and pilling, and combinations thereof. This method is particularly suitable for filtering the feed liquid, which is the effluent produced from the textile processing apparatus, as described above. Preferably, the textile processing apparatus is used to rotate (particularly tumble) one or more textiles and a liquid medium in a drum. At least a portion of the fibers in the effluent may include synthetic fibers. Examples of synthetic fibers include nylon, polyester, polyurethane, acrylic, and acrylonitrile.

[0148] The supply liquid may be at a temperature of 5 to 95°C, more preferably 5 to 70°C, and particularly 10 to 60°C, as it passes through the filter unit.

[0149] In order of increasing preference, the filter unit according to the first embodiment or the textile processing apparatus according to the second embodiment can filter the effluent from at least 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 20, 30, 50, and 100 processing cycles before clogging occurs or cleaning is required.

[0150] In order of increasing preference, the filter unit according to the first embodiment or the textile processing apparatus according to the second embodiment can filter feeds with a total volume of at least 10 liters, 50 liters, 100 liters, 500 liters, 1000 liters, 5000 liters, and 10,000 liters before clogging occurs or cleaning is required.

[0151] The filter unit may operate so that the effluent flows through the filter unit once (and only once). This method or operation is relatively fast. Alternatively, the filter unit may operate so that the feed for one processing cycle circulates through the filter unit one or more times. This method of operation may require a longer filtration time, but can provide particularly good filtration efficiency. Preferably, the feed is circulated through the filter unit at least 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 times. Preferably, the feed liquid is circulated through the filter unit 100 times or less. The number of filtration cycles of the feed liquid may be calculated by dividing the total volume of liquid that has passed through the filter unit in the processing cycle by the volume of new liquid used in that processing cycle. For example, if 20 liters of new liquid is used in a washing cycle and 40 liters pass through the filter unit, the filter unit has performed 2 filtration cycles.

[0152] It will be understood that the features, preferences, and embodiments described above may be applicable to each figure, where combinations are permitted. Aspects of this disclosure will be further described with reference to the following figures. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0153] Figure 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional side view of the filter unit according to this disclosure.

[0154] Figure 2a shows an isometric view of another filter unit according to this disclosure.

[0155] Figure 2b shows a cross-sectional view of the filter unit shown in Figure 2a.

[0156] Figure 2c shows an isometric view of the filter unit from Figures 2a and 2b with the filter cage removed from the filter chamber.

[0157] Figure 2d shows an isometric view of the filter unit from Figure 2c with the impeller removed from the filter cage.

[0158] Figure 2e shows an isometric view of the drive shaft of the filter unit from Figures 2a to 2d.

[0159] Figure 2f shows an isometric view of the drive shaft of Figure 2e with the filter cage of the filter unit of Figures 2a to 2d.

[0160] Figure 2g shows an isometric view of the filter cage of the filter unit shown in Figures 2a to 2d, excluding the impeller and filter medium.

[0161] Figure 2h shows an isometric view of the impeller of the filter unit from Figures 2a to 2d.

[0162] Figure 2i shows an isometric view of the filter unit shown in Figures 2a to 2d inside the detergent drawer when the detergent drawer is in a closed configuration.

[0163] Figure 2j shows an isometric view of the filter unit shown in Figures 2a to 2d inside the detergent drawer when the detergent drawer is in the open position.

[0164] Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of another filter unit according to this disclosure.

[0165] Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of another filter unit according to this disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0166] Referring to Figure 1, a filter unit 100 is shown. The filter unit 100 is for filtering particulate matter from a feed liquid containing particulate matter. The filter unit 100 comprises a filter chamber 101. The filter chamber 101 is a hollow structure and extends along axis 2. The filter chamber 101 comprises a first end wall 101a and a second end wall 101b that face each other and coincide with axis 2. In Figure 1, the first and second end walls have a side wall 101c between them, and in this embodiment, the side wall is a cylindrical wall, which, in combination with the first end wall 101a and the second end wall 101b, gives the filter chamber 101 an approximately cylindrical shape. However, the filter chamber may take other forms as described herein. A filter cage 102 is located inside the filter chamber 101. The filter cage 102 is arranged to rotate around axis 2. The filter cage 102 is a rigid structure that supports a porous filter medium 103. The filtration medium 103 filters out particulate matter from the feed liquid as it passes through the filtration medium. In this embodiment, the filtration medium surrounds the cylindrical wall of the filter cage 102. However, other configurations are also conceivable.

[0167] An inlet 104 is provided on the first end wall 101a of the filter chamber 101. The inlet 104 allows the feed liquid to enter the filter chamber 101 so that it is filtered by the filter medium 103. An outlet 105 is also provided on the filter chamber 101. The outlet 105 allows the filtered feed liquid to exit the filter chamber 101. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the outlet 105 is shown tangentially to the side wall at the top of the filter chamber. However, other outlet configurations are also conceivable, including, but are not limited to, the outlet configurations shown in Figures 2a and 3.

[0168] The filter unit 100 also includes a drive shaft 107a. The drive shaft 107a extends from the first end wall 101a to the filter cage 102. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the drive shaft 107a also extends through the first end wall 101a, defining an inlet 104 within the first end wall 101a. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the drive shaft 107a extends through a sealed bearing 108. The drive shaft 107a is positioned to cooperate with the filter cage 102 within the filter chamber 101 such that the rotation of the drive shaft 107a drives the rotation of the filter cage 102.

[0169] The drive shaft 107a may include a non-permanent connection to the filter cage 102. However, permanent connections are also within the scope of this disclosure. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the non-permanent connection takes the form of two cooperating mating surfaces 107c, 102a. The drive shaft 107a has a drive shaft mating surface 107c, and the filter cage 102 has a filter cage mating surface 102a. These two surfaces cooperate to transmit torque applied to the drive shaft 107a to the filter cage 102. The cooperating mating surfaces 107c, 102a may include, among many other things, splines, coupling elements, and friction surfaces.

[0170] The drive shaft 107a may be rotated by an annular motor 107b, as shown in Figure 1. However, other embodiments driven by, for example, a belt gear or a non-annular motor are within the scope of this disclosure.

[0171] In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the drive shaft 107a is hollow and also serves to supply feed fluid into the filter chamber 101 and the filter cage 102. However, other configurations, including a solid drive shaft and a separate inlet, are within the scope of this disclosure. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the filter cage 102 also has an opening at an end adjacent to the first wall for receiving the feed fluid through the drive shaft 107a so that it is delivered into the filter cage 102.

[0172] The second end wall 101b of the filter chamber 101 is provided with an opening 106b. The opening 106b can be closed in a first configuration by a removable lid 106a so that liquid cannot pass through the opening 106b. The removable lid 106a can be removed from the opening 106b to a second configuration so that filtered particulate matter can be removed from the filter chamber 101. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the removable lid 106a is screw-fastened to the opening 106b of the second end wall 101b of the filter chamber 101.

[0173] During use, the removable lid 106a is positioned within the opening 106b (i.e., first configuration). The feed liquid is supplied to the filter chamber 101 via the inlet 104. The drive shaft 107a rotates so that the filter cage 102 rotates, allowing the feed liquid to pass through the filter medium and exit the filter chamber 101 via the outlet 105. The supply of the feed liquid stops, and the filtered residual feed liquid is discharged from the outlet 105. Optionally, the filtered particulate matter accumulated on the filter medium 103 may be dewatered by further rotating the filter cage 102. After dewatering, the rotation of the filter cage 102 stops. The removable lid 106a is removed from the opening 106b (i.e., second configuration). The filtered particulate matter is removed from the filter chamber 101 through the opening 106b in the second end wall 101b. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the filter cage 102 is configured to be removed from the filter chamber 101 through the opening 106b. Therefore, fine particles are removed through the opening 106b via the filter cage 102.

[0174] Referring to Figures 2a to 2d, another filter unit 200 is shown. The filter unit 200 is for filtering fine particles from a feed liquid containing fine particles. Referring to Figure 2a, the filter unit 200 is shown in an isometric view. Figure 2b shows a cross-sectional view passing through the center of the filter unit 200. Figure 2c shows the filter unit 200 with the filter cage removed from the filter chamber in an isometric view. Figure 2d shows the filter unit 200 with the filter cage removed from the filter chamber and the impeller removed from the filter cage in an isometric view.

[0175] The filter unit 200 comprises a roughly hollow cylindrical filter chamber 201. The filter chamber 201 has a first end wall 201a and a second end wall 201b (shown in Figure 2b) that face each other and coincide with an axis 2 passing through the center of the filter chamber 201. The cylindrical side wall 201c of the filter chamber 201 extends between the first and second end walls. The filter chamber 201 widens slightly from the first end wall 201a towards the second end wall 201b.

[0176] The inlet 204 allows the feed liquid to enter the filter chamber 201 and, in particular, the filter cage 202. The inlet 204 is an opening in the first end wall 201a of the filter chamber 201. As described below, the drive shaft 207a passes through the inlet 204. The outlet 205 is also located in the cylindrical side wall 201c of the filter chamber 201, at a high position at the top of the chamber in the vertical direction. The outlet 205 allows the filtered feed liquid to exit the filter chamber 201. The high position of the outlet 205 allows air bubbles in the feed liquid to exit the filter chamber 201. However, this means that a volume of residual liquid may be retained in the filter chamber 201 below the level of the outlet 205. The filter unit 200 also has a secondary drain outlet 208 at the bottom of the cylindrical side wall 201c for draining residual liquid from the filter chamber 201. The secondary outlet may also include a valve 244 (shown only in Figure 2i) that can be operated to discharge residual liquid.

[0177] The second end wall 201b is composed entirely of an opening 206b and a removable lid 206a. In the filter unit 200, the opening 206b and the removable lid 206a occupy the entirety of the second end wall 201b. The removable lid 206a has three bayonet claws 226 that fit into a bayonet groove 215 of the second end wall 201b of the filter chamber 201, as shown in Figure 2d. The bayonet groove 215 is sized so that the removable lid 206a rotates at an angle between 30 and 90 degrees (i.e., between 1 / 12 and 1 / 4 of a turn) to be fixed to or removed from the second end wall 201b. The bayonet groove 215 is angled toward the first end wall 201a so that when the removable lid 206a is rotated to close, the removable lid 206a moves toward the first end wall 201a. The removable lid 206a may be used to press the filter cage 202 into place relative to the drive shaft 207a by moving the removable lid 206a toward the first end wall 201a. The removable lid 206a also includes an O-ring seal 216, as shown in Figure 2b, to prevent liquid from leaking around the removable lid 206a. When the removable lid 206a is removed from the filter chamber 201, an opening large enough to remove the filter cage 202 is revealed in the second end wall 201b.

[0178] Figure 2b shows the filter cage 202 positioned within the filter chamber 201. Figure 2c shows the filter cage 202 removed from the filter chamber 201. The filter cage 202 is also shown in detail in Figures 2f and 2g. The filter cage has a first end 202a, which is positioned adjacent to the first end wall 201a of the filter chamber 201 when the cage is in its original position within the filter chamber. The filter cage 202 is formed of a rigid grid structure 271 to which a porous filter medium 203 is fixed to the inner surface of the grid structure. The grid structure 271 of the filter cage 202 approximates a cylinder, and when the porous filter medium 203 is fixed to the grid, the porous filter medium 203 also approaches a cylinder. The porous filter medium 203 is shown in Figure 2f and is omitted in other figures for clarity. The porous filter medium 203 filters particulate matter from the feed liquid as the feed liquid passes through the filter medium 203. The porous filter medium 203 may include a mesh, a perforated sheet, a woven or nonwoven fiber sheet, a cloth or felt, or other porous material. The filter cage 202 has an opening 273 at a first end. The opening allows the feed liquid from the center of the drive shaft 207a to enter the interior of the filter chamber 201. As shown in Figure 2f, an O-ring seal 266 may be placed around the outer opening of the filter cage 202. This prevents the supply fluid from leaking between the filter cage and the head 207f of the drive shaft 207a.

[0179] The filter cage 202 includes a removable cap 211 that prevents unfiltered feed fluid from bypassing the filter medium 203. The removable cap 211 is located at the second end of the filter cage 202 (i.e., the end closest to the second end wall 201b of the filter chamber 201 when the filter cage 202 is in its original position within the filter chamber 201). The removable cap 211 can be removed by the user and includes a groove 221 that interacts with a bayonet claw 274 on the filter cage 202. Rotating the groove on the claw locks the removable cap 211 against the filter cage 202. The bayonet groove 221 may be sized such that the removable cap 211 can be rotated at an angle between 30 and 90 degrees (i.e., between 1 / 12 and 1 / 4 of a turn) to lock in place. The bayonet groove 221 may also be angled such that rotating the removable cap 211 pulls the cap against the filter cage 202 and locks in place. The O-ring seal 212 may be located between the removable cap 211 and the filter cage 202, and in Figure 2b, it is shown attached to the removable cap 211.

[0180] The removable cap 211 of the filter cage 202 is connected to the removable lid 206a. The connection between the removable cap 211 and the removable lid 206a includes a spindle 213 that allows free relative rotation between the removable cap 211 and the removable lid 206a. The spindle allows the removable cap 211 or the removable lid 206a to rotate freely relative to the other. This facilitates the positioning of the bayonet pawls 274, 226 within the associated grooves 221, 215. The spindle 213 also functions as a support axis that supports the rotation of the filter cage 202 within the filter chamber 201. The spindle 213 within the filter unit 200 is coupled to the removable lid 206a via a spherical bearing 214, which allows relative rotation around axis 2 between the removable lid 206a and the removable cap 211. The spherical bearing 214 also allows off-axis movement between the spindle and the removable lid 206a. This improves user operation when attempting to position the bayonet claws 274, 226 of the removable cap 211 or removable lid 206a within their respective grooves 221, 215. By connecting the removable cap 211 of the filter cage 202 to the removable lid 206a, when the removable lid is removed from the filter unit 200, the filter cage 202 is pulled out of the filter chamber 201 through the opening 206b.

[0181] The filter unit 200 includes an impeller 230 housed within a filter cage 202 and removable therefrom. Figure 2b shows the impeller (unsigned in Figure 2b) within the filter chamber 201 and the filter cage 202, Figure 2d shows the impeller 230 removed from the filter chamber 201, and Figure 2h shows the separated impeller. The impeller comprises a plurality of impeller blades 210 arranged at equal intervals around the impeller 230, the blades having surfaces radially aligned from the axis 2. The impeller 230 also includes three drive pins 275 that fit into slots 272 in the first end of the filter cage 202, as shown in Figure 2g. The drive pins 275 ensure that the impeller 230 rotates with the filter cage 202. Each of the slots 272 on the filter cage extends through an arc of approximately 30°, which increases the user's freedom in aligning the drive pins 275 with the slots 272.

[0182] Referring to Figures 2c and 2d, the impeller 230 is equipped with a scraper element 209 around one end of the impeller 230. The scraper element 209 comes into contact with the filter medium 203 so that when the impeller 230 is withdrawn from the filter cage 202, the scraper element 209 is pulled against the filter medium 203 and removes any filtered particles that have accumulated therein.

[0183] The filter unit 200 includes a drive shaft 207a, which is shown in detail in Figure 2e. The drive shaft extends through the first end wall 201a of the filter chamber 201. The drive shaft 207a has a hollow center, which supplies the feed liquid into the filter chamber 201 and the filter cage 202. The drive shaft 207a passes through the first end wall 201a, defining an inlet 204 within the drive shaft 207a and the first end wall 201a. The rotation of the drive shaft 207a causes the filter cage 202 to rotate.

[0184] The drive shaft 207a has a mating surface configured to cooperate with an equivalent mating surface on the filter cage 202 (see Figure 2e). In the embodiment shown in Figure 2e, the mating surface of the drive shaft 207a takes the form of a head 207f with a flange-like shape having a central conical projection. The head 207f has a stepped structure 261 corresponding to an equivalent stepped structure 264 on the filter cage 202, which is shown in detail in Figure 2f. The stepped structure 261 has three radially aligned surfaces such that when the drive shaft 207a rotates in one direction, the drive is transmitted through the surfaces of the stepped structure 261 to the corresponding surfaces of the stepped structure 264, causing the filter cage 202 to rotate. Relative rotation between the filter cage 202 and the drive shaft 207a is made possible by the stepped structures 261, 264, which may facilitate the positioning of the filter cage relative to the head 207f of the drive shaft 207a. Furthermore, the filter cage and head 207f may be equipped with magnets 265 to help hold the cage relative to the head and to provide tactile feedback to the user when the filter cage 202 is in place.

[0185] The drive shaft 207a also includes a recess 262 in which an O-ring seal can be accommodated to prevent leakage of the supply fluid from the connecting portion between the filter cage 202 and the drive shaft 207a.

[0186] At the other end of the drive shaft 207a from the mating surface, the drive shaft is connected to a supply fluid supply pipe 217, shown in Figures 2a and 2b, which serves as a spout connectable to the outlet from the washing machine. The supply fluid supply pipe delivers the supply fluid into the interior of the drive shaft 207a. The drive shaft 207a is mounted on two sets of rotating bearings 207d. One seal 207b1 protects the bearings from fluid leaking between the supply fluid supply pipe 217 and the drive shaft 207a, and the second seal 207b2 prevents fluid from leaking between the drive shaft 207a and the first wall 201a.

[0187] The drive shaft 207a is driven by a drive mechanism. The drive mechanism includes a pulley 207e fixed to the drive shaft 207a (see Figure 2b) and mounted between bearings 207d. The pulley 207e is rotated by a belt 219 that also extends around a motor pulley 218 (see Figure 2a). The motor pulley is driven by a motor 241 (shown only in Figure 2i for clarity).

[0188] During use, the impeller 230 is positioned inside the filter cage 202 with the removable cap 211 sealed against the filter cage 202. The filter cage 202 is positioned inside the filter chamber 201 and the removable lid 206a sealed within the opening 206b in the second end wall 201b of the filter chamber 201, i.e., in a first configuration where liquid cannot pass through the removable lid 206a. In this position, the removable lid 206a is biased into the filter chamber, and subsequently the filter cage 202 is biased against the drive shaft 207a such that the stepped structure 264 of the filter cage 202 is biased against the stepped structure 261 of the drive shaft 207a. In this configuration, the rotation of the drive shaft causes the impeller 230, the filter cage 202, and the removable cap 211 to rotate. In this configuration, the filter unit is sealed, and liquid can only enter and exit the filter chamber through the inlet 204, outlet 205, or secondary drain outlet 208.

[0189] The feed liquid is supplied to the feed supply pipe 217, and subsequently supplied from the feed pipe into the interior of the drive shaft 207a. The feed liquid passes through the drive shaft 207a and through the opening 273 at the first end of the filter cage 202. The feed liquid enters the filter cage 202 and there must pass through the filtration medium 203 on the filter cage 202. The motor 241 operates to drive the rotation of the drive shaft 207a via the belt 219 and pulleys 218, 207e. The rotation of the drive shaft 207a is transmitted to the filter cage 202 via stepped structures 261, 264. The rotation of the filter cage 202 is also transmitted to the impeller via the drive pin 275 and slot 272. The rotation of the impeller 230 and the removable cap 211 of the filter cage 202 is supported by a spindle 213 that rotates inside a spherical bearing 214. The impeller blades 210 rotate the feed fluid inside the filter chamber 201, establishing a pressure gradient so that the feed fluid flows through the filter chamber 201 and exits through the filtration medium 203. As the feed fluid passes through the filtration medium 203, particulate matter is filtered from the feed fluid and retained inside the filter cage 202. Once filtration is complete, the supply of feed fluid and the operation of the motor 241 are stopped. The filtered fluid retained in the filter chamber 201 can be discharged from the secondary drain outlet 208 when the valve 244 is opened.

[0190] Referring to Figures 2i and 2j, the filter unit 200 is shown in relation to the washing machine's detergent drawer. The detergent drawer comprises a detergent tray 246, which has slots 251 into which laundry detergent can be placed. The detergent tray 246 is located inside the drawer housing 247 and is slidable within the drawer housing 247. The drawer housing 247 also comprises a detergent outlet 250, which allows the laundry detergent to exit the detergent drawer before it is consumed in the washing machine. In Figure 2i, the detergent drawer is shown in a closed configuration, where the filter unit 200 is hidden by the front of the detergent tray 246. Figure 2i also shows an outlet 205 of the filter unit connected to an extension hose 242 that exits the drawer housing 247 and connects to a wastewater drain (not shown). A secondary drain outlet 208 is also shown connected to a hose 243, which in turn connects to a valve 244 and finally to a drain inlet 245, which connects to a wastewater drain (not shown) and / or an extension hose 242. In this configuration, the removable lid 206a is inaccessible and is hidden by the detergent tray 246. In Figure 2j, the detergent drawer is shown in an open configuration with the detergent tray 246 pulled out from the drawer housing 247, allowing the user to access the removable lid 206a.

[0191] The filter unit 200 may be emptied after one or more filtration iterations. The filter unit 200 is emptied by opening the detergent drawer 246 and removing the removable lid 206a from the second end wall 201b of the filter chamber 201, i.e., by the second arrangement. The removable lid 206a can be removed by rotating it until the bayonet claws 226 of the removable lid 206a exit the bayonet groove 215 of the filter chamber 201. The filter cage 202 is connected to the removable lid 206a via the spindle 213 and the removable cap 211. The filter cage 202 contains the filtered particulate matter and can therefore be removed from the filter chamber 201 through the opening 206b in the second end wall 201b, as shown in Figure 2c. Next, the removable cap 211 can be removed from the filter cage 202 by rotating it until the bayonet claws 274 of the removable cap 211 exit the bayonet grooves 221 of the filter cage 202. The impeller 230 is connected to the removable cap 211, and when the removable cap 211 is pulled against the filter cage 202, the impeller 230 is pulled out from the filter cage 202. Once the impeller 230 is pulled out from the filter cage 202, the scraper element 209 on the impeller is pulled across the filter medium 203. Filtered particles accumulated on the inner surface of the filter medium 203 are transferred to the scraper element 209 and removed from the filter cage 202. The filtered particles can be removed by the user from the scraper element 209. Next, the filter unit 200 can be reassembled in reverse by placing the impeller 230 inside the filter cage 202, replacing the removable cap 211, then returning the filter cage 202 to the filter chamber 201, and replacing the removable lid 206a. The filter unit 200 is then ready to resume filtration.

[0192] Referring to Figure 3, another filter unit 300 is shown. The filter unit 300 is for filtering particulate matter from a feed liquid containing particulate matter. The filter unit 300 comprises a filter chamber 301. The filter chamber 301 is hollow and extends along the axis 2. The filter chamber 301 comprises a first end wall 301a and a second end wall 301b that face each other and coincide with the axis 2. In Figure 3, the first and second end walls have a side wall between them, and in this embodiment, the side wall is a cylindrical wall, which together with the first end wall 301a and the second end wall 301b gives the filter chamber 301 an approximately cylindrical shape. A filter cage 302 is located inside the filter chamber 301. The filter cage 302 is positioned to rotate around the axis 2. A sealed annular thrust bearing 333 is located on the first end wall of the filter chamber 301. The filter cage has an open end with a rigid lip that connects detachably to the thrust bearing. Two annular lip seals 334, 335 are mounted on an annular thrust bearing 333 to receive a filter cage 302 between them. The lip seals 334, 335 not only prevent fluid leakage between the annular bearing and the filter cage 302, but also function to hold the edges of the filter cage 302 in place. To further hold the filter cage 302 against the annular thrust bearing 333, magnets (e.g., molybdenum magnets) may be present on the surfaces of the annular thrust bearing 333 and the filter cage 302. The filter cage 302 comprises a porous filter medium 303, which filters particulate matter from the feed liquid as the feed liquid passes through the filter medium 303.

[0193] The inlet 304 is located on the first end wall 301a of the filter chamber 301 and is radially outward from the axis 2. The inlet 304 allows the feed fluid to enter the filter chamber 301 so that it may be filtered by the filter medium 303. The outlet 305 is also provided in the filter chamber 301. The outlet 305 allows the filtered feed fluid to exit the filter chamber 301. The outlet 305 is located at the lowest vertical position within the filter chamber to minimize the amount of fluid remaining inside the filter chamber 301. The filter chamber 301 also includes an air vent outlet 336 and a valve 337.

[0194] The filter unit 300 also includes a drive shaft 307a. The drive shaft 307a extends through the first end wall 301a and, in the embodiment shown in Figure 3, extends along the entire length of the filter cage 302 through a sealed bearing 307b. The drive shaft 307a is connected to the filter cage 302 within the filter chamber 301 so that the rotation of the drive shaft 307a drives the rotation of the filter cage 302.

[0195] The drive shaft 307a may include a non-permanent connection to the filter cage 302. In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, the non-permanent connection may take the form of two cooperating mating surfaces. The drive shaft 307a has a mating surface 307c, and the filter cage 302 has a mating surface 302a. These two surfaces may cooperate so that torque applied to the drive shaft 307a is transmitted to the filter cage 302. The cooperating mating surfaces 307c, 302a may include, among many, splines, coupling elements, and friction surfaces. The drive shaft 307a may be rotated by an annular motor 307d, as shown in Figure 3. However, other embodiments driven by, for example, a belt gear or a non-annular motor are within the scope of this disclosure. In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, the drive shaft 307a is solid.

[0196] The second end wall 301b of the filter chamber 301 consists entirely of an opening 306b and a removable lid 306a. The opening 306b can be closed to a first configuration by the removable lid 306a so that the feed liquid or filtered feed liquid cannot pass through. The opening 306b can be opened to a second configuration by removing the removable lid 306a so that the particulate matter filtered through the opening 306b can be removed from the filter chamber 301. In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, the removable lid 306a is screwed into the opening 306b of the filter chamber 301.

[0197] During use, the removable lid 306a is positioned to cover the opening 306b. The feed liquid is supplied to the filter chamber 301 and into the filter cage 302 via the inlet 304. The valve 337 is opened to release air from the filter chamber via the air vent outlet 336. Once the air is removed, the valve 337 is closed. The drive shaft 307a rotates so that the filter cage 302 rotates and the liquid passes through the filter unit 300. The supply of the feed liquid is stopped and the filtered residual feed liquid is discharged from the outlet 305. Optionally, filtered particulate matter accumulated on the filter medium 303 may be dewatered by continuously rotating the filter cage 302. The removable lid 306a may be removed from the opening 306b (i.e., second arrangement). Filtered particulate matter may be removed from the filter chamber 301 through the opening 306b by pulling the filter cage out of the filter chamber 301. In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, the filter cage 302 is configured to be removed from the filter chamber 301 through the opening 306b when in the second configuration. Thus, particulate matter may be removed through the opening 306b via the filter cage 302. The filter cage 302 may be emptied of particulate matter by the user from its open end, and may be returned to the filter chamber 301 by positioning the lip of the open end of the filter cage 302 between the annular lip seals 334, 335 and against the annular thrust bearing 333.

[0198] Referring to Figure 4, another filter unit 400 is shown. The filter unit 400 is for filtering particulate matter from a feed liquid containing particulate matter. The filter unit 400 comprises a filter chamber 401. The filter chamber 401 is hollow and extends along axis 2. The filter chamber 401 comprises a first end wall 401a and a second end wall 401b that face each other and coincide with axis 2. In Figure 4, the first and second end walls have four side walls extending between them (two of which are 401c and 401d shown in Figure 4), giving the filter chamber an overall rectangular parallelepiped shape. A filter cage 402 is located inside the filter chamber 401. The filter cage 402 is positioned to rotate around axis 2. The filter cage 402 comprises a porous filter medium, which filters particulate matter from the feed liquid as the feed liquid passes through the filter medium.

[0199] An inlet 404 is provided on the first end wall 401a of the filter chamber 401. The inlet 404 allows the feed liquid to enter the filter chamber 401 so that the feed liquid is filtered by the filter medium. An outlet 405 is also provided on the filter chamber 401. The outlet 405 allows the filtered feed liquid to exit the filter chamber 401.

[0200] The filter unit 400 also includes a drive shaft 407a. The drive shaft 407a extends through a first end wall 401a and, in the embodiment shown in Figure 4, through a sealed bearing 407b. The drive shaft 407a is permanently connected to the filter cage 402 so that the rotation of the drive shaft 407a drives the rotation of the filter cage 402.

[0201] The drive shaft 407a is rotated by an annular motor 441, as shown in Figure 4. The annular motor is housed in a waterproof sealed case. However, other embodiments driven by, for example, a belt gear or a non-annular motor are within the scope of this disclosure.

[0202] The drive shaft 407a is hollow and extends through the first end wall 401a into the filter chamber 401 and the interior of the filter cage 402. The drive shaft 407a within the first end wall 401a defines the inlet 404.

[0203] The second end wall 401b of the filter chamber 401 includes an opening 406b and a removable lid 406a. The opening 406b can be closed to a first configuration by the removable lid 406a so that the feed liquid or filtered feed liquid cannot pass through the opening 406b. The opening 406b can be opened to a second configuration by removing the removable lid 406a so that filtered particulate matter can be removed from the filter chamber 401. In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the removable lid 406a is screw-secured into the opening 406b in the second end wall 401b of the filter chamber 401.

[0204] The filter cage 402 is equipped with a removable cap 411 at a second end (the end of the filter cage 402 closest to the second end wall 401b when it is in its original position within the filter chamber 202). The second end is connected to a take-up element 490 via a bearing 426. When it is in its original position within the filter cage 402, the take-up element 490 extends from adjacent to the removable cap 411 to the first end of the filter cage 402 (the first end of the filter cage 402 is the end of the filter cage 402 adjacent to the first end of the filter chamber 401a when it is in its original position within the filter chamber 401). The take-up element 490 is equipped with a scraper element 409 sized appropriately to contact the filter medium on the filter cage 402.

[0205] During use, the removable lid 406a is positioned within the opening 406b. The feed liquid is supplied to the filter chamber 401 via the inlet 404. The drive shaft 407a is rotated by the motor 441 so that the filter cage 402 rotates. The feed liquid passes through the filter medium and exits through the outlet 405. The supply of the feed liquid is stopped, and the filtered residual feed liquid is discharged through the outlet 405. Optionally, filtered particulate matter accumulated on the filter medium may be dewatered by further rotating the filter cage 402. When the rotation of the filter cage 402 stops, the removable lid 406a is then removed from the opening 406b. The filter cage 402 remains in its original position within the filter chamber 401. The removable cap 411 is then accessible within the filter chamber 401 and can be removed from the filter cage 402 in its original position within the filter chamber 401. When the removable cap 411 is removed, the scraper element 409 and the extraction element 490 are pulled along the filter medium. The filtered particles are transferred to the scraper element 409 and removed from the filter chamber 401 through the opening 406b in the second end wall 401b.

[0206] As used herein, the term “contains” includes not only “contains” but also “consists of” and “essentially consists of,” for example, a composition “contains” X may consist of X alone or it may contain something additional, such as X + Y. As used herein, singular words are understood to include plural forms, not limited to singular forms, unless otherwise required by context. Thus, words such as “one item” also mean “one or more items.” Any items, features, parameters, or components described herein may be relevant to any aspect of the present invention as needed.

Claims

1. A filter unit for filtering fine particles from a supply liquid containing fine particles, wherein the filter unit is A filter chamber having a first end wall and a second end wall that extend along an axis and are opposite to each other, and at least one side wall that extends between the first end wall and the second end wall, wherein both the first end wall and the second end wall coincide with the axis, A filter cage housed within the filter chamber and configured to rotate about the axis, wherein the filter cage comprises one or more filtration media for filtering fine particles from a feed liquid, An inlet configured to allow the supply liquid to pass through the first end wall into the filter chamber, An outlet within the filter chamber for allowing the filtered liquid to pass out of the filter chamber, A drive shaft configured to drive the rotation of the filter cage, wherein the drive shaft extends from the first end wall of the filter chamber to the filter cage and passes through the first end wall of the filter chamber. Equipped with, The second end wall is an opening within the second end wall and a removable lid, or the second end wall includes an opening within the second end wall and a removable lid, wherein in the first configuration, the opening is closed by the removable lid so that the supply liquid cannot pass through the opening, and in the second configuration, the removable lid is removed from the opening so that filtered particles can be removed from the filter chamber through the opening. Filter unit.

2. The filter unit according to claim 1, wherein the filtered fine particles are operable to remove the filtered fine particles from the filter chamber when the filtered fine particles are in a dehydrated state.

3. The filter unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the filter cage is removable from the filter chamber through the opening, and filtered particles are removed from the filter chamber by removing the filter cage containing the filtered particles.

4. The filter unit according to claim 3, wherein filtered particles can be removed through the opening in a direction parallel to the axis.

5. The filter unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the inlet is coaxial with the shaft.

6. The filter unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the drive shaft is hollow and passes through the inlet.

7. The filter unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the filter cage is substantially cylindrical, ellipsoidal, or prism-shaped, and the filter cage extends parallel to the axis.

8. The filter unit according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the filter cage surrounds an internal volume, and the inlet is arranged to supply liquid to the internal volume of the filter cage.

9. The filter unit according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the drive shaft and the filter cage each have a mating surface that allows the drive shaft to be removably connected to the filter cage to drive the rotation of the filter cage.

10. The filter unit according to claim 9, wherein the mating surface of the drive shaft and / or the mating surface of the filter cage are provided with one or more splines.

11. The filter unit according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the filter cage is provided with a removable cap.

12. The filter unit according to claim 11, wherein when the filter cage is located inside the filter chamber, the removable cap is adjacent to the second end wall.

13. The filter unit according to claim 11, wherein the removable cap is mechanically connected to the removable lid.

14. The filter unit according to claim 13, wherein the mechanical coupling allows rotation between the removable cap and the removable lid.

15. The filter unit according to claim 1, further comprising an impeller configured to rotate together with the filter cage.

16. The filter unit according to claim 15, wherein the impeller is removable from inside or outside the filter cage.

17. The filter unit according to claim 16, wherein the impeller is mechanically connected to the removable lid or the removable cap of the filter cage.

18. The filter unit according to claim 1, wherein the filter unit comprises an extraction element for removing filtered fine particles from the filter cage.

19. The filter unit according to claim 18, wherein the extraction element is configured to be pulled out axially from the filter cage.

20. The filter unit according to claim 18 or 19, wherein the removal element is mechanically coupled to the removable lid or the removable cap of the filter cage.

21. The filter unit according to any one of claims 18 to 20, wherein the extraction element is attached to an impeller configured to rotate together with the filter cage, or is incorporated into an impeller configured to rotate together with the filter cage.

22. The filter unit according to any one of claims 1 to 21, wherein the filter chamber is further provided with an air vent outlet at the top vertical of the filter chamber when the filter unit is in use, or further provided with a secondary drain outlet at the bottom vertical of the filter chamber.

23. The filter unit according to any one of claims 1 to 22, wherein the filter unit is capable of operating as a centrifugal filter for filtering fine particles from a supply liquid containing fine particles.

24. The filter unit according to any one of claims 1 to 23, wherein the filter unit is operable to dewater filtered fine particles using centrifugal force.

25. The filter unit according to any one of claims 1 to 24, wherein the filter unit is oriented so that the axis is parallel to the horizontal plane when in use.

26. The filter unit according to any one of claims 1 to 25, wherein the filtration medium includes pores having an average pore diameter of 10 to 100 μm or 20 to 70 μm.

27. The filter unit according to any one of claims 1 to 26, wherein the filter chamber is cylindrical and comprises a cylindrical wall extending between the first end wall and the second end wall.

28. The filter unit according to claim 27, wherein the outlet is located within the cylindrical wall or is located tangentially to the cylindrical wall.

29. A housing with a front that the user can access and a door inside, A filter unit according to any one of claims 1 to 28, located within the housing, A drum housed within the housing, comprising an internal volume and an open end aligned with the door on the front of the housing, A textile processing device equipped with [a specific feature].

30. The textile processing apparatus according to claim 29, comprising a detergent drawer located on the front of the housing, wherein the detergent drawer is movable between a closed configuration and an open configuration, and the filter unit is located behind the detergent drawer.

31. The textile processing apparatus according to claim 30, wherein the opening in the second end wall of the filter chamber and the removable lid are accessible by a user through the detergent drawer when the detergent drawer is in an open configuration.

32. The textile processing apparatus according to claim 29, wherein the opening and the removable lid are located on the front of the housing, or the opening and the removable lid are covered by a flap or panel of the housing.

33. The textile processing apparatus according to any one of claims 29 to 32, wherein the textile processing apparatus is a washing machine.

34. The textile processing apparatus according to any one of claims 29 to 33, wherein the supply liquid is from the textile processing apparatus.

35. The textile processing apparatus according to claim 29 or claim 34, wherein the outlet of the filter unit is connected to the drain of the textile processing apparatus.

36. Use of a filter unit or textile processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 35 for filtering fine particles from a supply liquid.

37. A method for filtering fine particles from a supply liquid containing fine particles, To provide a filter unit according to any one of claims 1 to 28, The supply liquid containing fine particles is supplied through the inlet of the first end wall, Rotating the drive unit in order to rotate the filter cage, The filtered supply liquid is passed outside the outlet, To stop the supply of the fluid to the drive unit and the inlet. A method for filtering fine particles, including [the specified element].

38. A method for filtering fine particles according to claim 37, comprising, after stopping the supply of the supply liquid, operating the drive unit to rotate the filter cage to dewater the filtered fine particles.

39. A method for filtering fine particles according to claim 37 or 38, further comprising removing the filtered fine particles from the filter chamber through the opening.

40. The method for filtering particulate matter according to claim 39, wherein the removal comprises removing the filter cage containing the filtered particulate matter through the opening.

41. The method for filtering fine particles according to claim 40, wherein the removal comprises removing the filter cage containing filtered fine particles through the opening and removing the removal element from the filter cage to remove the filtered fine particles from the filter cage.

42. The method for filtering fine particles according to any one of claims 37 to 41, wherein the supply liquid is supplied from a textile processing apparatus.

43. The method for filtering fine particles according to claim 42, wherein the textile apparatus is a washing machine.

44. The method for filtering fine particles according to claim 42 or 43, wherein the textile processing apparatus is processing one or more cellulose-containing garments.

45. The method for filtering fine particles according to any one of claims 37 to 44, wherein the filter unit is housed within the housing of the textile processing apparatus.

46. The method for filtering particulate matter according to claim 45, wherein the housing has a front surface in which a detergent drawer is disposed, the detergent drawer being movable between an open configuration and a closed configuration, and the filter unit is disposed behind the detergent drawer.

47. The method for filtering fine particles according to claim 46, wherein the removal includes moving to a configuration in which the detergent drawer was first opened.

48. The method for filtering fine particles according to any one of claims 37 to 47, wherein the fine particles are microfibers or include microfibers.

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