Gas separation: apparatus – Solid sorbent apparatus – Plural diverse separating means
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-01
2002-07-09
Smith, Duane (Department: 1724)
Gas separation: apparatus
Solid sorbent apparatus
Plural diverse separating means
C055S509000, C055SDIG005, C055S497000, C055S502000, C055S524000, C210S493300, C264S274000, C264SDIG004, C096S153000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06416570
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an integrally molded type filter unit and a method for manufacturing the filter unit, more particularly to a filter unit possible to be produced by joining a filter holding frame to a separately produced filter part simultaneously with injection molding of the frame, installation easiness to be installed in a gas treatment apparatus, light weight and having low pressure loss and high dust collecting efficiency and to a manufacturing technique of the filter unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, the demand for a gas treatment apparatus such as an air purifier, an air conditioner equipped with such an air purifier, and the like has been increasing.
The gas treatment apparatus usually contains a filter for removing airborne dust and malodorous components. Such a filter is used as a filter unit comprising a filter part made of activated carbon-containing paper, polyester nonwoven cloths, glass fiber paper and formed in a sheet-like form or processed in a pleated form and a filter holding frame to which the filter part is attached. The filter unit is required to be easy for installation in a gas treatment apparatus.
Conventionally, in the case of manufacturing such a filter unit, a filter part previously processed to be a sheet-like shape or a pleated shape is made ready, built in a filter holding frame separately made ready and then fixed in the filter holding frame by methods, for example, by using an adhesive, engagement claws and screws, or springs. Consequently, there occurs a problem that the number of processes is high and the manufacturing efficiency is decreased.
Today, the following methods have been made known: as disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication (Kokai) No. 10-263348, a method of integrally forming a filter unit using a packing in the circumference of a filter holding frame and as disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication (Kokai) No. 11-90150, a method of using a foamed resin for a filter holding frame.
However, the methods aim at mainly improving the production efficiency but pay no attention to improvement of properties such as the strength and the weight of a filter unit itself and the capability and the characteristic as a filter.
An integrally molding method wherein a filter part made ready in a separated process is stuck to a filter holding frame simultaneously with the molding of the filter holding frame can be considered as a method for manufacturing a filter unit with a high strength and light weight at high manufacturing efficiency.
However, the integrally molding method also has a problem especially in the case where an adsorbent of such as an activated carbon is contained in a filter part. That is, the surface area of a filter part is widened to improve the function of an adsorbent even a little more, the joining part to a holding frame is lessened as much as possible to improve the dust collecting efficiency, and even the end part of a holding frame is filled with activated carbon to improve the filter molding processibility and such methods are considered to achieve such improvements, however these methods may possibly lead to burr formation or a damage on dies owing to separation of activated carbon from the end part of the filter material to a grip of the die.
Therefore, it can be considered to prevent burr formation and the damage of dies that no activated carbon is put in the end part of a filter material, however it causes a problem that the effective surface area as a filter is narrowed and the filter capability is decreased.
Further, it can also be considered to prevent burr formation and activated carbon separation that a resin flow-in part with a several mm width is formed in the grip part in the inner side of the frame by properly amending the die structure, however it causes a problem that the effective surface area as a filter is narrowed and the filter capability is decreased.
On the other hand, a filter holding frame for installing a filter in a gas treatment apparatus is desired to be excellent in handling flexibility as to be freely twisted or changed in the form at the time of installation and is preferable to be thin and light weight, however if the holding frame is made thin and light weight, the strength of the frame is decreased and it results in a problem that the frame is hard to be installed in a gas treatment apparatus, especially in a curved one.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention hence aims at providing a filter unit having a wide effective surface area of a filtration material and capable of providing a high dust collecting efficiency without causing drop of the activated carbon from the end part of the filtration material of the filter to a grip part of dies and the present invention aims at providing a method for manufacturing such a filter unit.
The present invention further aims at providing a filter unit with light weight by making the thickness of the filter holding frame thin, excellent handling flexibility at the time of installation, a low pressure loss, and a high collecting efficiency and providing a method for manufacturing such a filter unit comprising an integrally molding process to simplify manufacturing processes and to lower the fraction defective in the manufacturing processes.
A filter unit according to the present invention is characterized by comprising a filter part made of an adsorbent-bearing filtration material and a filter holding frame made of a thermoplastic resin and integrally molded with a part of the filter part and the adsorbent of the filter part is packed to the position contacting the filter holding frame.
With such a constitution, a filter unit with a wide effective surface area of the filtration material and a high collection efficiency can be provided without causing burr formation or damages on dies owing to separation of the adsorbent, e.g. activated carbon, from the end part of the filtration material of the filter to a grip part of the die. Such a filter unit can be manufactured by a method, which will be described below, developed by inventors of the present invention.
The filter part in the present invention is a sheet-like or sheet-pleated product produced from paper, polyester or other polymer nonwoven cloths, glass fiber paper, porous resin sheets, various types of fabrics and textiles containing an adsorbent such as activated carbon, zeolites, and the like and subjected to the integrally molding process with a filter holding frame.
The materials for the filter holding frame to be employed for the present invention include thermoplastic resins such as acrylic resins, phenol resins, silicon resins, polyolefin resins, polyurethane resins, epoxy resins, polyester resins, poly(vinyl chloride) type resins, melamine resins, poly (vinyl acetate) type resins, polystyrene resins, and the like; thermoplastic elastomers such as styrene type thermoplastic elastomer, urethane type thermoplastic elastomer, olefin type thermoplastic elastomer, polyester type thermoplastic elastomer, polyamide type thermoplastic elastomer, vinyl chloride type thermoplastic elastomer, fluoro type thermoplastic elastomer, and the like; and any material which can be molded by molten injection molding.
The filter holding frame is preferable to have ribs in the side faces in the filtration material arrangement direction and the width of each rib is preferably 10 to 90% and more preferably 15 to 40% to the width of each side face in the filtration material arrangement direction of the filter holding frame. The thickness of each rib is preferably 10 to 70% and more preferably 20 to 50% to the thickness of each side face in the filtration material arrangement direction.
If the width of each rib is 10% or narrower to the width of the side faces of the holding frame, sufficient strength cannot be provided and hence it is not preferable. If the width is 90% or wider to the width of the side faces of the holding frame, the reinforcing effect can be provided, however it means that the sid
Akiyama Mitsuhiko
Goto Sadahito
Minemura Shinichi
Lawrence Frank M.
Smith Duane
Toyo Boseki Kabushiki Kaisha
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