当前申请(专利权)人地址：
Unit 2 Advanced Manufacturing Park, Whittle Way, Catcliffe, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, S60 5BL , United Kingdom
摘要：
The filter unit 300 is for filtering microfibres within a feed and includes an inlet 303 to allow the feed to enter a housing 302. An outlet 304 allows a filtered feed to exit the housing. A filter cage 305 supports one or more filter media 306. The cage is rotatably mounted about an axis within the housing. The media has pores with a mean pore size of no more than 100 microns. One or more baffle surfaces 301 are located adjacent to a portion of the interior and/or exterior surfaces of the media. The baffle surfaces and filter cage are configured such that during rotation of the cage, the media move relative to the baffle surfaces and turbulent flow of liquid when present in the filter is encouraged near the interior and/or exterior surface of the filter media. A drive means 307 is for rotating the cage. The filter unit is configured such that feed from the inlet is directed towards the interior of the cage, then passes through the media and exits as filtered liquid via the outlet. The filter unit may be used in a textile treatment apparatus such as a washing machine (400, Figure 4).
权利要求：
CLAIMS
1. Afilter unit suitable for filtering microfibres within a feed, the filter unit comprising:
a) a housing;
b) an inlet configured to allow the feed to enter the housing;
Cc) an outlet configured to allow a filtered feed to exit the housing;
d) a filter cage supporting one or more filter media, the filter cage being
rotatably mounted and rotating about an axis of rotation within the housing, the
filter media having pores with a mean pore size of no more than 100 microns,
wherein the filter cage has one end which is open, and wherein the open end of
the filter cage is proximate to the inlet and aligned such that feed from the inlet
enters the filter cage;
e) one or more baffle surfaces being located adjacent to at least a portion of
the interior and/or exterior surfaces of the one or more filter media;
the baffle surfaces and filter cage being configured such that during rotation of the
filter cage, the one or more filter media move relative to the one or more baffle
surfaces and turbulent flow of liquid when present in the filter unit is encouraged
near the interior and/or exterior surface of the one or more filter media;
f) a drive means for rotating the filter cage;
a) the filter unit being configured such that feed from the inlet is directed
towards the interior of the filter cage, the feed then passes through the one or
more filter media and exits as a filtered liquid via the outlet.
2. Afilter unit according to claim 1 wherein the one or more baffle surfaces have one
or more waves.
3. A filter unit according to claim 2, wherein the amplitude of the waves is no more
than 40 mm.
4. A filter unit according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the shape of the waves has an
abrupt change in gradient in at least one point.
5. Afilter unit according to claim 4, wherein the waves have at least one vertex. 6. A filter unit according to any one of claims 2 to 5 wherein the one or more baffle
surfaces have a wave with a shape which repeats.
7. Afilter unit according to any one of claims 2 to 6 wherein the wave is or comprises
a square wave, arc wave, sine wave, triangular wave or a combination thereof. 8. A filter unit according to claim 7 wherein the shape of the baffle surface is an arc
wave or a saw tooth wave.
9. A filter unit according to any one of claims 2 to 8 wherein:
the one or more waves on the one or more baffles provide a variation in the
distance from any point on the baffle surface to the filter media, when measured
along any radial direction towards the axis of rotation of the filter cage;
the one or more waves on the one or more baffles provide a furthest distance from
the any point on the baffle surface to the filter media, when measured along any
radial direction towards the axis of rotation of the filter cage; and
the variation in the distance is at least 5% of the furthest distance. 10. A filter unit according to any one of claims 2 to 9 wherein:
the one or more waves on the one or more baffles provide a variation in the
distance from any point on the baffle surface to the filter media, when measured
along any radial direction towards the axis of rotation of the filter cage; and
the variation in the distance is at least 2 mm.
11. A filter unit according to any one of claims 2 to 10 wherein:
the one or more waves on the one or more baffles provide a nearest distance from
any point on the baffle surface to the filter media, when measured along any radial
direction towards the axis of rotation of the filter cage; and
the nearest distance is no more than 10 mm.
12. A filter unit according to claim 11, wherein the nearest distance is no more than 5
mm.
13. A filter unit according to any one of the preceding claims wherein at least one
baffle surface is continuous through an angle of at least 10 degrees around the
axis of rotation of the filter cage and measured in a plane perpendicular to the axis
of rotation of the filter cage.
14. A filter unit according to claim 13 wherein at least one baffle surface is continuous
through an angle of at least 20 degrees.
15. A filter unit according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the baffle
surface(s) cover no more than 30% of the axial length of the one or more filter
media.
16. A filter unit according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the baffle
surface(s) cover no more than 70% of the axial length of the one or more filter
media.
17. A filter unit according to any one of claims 15 or 16 wherein the baffle surface(s)
do not cover at least 5mm in length along the axial direction of the one or more
filter media.
18. A filter unit according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the one or more
baffle surfaces are located adjacent to the exterior surfaces of the one or more
filter media, and wherein the baffle surface(s) cover no more than 90% of the axial
length of the one or more filter media.
19. A filter unit according to claim 18, wherein the one of more baffle surtace(s) cover
no more than 80% of the axial length of the one or more filter media. 20. A filter unit according to claim 19, wherein the one of more baffle surface(s) cover
no more than 60% of the axial length of the one more filter media. 21. A filter unit according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the pores in the
one or more filter media have a mean pore size of from 1 to 100 microns. 22. A filter unit according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the one or more
baffle surface are static.
23. A filter unit according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the one or more
baffle surfaces are located adjacent to the exterior surfaces of the one or more
filter media.
24. A filter unit according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the one or more
filter media are in the form of a non-woven mesh, a woven mesh, a knitted mesh
or a perforated sheet.
25. A filter unit as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the one or more baffle
surfaces are integral with an inner surface of the housing.
26. A textile treatment apparatus comprising a filter unit according to any one of the
preceding claims.
27. A textile treatment apparatus according to claim 26 which is a washing machine. 28. A method of filtering a feed comprising microfibres using a filter unit according to
any one of claims 1 to 25 or a textile treatment apparatus according to claim 26
or 27.
29. A method according to claim 28 wherein the feed comprising microfibres
originates from a textile treatment apparatus.
30. A method according to claim 28 or 29 wherein during filtration the filter cage is
rotated at a speed such that the internal surface of the one or more filter media
experiences a G force of at least 20 G.
31. A method according to any one of claims 28 to 30 wherein during filtration the
turbulence at the outermost surface of the filter media corresponds to a Reynolds
number of is at least 3000.
32. A method according to any one of claims 28 to 31 wherein the feed is passed
through the filter unit only once.
33. A method according to any one of claims 28 to 32 wherein the feed is passed
through the filter unit multiple times.
34. A method according to any one of claims 28 to 33 wherein the filter unit filters feed
from at least 5 textile treatment cycles before requiring any cleaning. 35. A method according to any one of claims 28 to 34 wherein the microfibres are or
comprise a cellulosic material.
36. A method according to any one of claims 28 to 35 wherein the microfibres have a
longest linear dimension of less than 1 mm.
37. A method according to any one of clams 28 to 36 wherein the efficiency of the
filter unit at removing microfibres is at least 70% by mass relative to all the
microfibres originally present in the feed.
38. A method according to any one of claims 28 to 37 wherein the flow rate of the
feed through the filter unit is at least 1 litre/minute.