Filter cartridge cleaning apparatus

A filter cartridge cleaning apparatus includes a housing, a brush mechanism for cleaning a filter cartridge passing through the housing, a guiding mechanism for feeding the filter cartridge toward a filter cartridge outlet of the housing, a water supply mechanism for supplying water to the filter cartridge, and a transmission mechanism for driving the brush mechanism and the guiding mechanism. The housing has a drain for draining sewage resulting from the cleaning process. The filter cartridge cleaning apparatus may be used with a water recycling apparatus to eliminate waste of water.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a cleaning apparatus. In particular, the present invention relates to a cleaning apparatus for cleaning filter cartridges.

2. Description of the Related Art

In a factory for electroplating or using chemicals, it is common to mount a filtering apparatus to a piping system for chemical solutions. The filtering apparatus comprises a filtering device having tubular cartridges for filtering chemical solutions after electroplating process or other chemical processing. Generally, a filtering device used in an electroplating factory comprises tens of filter cartridges that must be cleaned for repeated use. Current cleaning operation for cleaning the filter cartridges is manually carried out one by one, which is time-consuming, and the result is unsatisfactory. Lost occurs due to shutdown of the factory for the long-term cleaning of the filter cartridges in addition to a waste in water. Further, the waste water resulting from manual cleaning causes contamination.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An objective of the present invention is to provide a cleaning apparatus for cleaning filter cartridges to reduce the loss resulting from shutdown of the factory.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a filter cartridge cleaning apparatus that can be connected to a water recycling apparatus for reducing waste of water.

A filter cartridge cleaning apparatus in accordance with the present invention comprises a housing, a brush mechanism for cleaning a filter cartridge passing through the housing, a guiding mechanism for feeding the filter cartridge toward a filter cartridge outlet of the housing, a water supply mechanism for supplying water to the filter cartridge, and a transmission mechanism for driving the brush mechanism and the guiding mechanism.

The water supply mechanism includes a water inlet tube connected to a water source and a plurality of sprinkling tubes connected to the water inlet tube and arranged along a traveling path of the filter cartridge in the housing. Each sprinkling tube includes a plurality of nozzles for supplying water to the filter cartridge moving along the traveling path, with the filtering cartridge being cleaned by the brush mechanism and with sewage resulting from cleaning of the filter cartridge being drained via a drain of the housing.

Preferably, the housing includes a filter cartridge inlet. The filter cartridge inlet, the filter cartridge outlet, and the drain are respectively defined in a front end, a rear end, and a bottom of the housing.

Preferably, the brush mechanism comprises two vertical brush rods adjacent to the front end of the housing and two horizontal brush rods adjacent to the rear end of the housing. Each of the vertical brush rods and the horizontal brush rods includes a plurality of bristles for cleaning the filter cartridge that is passable through a gap between the vertical brush rods and a gap between the horizontal brush rods.

Preferably, the guiding mechanism comprises a front feeding device and a rear feeding device. Each of the front feeding device and the rear feeding device comprises an upper feeding roller and a lower feeding roller. An elastic element is provided for biasing each upper feeding roller such that a distance between each upper feeding roller and an associated lower feeding roller is smaller than a diameter of the filter cartridge, allowing each upper feeding roller and the associated lower feeding roller to securely clamp the filter cartridge and feed the filter cartridge forward.

Preferably, each sprinkling tube is a rectangular frame with the nozzles formed on an inner perimeter of the frame.

Preferably, the transmission mechanism comprises a motor, a gear train, and at least one chain. The upper and lower feeding rollers of the front feeding device and the rear feeding device and the horizontal and vertical brush rods of the brush mechanism are operably connected to and thus driven by the motor via the gear train and the at least one chain.

The filter cartridge cleaning apparatus may be connected to a water recycling apparatus.

In an arrangement, the water recycling apparatus comprises a deposition tank in communication with the drain, a sludge tank, and a filtering tank. Waste water from the drain enters the deposition tank. Sludge deposited on a bottom of the deposition tank is pumped by a pump into the sludge tank. A bottom of the deposition tank is in communication with a waste water tank. Waste water during transportation of the sludge from the deposition tank to the sludge tank is guided to the waste water tank. An upper end of the deposition tank is in communication with the filtering tank for recycling filtration of water. Filtered water in the filtering tank is fed back by another pump to the water supply mechanism of the filter cartridge cleaning apparatus.

In another arrangement, the water recycling apparatus comprises a receiving tank, a plurality of filters, and a filtering tank. The receiving tank receives sewage from the drain and is connected to the filters. The filters are mounted above the filtering tank for filtering sludge from the waste water. Filtered water from the filters is guided to the filtering tank. Water in the filtering tank is pumped by a pump to the water supply mechanism.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring toFIGS. 1 through 5, a filter cartridge cleaning apparatus10in accordance with the present invention comprises a housing1, a transmission mechanism2, a brush mechanism3, a guiding mechanism4, and a water supply mechanism5.

As illustrated inFIG. 5, the housing1comprises a filter cartridge inlet11in a front end thereof from which a filter cartridge6enters the housing1. The housing1further includes a filter cartridge outlet12in a rear end thereof through which the filter cartridge6exits the housing1. The housing1further includes a drain13in a bottom thereof for draining sewage. An outer casing14is mounted outside the housing1.

The transmission mechanism2includes a motor21, a gear train including gears220-232, and a plurality of chains241and242. A gear220is mounted on an output shaft (not labeled) of the motor21and connected to another gear221via a chain241. The gear221moves in synchronism with another gear222fixed on an upper horizontal brush rod32. The gear222meshes with a gear223that is mounted on an end of a lower horizontal brush rod32and that moves in synchronism with the lower horizontal brush rod32. A gear224is mounted on the other end of the upper horizontal brush rod32and connected via a chain242to a gear225on a connecting shaft240(FIG. 3).

A bevel gear226is mounted on the connecting shaft240to move therewith. The bevel gear226meshes with another bevel gear227that is mounted on an end of a vertical brush rod33. Also mounted on the end of the vertical brush rod33is a gear228that meshes with another gear229on an end of another vertical brush rod33. Thus, the horizontal brush rods32and the vertical brush rods33turn when the motor21turns.

The gear223moves in synchronism with a gear230that meshes with two gears231and232respectively mounted on two feeding rollers412and422respectively of a front feeding device41and a rear feeding device42(FIGS. 2,4, and6).

Referring toFIGS. 3 and 4, the horizontal brush rods32, the vertical brush rods33, and the feeding rollers412and422turn when the motor21turns. Each brush rod32,33includes bristles mounted thereon for cleaning purposes. The horizontal brush rods32have a gap therebetween through which the filter cartridge6is passable (FIG. 6). The bristles on the horizontal brush rods32may reach the filter cartridge6for cleaning purposes. Similarly, the vertical brush rods33have a gap therebetween through which the filter cartridge6is passable (FIG. 5). The bristles on the vertical brush rods33may reach the filter cartridge6for cleaning purposes.

Referring toFIG. 6, the guiding mechanism4includes front and rear feeding devices41and42. The front feeding device41is located behind the vertical brush rods33and includes upper and lower feeding rollers411and412that have a gap therebetween through which the filter cartridge6passes. The feeding rollers411and412feed the filter cartridge6forward toward the horizontal brush rods32. The rear feeding device42is located between the horizontal brush rods32and the outlet12and includes upper and lower feeding rollers421and422that have a gap therebetween through which the filter cartridge6passes. The feeding rollers421and422feed the filter cartridge6that has passed through the horizontal brush rods32toward the outlet12. An elastic element4111is provided to bias the upper feeding roller411such that the distance between the upper feeding roller411and the lower feeding roller412is smaller than a diameter of the filter cartridge6, allowing the feeding rollers411and412to securely clamp the filter cartridge6and move the filter cartridge6forward. Similarly, an elastic element4211is provided to bias the upper feeding roller421such that the distance between the upper feeding roller421and the lower feeding roller422is smaller than a diameter of the filter cartridge6, allowing the feeding rollers421and422to securely clamp the filter cartridge6and move the filter cartridge6forward. Thus, filter cartridges of various sizes can be cleaned due to provision of the elastic elements4111and4211

The water supply mechanism5includes a water inlet tube51connected to a water source and a plurality of sprinkling tubes52in communication with the water inlet tube51. Preferably, each sprinkling tube52is arranged as a rectangular frame along a traveling path of the filter cartridge6and includes a plurality of nozzles521on an inner perimeter of each frame.

Referring toFIGS. 5 and 6, when the brush rods32and33and the feeding rollers411,412,421, and422turn as a result of turning of the motor21, the filter cartridge6that has entered the housing1via the inlet11and is moved forward toward the outlet12by the feeding rollers411,412,421and422. Water is supplied from the nozzles521of the sprinkling tubes52to the filter cartridge6that is cleaned when passing through the vertical brush rods33and the horizontal brush rods32. The cleaned filter cartridge6exits the housing1via the outlet12, and the sewage resulting from the cleaning process is drained via the drain13that may be connected to a water treating apparatus or a recycling apparatus. Thus, the filter cartridge6can be cleaned rapidly and effectively. Loss resulting from shutdown of the factory can be reduced.

FIG. 7illustrates an arrangement of an inexpensive water recycling apparatus7comprising a deposition tank71, a sludge tank72, and a filtering tank73. The waste water from the drain13of the filter cartridge cleaning apparatus10enters the deposition tank71via a tube15. A filter16may be mounted on the tube15for preliminary filtration. Sludge deposited on a bottom of the deposition tank71is pumped by a pump711into the sludge tank72via a tube712between the deposition tank71and the sludge tank72. The sludge moved to the sludge tank72is processed from the standpoint of environment protection. A tube721is connected between a bottom of the deposition tank71and a waste water tank (not labeled). The waste water during transportation of the sludge from the deposition tank71to the sludge tank72is guided to the waste water tank. Further, a tube713is connected between an upper end of the deposition tank71and the filtering tank73in which recycling filtration of water is carried out. Filtered water is fed back by a pump732to the water supply mechanism5of the filter cartridge cleaning apparatus10via a tube733. Optionally, fresh water can be added into the water supply mechanism5. By such an arrangement, waste of water can be eliminated.

FIG. 8illustrates an arrangement of another inexpensive water recycling apparatus8comprising a receiving tank81, a plurality of filters82, and a filtering tank83. The receiving tank81receives sewage from the drain13of the filter cartridge cleaning apparatus10and is connected to the filters82via a piping811. The filters82are mounted above the filtering tank83for filtering sludge from the waste water. The filtered water from the filters82is guided to the filtering tank83. The filters82are replaced with new ones or cleaned periodically. The water in the filtering tank83is pumped by a pump831to the water supply mechanism5via a tube832. By such an arrangement, waste of water can be eliminated.

As apparent from the foregoing, filter cartridges can be cleaned rapidly and effectively by the filter cartridge cleaning apparatus10. The time for cleaning is relatively short and the cost resulting from cleaning of the filter cartridges and shutdown of the factory is low. Further, the cleaning effect is satisfactory. Further, filter cartridges of various sizes can be cleaned, and the cleaning operation can be carried out by a single motor. The sewage resulting from cleaning is drained via the drain13without the risk of contamination. Further, the filter cartridge cleaning apparatus can be used with a water recycling apparatus to eliminate waste of water.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, numerous modifications and variations are still possible without departing from the essence of the invention. The scope of the invention is limited by the accompanying claims.