CN113697902B - A water purifier and a control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a water purifier and a control method thereof. The water purifier comprises a main water pipeline communicated to the water outlet, and a reverse osmosis filter element is arranged on the main water pipeline; the water purifier also comprises a water storage device, wherein the water storage device comprises a first water storage cavity and a second water storage cavity; the water purifier further comprises a pure water waterway switching device, the pure water inlet is communicated with the pure water port of the reverse osmosis filter element, the first pure water outlet is communicated with the first water inlet and outlet, and the second pure water outlet is communicated with the second water inlet and outlet; the water purifier also comprises a concentrated water utilization waterway, wherein the first end of the concentrated water utilization waterway is communicated with the concentrated water port of the reverse osmosis filter element, and the second end of the concentrated water utilization waterway is communicated with the second water inlet and outlet; the water purifier also comprises a main control device which is electrically connected with the pure water waterway switching device. Through this purifier, the user can avoid getting the higher first section water of TDS, but at first gets the pure water in the first water storage chamber, has guaranteed user's drinking water health from this, and the water intaking time is short.

Description

A water purifier and a control method thereof

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the technical field of water purification, and in particular to a water purifier and a control method thereof.

Background Art

As people pursue a better quality of life, water purifiers are gradually entering people's homes. Reverse osmosis water purifiers are becoming more and more popular because the purified water they produce is fresher, more hygienic and safer.

Raw water often has a high TDS (total dissolved solids). Under the action of a high-pressure pump, a reverse osmosis water purifier can block a large number of ions in the raw water in front of the permeable membrane of the reverse osmosis filter element, so that the TDS of the water passing through the permeable membrane meets the standard of direct drinking water. At the same time, the reverse osmosis filter element will also discharge high-TDS concentrated water in a certain proportion when making direct drinking water. During the water production process of the water purifier, although the concentrated water can be discharged through the concentrated water pipeline, a small amount of concentrated water will still remain in front of the reverse osmosis membrane in the reverse osmosis filter element after the water production is completed. After a long period of shutdown, according to the principle of ion diffusion from a high-concentration solution to a low-concentration solution, the ions in the concentrated water before the membrane will diffuse into the purified direct drinking water after the membrane, thereby contaminating the purified direct drinking water. When the water is taken next time, the contaminated direct drinking water will flow out together with the newly made direct drinking water, and the TDS of the first section of water received by the user will be higher than the standard value.

In order to prevent the TDS of the first-stage water received by the user from being too high, a water storage device, such as a water drive device, is usually installed at the pure water outlet of the reverse osmosis filter element. The concentrated water discharged from the reverse osmosis filter element is used to squeeze out the pure water stored in the water storage device in advance, thereby reducing the TDS value of the first-stage water.

Through the existing technology, although the TDS value of the first stage water is reduced, which avoids users from receiving the first stage water with poor water quality; however, the concentrated water discharge volume per unit time of the reverse osmosis filter is small, that is, the concentrated water is discharged slowly, and the concentrated water is used to squeeze the water storage device, and the amount of pure water squeezed out is also small. Therefore, the flow rate of the first stage water received by the user is very slow, which seriously affects the user's water experience.

Summary of the invention

In order to at least partially solve the problems existing in the prior art, according to one aspect of the present invention, a water purifier is provided, which includes a main water pipeline connected to the water outlet of the water purifier, and a reverse osmosis filter element is arranged on the main water pipeline; the water purifier also includes a water storage device, the water storage device includes a first water storage chamber and a second water storage chamber, the first water storage chamber has a first water inlet and outlet connected to the water outlet, the second water storage chamber has a second water inlet and outlet, and the first water storage chamber and the second water storage chamber can change their volumes according to the water pressure in the chamber; the water purifier also includes a pure water waterway switching device, the pure water waterway switching device The device has a pure water inlet, a first pure water outlet and a second pure water outlet. The pure water waterway switching device can connect the pure water inlet with the first pure water outlet or the second pure water outlet. The pure water inlet is connected to the pure water inlet of the reverse osmosis filter element, the first pure water outlet is connected to the first water inlet and outlet, and the second pure water outlet is connected to the second water inlet and outlet. The water purifier also includes a concentrated water utilization waterway, the first end of the concentrated water utilization waterway is connected to the concentrated water inlet of the reverse osmosis filter element, and the second end of the concentrated water utilization waterway is connected to the second water inlet and outlet. The water purifier also includes a main control device electrically connected to the pure water waterway switching device.

In a water purifier with this structure, the first-stage water with a higher TDS and the concentrated water discharged from the concentrated water outlet of the reverse osmosis filter element can enter the second water storage chamber of the water storage device through the second water inlet and outlet, squeezing the first water storage chamber, so that the user first accesses the pure water in the first water storage chamber, thereby ensuring the user's drinking water health. The water in the first water storage chamber is quickly discharged through two water flows, and the water outlet flow rate can reach the same speed as the water flow rate flowing into the water purifier from the water inlet, shortening the user's water collection time and improving the user's experience.

Exemplarily, when the main control device receives an electrical signal from the water outlet control device indicating the start of water extraction or when the water purifier enters the standby state, the pure water inlet of the pure water circuit switching device is controlled to be connected to the second pure water outlet; when a first predetermined time period has passed after receiving the electrical signal indicating the start of water extraction or based on the detection signal from the first detection device, the pure water inlet of the pure water circuit switching device is controlled to be connected to the first pure water outlet.

This control method for the pure water water path cutting device and the concentrated water control device is simple and effective, with a wide variety of selectable equipment and can be controlled by a variety of parameters, such as time, flow, pressure, etc., thus expanding the scope of application.

Exemplarily, a first high-pressure switch is provided downstream of the reverse osmosis filter element on the main water pipeline, and the first high-pressure switch is electrically connected to the main control device to serve as a water outlet control device.

The high-pressure switch can send out corresponding electrical signals according to the changes in water pressure in the pipeline. Therefore, one device can help the main control device to accurately control the various actuators of the water purifier. While ensuring that the water purifier can smoothly provide pure water to users, it also reduces the cost of the water purifier.

Exemplarily, the first detection device is a water quality detector, which is used to detect the total amount of dissolved solids in pure water produced by the reverse osmosis filter element. The water quality detector is electrically connected to the main control device, and the detection signal includes information about the total amount of dissolved solids. When the total amount of dissolved solids is less than or equal to a preset total amount of dissolved solids threshold, the main control device controls the pure water waterway switching device to connect the pure water inlet of the pure water waterway switching device with the first pure water outlet.

It can be seen that by using the test results of the water quality detector to control the action of the pure water circuit switching device, it can directly ensure that the water received by the user is direct drinking water that meets the standards. This avoids the situation where the water quality has already met the standards and the user cannot directly receive it; it also avoids the situation where the water quality has not yet met the standards and the user receives it, affecting the user experience.

Exemplarily, the water quality detector is arranged between the second pure water outlet and the second water inlet and outlet, or between the pure water inlet of the reverse osmosis filter element and the pure water inlet of the pure water waterway switching device.

This can prevent users from receiving the first section of water that does not meet the direct drinking water standards. There are also multiple options for the placement of the water quality detector, which is highly flexible.

Exemplarily, the first detection device is a pressure sensor, which is used to detect the water pressure between the second pure water outlet of the pure water waterway switching device and the water storage device. The pressure sensor is electrically connected to the main control device, and the detection signal includes information about the water pressure. The main control device controls the pure water waterway switching device when the water pressure is greater than or equal to a preset pressure threshold so that the pure water inlet of the pure water waterway switching device is connected to the first pure water outlet.

By using a pressure sensor to detect the water pressure between the second pure water outlet and the second water inlet and outlet of the pure water waterway switching device to control the conduction mode of the two waterway switching devices, the control logic of the main control device will be simple, the calculation amount will be small, and the performance requirements of the main control device will be low.

Exemplarily, the pressure sensor includes a second high-pressure switch, which is arranged between the second pure water outlet of the pure water waterway switching device and the water storage device. The second high-pressure switch is disconnected when the water pressure is greater than or equal to a preset pressure threshold.

It can be seen that by arranging the high-voltage switch between the second pure water outlet and the water storage device, the structure is simple. The high-voltage switch has a low cost and only needs to output high and low levels corresponding to on and off. Therefore, the high-voltage switch transmits a small amount of data, is easier for the main control device to identify, and has a small amount of calculation.

Exemplarily, the first detection device is a flow meter, which is used to detect the total amount of pure water produced by the reverse osmosis filter element. The flow meter is electrically connected to the main control device, and the detection signal includes information about the total amount of pure water. When the total amount of pure water is greater than or equal to a preset total amount of pure water threshold, the main control device controls the pure water waterway switching device to connect the pure water inlet of the pure water waterway switching device with the first pure water outlet.

It can be seen that the flow meter directly accumulates the amount of water flowing through, and the total amount of pure water can be set according to the water quality conditions in different regions to control the total amount of the first section of water entering the second water storage chamber. This facilitates the overall control of the water purifier and ensures the quality of water used by users.

Exemplarily, the flow meter is disposed at the second pure water outlet of the pure water waterway switching device, or between the pure water port of the reverse osmosis filter element and the pure water inlet of the pure water waterway switching device.

This expands the application scope of the flow meter and can provide a good hardware foundation for expanding the functions of the water purifier.

Exemplarily, the water purifier also includes a drainage waterway, the first end of which is arranged between the concentrate water inlet and the second water inlet and outlet of the reverse osmosis filter element, the second end of which is connected to the drain outlet of the water purifier, and a concentrate water control device is arranged on the drainage waterway or the concentrate water utilization waterway.

The water purifier includes a drainage waterway that can smoothly discharge the concentrated water produced by the reverse osmosis filter element. A concentrated water control device is arranged on the drainage waterway or the concentrated water utilization waterway to timely control the flow direction of the discharged concentrated water, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the water purifier.

Exemplarily, the concentrated water control device is arranged on the concentrated water utilization waterway, and a first drainage solenoid valve is arranged on the drainage waterway.

When the water purifier is storing the concentrated water into the second water storage chamber, the first drainage solenoid valve can be controlled to be in a cut-off state to prevent the concentrated water from being directly discharged from the drain port. When the water purifier is storing water in the first water storage chamber, the first drainage solenoid valve and the concentrated water control device can both be in a conducting state, connecting the second water storage chamber with the drain port, releasing the pressure in the second water storage chamber, and facilitating the storage of water in the first water storage chamber.

Exemplarily, the second water inlet and outlet include a second water inlet and a second water outlet; the first end of the drainage waterway is arranged between the concentrate water outlet of the reverse osmosis filter element and the concentrate water control device; the concentrate water is connected to the second water inlet via the second end of the waterway; the water purifier also includes a second drainage solenoid valve, which is arranged at the second water outlet.

When the water purifier is storing water in the first water storage chamber, the first drain solenoid valve and the concentrated water control device can both be in a conducting state, connecting the second water storage chamber with the drain outlet, or turning on the second drain solenoid valve to release the pressure in the second water storage chamber, or turning on all three valves to facilitate faster release of the pressure in the second water storage chamber and rapid drainage of the water in the second water storage chamber.

Exemplarily, it also includes a booster pump and a return water circuit. The booster pump is arranged upstream of the reverse osmosis filter element on the main water pipeline. One end of the return water circuit is connected to the second drain solenoid valve, and the other end is connected to the water inlet of the booster pump.

It can be seen from this that the water purifier with a return water circuit can guide the water in the second water storage chamber back to the main water pipeline, filter it, and recycle it, thereby reducing the waste of water resources.

Exemplarily, the concentrated water control device and the first drain solenoid valve are implemented by a concentrated water circuit switching device.

This type of water channel structure has a high degree of integration, fewer water channel interfaces, and can reduce the risk of water leakage.

Exemplarily, the concentrated water control device is implemented by an independent solenoid valve.

In this way, the control logic of the water purifier can be simplified and the risk of errors during use can be reduced.

Exemplarily, the water purifier also includes a booster pump and a return water circuit. The booster pump is arranged upstream of the reverse osmosis filter element on the main water pipeline. The first end of the return water circuit is arranged at the second water inlet and outlet. The second end of the return water circuit is connected to the water inlet of the booster pump. A concentrated water control device is arranged on the return water circuit.

The above-mentioned water purifier is only provided with a concentrated water control device on the return water circuit, which not only simplifies the water circuit and reduces the cost, but also effectively utilizes the concentrated water generated by the reverse osmosis filter element, thus avoiding the waste of water resources.

Exemplarily, the pure water waterway switching device includes a first pure water solenoid valve and a second pure water solenoid valve connected in parallel, the first pure water solenoid valve is connected between the pure water port and the first water inlet and outlet, and the second pure water solenoid valve is connected between the pure water port and the second water inlet and outlet.

Such a water channel structure is simple to implement. Since the function of the solenoid valve is simple, the product can have higher quality, be used for a long time, and is not easy to be damaged.

Exemplarily, the pure water waterway switching device includes a pure water one-inlet and two-outlet solenoid valve, the water inlet of the pure water one-inlet and two-outlet solenoid valve is connected to the pure water port, and the two water outlets of the pure water one-inlet and two-outlet solenoid valve are respectively connected to the first inlet and outlet and the second inlet and outlet.

In this way, the pure water waterway switching device only needs one component to switch between the two waterways, which can simplify the waterway structure.

Exemplarily, the water storage device includes a main body and a water barrier. The volume of the main body is fixed. The water barrier is arranged in the main body to separate the space in the main body into a first water storage chamber and a second water storage chamber. At least a portion of the water barrier is made of deformable material to change its shape according to the water pressure in the first water storage chamber and the second water storage chamber.

It can be seen from this that, because at least a portion of the water barrier is flexible and can change shape, it can be easily installed in the main body and occupies little space, making the water storage device highly integrated.

Exemplarily, the second water inlet and outlet include a pure water inlet and a concentrated water inlet; the second pure water outlet of the pure water waterway switching device is connected to the pure water inlet; and the concentrated water utilization waterway is connected to the concentrated water inlet by the second end.

In this way, the water channel settings can be simplified, the water channel interfaces can be reduced, the risk of water leakage can be reduced, and the water channel planning can be made clearer and easier to maintain.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a control method for a water purifier is also provided, wherein a reverse osmosis filter element is provided in the water purifier; the water purifier also includes a water storage device, the water storage device includes a first water storage chamber and a second water storage chamber, the first water storage chamber has a first water inlet and an outlet connected to the water outlet of the water purifier, the second water storage chamber has a second water inlet and an outlet, and the first water storage chamber and the second water storage chamber can change their volumes according to the water pressure in the chamber; the water purifier also includes a pure water waterway switching device, the pure water waterway switching device has a pure water inlet, a first pure water outlet and a second pure water outlet, and the pure water waterway switching device can switch the pure water inlet with the first pure water outlet The first pure water outlet or the second pure water outlet is connected, the pure water inlet is connected to the pure water inlet of the reverse osmosis filter element, the first pure water outlet is connected to the first water inlet and outlet, and the second pure water outlet is connected to the second water inlet and outlet; the water purifier also includes a concentrated water utilization water path, the first end of the concentrated water utilization water path is connected to the concentrated water inlet of the reverse osmosis filter element, and the second end of the concentrated water utilization water path is connected to the second water inlet and outlet; the control method includes: according to the electrical signal indicating the start of water extraction received by the self-water outlet control device or the detection signal received by the first detection device, controlling the pure water inlet of the pure water water path switching device to be connected to the first pure water outlet or the second pure water outlet.

Exemplarily, the step of controlling the pure water inlet of the pure water channel switching device to be connected to the first pure water outlet or the second pure water outlet includes:

When receiving an electrical signal indicating the start of water extraction or when the water purifier enters a standby state, controlling the pure water inlet of the pure water channel switching device to communicate with the second pure water outlet;

After receiving the electrical signal indicating the start of water extraction, when a first predetermined period of time has passed or according to the detection signal, the pure water inlet of the pure water channel switching device is controlled to communicate with the first pure water outlet.

Exemplarily, a concentrated water control device is provided on the concentrated water utilization waterway, the water purifier further comprises a drainage waterway provided with a first drainage solenoid valve, a first end of the drainage waterway is provided between the concentrated water outlet of the reverse osmosis filter element and the concentrated water control device, and a second end of the drainage waterway is connected to the drainage outlet of the water purifier;

The control method also includes:

When receiving an electrical signal indicating the start of water extraction or when the water purifier enters a standby state, the concentrated water control device is controlled to be turned on and the first drainage solenoid valve is controlled to be turned off;

After receiving the electrical signal indicating the start of water extraction, when a second predetermined time period has passed, the concentrated water control device is controlled to be turned off, and the second predetermined time period is greater than or equal to the first predetermined time period;

When the concentrated water control device is controlled to be cut off, the first drainage solenoid valve is controlled to be turned on.

Exemplarily, a first high-pressure switch is provided downstream of the reverse osmosis filter element, the second water inlet and outlet include a second water inlet and a second water outlet; the concentrated water is connected to the second water inlet by utilizing the second end of the water path; the water purifier further includes a second drainage solenoid valve, and the second drainage solenoid valve is provided at the second water outlet;

The control method also includes:

When receiving an electrical signal indicating the start of water extraction or when the water purifier enters a standby state, controlling the second drainage solenoid valve to be cut off;

When the electrical signal indicating that the first high-voltage switch changes from being closed to being open is received for the first time, the second drainage solenoid valve is controlled to be turned on.

Exemplarily, the first detection device is a water quality detector, which is used to detect the total amount of dissolved solids in pure water produced by the reverse osmosis filter element.

The control method also includes:

receiving a detection signal from a water quality monitor, the detection signal including information about the total amount of dissolved solids;

Determine whether the total amount of dissolved solids is greater than a preset total amount of dissolved solids threshold value based on the detection signal, so as to control the pure water inlet of the pure water circuit switching device to be connected with the first pure water outlet when the total amount of dissolved solids is less than or equal to the preset total amount of dissolved solids threshold value.

Exemplarily, the first detection device is a pressure sensor, which is used to detect the water pressure between the second pure water outlet of the pure water waterway switching device and the water storage device.

The control method also includes:

receiving a detection signal from a pressure sensor, the detection signal including information about water pressure;

Determine whether the water pressure is greater than or equal to a preset pressure threshold according to the detection signal, so as to control the pure water inlet of the pure water channel switching device to be connected with the first pure water outlet when the water pressure is greater than or equal to the preset pressure threshold.

Exemplarily, the first detection device is a flow meter, which is used to detect the total amount of pure water produced by the reverse osmosis filter element;

The control method also includes:

receiving a detection signal from the flow meter, the detection signal including information about the total amount of pure water;

Determine whether the total amount of pure water is less than a preset total amount of pure water threshold value according to the detection signal, so as to control the pure water inlet of the pure water path switching device to be connected with the first pure water outlet when the total amount of pure water is greater than or equal to the preset total amount of pure water threshold value.

Exemplarily, the water purifier further comprises a drainage waterway, a first end of the drainage waterway is arranged between the concentrate water port and the second water inlet and outlet of the reverse osmosis filter element, a second end of the drainage waterway is connected to the drain port of the water purifier, and a concentrate water control device is arranged on the drainage waterway;

The control method also includes:

When receiving an electrical signal indicating the start of water extraction or when the water purifier enters a standby state, the concentrated water control device is controlled to be cut off;

The concentrated water control device is controlled to be turned on when a second predetermined period of time has passed after receiving the electrical signal indicating the start of water intake or based on a detection signal from the second detection device.

Exemplarily, the water purifier further includes a booster pump and a return water circuit, the booster pump is arranged upstream of the reverse osmosis filter element on the main water pipeline, the first end of the return water circuit is arranged at the second water inlet and outlet, the second end of the return water circuit is connected to the water inlet of the booster pump, and a concentrated water control device is arranged on the return water circuit;

The control method also includes:

When receiving an electrical signal indicating the start of water extraction or when the water purifier enters a standby state, the concentrated water control device is controlled to be cut off;

The concentrated water control device is controlled to be turned on when a second predetermined period of time has passed after receiving the electrical signal indicating the start of water intake or based on a detection signal from the second detection device.

A series of simplified concepts are introduced in the summary of the invention, which will be further described in detail in the detailed description. The summary of the invention does not mean to attempt to define the key features and essential technical features of the claimed technical solution, nor does it mean to attempt to determine the scope of protection of the claimed technical solution.

The advantages and features of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following drawings of the present invention are used as part of the present invention for understanding the present invention. The drawings show the embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions, and are used to explain the principles of the present invention. In the drawings,

1A to 1C are schematic diagrams of water paths of water purifiers according to different exemplary embodiments of the present invention;

2 to 7 are schematic diagrams of water paths of water purifiers according to different exemplary embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a water storage device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

The above drawings include the following reference numerals:

101, water inlet; 102, water outlet; 103, drain outlet; 210, main water pipeline; 211, reverse osmosis filter element; 211a, pure water outlet; 211b, concentrated water outlet; 212, first high-pressure switch; 213, booster pump; 220, return water circuit; 221, second drain solenoid valve; 230, concentrated water utilization circuit; 240, drain water circuit; 300, water storage device; 310, first water storage chamber; 311, first water inlet and outlet; 320, second water storage chamber; 321, second water inlet and outlet; 321a, second water inlet; 321b, second water outlet ; 330, main body; 340, water-blocking member; 400, pure water circuit switching device; 401, pure water inlet; 402, first pure water outlet; 403, second pure water outlet; 410, first pure water solenoid valve; 420, second pure water solenoid valve; 430, pure water one-inlet and two-outlet solenoid valve; 500, concentrated water circuit switching device; 501, concentrated water inlet; 502, first concentrated water outlet; 503, second concentrated water outlet; 510, first drainage solenoid valve; 520, concentrated water control device; 610, water quality detector; 620, pressure sensor; 630, flow meter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, a large amount of details are provided so that the present invention can be thoroughly understood. However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the following description only exemplarily illustrates a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention can be implemented without one or more such details. In addition, in order to avoid confusion with the present invention, some technical features well known in the art are not described in detail.

In order to at least partially solve the above-mentioned technical problems caused by squeezing the water storage device with concentrated water to discharge pure water in the prior art, as shown in FIG1A , a water purifier is provided, which has a water inlet 101 and a water outlet 102. Usually, the water inlet 101 can be connected to a water source such as a municipal water pipe, and the water outlet 102 can be used to connect to a water outlet device, which can include a faucet and a pipeline machine and other equipment. The water purifier has a main water pipeline 210 connecting the water inlet 101 and the water outlet 102, and a reverse osmosis filter element 211 is arranged on the main water pipeline 210. The reverse osmosis filter element 211 is mainly used to filter the water flowing into it.

The water purifier also includes a water storage device 300. The water storage device 300 includes a first water storage chamber 310 and a second water storage chamber 320. The first water storage chamber 310 has a first water inlet and outlet 311 connected to the water outlet 102, and the second water storage chamber 320 has a second water inlet and outlet 321. The first water storage chamber 310 and the second water storage chamber 320 can change their volumes according to the water pressure in the chamber. The total volume of the first water storage chamber 310 and the second water storage chamber 320 is fixed, and the volume proportion of each can be changed according to the water pressure in the two chambers. Specifically, the water storage device 300 having this structure may include a water drive device in the prior art, etc.

The water purifier also includes a pure water waterway switching device 400. The pure water waterway switching device 400 has a pure water inlet 401, a first pure water outlet 402 and a second pure water outlet 403. The pure water waterway switching device 400 can connect the pure water inlet 401 with the first pure water outlet 402 or the second pure water outlet 403. The pure water inlet 401 is connected to the pure water port 211a of the reverse osmosis filter element 211. The first pure water outlet 402 is connected to the first water inlet and outlet 311 of the first water storage chamber 310. The second pure water outlet 403 is connected to the second water inlet and outlet 321 of the second water storage chamber 320.

The water purifier further includes a concentrated water utilization water path 230. A first end of the concentrated water utilization water path 230 is connected to the concentrated water port 211b of the reverse osmosis filter element 211, and a second end of the concentrated water utilization water path 230 is connected to the second water inlet and outlet 321 of the second water storage chamber 320. Through the concentrated water utilization water path 230, the concentrated water remaining after the reverse osmosis filter element 211 filters the raw water can enter the second water storage chamber 320 of the water storage device 300. In some examples, the concentrated water can also be discharged to the water outlet of the water purifier through the concentrated water utilization water path 230.

As shown in FIG. 1A , the second pure water outlet 403 and the second end of the concentrated water utilization water path 230 are both connected to the second water inlet and outlet 321 of the second water storage chamber 320. In this embodiment, the second water inlet and outlet 321 is a water port. Before the second pure water outlet 403 and the second end of the concentrated water utilization water path 230 are connected to the second water inlet and outlet 321, they are first connected to form a water path and then connected to the second water storage chamber 320.

Exemplarily, the second water inlet and outlet 321 may include a pure water inlet (not shown) and a concentrated water inlet (not shown), the second pure water outlet 403 of the pure water waterway switching device 400 is connected to the pure water inlet, and the concentrated water is connected to the concentrated water inlet by the second end of the waterway 230. That is, the pure water and concentrated water generated by the reverse osmosis filter element 211 are respectively connected to the second water storage chamber 320 through two independent water ports, so that the waterway setting can be simplified, the waterway interfaces can be reduced, the risk of water leakage can be reduced, and the waterway planning can be clearer and easier to maintain.

Furthermore, the water purifier is also provided with a main control device (not shown), which can be electrically connected to the pure water waterway switching device 400 to control the water purifier. Exemplarily, the main control device can also be connected to devices such as a water outlet control device and a first detection device. The water outlet control device is used to control the water outlet of the water purifier based on the user's operation. The first detection device is used to detect the parameters of the water in the waterway, such as a water quality detector, a pressure sensor or a flow meter. Thus, the action of the pure water waterway switching device 400 can be accurately controlled according to the electrical signals from these devices.

In a water purifier with this structure, the first-stage water with a high TDS and the concentrated water discharged from the concentrated water port 211b of the reverse osmosis filter element 211 can enter the second water storage chamber 320 of the water storage device 300 through the second water inlet and outlet 321, squeezing the first water storage chamber 310, so that the user first accesses the pure water in the first water storage chamber 310, thereby ensuring the user's drinking water health. The water in the first water storage chamber 310 is quickly discharged through two water flows, and the water outlet flow rate of the water outlet 102 can reach the same speed as the water flow rate flowing into the water purifier from the water inlet 101, shortening the user's water collection time and improving the user's experience.

For example, as shown in FIG1A , a concentrated water control device 520 may be provided on the concentrated water utilization water path 230. The concentrated water control device 520 may be a solenoid valve having an on and off state. The concentrated water control device 520 may control the concentrated water discharged from the reverse osmosis filter element 211 to enter the second water storage chamber 320 or be discharged to the drain port. The main control device may also be electrically connected to the concentrated water control device 520 to control the action of the concentrated water control device 520, and further control the connection state of the concentrated water utilization water path 230.

Exemplarily, the main control device may also be connected to the water outlet control device and the first detection device. When receiving an electrical signal from the water outlet control device indicating the start of water extraction or when the water purifier enters the standby state, the main control device may control the pure water inlet 401 of the pure water circuit switching device 400 to be connected to the second pure water outlet 403; and control the concentrated water control device 520 to connect the concentrated water port 211b to the second water inlet and outlet 321.

Optionally, a first high-pressure switch 212 is provided downstream of the reverse osmosis filter element 211 on the main water pipeline 210 as the aforementioned water outlet control device. The first high-pressure switch 212 is electrically connected to the main control device. The water-on and water-off actions of water outlet devices such as faucets can produce pressure changes in the main water pipeline 210. The first high-pressure switch 212 is used to transmit the pressure changes in the main water pipeline 210 to the main control device in the form of electrical signals, thereby completing the subsequent operation of the water purifier under the control of the main control device. It can be understood that in a user water extraction operation, when the user turns on the water outlet device to start extracting water, the water pressure of the water circuit where the first high-pressure switch 212 is located decreases. For this user water extraction operation, the first high-pressure switch 212 changes from open to closed for the first time. Therefore, the electrical signal of the first high-pressure switch 212 changing from open to closed received by the main control device for the first time can be used as an electrical signal indicating the start of water extraction.

The high-pressure switch can send out corresponding electrical signals according to the changes in water pressure in the pipeline. Therefore, one device can help the main control device to accurately control the various actuators of the water purifier. While ensuring that the water purifier can smoothly provide pure water to users, it also reduces the cost of the water purifier.

Alternatively, the main control device can also be used to connect an electric faucet, so that the electric faucet can be used as a water outlet control device. The electric faucet can be directly operated by the user. When the user turns on the electric faucet, the electric faucet can send an electrical signal to the main control device indicating that water extraction has started.

The main control device can also control the pure water inlet 401 of the pure water circuit switching device 400 to be connected to the first pure water outlet 402 after a first predetermined time period T1 has passed after receiving an electrical signal from the water outlet control device indicating the start of water extraction or based on a detection signal from the first detection device.

The following describes the control operation of the main control device in detail by taking the water outlet control device as the first high-voltage switch 212 as an example. It can be understood that although the first high-voltage switch is used as an example for description here, the water outlet control device can also be other control devices such as an electric control switch, and this application does not limit this.

In one example, the user opens a water outlet device such as a mechanical faucet to start taking water, and the water pressure of the water circuit where the first high-pressure switch 212 is located decreases. For this user's water taking operation, the first high-pressure switch 212 changes from open to closed for the first time. In a user's water taking operation, when the main control device receives the electrical signal that the first high-pressure switch 212 changes from open to closed for the first time, it controls the pure water inlet 401 of the pure water circuit switching device 400 to communicate with the second pure water outlet 403, and controls the concentrated water control device 520 to connect the concentrated water port 211b with the second water inlet and outlet 321. At this time, the pure water and concentrated water produced by the reverse osmosis filter element 211 will enter the second water storage chamber 320, squeeze the first water storage chamber 310, and discharge the pure water stored in the first water storage chamber 310 in advance for the user to take. It can be understood that during the period when the user just starts to take water, the pure water produced by the reverse osmosis filter element 211 is the first stage water with a higher TDS. This first stage water enters the second water storage chamber 320 without being taken by the user.

After the first predetermined time period T1 has passed since the electrical signal indicating the start of water extraction is received, it can be considered that the first water with a higher TDS in the reverse osmosis filter element 211 has all flowed into the second water storage chamber 320. At this time, the main control device controls the pure water inlet 401 of the pure water waterway switching device 400 to be connected to the first pure water outlet 402, and the pure water generated in real time by the reverse osmosis filter element 211 will be directly received by the user.

In another example, a first detection device, such as a water quality detector, a pressure sensor or a flow meter, may also be provided in the water purifier. The main control device may control the pure water circuit switching device 400 to switch the water circuit according to the detection signal sent by the first detection device, that is, control the pure water inlet 401 of the pure water circuit switching device 400 to be connected with the first pure water outlet 402, so that the user can directly access the pure water generated by the filtration of the reverse osmosis filter element 211. For the specific application of the first detection device, the above embodiment will be described in detail below.

The above-mentioned control method for the pure water water path cutting device 400 and the concentrated water control device 520 is simple and effective, and there are many types of equipment to choose from. It can be controlled by various parameters, such as time, flow, pressure, etc., which expands the scope of application.

FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the water circuit of a water purifier according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The water purifier shown in FIG2 is substantially the same as the water purifier shown in FIG1A, except that the water purifier shown in FIG2 may further include a water quality detector 610. The water quality detector 610 is used to detect the total amount of dissolved solids in the pure water produced by the reverse osmosis filter element 211. In this embodiment, the water quality detector 610 is electrically connected to the main control device to send a detection signal to the main control device as a first detection device. The detection signal sent by the water quality detector 610 to the main control device includes information about the aforementioned total amount of dissolved solids. When the total amount of dissolved solids is less than or equal to a preset total amount of dissolved solids threshold, the main control device controls the pure water circuit switching device 400 so that the pure water inlet 401 of the pure water circuit switching device 400 is connected to the first pure water outlet 402.

In one embodiment, the water quality detector 610 can detect the water quality of the water after the reverse osmosis filter element 211. If it is detected that the TDS of the water therein is higher than the standard value, the pure water inlet 401 of the pure water circuit switching device 400 is maintained in a state of being connected to the second pure water outlet 403. The above control method causes the contaminated pure water in the reverse osmosis filter element 211 to flow into the second water storage chamber 320, thereby preventing the user from receiving direct drinking water whose water quality does not meet the standard. If after a period of water production, the water quality of the water after the reverse osmosis filter element 211 meets the direct drinking water standard, the main control device controls the pure water inlet 401 of the pure water circuit switching device 400 to be connected to the first pure water outlet 402, and the user can receive direct drinking water that meets the standard.

It can be seen that by using the test results of the water quality detector 610 to control the action of the pure water channel switching device 400, it can be directly ensured that the water received by the user is direct drinking water that meets the standards. This avoids the situation where the water quality has met the standards but the user cannot directly receive the water; it also avoids the situation where the water quality does not meet the standards but the user receives the water, which affects the user experience.

Exemplarily, the water quality detector 610 may be disposed between the second pure water outlet 403 and the second water inlet and outlet 321 , or between the pure water inlet 211 a of the reverse osmosis filter element 211 and the pure water inlet 401 of the pure water waterway switching device 400 .

In one embodiment, if the water quality detector 610 is disposed between the second pure water outlet 403 and the second water inlet and outlet 321, when water intake starts, the pure water inlet 401 of the pure water circuit switching device 400 is connected to the second pure water outlet 403. Once the water quality is detected to be qualified, the pure water circuit switching device 400 connects the pure water inlet 401 to the first pure water outlet 402.

In another embodiment, if the water quality detector 610 is arranged between the pure water port 211a of the reverse osmosis filter element 211 and the pure water inlet 401 of the pure water waterway switching device 400 (as shown in FIG. 2 ), then at the beginning of water extraction, the pure water inlet 401 and the first pure water outlet 402 in the pure water waterway switching device 400 may be cut off. If the water quality is qualified, the pure water inlet 401 is kept connected to the second pure water outlet 403 or switched to be connected to the second pure water outlet 403. If the water quality is unqualified, the pure water inlet 401 is kept connected to the second pure water outlet 403. It can prevent users from receiving the first section of water that does not meet the direct drinking water standard. And there are multiple options for the location of the water quality detector 610, which is highly flexible.

FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the water circuit of a water purifier according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The water purifier shown in FIG3 is basically the same as the water purifier shown in FIG1A, except that the water purifier shown in FIG3 also includes a pressure sensor 620, and the pressure sensor 620 is used to detect the water pressure between the second pure water outlet 403 of the pure water circuit switching device 400 and the water storage device 300. In this embodiment, the pressure sensor 620 is electrically connected to the main control device to send a detection signal to the main control device as a first detection device. The detection signal includes information about the aforementioned water pressure. The main control device controls the pure water circuit switching device 400 when the water pressure is greater than or equal to a preset pressure threshold so that the pure water inlet 401 of the pure water circuit switching device 400 is connected to the first pure water outlet 402.

In one embodiment, the preset pressure threshold is P. When water is taken, the pure water inlet 401 of the pure water circuit switching device 400 is connected to the second pure water outlet 403. When the user takes water, the water first flows into the second water storage chamber 320. After a period of time, when the second water storage chamber 320 is full, the water pressure between the second pure water outlet 403 and the water storage device 300 will increase. When the water pressure reaches the preset pressure threshold P of the pressure sensor 620, the first pure water outlet 402 of the pure water circuit switching device 400 is connected to the pure water inlet 401. At this time, the user defaults that the moment when the second water storage chamber 320 is full of water is the moment when the first section of water is drained.

Due to the different water quality in different regions, the different capacities of the reverse osmosis filter element 211 and other external factors, different water purifiers or the same water purifier used in different regions will have different amounts of first-stage water. In order to prevent users from receiving direct drinking water that does not meet the standards, a second water storage chamber 320 with different volumes can be selected according to actual conditions. When the amount of unqualified first-stage water is large, a second water storage chamber 320 with a larger capacity can be selected; when the amount of unqualified first-stage water is small, a second water storage chamber 320 with a smaller capacity can be selected. The preset pressure threshold P of the pressure sensor 620 can remain unchanged. By using the pressure sensor 620 to detect the water pressure between the second pure water outlet 403 and the second water inlet and outlet 321 of the pure water waterway switching device 400 to control the conduction mode of the two waterway switching devices, the control logic of the main control device will be simple, the amount of calculation will be small, and the performance requirements of the main control device will be low.

Furthermore, the pressure sensor 620 includes a second high-pressure switch. The second high-pressure switch is disposed between the second pure water outlet 403 of the pure water channel switching device 400 and the water storage device 300. The second high-pressure switch is disconnected when the water pressure is greater than or equal to a preset pressure threshold.

The high-pressure switch is a pressure switch that changes its working state according to the pressure value in the pipeline. The high-pressure switch has two working states: open and closed. When the pressure in the pipeline is lower than the preset pressure threshold P, the second high-pressure switch will close and send a closing electrical signal to the main control device. When the pressure in the pipeline where the second high-pressure switch is located is greater than or equal to the preset pressure threshold P, the second high-pressure switch will open and send a disconnection electrical signal to the main control device. When the second high-pressure switch is opened, it means that the water in the second water storage chamber 320 is full at this moment. And the user defaults that the moment when the water in the second water storage chamber 320 is full is the moment when the first section of water is drained.

It can be seen that by arranging the high-voltage switch between the second pure water outlet 403 and the water storage device 300, the structure is simple. The high-voltage switch has a low cost and only outputs high and low levels corresponding to on and off. Therefore, the high-voltage switch transmits a small amount of data, is easier for the main control device to identify, and has a small amount of calculation.

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the water circuit of a water purifier according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The water purifier shown in Figure 4 is basically the same as the water purifier shown in Figure 1A, except that the water purifier shown in Figure 4 may include a flow meter 630 for detecting the total amount of pure water produced by the reverse osmosis filter element 211. In this embodiment, the flow meter 630 is electrically connected to the main control device to send a detection signal to the main control device as a first detection device. The detection signal includes information about the aforementioned total amount of pure water. When the total amount of pure water is greater than or equal to a preset total amount of pure water threshold, the main control device controls the pure water water circuit switching device 400 so that the pure water inlet 401 of the pure water water circuit switching device 400 is connected to the first pure water outlet 402.

The volume of the second water storage chamber 320 is greater than or equal to the aforementioned preset pure water total amount threshold. After the user turns on the faucet to take water, the water purifier starts to prepare water, and the flow meter 630 starts to accumulate the total amount of fluid flowing through it, and the pure water of the preset pure water total amount threshold all enters the second water storage chamber 320. When the total amount of fluid is equal to the preset pure water total amount threshold, the first pure water outlet 402 is connected to the pure water inlet 401. The newly prepared water of the water purifier flows to the water outlet 102.

It can be seen that the flow meter 630 directly accumulates the amount of water flowing through, and can set the total amount of pure water threshold according to the water quality conditions in different regions to control the total amount of the first section of water entering the second water storage chamber 320. This facilitates the overall control of the water purifier and ensures the quality of water used by users.

Furthermore, the flow meter 630 is arranged at the second pure water outlet 403 of the pure water circuit switching device 400, or between the pure water port 211a of the reverse osmosis filter element 211 and the pure water inlet 401 of the pure water circuit switching device 400. The application scope of the flow meter 630 is expanded, and the hardware foundation can be well prepared for the expansion of the function of the water purifier.

Exemplarily, referring to FIG. 1A , the water purifier may be provided with a drainage waterway 240. The first end of the drainage waterway 240 is provided between the concentrate outlet 211b of the reverse osmosis filter element and the second water inlet and outlet 321, and the second end of the drainage waterway 240 is connected to the drainage outlet 103 of the water purifier. A first drainage solenoid valve 510 may be provided on the drainage waterway 240. The first drainage solenoid valve 510 may be any valve having a conduction and cutoff function.

When the water purifier is storing the concentrated water generated into the second water storage chamber 320, the first drainage solenoid valve 510 can be controlled to be in a closed state to prevent the concentrated water from being directly discharged from the drain port 103. When the water outlet 102 in the water purifier discharges the pure water prepared in real time by the reverse osmosis filter element 211, the first drainage solenoid valve 510 can be controlled to be turned on, and the conduction state of the latter can be determined according to the positional relationship between the first end of the drainage waterway 240 and the concentrated water control device 520 to ensure that the concentrated water generated by the reverse osmosis filter element 211 can be smoothly discharged through the drainage waterway 240. When the water purifier is storing water in the first water storage chamber 310, the first drainage solenoid valve 510 and the concentrated water control device 520 can both be in a conducting state, connecting the second water storage chamber 320 with the drain port 103, releasing the pressure in the second water storage chamber 320, and facilitating the storage of water in the first water storage chamber 310.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1B , the second water inlet and outlet 321 includes a second water inlet 321a and a second water outlet 321b , and the first end of the drainage waterway 240 is disposed at the second water outlet 321b . Accordingly, the second end of the concentrated water utilization waterway 230 is connected to the second water inlet 321a .

It can be seen that in this way, the concentrated water utilization water channel 230 and the drainage water channel 240 can be connected to the second water storage chamber 320 through two water ports, thereby simplifying the pipeline connection between the concentrated water utilization water channel 230 and the drainage water channel 240.

In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1C , the second water inlet and outlet 321 includes a second water inlet 321a and a second water outlet 321b, the first end of the drainage waterway 240 is arranged between the concentrate water port 211b of the reverse osmosis filter element and the concentrate water control device 520, and a first drainage solenoid valve 510 is arranged on the drainage waterway 240. The concentrate water is connected to the second water inlet 321a by the second end of the waterway 230. The water purifier also includes a second drainage solenoid valve 221, which is arranged at the second water outlet 321b. The second drainage solenoid valve 221 can connect the second water storage chamber 320 to the drain port 103, and can also be connected to the water inlet 101 of the water purifier, which will be described in detail below. The second drain solenoid valve 221 may be any valve with on and off functions, and it may be in a cut-off state together with the first drain solenoid valve 510 during the process of the water purifier storing the generated concentrated water into the second water storage chamber 320, so that the pressure in the second water storage chamber 320 increases. When the water purifier is storing water in the first water storage chamber 310, the first drain solenoid valve 510 and the concentrated water control device 520 may both be in a on state, connecting the second water storage chamber 320 with the drain port 103, or the second drain solenoid valve 221 may be turned on to release the pressure in the second water storage chamber 320, or all three valves may be turned on to facilitate faster release of the pressure in the second water storage chamber 320 and rapid drainage of the water in the second water storage chamber 320.

Furthermore, the water purifier includes a booster pump 213 and a return water circuit 220. The booster pump 213 is arranged on the main water pipeline 210 and is located upstream of the reverse osmosis filter element 211. Its use and working method are well known to those skilled in the art and will not be described in detail.

The water purifier further includes a return water circuit 220. One end of the return water circuit 220 is connected to the second drainage solenoid valve 221, and the other end is connected to the water inlet of the booster pump 213. That is, the second water storage chamber 320 is connected to the main water pipeline 210 through the return water circuit 220. When the second drainage solenoid valve 221 is turned on, the water in the second water storage chamber 320 can be diverted to the water inlet of the booster pump 213, and then pressed into the reverse osmosis filter element 211 by the booster pump 213 for filtration and use, instead of being directly discharged from the water purifier.

It can be seen from this that the water purifier with the return water circuit 220 can guide the water in the second water storage chamber 320 back to the main water pipeline 210, filter it, and recycle it, thereby reducing the waste of water resources.

Exemplarily, referring to FIG. 5 , the concentrate control device 520 and the first drain solenoid valve 510 may be implemented by a concentrate water circuit switching device 500 , wherein the concentrate water circuit switching device 500 may be a one-inlet and two-outlet solenoid valve.

This type of water channel structure has a high degree of integration, fewer water channel interfaces, and can reduce the risk of water leakage.

For example, the concentrate control device 520 may also use an independent solenoid valve to realize its function. The concentrate control device 520 is not associated with the control logic of the first drain solenoid valve 510 and the second drain solenoid valve 221, and it can realize independent actions.

In this way, the control logic of the water purifier can be simplified and the risk of errors during use can be reduced.

1A . The pure water circuit switching device 400 includes a first pure water solenoid valve 410 and a second pure water solenoid valve 420 connected in parallel, wherein the first pure water solenoid valve 410 is connected between the pure water port 211a and the first water inlet and outlet 311 , and the second pure water solenoid valve 420 is connected between the pure water port 211a and the second water inlet and outlet 321 .

After the first pure water solenoid valve 410 is turned on, water can flow into the first water storage chamber 310 or flow to the water outlet 102. After the second pure water solenoid valve 420 is turned on, water can flow into the second water storage chamber 320. In order to ensure that only one flow path is in a connected state at the same time during use, a linkage device can be set between the first pure water solenoid valve 410 and the second pure water solenoid valve 420, or the solenoid valves on the two water paths can be controlled by the main control device. In this way, at a time, only one of the first pure water solenoid valve 410 and the second pure water solenoid valve 420 in the pure water water path switching device 400 is in a conducting state.

Such a water channel structure is simple to implement. Since the function of the solenoid valve is simple, the product can have higher quality, be used for a long time, and is not easy to be damaged.

In the water circuit schematic diagram shown in Figure 5, the pure water water circuit switching device 400 includes a pure water one-inlet and two-outlet solenoid valve 430, the pure water inlet 401 of the pure water one-inlet and two-outlet solenoid valve 430 is connected to the pure water port 211a, and the two water outlets of the pure water one-inlet and two-outlet solenoid valve 430 are respectively connected to the first water inlet and outlet 311 and the second water inlet and outlet 321.

In this way, the pure water channel switching device 400 only needs one component to switch between two water channels, which can simplify the water channel structure.

In the specific embodiment described above, the concentrated water control device 520 is arranged on the concentrated water utilization waterway 230. FIG6 shows a schematic diagram of the waterway of a water purifier according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG6, the concentrated water control device 520 can also be arranged on the drainage waterway 240. The first end of the drainage waterway 240 is arranged between the concentrated water port 211b of the reverse osmosis filter element 211 and the second water inlet and outlet 321, and the second end of the drainage waterway 240 is connected to the drainage port 103 of the water purifier.

The water purifier includes a drainage waterway 240 to smoothly discharge the concentrated water produced by the reverse osmosis filter element 211. A concentrated water control device 520 is provided on the drainage waterway 240 or the concentrated water utilization waterway 230 to timely control the flow direction of the discharged concentrated water, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the water purifier.

The water purifier shown in FIG6 may also include a main control device. The main control device may also be electrically connected to the concentrated water control device 520. When the main control device receives an electrical signal indicating the start of water extraction or when the water purifier enters a standby state, the concentrated water control device 520 may be controlled to be turned off. When the electrical signal indicating the start of water extraction is received or when the water purifier enters a standby state, the user has just started to extract water, and at this time, the first water storage chamber 310 of the water storage device 300 supplies water to the user. At this time, the concentrated water control device 520 on the drainage pipeline 240 may be controlled to be turned off, thereby ensuring that the pure water and concentrated water from the reverse osmosis filter element 211 can flow into the second water storage chamber 320, and then squeeze the first water storage chamber 310, so as to facilitate the user's water extraction operation, rather than being discharged to the drain outlet 103 through the concentrated water control device 520. The main control device controls the concentrated water control device 520 to be turned on after a second predetermined time period has passed after receiving the electrical signal indicating the start of water extraction or according to a detection signal from the second detection device. The second predetermined time period can be determined according to the speed at which the pure water and concentrated water of the reverse osmosis filter element 211 flow into the second water storage chamber 320 (i.e., the pure water outflow speed in the first water storage chamber 310) and the volume of the first water storage chamber 310. After receiving the electrical signal indicating the start of water extraction, the pure water in the first water storage chamber 310 is completely discharged after the second predetermined time period. At this time, the concentrated water control device 520 can be controlled to be turned on. The concentrated water control device 520 turned on at this time can have a throttling function. For example, when the concentrated water control device 520 is turned on, the throttling hole with a small diameter is opened, so that the concentrated water produced by the reverse osmosis filter element 211 can be discharged, and the water pressure of the second water storage chamber 320 will not disappear due to the opening of the concentrated water control device 520, and the pure water produced by the reverse osmosis filter element 211 will be first filled into the first water storage chamber 310. The pure water prepared in real time by the reverse osmosis filter element 211 flows to the water outlet 102 of the water purifier for the user to receive. Alternatively, the concentrated water control device 520 can also be controlled to be turned on according to the detection signal from the second detection device. The second detection device can be a flow meter or a pressure sensor. For example, the second detection device can be set at each water inlet and outlet of the water storage device to determine whether the pure water in the first water storage chamber 310 of the water storage device has been completely discharged. A person of ordinary skill in the art can understand the specific implementation method by reading the above description of the flow meter and the pressure sensor, combined with the role of the second detection device here, and for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

FIG7 shows a schematic diagram of a water circuit of a water purifier according to another specific embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG7 , the water purifier includes a booster pump 213 and a return water circuit 220. The booster pump 213 is arranged upstream of the reverse osmosis filter element 211 on the main water pipeline 210. The first end of the return water circuit 220 is arranged at the second water inlet and outlet 321, and the second end of the return water circuit 220 is connected to the water inlet of the booster pump. A concentrated water control device 520 is arranged on the return water circuit 220.

Similar to the water purifier shown in FIG6 , the water purifier shown in FIG7 may also include a main control device. The main control device may also be electrically connected to the concentrated water control device 520. The main control device may control the concentrated water control device 520 to be turned off when receiving an electrical signal indicating the start of water extraction or when the water purifier enters a standby state. As a result, only water flows into the second water storage chamber 320 of the water storage device, but no water flows out, thereby squeezing the first water storage chamber 310, so that the pure water in the first water storage chamber 310 flows out through the water outlet 102. The main control device may also control the concentrated water control device to be turned on after receiving an electrical signal indicating the start of water extraction or according to a detection signal from a second detection device. In this way, the concentrated water of the reverse osmosis filter element 211 will flow to the water inlet of the booster pump 213 through the concentrated water control device 520, and will be circulated and filtered again through the reverse osmosis filter element 211.

The above-mentioned water purifier is only provided with a concentrated water control device 520 on the return water circuit 220, which not only simplifies the water circuit and reduces the cost, but also effectively utilizes the concentrated water produced by the reverse osmosis filter element 211, thereby avoiding the waste of water resources.

Exemplarily, as shown in FIG8 , the water storage device 300 includes a body 330 and a water barrier 340. The volume of the body 330 is fixed. The water barrier 340 is disposed in the body 330 to separate the space in the body 330 into a first water storage chamber 310 and a second water storage chamber 320, and at least a portion of the water barrier 340 is made of a deformable material to change shape according to the water pressure in the first water storage chamber 310 and the second water storage chamber 320.

The water barrier 340 separates the main body 330 into two unconnected first and second water storage chambers 310 and 320. When water flows into one of the chambers, the pressure in the chamber will increase, and the water barrier 340 will be pushed by the pressure, changing its original shape.

If the water blocking member 340 is a bladder-type structure, the water in the cavity with high pressure will squeeze the water blocking member 340, causing the water blocking member 340 to deform and squeeze out the water in the cavity on the low-pressure side.

Optionally, the water barrier 340 may also be a diaphragm structure, which will protrude toward the cavity with low pressure under the action of water pressure and squeeze out the water in the cavity on the side with lower pressure.

It can be seen that, because at least a portion of the water barrier 340 is flexible and can change shape, it can be easily installed in the main body 330 and occupies a small space, making the water storage device 300 highly integrated.

The structure of the water storage device 300 is similar to the water drive device in the prior art, which is well known to those skilled in the art. It is not the subject of discussion of the present invention and will not be described in detail.

The following will describe the working process of a water purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention with reference to FIG5 . The pure water circuit switching device 400 is a one-inlet and two-outlet solenoid valve, and the concentrated water circuit switching device 500 is also a one-inlet and two-outlet solenoid valve; the two water circuit switching devices can switch between the first pure water outlet 402 and the second pure water outlet 403, and between the first concentrated water outlet 502 and the second concentrated water outlet 503 according to the electrical signal received from the first high-pressure switch; the second water storage chamber 320 is connected to the front end of the booster pump 213 through the second drainage solenoid valve 221; the water outlet device connected to the water outlet 102 is a mechanical faucet, which is arranged downstream of the first high-pressure switch 212.

The process of a user taking water from a water purifier may include two stages. The first stage is to take water from the first water storage chamber 310 of the water storage device 300, and the second stage is to directly obtain pure water produced in real time by the reverse osmosis filter element 120. The two stages are respectively the water storage device water taking stage and the water production and taking stage. In this embodiment, the two stages are divided based on the first preset time threshold T1. From the beginning of the user taking water to the first preset time threshold T1, it is the water storage device water taking stage; after reaching the first preset time threshold T1, it will enter the water production and taking stage.

There are two situations in actual use. One is that after the user turns on the faucet, the water purifier enters the water storage device water extraction stage from the standby mode. After the first preset time threshold T1 is reached, that is, after the water storage device water extraction stage ends, the faucet is still turned on, and the user continues to extract water. Then the water purifier enters the water production and extraction stage until the user finishes extracting water. After closing the faucet, the water purifier will enter the water storage stage and store water in the first water storage chamber of the water storage device. After the water storage stage is completed, the water purifier enters the standby state again.

Another situation is that after the user turns on the tap, the water purifier enters the water storage device water extraction stage from the standby state, and before the first preset time threshold T1 is reached, that is, before the water storage device water extraction stage is completed, the user turns off the tap and stops extracting water. The water purifier will directly enter the water storage stage after the first preset time threshold T1 is reached. After the water storage stage is completed, the water purifier enters the standby state again.

When the water intake time is greater than T1, in the standby state, the pure water inlet 401 of the pure water circuit switching device 400 is connected to the second pure water outlet 403, the concentrated water inlet 501 of the concentrated water circuit switching device 500 is connected to the second concentrated water outlet 503, the second drainage solenoid valve 221 is cut off, the first high-pressure switch 212 is in the disconnected state, the booster pump 213 is in the stopped state, and the first water storage chamber 310 is filled with the direct drinking water prepared last time. When the faucet is turned on, the water pressure of the pipeline where the first high-pressure switch 212 is located drops, the first high-pressure switch 212 changes from disconnected to closed for the first time, the booster pump 213 starts, and water production begins. The water purifier enters the water storage device water intake stage, and the main control device starts timing.

The prepared water and the concentrated water discharged from the reverse osmosis filter element 211 will enter the second water storage chamber 320, push the water barrier 340, and squeeze the water in the first water storage chamber 310 to flow out from the faucet. At this time, the user receives the direct drinking water pre-stored in the first water storage chamber 310 in the last water production cycle.

When the time reaches T1, the main control device connects the pure water inlet 401 of the pure water circuit switching device 400 with the first pure water outlet 402, and connects the concentrated water inlet 501 of the concentrated water circuit switching device 500 with the first concentrated water outlet 502. The water purifier enters the water preparation and water intake stage. At this time, the water received by the user will be directly prepared by the reverse osmosis filter element 211.

Until the user stops taking water and turns off the faucet, the pressure in the pipeline where the first high-pressure switch 212 is located increases, and the first high-pressure switch 212 will change from closed to open for the first time. After the main control device receives the electrical signal that the first high-pressure switch 212 changes from closed to open for the first time, it will control the second drainage solenoid valve 221 to switch to the on state. The pressure in the second water storage chamber 320 will be released, and then the pressure in the pipeline where the first high-pressure switch 212 is located will be released, and the first high-pressure switch 212 will change from open to closed for the second time. At this time, the water purifier enters the water storage stage. The newly prepared water will be stored in the first water storage chamber 310 and will be used the next time the user turns on the faucet.

When the water in the first water storage chamber 310 is full, the pressure of the pipeline where the first high-pressure switch 212 is located will increase again, and the first high-pressure switch 212 will change from closed to open for the second time. The second drainage solenoid valve 221 is disconnected and changed to the cut-off state, and the pure water inlet 401 of the pure water waterway switching device 400 is connected to the second pure water outlet 403 again. The concentrated water inlet 501 of the concentrated water waterway switching device 500 is connected to the second concentrated water outlet 503 again. The booster pump 213 stops working. The water purifier enters the standby state.

This completes a working cycle of the water purifier.

There is another working situation, that is, the user stops fetching water before the time reaches the first preset time threshold T1.

In the standby state, the pure water inlet 401 of the pure water circuit switching device 400 is connected to the second pure water outlet 403, the concentrated water inlet 501 of the concentrated water circuit switching device 500 is connected to the second concentrated water outlet 503, the second drainage solenoid valve 221 is cut off, the first high-pressure switch 212 is in the disconnected state, the booster pump 213 is in the stopped state, and the first water storage chamber 310 is filled with the direct drinking water prepared last time. When the faucet is turned on, the first high-pressure switch 212 changes from disconnected to closed for the first time, the booster pump 213 starts, and water production begins. The water purifier enters the water storage device water extraction stage, and the main control device starts timing. The prepared water and the concentrated water discharged from the reverse osmosis filter element 211 will enter the second water storage chamber 320, push the water barrier 340, and squeeze the water in the first water storage chamber 310 out of the faucet. At this time, the user receives the direct drinking water pre-stored in the first water storage chamber 310 in the last water production cycle.

Before the time reaches the first preset time threshold T1, the user stops drawing water. After closing the faucet, since the booster pump 213 is still producing water to the second water storage chamber 320, the pressure of the first water storage chamber 310 will increase, and then the first high-pressure switch 212 will change from closed to open for the first time. After the main control device receives the signal that the first high-pressure switch 212 changes from closed to open for the first time, it will control the second drain solenoid valve 221 to switch to the on state. At this time, the pure water waterway switching device 400 and the concentrated water waterway switching device 500 still maintain the existing connected state, and the second drain solenoid valve 221 is turned on. The newly prepared water will flow to the front end of the booster pump 213 through the second drain solenoid valve 221 to be filtered again through the reverse osmosis filter element 211.

When the time reaches the first preset time threshold T1, the main control device will control the pure water inlet 401 of the pure water circuit switching device 400 to disconnect from the second pure water outlet 403 and connect to the first pure water outlet 402, and control the concentrated water inlet 501 of the concentrated water circuit switching device 500 to disconnect from the second concentrated water outlet 503 and connect to the first concentrated water outlet 502. The water purifier enters the water storage stage. The water prepared by the water purifier will enter the first water storage chamber 310 through the first pure water outlet 402. The first water storage chamber 310 will push the water barrier 340 to squeeze the water in the second water storage chamber 320 into the front end of the booster pump 213 for re-filtration. The concentrated water discharged by the reverse osmosis filter element is discharged through the drain port 103. Since the second drain solenoid valve 221 is still in the on state at this time, and the drainage capacity of the second drain solenoid valve 221 is greater than the water intake capacity of the first water inlet and outlet 311, the pressure of the pipeline where the first high-pressure switch 212 is located is reduced. The first high-voltage switch 212 changes from being open to being closed for the second time.

When the water in the first water storage chamber 310 is full, the first high-pressure switch 212 is switched from closed to open for the second time. The second drain solenoid valve 221 is disconnected and switched to the cut-off state, and the pure water inlet 401 of the pure water circuit switching device 400 is connected to the second pure water outlet 403 again. The concentrated water inlet 501 of the concentrated water circuit switching device 500 is connected to the second concentrated water outlet 503 again. And the booster pump 213 stops working. The water purifier enters the standby state.

Another working cycle of the water purifier ends like this.

It can be understood that although in the above embodiment, when the water purifier enters the standby state, the main control device controls the second drain solenoid valve 221 to close, controls the pure water inlet 401 of the pure water circuit switching device 400 to be connected with the second pure water outlet 403 again, and controls the concentrated water inlet 501 of the concentrated water circuit switching device 500 to be connected with the second concentrated water outlet 503. However, the above operation can also be performed when the user starts to take water, that is, when the electrical signal of the first high-pressure switch 212 changing from open to closed is received for the first time, rather than when the water purifier enters the standby state as in this embodiment.

In addition, although this embodiment shows that the action of the two water path switching devices is controlled only according to the electrical signal of the first high-pressure switch 212, as before, the action of the two water path switching devices can also be controlled based on both the first high-pressure switch 212 and the detection signal of the first detection device.

In the above embodiment, the main control device controls the conduction and disconnection of the second drainage solenoid valve 221 based on the first high-pressure switch 212, which can simplify the control logic of the water purifier and realize automatic water storage and drainage of the first water storage chamber 310 and the second water storage chamber 320, thereby realizing its function in the water purifier.

The first preset time threshold T1 can be equal to or greater than the time required for the reverse osmosis filter element 211 to discharge the first stage of water with a higher TDS. At the same time, the volume of the first water storage chamber 310 must be greater than the total amount of pure water produced by the reverse osmosis filter element 211 within the first preset time threshold T1. In this way, it can be ensured that when all the water in the first water storage chamber 310 is taken by the user or before that, the water purifier changes from the water storage device water extraction stage to the water production and extraction stage. Avoid the problem that the water in the first water storage chamber 310 has been completely taken while the water purifier is still in the water storage device water extraction stage, resulting in no water flowing out of the water purifier, which affects the user experience.

The method of controlling the pure water circuit switching device 400 and the concentrated water circuit switching device 500 by the time threshold in the above embodiment can also be controlled by the water flow pressure, flow rate and water quality test results mentioned above. Similarly, if the water storage device water intake stage and water production water intake stage are determined according to the flow rate, the volume of the first water storage chamber 310 can be equal to or greater than the preset flow threshold, so that after the water of the preset flow threshold enters the second water storage chamber 320, enough water can be squeezed out of the first water storage chamber 310.

In the above embodiment, the working process of the water purifier is described with the water purifier shown in Figure 5. Those skilled in the art can understand the working process of these water purifiers by combining this description and the aforementioned description of the water purifiers in other embodiments. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a control method for the above-mentioned water purifier is also provided. As mentioned above, a reverse osmosis filter element 211 is provided in the water purifier; the water purifier also includes a water storage device 300, the water storage device 300 includes a first water storage chamber 310 and a second water storage chamber 320, the first water storage chamber 310 has a first water inlet and outlet 311 connected to the water outlet 102, the second water storage chamber 320 has a second water inlet and outlet 321, and the first water storage chamber 310 and the second water storage chamber 320 can change their volumes according to the water pressure in the chamber; the water purifier also includes a pure water waterway switching device 400, the pure water waterway switching device 400 has a pure water inlet 401, a first pure water outlet 402 and a second pure water outlet 403. Outlet 403, the pure water waterway switching device 400 can connect the pure water inlet 401 with the first pure water outlet 402 or the second pure water outlet 403, the pure water inlet 401 is connected to the pure water inlet 211a of the reverse osmosis filter element 211, the first pure water outlet 402 is connected to the first water inlet and outlet 311, and the second pure water outlet 403 is connected to the second water inlet and outlet 321; the water purifier also includes a concentrated water utilization waterway 230, the first end of the concentrated water utilization waterway 230 is connected to the concentrated water inlet 211b of the reverse osmosis filter element 211, and the second end of the concentrated water utilization waterway 230 is connected to the second water inlet and outlet 321.

The control method includes: controlling the pure water inlet 401 of the pure water channel switching device 400 to be connected to the first pure water outlet 402 or the second pure water outlet 403 according to the electrical signal indicating the start of water extraction received from the water outlet control device or the detection signal received from the first detection device.

In the above water purifier, the pure water circuit switching device 400 can be controlled according to the electrical signal indicating the start of water extraction or the detection signal sent by the first detection device to control the connection state of the water circuit in the water purifier. In this way, the first water with a high TDS discharged from the pure water port 211a of the reverse osmosis filter element 211 and the concentrated water discharged from its concentrated water port 211b can be controlled to flow into the second water storage chamber 320 of the water storage device 300, squeezing the first water storage chamber 310, thereby ensuring the user's drinking speed and quality.

Exemplarily, the step of controlling the pure water inlet 401 of the pure water channel switching device 400 to be connected to the first pure water outlet 402 or the second pure water outlet 403 includes:

The first control step: when receiving an electrical signal indicating the start of water extraction or when the water purifier enters a standby state, controlling the pure water inlet 401 of the pure water channel switching device 400 to communicate with the second pure water outlet 403;

The second control step: after receiving the electrical signal indicating the start of water extraction, when a first predetermined time period has passed or when a detection signal is received from the first detection device, the pure water inlet 401 of the pure water channel switching device 400 is controlled to be connected to the first pure water outlet 402.

The process of a user taking water from a water purifier may include two stages: the water storage device water taking stage and the water production and taking stage. The first control step ensures that when the water purifier is in the water storage device water taking stage, the pure water produced by the reverse osmosis filter element 211 enters the second water storage chamber 320 of the water storage device 300 via the pure water waterway switching device 400, and the concentrated water generated by the reverse osmosis filter element 211 can also enter the second water storage chamber 320 of the water storage device 300. Due to the squeezing effect of the second water storage chamber 320 on the first water storage chamber 310, the user can smoothly obtain the previously produced pure water from the first water storage chamber 310 of the water storage device 300. The second control step enables the pure water produced by the reverse osmosis filter element 211 to enter the water outlet 102 of the water purifier via the pure water waterway switching device 400 during the water production and taking stage of the water purifier, thereby ensuring that the user obtains the pure water generated in real time by the reverse osmosis filter element 211.

Exemplarily, a concentrate water control device 520 is provided on the concentrate water utilization water path 230. The water purifier further includes a drainage water path 240 provided with a first drainage solenoid valve 510, a first end of the drainage water path 240 is provided between the concentrate water port 211b of the reverse osmosis filter element 211 and the concentrate water control device 520, and a second end of the drainage water path 240 is connected to the drainage port 103 of the water purifier.

For the above-mentioned water purifier, the control method further includes: when receiving an electrical signal indicating the start of water extraction or when the water purifier enters a standby state, controlling the concentrated water control device 520 to be turned on and controlling the first drainage solenoid valve 510 to be turned off. When a second predetermined time period has passed after receiving the electrical signal indicating the start of water extraction, controlling the concentrated water control device 520 to cut off the concentrated water port 211b and the second water inlet and outlet 321. The second predetermined time period is greater than or equal to the first predetermined time period. When controlling the concentrated water control device 520 to cut off the concentrated water port 211b and the second water inlet and outlet 321, controlling the first drainage solenoid valve 510 to be turned on.

In one example, when receiving an electrical signal indicating the start of water extraction or when the water purifier enters a standby state, the water purifier enters the water extraction stage of the water storage device. The concentrated water control device 520 is controlled to be turned on and the first drainage solenoid valve 510 is controlled to be cut off so that the concentrated water generated by the reverse osmosis filter element 211 can also enter the second water storage chamber 320 of the water storage device 300, thereby ensuring that the second water storage chamber 320 squeezes the first water storage chamber 310. After receiving the electrical signal indicating the start of water extraction and after a first predetermined time period, the water purifier enters the water production and extraction stage. In this stage, it is no longer necessary to use the pressure in the second water storage chamber 320 of the water storage device 300 to squeeze its first water storage chamber 310. At this time or later, the concentrated water port 211b of the reverse osmosis filter element 211 and the second water inlet and outlet 321 of the water storage device 300 can be cut off, so that the concentrated water of the reverse osmosis filter element 211 is discharged to the drainage port 103 through the first drainage solenoid valve 510. Thus, it is ensured that the pressure in the second water storage chamber 320 in the water storage device 300 does not decrease, thereby ensuring that all the pure water filtered by the reverse osmosis filter element 211 in real time is obtained by the user through the water outlet 102 instead of flowing into the first water storage chamber 310 of the water storage device 300. This setting can make the direction of the water flow in the water purifier more clear and ensure the water outlet speed of the water purifier.

Exemplarily, a first high-pressure switch 212 is arranged downstream of the reverse osmosis filter element 211, and the second water inlet and outlet 321 includes a second water inlet 321a and a second water outlet 321b; the concentrated water is connected to the second water inlet and outlet 321 using the second end of the water path 230; the water purifier also includes a second drain solenoid valve 221, and the second drain solenoid valve 221 is arranged at the second water outlet 321b.

The above control method also includes:

The third control step: when the electrical signal indicating the start of water extraction is received for the first time or when the water purifier enters the standby state, the second drainage solenoid valve 221 is controlled to be turned off;

Fourth control step: when the electrical signal indicating that the first high-voltage switch 212 changes from closed to open is received for the first time, the second drain solenoid valve 221 is controlled to be turned on.

The third control step ensures that the pressure in the second water storage chamber 320 of the water storage device 300 can continue to rise during the water storage device water extraction stage, smoothly squeezing the first water storage chamber 310, so that the user can obtain the pure water in the first water storage chamber 310. When the first high-voltage switch 212 is received for the first time, the electric signal from closed to open is changed, the water purifier enters the water storage stage and starts to store water for the first water storage chamber 310 of the water storage device 300. The fourth control step enables the second water storage chamber 320 of the water storage device 300 to release pressure, so that the first water storage chamber 310 can store water smoothly.

Exemplarily, the water purifier further includes a drainage waterway 240, a first end of which is disposed between the concentrate outlet 211b of the reverse osmosis filter element 211 and the second water inlet and outlet 321, and a second end of the drainage waterway 240 is connected to the drain outlet 103 of the water purifier. A concentrate water control device 520 is disposed on the drainage waterway 240. The control method further includes:

The fifth control step: when receiving the electrical signal indicating the start of water extraction or when the water purifier enters the standby state, the concentrated water control device 520 is controlled to be turned off.

Sixth control step: when a second predetermined period of time has passed after receiving the electrical signal indicating the start of water intake or according to the detection signal from the second detection device, the concentrated water control device 520 is controlled to be turned on.

The fifth control step ensures that when the water purifier is in the water storage device water intake stage, the water entering the water storage device 300 does not flow out, thereby ensuring the squeezing effect of the second water storage chamber 320 on the first water storage chamber 310, and the user can smoothly obtain the previously prepared pure water from the first water storage chamber 310 of the water storage device 300. The sixth control step enables the water purifier to prepare pure water in real time after the pure water in the first water storage chamber 310 is drained, and the prepared pure water flows to the water outlet 102 of the water purifier for the user to take. In addition, it also avoids the difficulty of water storage caused by the inability to smoothly discharge concentrated water during the water storage stage of the water purifier.

Exemplarily, the water purifier further includes a booster pump 213 and a return water circuit 220. The booster pump 213 is arranged upstream of the reverse osmosis filter element 211 on the main water pipeline 210, the first end of the return water circuit 220 is arranged at the second water inlet and outlet 321, and the second end of the return water circuit 220 is connected to the water inlet of the booster pump 213. A concentrated water control device 520 is arranged on the return water circuit 220.

The control method also includes:

The seventh control step: when receiving the electrical signal indicating the start of water extraction or when the water purifier enters the standby state, the concentrated water control device 520 is controlled to be turned off.

The eighth control step: when a second predetermined period of time has passed after receiving the electrical signal indicating the start of water intake or according to the detection signal from the second detection device, the concentrated water control device 520 is controlled to be turned on.

In combination with the fifth control step and the sixth control step, the specific implementation and beneficial effects of the two control steps here can be understood. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

Exemplarily, the water purifier further includes a water quality detector 610, which is used to detect the total amount of dissolved solids in the pure water produced by the reverse osmosis filter element 211.

The control method also includes:

Receive a detection signal from the water quality detector 610;

Determine whether the total amount of dissolved solids is greater than a preset total amount of dissolved solids threshold value according to the detection signal, so as to control the pure water inlet 401 of the pure water path switching device 400 to be connected with the first pure water outlet 402 when the total amount of dissolved solids is less than or equal to the preset total amount of dissolved solids threshold value.

Exemplarily, the water purifier further includes a pressure sensor 620 for detecting the water pressure between the second pure water outlet 403 of the pure water waterway switching device 400 and the water storage device 300.

The control method further includes: receiving a detection signal from a pressure sensor to control the pure water inlet 401 of the pure water channel switching device 400 to communicate with the first pure water outlet 402 when the water pressure is greater than or equal to a preset pressure threshold.

Exemplarily, the water purifier further includes a flow meter 630 for detecting the total amount of pure water produced by the reverse osmosis filter element 211;

The control method also includes:

Receive a detection signal from the flow meter 630;

Determine whether the total amount of pure water is less than the preset total amount of pure water threshold according to the detection signal, so as to control the pure water inlet 401 of the pure water path switching device 400 to be connected with the first pure water outlet 402 when the total amount of pure water is greater than or equal to the preset total amount of pure water threshold.

The specific working process of the water purifier including the water quality detector 610, the pressure sensor 620 and the flow meter 630 has been described in detail above in conjunction with Figures 2 to 4, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

A person of ordinary skill in the art can understand the various steps of the control method for a water purifier and the technical effects of each implementation scheme by reading the above description of the water purifier with reference to the accompanying drawings. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by directional words such as "front", "back", "up", "down", "left", "right", "lateral", "vertical", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", etc. is usually based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description. Unless otherwise specified, these directional words do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention; the directional words "inside" and "outside" refer to the inside and outside relative to the contour of each component itself.

For ease of description, spatially relative terms such as "above", "above", "on the upper surface of", "above", etc. may be used here to describe the spatial positional relationship between one or more components or features shown in the figure and other components or features. It should be understood that spatially relative terms include not only the orientation of the components as described in the figure, but also different orientations in use or operation. For example, if the components in the accompanying drawings are inverted as a whole, the components "above other components or features" or "above other components or features" will include the situation where the components are "below other components or structures" or "below other components or structures". Therefore, the exemplary term "above" may include both "above" and "below". In addition, these components or features may also be positioned at other different angles (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or other angles), and this article is intended to include all of these situations.

It should be noted that the terms used herein are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to the present application. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is also intended to include the plural form. In addition, it should be understood that when the terms "comprise" and/or "include" are used in this specification, it indicates the presence of features, steps, operations, parts, components and/or combinations thereof.

It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present application and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the numbers used in this way can be interchanged where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the present application described herein can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein.

The present invention has been described by the above embodiments, but it should be understood that the above embodiments are only for the purpose of example and description, and are not intended to limit the present invention to the scope of the described embodiments. In addition, it can be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and more variations and modifications can be made according to the teachings of the present invention, and these variations and modifications all fall within the scope of the protection claimed by the present invention. The protection scope of the present invention is defined by the attached claims and their equivalents.

Claims (27)

1. A water purifier comprising a main water line (210) connected to a water outlet (102) of the water purifier, the main water line being provided with a reverse osmosis cartridge (211); the water purifier further comprises a water storage device (300), the water storage device comprises a first water storage cavity (310) and a second water storage cavity (320), the first water storage cavity is provided with a first water inlet and outlet (311) communicated to the water outlet, the second water storage cavity is provided with a second water inlet and outlet (321), and the volumes of the first water storage cavity and the second water storage cavity can be changed according to the water pressure in the cavities;

The water purifier is characterized by further comprising a pure water waterway switching device (400), wherein the pure water waterway switching device is provided with a pure water inlet (401), a first pure water outlet (402) and a second pure water outlet (403), the pure water waterway switching device can enable the pure water inlet to be communicated with the first pure water outlet or the second pure water outlet, the pure water inlet is communicated with a pure water port (211 a) of the reverse osmosis filter element, the first pure water outlet is communicated with the first water inlet and outlet, and the second pure water outlet is communicated with the second water inlet and outlet;

The water purifier further comprises a concentrated water utilization waterway (230), a first end of the concentrated water utilization waterway is communicated with a concentrated water port (211 b) of the reverse osmosis filter element, and a second end of the concentrated water utilization waterway is communicated with the second water inlet and outlet;

The water purifier further comprises a main control device electrically connected with the pure water channel switching device, wherein the main control device controls the pure water inlet (401) of the pure water channel switching device (400) to be communicated with the second pure water outlet (403) when receiving an electric signal indicating that water intake starts from a water outlet control device or when the water purifier enters a standby state; and when a first preset time period passes after receiving the electric signal representing the start of water intake or according to a detection signal from a first detection device, controlling the pure water inlet of the pure water waterway switching device to be communicated with the first pure water outlet (402), wherein the first detection device is used for detecting the parameters of water in the waterway so as to control the action of the pure water waterway switching device according to the detected parameters of the water.

2. The water purifier according to claim 1, characterized in that a first high-voltage switch (212) is arranged on the main water pipeline (210) downstream of the reverse osmosis filter element (211), and the first high-voltage switch is electrically connected with the main control device to serve as the water outlet control device.

3. The water purifier according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first detection means is a water quality detector (610) for detecting a total amount of dissolved solids of the pure water produced by the reverse osmosis cartridge (211), the water quality detector being electrically connected to the main control means, the detection signal including information of the total amount of dissolved solids, the main control means controlling the pure water waterway switching means (400) such that the pure water inlet (401) of the pure water waterway switching means communicates with the first pure water outlet (402) when the total amount of dissolved solids is less than or equal to a preset total amount of dissolved solids threshold.

4. A water purifier as claimed in claim 3, wherein the water quality detector (610) is disposed between the second pure water outlet (403) to the second water inlet/outlet (321) or between the pure water port (211 a) of the reverse osmosis cartridge (211) and the pure water inlet (401) of the pure water waterway switching device (400).

5. The water purifier according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first detection means is a pressure sensor (620) for detecting a water pressure between the second pure water outlet (403) of the pure water waterway switching device (400) and the water storage device (300), the pressure sensor being electrically connected to the main control means, the detection signal including information of the water pressure, and the main control means controlling the pure water waterway switching device such that the pure water inlet (401) of the pure water waterway switching device communicates with the first pure water outlet (402) when the water pressure is greater than or equal to a preset pressure threshold.

6. The water purifier of claim 5, wherein the pressure sensor (620) comprises a second high-voltage switch, the second high-voltage switch being disposed between the second purified water outlet (403) of the purified water waterway switching device (400) and the water storage device (300), the second high-voltage switch being turned off when the water pressure is greater than or equal to a preset pressure threshold.

7. The water purifier according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first detection means is a flow meter (630) for detecting the total amount of pure water produced by the reverse osmosis filter element (211), the flow meter is electrically connected to the main control means, the detection signal includes information of the total amount of pure water, and the main control means controls the pure water waterway switching means (400) so that the pure water inlet (401) of the pure water waterway switching means communicates with the first pure water outlet (402) when the total amount of pure water is greater than or equal to a preset total amount of pure water threshold value.

8. The water purifier according to claim 7, wherein the flow meter (630) is provided at the second pure water outlet (403) of the pure water waterway switching device (400) or between the pure water port (211 a) of the reverse osmosis cartridge (211) and a pure water inlet (401) of the pure water waterway switching device.

9. The water purifier according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a water drainage channel (240), wherein a first end of the water drainage channel is arranged between the water concentration port (211 b) of the reverse osmosis filter element (211) and the second water inlet/outlet port (321), a second end of the water drainage channel is connected to the water outlet port (103) of the water purifier, and a concentrate control device (520) is arranged on the water drainage channel or the concentrate utilization channel (230).

10. The water purifier of claim 9, wherein the concentrate control device (520) is disposed on the concentrate utilization waterway (230), and the drain waterway (240) is provided with a first drain solenoid valve (510).

11. The water purifier of claim 10, wherein the second water inlet/outlet (321) comprises a second water inlet (321 a) and a second water outlet (321 b);

the first end of the drainage waterway (240) is arranged between a concentrated water port (211 b) of the reverse osmosis filter element (211) and the concentrated water control device (520);

the second end of the concentrated water utilization waterway (230) is communicated with the second water inlet;

the water purifier further comprises a second drainage electromagnetic valve (221), and the second drainage electromagnetic valve is arranged at the second water outlet.

12. The water purifier of claim 11, further comprising a booster pump (213) disposed upstream of the reverse osmosis cartridge (211) on the main water line (210), and a return water path (220) having one end connected to the second water discharge solenoid valve (221) and the other end connected to a water inlet of the booster pump.

13. The water purifier of claim 10, wherein the concentrate control device (520) and the first drain solenoid valve (510) are implemented with a concentrate waterway switching device (500).

14. The water purifier of claim 9, wherein the concentrate control means (520) is implemented with a separate solenoid valve.

15. The water purifier according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a booster pump (213) and a backwater water channel (220), the booster pump being arranged upstream of the reverse osmosis filter element (211) on the main water pipeline (210), a first end of the backwater water channel being arranged at the second water inlet/outlet (321), a second end of the backwater water channel being connected to a water inlet of the booster pump, the backwater water channel being provided with a concentrate control device (520).

16. The water purifier according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the purified water waterway switching device (400) includes a first purified water solenoid valve (410) and a second purified water solenoid valve (420) connected in parallel, the first purified water solenoid valve being communicated between the purified water port (211 a) and the first water inlet/outlet (311), the second purified water solenoid valve being communicated between the purified water port and the second water inlet/outlet (321).

17. The water purifier as recited in claim 1 or 2, wherein the purified water waterway switching device (400) comprises a purified water one-inlet-two-outlet solenoid valve (430), a water inlet of the purified water one-inlet-two-outlet solenoid valve is communicated with the purified water port (211 a), and two water outlets of the purified water one-inlet-two-outlet solenoid valve are respectively communicated with the first water inlet-outlet port (311) and the second water inlet-outlet port (321).

18. The water purifier according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the water storage device (300) comprises a body (330) and a water barrier (340), the volume of the body being fixed, the water barrier being arranged within the body to divide the space within the body into the first water storage chamber (310) and the second water storage chamber (320), at least a portion of the water barrier being made of a deformable material to change shape in accordance with the water pressure within the first water storage chamber and the second water storage chamber.

19. The water purifier according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second water inlet/outlet (321) comprises a pure water inlet and a concentrate water inlet;

the second pure water outlet (403) of the pure water waterway switching device (400) is communicated with the pure water inlet;

The concentrate is communicated to the concentrate inlet by a second end of a waterway (230).

20. A control method for a water purifier, characterized in that a reverse osmosis filter element (211) is arranged in the water purifier; the water purifier further comprises a water storage device (300), the water storage device comprises a first water storage cavity (310) and a second water storage cavity (320), the first water storage cavity is provided with a first water inlet and outlet (311) communicated to a water outlet (102) of the water purifier, the second water storage cavity is provided with a second water inlet and outlet (321), and the volumes of the first water storage cavity and the second water storage cavity can be changed according to the water pressure in the cavities; the water purifier further comprises a pure water waterway switching device (400), wherein the pure water waterway switching device is provided with a pure water inlet (401), a first pure water outlet (402) and a second pure water outlet (403), the pure water waterway switching device can enable the pure water inlet to be communicated with the first pure water outlet or the second pure water outlet, the pure water inlet is communicated with a pure water port (211 a) of the reverse osmosis filter element, the first pure water outlet is communicated with the first water inlet and outlet, and the second pure water outlet is communicated with the second water inlet and outlet; the water purifier further comprises a concentrated water utilization waterway (230), a first end of the concentrated water utilization waterway is communicated with a concentrated water port (211 b) of the reverse osmosis filter element, and a second end of the concentrated water utilization waterway is communicated with the second water inlet and outlet;

The control method comprises the following steps:

Controlling the pure water inlet of the pure water waterway switching device to be communicated with the first pure water outlet or the second pure water outlet according to an electric signal indicating that water intake starts received from the water outlet control device or a detection signal received from the first detection device; wherein the pure water inlet (401) of the pure water waterway switching device (400) is controlled to communicate with the second pure water outlet (403) when the electric signal indicating the start of water intake is received or when the water purifier enters a standby state; controlling the pure water inlet of the pure water waterway switching device to communicate with the first pure water outlet (402) when a first predetermined period of time elapses after receiving the electric signal indicating start of water intake or according to the detection signal; the first detection device is used for detecting parameters of water in the waterway so as to control the action of the pure water waterway switching device according to the detected parameters of the water.

21. The control method according to claim 20, wherein a concentrate control device (520) is provided on the concentrate utilization waterway (230), the water purifier further comprises a drain waterway (240) provided with a first drain solenoid valve (510), a first end of the drain waterway is provided between a concentrate port (211 b) of the reverse osmosis cartridge (211) and the concentrate control device (520), and a second end of the drain waterway is connected to a drain port (103) of the water purifier;

The control method further includes:

when the electric signal representing the start of water intake is received or the water purifier enters a standby state, the concentrated water control device is controlled to be conducted and the first water discharge electromagnetic valve is controlled to be cut off;

Controlling the concentrate control device to be turned off when a second predetermined period of time passes after receiving the electric signal indicating the start of water intake, the second predetermined period of time being greater than or equal to the first predetermined period of time;

And when the concentrated water control device is controlled to be cut off, the first water discharge electromagnetic valve is controlled to be switched on.

22. A control method according to claim 21, characterized in that a first high-pressure switch (212) is arranged downstream of the reverse osmosis cartridge (211), the second water inlet/outlet (321) comprising a second water inlet (321 a) and a second water outlet (321 b); the second end of the concentrated water utilization waterway (230) is communicated with the second water inlet; the water purifier further comprises a second drainage electromagnetic valve (221), and the second drainage electromagnetic valve is arranged at the second water outlet;

The control method further includes:

when the electric signal representing the start of water intake is received or the water purifier enters a standby state, the second water discharge electromagnetic valve is controlled to be cut off;

and when the first electric signal from the closed state to the open state of the first high-voltage switch is received for the first time, controlling the second water discharge electromagnetic valve to be conducted.

23. The control method according to any one of claims 20 to 22, wherein the first detection means is a water quality detector (610) for detecting a total amount of dissolved solids of pure water produced by the reverse osmosis cartridge (211),

The control method further includes:

Receiving the detection signal from the water quality monitor, the detection signal including information of the total amount of dissolved solids;

determining whether the total amount of soluble solids is greater than a preset total amount of soluble solids threshold according to the detection signal, so as to control the pure water inlet (401) of the pure water waterway switching device (400) to be communicated with the first pure water outlet (402) when the total amount of soluble solids is less than or equal to the preset total amount of soluble solids threshold.

24. The control method according to any one of claims 20 to 22, wherein the first detection means is a pressure sensor (620) for detecting a water pressure between the second pure water outlet (403) of the pure water waterway switching means (400) and the water storage means (300),

The control method further includes:

Receiving the detection signal from the pressure sensor, the detection signal including information of the water pressure;

And determining whether the water pressure is greater than or equal to a preset pressure threshold according to the detection signal so as to control the pure water inlet (401) of the pure water waterway switching device to be communicated with the first pure water outlet (402) when the water pressure is greater than or equal to the preset pressure threshold.

25. A control method according to any one of claims 20 to 22, wherein said first detection means is a flow meter (630) for detecting the total amount of pure water produced by said reverse osmosis cartridge (211);

The control method further includes:

receiving the detection signal from the flow meter, the detection signal including information of the total amount of pure water;

Determining whether the total amount of pure water is smaller than a preset total amount of pure water threshold according to the detection signal, so as to control the pure water inlet (401) of the pure water waterway switching device (400) to be communicated with the first pure water outlet (402) when the total amount of pure water is larger than or equal to the preset total amount of pure water threshold.

26. The control method according to claim 20, wherein the water purifier further comprises a water drain channel (240), a first end of which is arranged between a concentrate inlet (211 b) of the reverse osmosis cartridge (211) and the second water inlet/outlet (321), a second end of which is connected to a water outlet (103) of the water purifier, the water drain channel being provided with a concentrate control device (520);

The control method further includes:

when the electric signal representing the start of water intake is received or the water purifier enters a standby state, the concentrated water control device is controlled to be cut off;

And controlling the concentrated water control device to be conducted when a second preset time period passes after the electric signal representing the start of water intake is received or according to a detection signal from a second detection device, wherein the second detection device is arranged at one or more positions in a water inlet and a water outlet of the water storage device so as to determine whether pure water in the first water storage cavity of the water storage device is completely discharged.

27. The control method according to claim 20, wherein the water purifier further comprises a booster pump (213) and a return water channel (220), the booster pump being arranged upstream of the reverse osmosis cartridge (211) on a main water pipeline (210), a first end of the return water channel being arranged at the second water inlet/outlet (321), a second end of the return water channel being connected to a water inlet of the booster pump, the return water channel being provided with a concentrate control device (520);

The control method further includes:

when the electric signal representing the start of water intake is received or the water purifier enters a standby state, the concentrated water control device is controlled to be cut off;

And controlling the concentrated water control device to be conducted when a second preset time period passes after the electric signal representing the start of water taking is received or according to a detection signal from a second detection device, wherein the second detection device is arranged at one or more positions in a water inlet and a water outlet of the water storage device so as to determine whether pure water in the first water storage cavity of the water storage device is completely discharged.