GB2464113A

GB2464113A - Water filter

Info

Publication number: GB2464113A
Application number: GB0818073A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Wen-Liang Chiou
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-10-02
Filing date: 2008-10-02
Publication date: 2010-04-07
Also published as: GB0818073D0

Abstract

A water filter comprises a housing that includes a water chamber 11, a water outlet adapted for guiding water out of the water chamber, a water inlet disposed at a bottom side and adapted for guiding water into the water chamber. Also included is a filter element 2 mounted in the water chamber, two inner end-caps 3 respectively rotatably mounted on top and bottom sides of the filter element, and a first magnet 31 mounted in one of the two end-caps. Also, there is an upright support 4 connected between the inner end caps, a scraper fastened to the support and contacting a periphery of the filter element for scraping the periphery of the filter element. A gear wheel 6 is pivotally mounted in one of the top and bottom sides of the housing, and a second magnet 61 is mounted in the gear wheel to attract the first magnet for allowing the end caps and the upright support and the scraper to be moved relative to the filter element upon rotation of the gear wheel. Preferably a pressure cover 9 is detachably mounted in the top opening 14 of the water filter to facilitate replacement of the filter element 2.

Description

WATER FILTER WITH A CLEANABLE AND

REPLACEABLE FILTER ELEMENT

The present invention relates to a water filters and more particularly, to such a water filter that is equipped with a S cleanable and replaceable filter element.

The filter element of a water filter must be regularly cleaned to maintain the filtration function so as to continuously provide well-filtrated cleaning water for drinking. If the filter clement of a water filter is not regularly cleaned, the filter element will become fouled, losi iig its filtration function and worsening the water quality. Therefore, it is quite important to regularly clean the fHtcr element of any water filter.

Further, after a predetermined period of use, the fi Itet' element of a water filter m list be replaced with a new one. A regular water IS filter has a top cover affixed to the top side of the housing with 4-6 pieces of mounting screws. it is complicated to mount or dismount these mounting screws. If any mounting screw is covered with dust, the user may be unable to open the top cover from the housing for a replacement of the filter element.

The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is one object of the present invention to provide a water filter, which employs a magnetic attraction technique to have scrapers be rotated relative to the filter element so that a user can clean the filter element conveniently without dismounting the filter clement.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a water filter, which uses a housing and pressure cover combination structure, facilitating replacement of the litter element.

FIG. I is an exploded view of a water filtcr iii accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an elevational assembly view of the present invention, showing the water filter mounted with a servomotor.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a part of the water filter according to the present invention, showing the relationship between the filter clement and the inner end caps, upright supports and scrapers.

FIG. 4 is a sectional side view oithe water litter in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic drawing showing the filter clement cleaning operation of the water filter according to the present invention (I).

FIG. 6 is a schematic drawing showing the filter element clean lug operati on of the water filter accord i rig to the present invention (II) FIG. 7 is a schematic drawing showing the installation operation of the pressure cover according to the present invention (I).

FIG. 8 is a schematic drawing showing the installation operation of the pressure cover according to the present invention (11).

FIG. 9 is a sectional view in an enlarged scale of a part of the present invention, showing an exhaust hole formed in the screw bolt of the pressure cover and sealed with a plug.

FIG. 10 is an elevational assembly view of the present invention, showing the water filter mounted with a hand wheel.

Referring to the annexed drawings in detail, a water filter in accordance with the present invention is generally comprised of a cylindrical housing I, a litter element 2, two inner end caps 3, at least one upright support 4, at least one scraper 5, a gear wheel 6, a driving gear 7, and a servomotor 8. The servomotor 8 is adapted for driving the gear wheel 6 to move the upright support 4 and the scraper 5 over the surface of the filter clement 2, removing dust from the surface of the filter element 2.

The cylindrical housing 1, as shown in FIGS. I and 2, comprising a water chamber II, a water inlet tube 121 disposed at the bottom side of the water chamber II and upwardly projecting uto the inside of the water chamber I and defining a water inlet 12 in fluid communication between the water chamber I I and the space outside of the cylindrical housing I, a water inlet 13 disposed in communication with the chamber II at one lateral side, a top opening 14 disposed in communication with the water chamber II at the top side, a tapered top flange 141 extending around the top opening 14, a pressure cover 9 covered on the tapered top flange 141 to seal the top open ing 14 and to hold down the top side of the filter element 2, an outer cover 15 covered on the tapered top flange 141 over the pressure cover 9 and having a center through hole 151 mounted with a nut 152 and a plate member 153, and a hollow base 16 affixed to the bottom side of the water chamber 11. The hollow base 16 has a pipe hole 161 cut through the peripheral wall thereof at one side.

The filter element 2, as shown in FIGS. I and 3, is made of ceramic material and mounted in the water chamber 11 of the housing I, having an ax ial center hole 21 connected to the water inlet tube 121 disposed at the bottom side of the water inlet 12 of the water chamber II (see FIG. 4). When water is guided out of the water in let 12 into the axial center hole 21, it flows through the peripheral wall 22 of the filter element 2 and is purified by the filter element 2.

The two inner end caps 3, as shown in FIGS. I and 3, are annular caps respectively rotatably mounted on the top and bottom sides of the filter element 2. Further, the inner end cap 3 that is rotatably mounted on the bottom side of the filter clement 2 is mounted with at least one, for example, a number of magnets 31.

Each upright support 4, as shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, is elongated rod member connected between the two inner end caps 3. According to the present preferred embodiment, there arc three upright supports 4 connected between the two inner end caps 3 and equiangularly spaced around the filter element 2.

Each scraper 5, as shown in FIGS. I and 3, is a blade scraper made of stainless steel or the like, having a certain degree of elasticity. Each scraper 5 has a front scraping edge 51, a rear mounting groove 52, and a mounting strip 53 fastened to the rear mounting groove 52. During installation, the mounting strip 53 of each scraper 5 is affixed to one respective upright support 4.

According to the present preferred embodiment, three scrapers 5 are affixed to one upright support 4 at different elevations so that the scrapers 5 can scrap the whole surface area of the peripheral wall 22 of the filter element 2 thoroughly (see FiGS. I and 5).

The gear wheel 6, as shown in FIGS. I and 4, is mounted in one of the top and bottom sides of the housing 1. According to the present preferred embodiment, the gear wheel 6 is rotatably mounted on the outer side of the water inlet tube 121, carrying at least one, for example, a number of magnets 61 adapted to attract the magnets 31 at the inner end cap 3 that is rotatably mounted on the bottom side of the filter element 2 for enabling the inner end cap 3 to be rotated with the gear wheel 6. Therefore, when the inner end cap 3 is rotated with the gear wheel 6, the scrapers 5 are moved with the upright supports 4 relative to the filter element 2 to remove dust from the surface of the peripheral wall 22 of the filter elcment 2.

IS The driving gear 7, as shown in FIGS. I and 4, has a center shaft 71 The driving gear 7 is pivotally mounted in the hollow base 16 and meshed with the gear wheel 6. At installation, the center shaft 71 of the driving gear 7 is extended out of the hollow base 16 and coupled to the servomotor 8.

The servomotor 8, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, is mounted outside the hollow base 16 and connected with the center shaft 71 of the driving gear 7 for rotating the driving gear 7. Further, a hand wheel 8' may be used to substitute for the scrvomotor 8, enabling the driving gear 7 to be rotated manually by hand (see FIG. 10).

The aforesaid pressure cover 9, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, comprises a resiliently deformable arched cover 91, which is made of a resilient metal material and mounted in the top opening 14 beneath the tapered top flange 141 and has a center through hole 911, a screw bolt 92, which is upwardly inserted through the center through hole 911 of the arched cover 91 and fastened up with the nut 152 in the center through hole 151 of the outer cover and has a head 921 disposed beneath the arched cover 91 and fastened to the top side of the filter element 2, a transverse bar 93, which is supported on the top side of the arched cover 91 and has a center through hole 931 for the passing of the screw bolt 92, and a locknut 94 threaded onto the screw bolt 92 and stopped at the top side of the transverse bar 93 against the arched cover 91, a bottom locating plate 922 affixed to the screw bolt 92 and set between the head 921 of the screw bolt 92 and the bottom side of the arched cover 91, aiid a sealing pad 95 sandwiched between the bottom locating plate 922 and the arched cover 91 Except the function of the structural design of the pressure cover 9, the invention has the gear wheel 6 be coupled to the servomotor 8 through the driving gear 7. By means of magnetic attraction between the magnets 61 at the gear wheel 6 and the magnets 31 at the inner end cap 3, the upright supports 4 and the scrapers 5 are moved relative to the filter element 2 upon rotation of the inner end caps 3 with the gear wheel 6 subject to the operation of the servomotor 8 in driving the driving gear 7 to rotate the gear wheel 6. By means of controlling forward/backward rotation of the servomotor 8, the scraping edges 51 of the scrapers 5 arc moved over the surface of the peripheral wall 22 of the filter element 2 clockwise or counter-clockwise (see FIGS. 5 and 6) to remove dust from the filter element 2. Therelore, the user can clean the filter element 2 without dismounting the filter element 2 from the housing I Referring to FIGS. 4, 7 and 8, during installation of the pressure cover 9, the arched cover 91 obliquely inserted through the top opening 14 of the housing I and set beneath the tapered top flange 141 to have the transverse bar 93 be supported on the top side of the tapered top flange 141, and then the locknut 94 is rotated, causing the screw bolt 92 and the bottom locating plate 922 to impart an outward thrust, and therefore the arched cover 91 is forced to extend out and to seal the top opening 14. When dismounting the pressure cover 9, loosen the locknut 94 to release the pressure from the arched cover 91, enabling the arched cover 91 to return to its former arched shape. Tb us, the pressure cover 9 can easily be removed from the housing I. Alter removal of the pressure cover 9 from the housing 1, the operator can then remove the filter element 2 from the housing I for a replacement.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the screw bolt 92 of the pressure cover 9 can be made having an exhaust hole 923 and a plug 924 adapted to seal the exhaust hole 923. When filling water into the water filter during the first use of the water filter, inside air is allowed to escape out of the water chamber I I through the exhaust hole 923. Therefore, the water chamber Ii can be fully filled up with water, enabling the water filter to achieve the expected water filtration effect.

Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made.

Claims

CL/AIMS 1. A water filter, comprising: a housing, said housing comprising a water chamber, a water outlet adapted for guiding water out of said water chamber, and a water inlet disposed at a bottom side thereof and adapted for guiding water into said water chamber; a filter element mounted in said water chamber inside said housing; two inner end caps respectively rotatably mounted on top and bottom sides of said filter element, one of said two inner end caps having mounted therein at least one first magnet; at least one upright support connected between said two inner end caps; at least one scraper fastened to said at least one upright support and kept in contact with the periphery of said filter element for scraping the periphery of said filter element; a gear wheel pivotally mounted in one of the top and bottom sides of said housing, said gear wheel having mounted therein at least one second magnet that attracts said at least one first magnet for enabling said inner end caps and said at least one upright support and said at least one scraper to be moved relative to said filter element upon rotation of said gear wheel.
2. The water filter as claimed in claim 1, wherein said housing comprises a top opening in communication with said water chamber, a pressure cover adapted to seal said top opening and to hold down said filter element in said water chamber, and a base affixed to a bottom side of said water chamber.
3. The water filter as claimed in claim 2, wherein said pressure cover comprises a resiliently deformable arched metal cover mounted inside said top opening of said housing, said arched cover having a center through hole, a screw bolt upwardly inserted through the center through hole of said arched cover, said screw bolt comprising a head fastening to the top side of said filter element, a transverse bar supported on a top side of said arched cover, said transverse bar comprising a center through hole for the passing of said screw bolt, and a locknut threaded onto said screw bolt and stopped at said transverse bar against said arched cover.
4. The water filter as claimed in claim 3, further comprising an outer cover covering said pressure cover, said outer cover comprising a center through hole and a nut mounted in the center through ho].e of said outer cover and fastened up with said screw bolt.
5. The water filter as claimed in claim 3 or 4, wherein said pressure cover further comprises a bottom locating plate affixed to said screw bolt and set between head of said screw bolt and said arched cover, and a sealing pad sandwiched between said bottom locating plate and said arched cover.
6. The water filter as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein said screw bolt of said pressure cover comprises an exhaust hole adapted for guiding air out of said water chamber, and a plug adapted for sealing said exhaust hole.
7. The water filter as claimed in any one of the previous claims, wherein said at least one upright support comprises three upright supports connected between said inner end caps and equiangularly spaced around said filter element; said at least one scraper comprises three sets of scrapers respectively mounted on said three upright supports, each set of scrapers comprising three scrapers mounted on one respective upright support at different elevations.
8. The water filter as claimed in any one of the previous claims, wherein said housing comprises a water inlet tube projecting into said water chamber and defining said water inlet; said gear wheel is rotatably mounted on said water inlet tube outside said water chamber; the inner end cover carrying said at least one first magnet is rotatably mounted on the bottom side of said filter element.
9. The water filter as claimed in any one of the previous claims, further comprising a driving gear pivotaily mounted in said housing outside said water chamber and meshed with said gear wheel, said driving gear comprising a center shaft extended out of said housing, and a servomotor coupled to said center shaft of said driving gear and adapted for rotating said driving gear.
10. The water filter as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a driving gear pivotally mounted in said housing outside said water chamber and meshed with said gear wheel, said driving gear comprising a center shaft extended out of said housing, and a hand wheel coupled to said center shaft of said driving gear for operation by a person to rotate said driving gear.
ii. The water filter as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings 1 to 10.