IP Library Granted Patent US 12,338,142
Granted Patent B2
US 12,338,142 · App. 17/604,524 · Granted Jun 24, 2025

Filter element and filter having the filter element

Inventor: Biyong Qiu (Shanghai, CN)
Assignee: Solventum Intellectual Properties Company
C02F1/441B01D63/107C02F1/442C02F2201/004C02F2201/006
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,338,142
App. No.
17/604,524
Granted
Jun 24, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present invention relates to a filter element and a filter having the filter element. The filter element comprises a filter element housing part, a water inlet disposed at the filter element housing part, a filter medium unit disposed in the filter element housing part, and a central pipe. The central pipe comprises a pure water collecting pipe and a wastewater collecting pipe, and the wastewater collecting pipe is at least partially disposed in the pure water collecting pipe. A wastewater passage and a pure water passage are arranged sequentially from the center to the circumference in the central pipe. The filter element and the filter according to the present invention has a more simplified filter element structure. By reducing the quantity of components, the filter is made more compact. The present invention can further accommodate positional errors within an allowed error range when the filter element is mounted to a local manifold 1 of the filter. Manufacturing precision requirements of filter components can thus be lowered and the cost can be reduced. The replacement and mounting of the filter element have therefore become easier.

Claims (27)

1. A filter element ( 2 , 2 A), the filter element ( 2 , 2 A) comprising:

a filter element housing part ( 20 ), the filter element housing part ( 20 ) being provided with a water inlet ( 211 );

a filter medium unit ( 30 ), the filter medium unit ( 30 ) being disposed in the filter element housing part ( 20 ); and

a central pipe ( 40 , 40 A), the central pipe ( 40 , 40 A) being disposed in the filter element housing part ( 20 ), and the filter medium unit ( 30 ) being disposed around the central pipe ( 40 , 40 A), wherein

the central pipe ( 40 , 40 A) comprises a pure water collecting pipe ( 41 , 41 A) and a wastewater collecting pipe ( 42 , 42 A), and the wastewater collecting pipe ( 42 , 42 A) is at least partially disposed in the pure water collecting pipe ( 41 , 41 A);

a raw water passage (V 1 ) of the filter element ( 2 , 2 A) is at least partially formed between the inner wall of the filter element housing part ( 20 ) and the filter medium unit ( 30 );

a pure water passage (V 2 ) of the filter element ( 2 , 2 A) is at least partially formed between the inner wall of the pure water collecting pipe ( 41 , 41 A) and the outer wall of the wastewater collecting pipe ( 42 , 42 A); and

a wastewater passage (V 3 ) of the filter element ( 2 , 2 A) is at least partially formed in the wastewater collecting pipe ( 42 , 42 A).

2. The filter element ( 2 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the central pipe ( 40 ) further comprises a central pipe adapter ( 43 ) and a wastewater outlet pipe ( 44 ), a pure water pipeline of the filter element ( 2 ) comprises the pure water collecting pipe ( 41 ) and the central pipe adapter ( 43 ), and a wastewater pipeline of the filter element ( 2 ) comprises the wastewater collecting pipe ( 42 ) and the wastewater outlet pipe ( 44 ), wherein

a first end part ( 432 ) of the central pipe adapter ( 43 ) is hermetically attached to a first end part of the pure water collecting pipe ( 41 ), and a second end part ( 431 ) of the central pipe adapter ( 43 ) forms a pure water outlet (P 1 ), wherein

a first end part of the wastewater outlet pipe ( 44 ) is hermetically attached to a first end part of the wastewater collecting pipe ( 42 ), and a second end part of the wastewater outlet pipe ( 44 ) forms a wastewater outlet (P 2 ), and wherein

the raw water passage (V 1 ) further comprises a gap between the inner wall of the filter element housing part ( 20 ) and the outer wall of the central pipe adapter ( 43 ), the pure water passage (V 2 ) further comprises a gap between the inner wall of the central pipe adapter ( 43 ) and the outer wall of the wastewater outlet pipe ( 44 ), and the wastewater passage (V 3 ) further comprises the wastewater outlet pipe ( 44 ).

3. The filter element ( 2 ) according to claim 2 , wherein the first end part of the wastewater outlet pipe ( 44 ) is hermetically hinged to the first end part of the wastewater collecting pipe ( 42 ).

4. The filter element ( 2 ) according to claim 2 , wherein the wastewater outlet pipe ( 44 ) and the wastewater collecting pipe ( 42 ) are made of the same material, or the wastewater outlet pipe ( 44 ) is made of a material more flexible than that of the wastewater collecting pipe ( 42 ).

5. The filter element ( 2 A) according to claim 1 , wherein the central pipe ( 40 A) further comprises a pure water outlet pipe and a wastewater outlet pipe, a pure water pipeline of the filter element ( 2 A) comprises the pure water collecting pipe ( 41 A) and the pure water outlet pipe, and a wastewater pipeline of the filter element ( 2 A) comprises the wastewater collecting pipe ( 42 A) and the wastewater outlet pipe, wherein

a first end part of the pure water outlet pipe is integrally formed with a first end part of the pure water collecting pipe ( 41 A), and/or a first end part of the wastewater outlet pipe is integrally formed with a first end part of the wastewater collecting pipe ( 42 A), and wherein

a second end part of the pure water outlet pipe forms a pure water outlet (P 1 ), a second end part of the wastewater outlet pipe forms a wastewater outlet (P 2 ), the raw water passage (V 1 ) further comprises a gap between the inner wall of the filter element housing part ( 20 ) and the outer wall of the pure water outlet pipe, the pure water passage (V 2 ) further comprises a gap between the inner wall of the pure water outlet pipe and the outer wall of the wastewater outlet pipe, and the wastewater passage (V 3 ) further comprises the wastewater outlet pipe.

6. The filter element ( 2 , 2 A) according to claim 2 , wherein a second end part of the wastewater collecting pipe ( 42 , 42 A) is integrally formed to the pipe wall of the pure water collecting pipe ( 41 , 41 A); or

a second end part of the wastewater collecting pipe ( 42 , 42 A) is hermetically attached to the pipe wall of the pure water collecting pipe ( 41 , 41 A).

7. The filter element ( 2 , 2 A) according to claim 6 , wherein the second end part of the wastewater collecting pipe ( 42 , 42 A) is adjacent to a second end part of the pure water collecting pipe ( 41 , 41 A) such that the wastewater collecting pipe ( 42 , 42 A) extends over a major part of the length of the pure water collecting pipe ( 41 , 41 A).

8. The filter element ( 2 , 2 A) according to claim 6 , wherein a truncated-conical structure ( 413 ) is formed between the second end part of the wastewater collecting pipe ( 42 , 42 A) and the pure water collecting pipe ( 41 , 41 A).

9. The filter element ( 2 , 2 A) according to claim 1 , wherein the pure water passage (V 2 ) extends over at least a part of the length of the filter medium unit ( 30 ) along the longitudinal direction of the filter element ( 2 , 2 A), a plurality of pure water collecting holes ( 411 ) are disposed on the pipe wall of the pure water collecting pipe ( 41 , 41 A), and the plurality of pure water collecting holes ( 411 ) are distributed across at least a part of the length of the filter medium unit ( 30 ).

10. The filter element ( 2 , 2 A) according to claim 2 , wherein the wastewater pipeline is disposed such that the wastewater outlet (P 2 ) extends out from the filter element housing part ( 20 ), and the wastewater pipeline is adapted to be shaken flexibly when subjected to a force.

11. The filter element according to claim 10 , wherein the wastewater pipeline forms an elongated cantilever structure such that the wastewater pipeline is adapted to be shaken flexibly when subjected to a force.

12. The filter element ( 2 , 2 A) according to claim 1 , wherein at least two members from the group consisting of the pure water collecting pipe ( 41 , 41 A), the wastewater collecting pipe ( 42 , 42 A), and the filter element housing part ( 20 ) are disposed to be concentric with each other.

13. The filter element ( 2 , 2 A) according to claim 1 , wherein the filter medium unit ( 30 ) is a reverse osmosis membrane or a nanofiltration.

14. A filter (M 1 , M 2 ), the filter (M 1 , M 2 ) comprising a local manifold 1 ( 1 ) and the filter element ( 2 , 2 A) according to claim 1 , wherein the filter element ( 2 , 2 A) is mounted to the local manifold 1 ( 1 ) such that the water inlet ( 211 ) of the filter element ( 2 , 2 A) is in communication with a raw water port ( 11 ) of the local manifold 1 ( 1 ), the pure water outlet (P 1 ) of the filter element ( 2 , 2 A) is in communication with a pure water port ( 12 ) of the local manifold 1 ( 1 ), and the wastewater outlet (P 2 ) of the filter element ( 2 , 2 A) is in communication with a wastewater port ( 13 ) of the local manifold 1 ( 1 ).

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 1, 2024
From: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
To: SOLVENTUM INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES COMPANY
Reel/Frame 066443/0600 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 18, 2021
From: QIU, BIYONG
To: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
Reel/Frame 057818/0874 →
Priority Claims (1)
CN 201910313888.7 · Apr 18, 2019 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220194820A1 · Jun 23, 2022
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