JP2001246382A - Water treatment device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a home water treatment device which allows pH control without providing the device with a pH sensor or the like, and has good operability and high cost performance and whose intervals of electrode cleaning gets longer. SOLUTION: This water treatment device is capable of forming alkaline water acidic water by electrolyzing water within an electrolytic cell 7 formed by segmenting an anode electrode 70 and a cathode electrode 71 to each other by a diaphragm 72. when the water is electrolyzed by impressing forward voltage to the electrodes 70 and 71 of the device described above, electrode cleaning is made possible under electrolysis by impressing backward voltage pulse of a short time to the electrodes at specified periods. Even more, an off time T1 to stop the impression is disposed just before switching of the forward and backward voltage impression.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a water treatment apparatus provided with an electrolyzed water generator for producing alkaline water as drinking water and acidic water as sanitary water for sterilization and disinfection.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a water treatment apparatus of this kind, alkaline water (alkaline ion water) suitable for drinking is obtained by electrolyzing water in an electrolytic cell in which a positive electrode and a negative electrode are partitioned by a diaphragm. There is an ion water generator which has an effect of tightening the skin and can selectively generate weakly acidic water (astringent water) suitable for face washing etc. as necessary.

[0003] Further, when drinking alkaline water, it is said that it is better to drink at a slightly lower pH at the beginning of drinking and gradually increase the pH value. In addition, there is an appropriate pH that varies from individual to individual for alkalinity.

Further, when acidic water is used as sterile water as strongly acidic water, it is necessary to set the pH to a sterilizing effect.

[0005] For this reason, conventional ion water generators are generally designed to adjust the pH.

[0006] To adjust the pH with the above-mentioned ionized water generator,
Since the pH value fluctuates depending on the flow rate, a pH sensor, a flow meter, and a flow rate adjusting means are provided, and the flow rate is adjusted based on the value detected by the pH sensor to control the pH to a desired value.

Further, in the ionized water generator, impurities are adhered to the electrode as scale during the electrolysis of water, and the electrolysis ability is reduced with time. Therefore, it is necessary to periodically clean the electrode. There is.

In a conventional ion water generator, since a long time is required to remove alkaline water by applying a forward voltage, a reverse voltage is applied to the positive and negative electrodes to elute the scale attached to each electrode into the water. This is discharged to the outside, so-called backwashing is performed.

[0009]

However, conventional ion water generators are often provided with a pH sensor as described above, so that the cost is often high.

[0010] Further, depending on the usage, the frequency of backwashing increases (eg, the frequency of use of strong alkaline water is high). If it is controlled so as to be backwashed, there is a problem in terms of usability such as backwashing operation when ion water is desired.

An object of the present invention is to provide a water treatment apparatus which can solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0012]

According to the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, water is electrolyzed in an electrolytic cell in which a positive electrode and a negative electrode are partitioned by a diaphragm, and alkaline water is electrolyzed. In a water treatment device that can generate water and acidic water,
When applying a forward voltage to the electrode to electrolyze water, the electrode can be washed while applying electrolysis by applying a short-time reverse voltage pulse at a constant cycle, and immediately before switching between forward and reverse voltage application, An off time for stopping the application was provided.

In the present invention, the pH value of the generated water can be adjusted by adjusting the length of the off-time.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a flow rate detecting means for detecting an amount of water flowing into the electrolytic cell, and the off time is adjusted based on a detection result of the flow rate detecting means.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A water treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention electrolyzes water in an electrolytic cell in which a positive electrode and a negative electrode are partitioned by a diaphragm to separate alkaline water and acidic water. It can be generated.

With respect to the alkaline water, it is possible to produce from a weakly alkaline water suitable for drinking at a plurality of pH values to a strongly alkaline water which is not suitable for drinking but is suitable for boiled foods.

Also, acidic water which is considered unsuitable for drinking also has an effect of tightening the skin, and can be used from weakly acidic water (Astrinsen water) suitable for facial cleansing to strongly acidic water (sanitary water) which can be sterilized. It can be generated.

Further, it is also possible to take in purified water for drinking which is obtained by purifying raw water without electrolysis.

That is, the structure is described as follows.
A cartridge for water purification, in which a cartridge connecting portion is provided in the middle of the processing channel, and the cartridge contains activated carbon and the like,
Either one of a cartridge for promoting electrolysis containing an electrolyte such as salt and the like can be selectively mounted so that purified water, alkaline water, or strongly acidic water (sanitary water) can be selectively taken.

Further, in the above structure, when a forward voltage is applied to the positive and negative electrodes to electrolyze water, a short-time reverse voltage pulse is applied at a constant cycle to wash the electrodes while electrolysis. Cleaning is performed.

That is, when removing alkaline water,
The electrode cleaning can be performed at the same time as performing the electrolysis operation by applying a normal forward voltage. At the same time, the electrode cleaning, which had to be performed frequently in the past, is performed at relatively long intervals. Is significantly improved.

In addition, short-circuiting may occur if the reversal is performed suddenly.
By providing an off time for stopping the application, the risk of short circuit is completely eliminated.

Further, by adjusting the length of the off-time, the pH value of the generated water can be adjusted.

In this embodiment, the electrolysis is controlled by the phase control in which the on / off of the electrolysis time, in other words, the on-time of the current is made variable by the feedback of the flow rate.

That is, while the sum of the application time and the off time is constant, the length of the off time is adjusted according to the flow rate to adjust the electrolysis time to adjust the pH.

Therefore, for example, in the case of producing alkaline water, if the off-time is short, the pH increases and the alkali becomes strong, and if the off-time is lengthened, the pH decreases and the alkali becomes weaker.

In the present embodiment, a flow rate detecting means for detecting the amount of water flowing into the electrolytic cell is provided, and the off time is adjusted based on the detection result of the flow rate detecting means so that the ion of a desired pH can be obtained at any time. Water is available.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, by performing pulse cleaning, it is not necessary to frequently perform electrode cleaning, so that the usability is improved, and the electrode is turned off when switching between forward voltage application and reverse voltage application. A time is provided, and by adjusting the off time, the pH can be finely adjusted. Therefore, an expensive pH sensor or the like becomes unnecessary, and cost can be reduced.

[0029]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of an electrolyzed water generator as a water treatment apparatus according to this embodiment, FIG. 2 is an explanatory view schematically showing a flow path of the electrolyzed water generator, and FIG. Operation of the generator
It is an explanatory view of a display panel.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an electrolyzed water generator A according to this embodiment has a water treatment section 1 for treating raw water such as tap water housed in a substantially box-shaped casing 2. . Reference numeral 3 denotes a raw water hose which can be directly connected to a faucet (not shown) or the like, and extends from the bottom of the casing 2. Reference numeral 4 denotes a discharge nozzle for discharging the treated water treated by the water treatment unit 1, provided on the upper surface of the casing 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the water treatment section 1 has a treatment flow path R in which a raw water inflow port 30 connected to the end of the raw water hose 3 and a discharge port 40 of the discharge nozzle 4 are connected by a pipe. The cartridge connecting portion 5, the calcium case 6, and the electrolytic cell 7 are arranged in the processing flow path R in this order from the upstream side. In FIG. 2, R1 is a cartridge connecting portion 5.
Is a first main flow path that communicates and connects the calcium case 6 and a flow meter B midway.

R2 is a calcium case 6 and an electrolytic cell 7
And a second main flow path R3 communicating with the anode chamber 70 of the electrolytic cell 7.
R4 is a treated water second discharge flow path extending from the cathode chamber 71 of the electrolytic cell 7 and communicating with the discharge nozzle 4.

R5 is a bypass flow path connecting the middle of the second main flow path R2 and the middle of the treated water first discharge flow path R3, and has a ball valve V provided halfway.

Further, the ball valve V of the bypass passage R5
A second bypass flow path between the upstream side and the middle of the first main flow path R1
It is connected by R6. And, each of these flow paths R1 to R6
Forms a processing channel R.

When the tap is open, the ball valve V is closed by water pressure. However, when the tap is closed and the water pressure is reduced, the ball opens the flow path and the processing flow path is opened. The remaining water in R is opened at the tip of the first discharge channel R3.
It can be discharged from 73. The distal end opening 73 extends so as to face a sink (not shown) of a kitchen or the like.

The electrolytic cell 7 is provided with an electrode 7a functioning as an anode made of stainless steel, platinum, titanium oxide or the like, and usually has an anode chamber 70 for producing acidic water and a cathode made of stainless steel or carbon. An electrode 7b functioning as an electrode is provided, and is normally separated from a cathode chamber 71 that generates alkaline water by a diaphragm 72, and a base end of the treated water first discharge flow path R3 is provided above the anode chamber 70. In addition to the communication connection, the second discharge flow path R4 of the treated water is connected and connected to the upper part of the cathode chamber 71.

As shown in FIG. 1, the casing 2 has an electric component 10 having a power supply for supplying electricity to the electrolytic cell 7.
And a control board 11 which is electrically connected to the electrical component unit 10 and is provided on the back side of the operation / display panel P (FIG. 3) provided on the surface of the casing 2.

An electrolysis CPU and a display CPU are provided in the control board 11, and the control board 11 is connected to various switches and display lamps provided on the operation / display panel P to operate various operation switches. As described later, the operation can be switched among an alkaline water mode, an acidic water mode, a water purification mode, a sanitary water mode, and a refresh mode, and the operation mode and the like can be displayed at the same time.

The alkaline water mode in the present embodiment refers to a three-stage pH value suitable for drinking (8.5, 9.0, 9.5).
This mode is capable of producing alkaline water and strong alkaline water having a pH value of about 10.5 suitable for cooking and the like, and can be appropriately selected and used as needed. At this time,
The acidic water generated at the same time is discharged from the distal end opening 73 of the first treated water discharge passage R3.

The acidic water mode is a mode in which acidic water having a pH value of about 5.5 suitable for face washing or the like can be generated.

In the water purification mode, residual chlorine and trihalomethane in tap water are removed by the water purification cartridge 8 without supplying electricity to the electrolytic cell 7.

The sanitary water mode is a mode in which strongly acidic water having a pH value of about 2.5 used for sterilization and disinfection can be generated. Such a sanitary water mode is, as shown in FIG. In place of the cartridge 8, when the electrolysis promoting cartridge 9 containing salt is mounted on the cartridge connecting portion 5 and connected to the processing flow path R, the mode is automatically shifted to this mode. In other words, the water purification cartridge 8, which is unnecessary when producing strong acid water that cannot be drunk such as sanitary water, will be removed. Therefore, wasteful use of the water purification cartridge 8 can be prevented, and the life of the cartridge is not shortened unnecessarily. In addition, tap water originally contains chlorine and the like and has an electrolysis promoting function. Since such chlorine and the like do not need to be removed by the water purification cartridge 8, the electrolytic action is promoted, and strong acid water is generated. In such a case, it is very convenient to replace the water purification cartridge 8 and the electrolysis promotion cartridge 9 with each other.

When the sanitary water mode is selected, the electrodes provided in the anode chamber 71 and the cathode chamber 72 of the electrolytic cell 7 are respectively provided.
The energization of the electrodes 7a and 7b is reversed in the positive and negative directions so that a desired strongly acidic water is discharged from a discharge nozzle 4 provided on the upper surface of the casing 2. At this time, the strongly alkaline water generated at the same time is discharged from the distal end opening 73 of the first treated water discharge passage R3.

Further, the refresh mode is a mode in which the polarity of the power supply to the electrolytic cell 7 is reversed to clean the electrodes 7a and 7b in the electrolytic cell 7 by reverse electrolysis.

Here, the operation / display panel P of the electrolyzed water generator A according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

The operation / display panel P is formed in a substantially square shape, is disposed on one side surface of the casing 2, and is connected to the control board 11 described above.

In FIG. 3, P1 denotes a power lamp, and an operation switch S provided adjacent to the right corner of the display panel P.
Is turned on to turn on the power.

P2 is a pH / ORP display section, which is provided on the upper portion of the operation / display panel P and indicates the pH value of the electrolyzed water such as alkaline water or acidic water or the OR of the oxidation-reduction potential of the electrolyzed water.
The P value can be displayed digitally.

Reference numeral P3 denotes an ORP display lamp, which is provided on the right side of the pH display section P2. When the electrolyzed water is being generated, only when the operation button P3 'is pressed, the oxidation-reduction potential of the electrolyzed water is adjusted to the pH value. The pH value can be switched and displayed on the ORP display section P2. Since the ORP value indicates the degree of sterilization ability, the user can use the strongly acidic water in the sanitary water mode described later while checking the sterilization ability. In the case of performing the ORP display, the unit display lamp P3 ″ is turned on, and it is possible to display that the value displayed on the pH / ORP display section P2 is in the unit of mV.

On the lower right side, operation switches and display lamps for each operation mode are provided side by side.

That is, in order from the top, a strong alkali mode switch S1 (pH value 10.5), a level 3 alkali mode switch S2 (pH value 9.5), a level 2 alkali mode switch S3 (pH value 9.0), and a level 1 alkali mode switch A mode switch S4 (pH value 8.5), a water purification mode switch S5, and an acid mode switch S6 are provided, and corresponding display lamps P4 to P9 are provided beside each switch.

S7 is a sanitary water mode display section, which is in the sanitary water mode when the electrolysis promotion cartridge 9 is connected to the processing channel R as described above. P10 is a display lamp that lights up in the sanitary water mode.

After the generation of the strongly acidic water in the sanitary water mode, the mode automatically shifts to the rinsing mode so that the saline solution remaining in the processing channel R is washed away.

Further, other display lamps are provided below the mode switches.

P11 is a rinsing indicator lamp, which flashes in a rinsing mode in which the operation automatically shifts after using the sanitary water.

Reference numeral P12 denotes a re-refresh display lamp for urging electrode cleaning, which is turned on and off when the electrolytic cell 7 is washed by the reverse electrolysis described above by operating a separately provided refresh button (see FIG. 4). The refresh display lamp P12 is capable of both refresh request and display, and is turned on when a refresh is requested.

P13 is a display lamp for urging the user to replace the cartridge, and is turned on when it is time to replace the water purification cartridge 8.

P14 is a buzzer that emits a sound when each switch is received, and sounds in a mode that is not suitable for drinking other than the water purification mode or the three-stage alkaline water mode.

FIG. 4 shows an operation panel P ′ provided on the casing 2 separately from the operation / display panel P described above.
It is provided as a hidden switch that is not immediately visible from the outside or that is not exposed unless the lid is opened.

In FIG. 4, S8 is a cartridge selection button, which can be appropriately selected from a plurality of water purification cartridges 8 prepared. In this embodiment, three types of cartridges can be selected. P15 is a display lamp for displaying the selected cartridge.

The present embodiment has a function of notifying the replacement time of the water purification cartridge 8. In addition, even if a plurality of types of water purification cartridges 8 are prepared according to their abilities, the replacement time can be displayed for each cartridge.

As described above, each of the water purification cartridges 8 can remove residual chlorine and trihalomethane in tap water. (Accumulated flow rate that can be processed at the same time).

Therefore, in this embodiment, after selecting the cartridge with the cartridge selection button S8, it is possible to select with the life setting switch S9 which of the removal of residual chlorine and the removal of trihalomethane as a reference. P16 is a lamp that illuminates and displays the selection.

When the flow rate measured by the flow meter B reaches a predetermined value based on the type of the cartridge and the standard of the life (removal of residual chlorine or trihalomethane) set here, the operation and display panel P An indicator lamp P13 for urging cartridge replacement is turned on to notify that the cartridge replacement time has come.

Therefore, the user can change the cartridge at an appropriate timing, so that purified water can be reliably obtained at any time.

In the operation panel P 'shown in FIG. 4, a cartridge replacement reset button S10 is used to replace the water purification cartridge 8 and perform the above-described settings (selection of the type of the cartridge and the standard of the life). When the cartridge replacement reset button S10 is operated, the count of the flow meter B is reset, and the flow rate is newly added.

The indicator lamps P15 and P16 are turned off when the cartridge mounted on the cartridge connecting portion 5 is not the water purification cartridge 8 but the electrolysis promoting cartridge 9. When the electrolysis-promoting cartridge 9 is installed, the flow meter B is used as a guide for the replacement time of the water purification cartridge 8.
Does not count this.

In FIG. 4, S11 is a refresh button, and by operating this button, the electrolytic cell 7 can be cleaned by reverse electrolysis. Normally, the operation may be performed when the refresh display lamp P12 is turned on and a refresh request is made.

P17 is a temperature rise indicator lamp, which is turned on when the temperature in the electrolytic cell 7 rises excessively and the generation of electrolytic water is automatically stopped.

In the electrolyzed water generator A having the above-described structure, a particular feature is that a forward voltage is applied to each of the electrodes 7a and 7b functioning as positive and negative electrodes provided in the electrolytic cell 7 and water is applied. When electrolysis is performed, as shown in FIGS.
The pulse cleaning for cleaning 7a and 7b can be performed, and an off time T1 for stopping the application is provided immediately before the switching of the application of the forward / reverse voltage. In FIG. 5, the voltage application is positive →
An example in which an off-time T1 is provided when switching from reverse to reverse to positive is shown. FIG. 6 shows that the switch is turned off only when the voltage application switches from positive to reverse, and FIG. 7 shows that the switch turns off only when the voltage application switches from reverse to positive. An example in which time T1 is provided is shown.

In FIGS. 5 to 7, T3 is the application time of the reverse voltage pulse, which is set to about 0.1 second.

By controlling in this way, when operating in the alkaline water mode, the electrode cleaning is performed by performing a short period of reverse voltage pulse periodically while simultaneously performing a normal electrolysis operation. The electrode cleaning, which had to be performed frequently in the past, can be performed at relatively long intervals to improve usability. By providing the off-time T1 for stopping the application immediately before switching the application of the forward / reverse voltage, the possibility of a short circuit is completely eliminated. In FIGS. 6 and 7, when the voltage application switches between forward and reverse, even in a portion where there is no off-time in the drawings, there is actually a very small amount (one-fourth cycle) of the extent that there is no possibility of short-circuit. Degree) Off time is set.

Another feature is that the pH value of the generated water can be adjusted by adjusting the length of the off-time T1.

In the present embodiment, the electrolysis control is performed by controlling the current by feedback of the current and by performing phase control for changing the on / off of the electrolysis time in accordance with the flow rate.

Current adjustment by current feedback is as follows.
The current (voltage) flowing through the electrolytic cell 7 is A / D-converted so that the current is constant, and the current (voltage) output to the control board 11 is increased or decreased according to the value. In the water mode, this is performed only for the first two seconds, and thereafter, the current value is fixed.
That is, an appropriate current value according to the water quality or the like is determined within two seconds.

In the phase control in which the on / off of the electrolysis time is made variable, the application time T2 and the off time T1 are changed according to the flow rate after the current adjustment.
The sum of the application time T2 and the off time T1 is 1 second, and the pH is adjusted by adjusting the length of the off time T1. That is, by adjusting the length of the off-time T1, the application time T2 is relatively adjusted.

In the case of the alkaline water mode, as shown in FIG. 5, the current is adjusted for 2 seconds at the rising time T0, and thereafter, the application with the adjusted constant current value, the turning off, and the reverse voltage of the pulse cleaning are performed. The application is repeated.

By performing such control, the off-time T1
Is shorter, the application time T2 is longer, the pH is higher and the alkali is high, and if the off time T1 is longer, the application time T2 is shorter, the pH is lower and the alkali is weaker.

For example, in the alkaline mode of level 3 in the present embodiment, the current is adjusted to 3 A so that the pH becomes 9.5. In the level 2 and level 1 alkaline modes, the current is adjusted to 1.5 A.
Then, the off-time T1 is shortened, and the off-time T1 is increased at the level 1, thereby controlling the pH to 9.0 and 8.5, respectively.

When adjusting the off-time T1, the minimum value of the application time T0 is controlled not to be 0.1 second or less so as not to significantly reduce the electrolytic efficiency.

Further, the electrolyzed water generator A according to the present embodiment
As described above, since the flow meter B is provided in the first main flow path R1 as the flow rate detecting means, the amount of water flowing into the electrolytic cell 7 is detected by the flow meter B, and the OFF time T1 is determined based on the detection result.
To adjust. Therefore, when using the alkaline water mode which can be selected at a plurality of levels (pH 8.5 to pH 10.5), ionic water having a pH according to the selected level can be stably obtained.

Further, the electrolyzed water generator A according to the present embodiment
The control described below is also performed.

That is, as described above, in this embodiment, since the electrodes 7a and 7b are pulse-cleaned, the interval for performing the electrode cleaning is long. I have.

When the generation time of the alkaline water reaches a certain time, the refresh indicator lamp P12 for urging the electrode cleaning is turned on as described above, and the user operates the refresh button S11 provided separately as a hidden switch to reverse the operation. The backwash is performed by applying a voltage to each of the electrodes 7a and 7b for a predetermined time.

In this refresh mode, in this embodiment, the value of the applied reverse voltage is determined according to the last selected operation mode among the alkaline water modes used immediately before. ing.

Table 1 shows a current value when a forward voltage is applied in each mode and a current value when a reverse voltage is applied during electrode cleaning.

For example, when the refresh indicator lamp P12 is turned on to perform electrode cleaning when the battery is used in the level 1 alkaline water mode, a current value corresponding to the level 1 alkaline water mode, in this case -3A To backwash.

Alternatively, when the refresh indicator lamp P12 is turned on to perform electrode cleaning when the battery is used in the level 3 alkaline water mode, a current value corresponding to the level 3 alkaline water mode, in this case -4A To backwash.

[0090]

[Table 1]

By performing such control, unnecessary strong voltage is not applied, as compared with the case where the reverse voltage value is fixed and backwashing is performed.

In another embodiment, in addition to the above-described control, the value of the reverse voltage applied in the refresh mode is, for example, the value of the applied voltage in each alkaline water mode used before operating the refresh button S11. Control may be performed to apply a reverse voltage set according to the average value, or control may be performed to apply a reverse voltage set according to the frequently used alkaline water mode.

As described above, if the reverse voltage value to be applied at the time of refresh is determined with reference to the use history of the alkaline water mode, it is possible to perform appropriate electrode cleaning according to the use state, and to reduce the degree of contamination. Therefore, the possibility that the reverse voltage value is actually insufficient or that an unnecessary strong reverse voltage is applied can be reduced as much as possible.

The electrolytic water generator A according to the present embodiment is
Care is taken not to accidentally swallow unsuitable water such as strong alkaline water, acidic water and sanitary water.

That is, a buzzer sounds to prevent inadvertent drinking while water that is not suitable for drinking is being generated, and after the water has been generated, a driving mode suitable for drinking that was used immediately before is generated. (Alkaline water mode of levels 1 to 3 and water purification mode) automatically. Also, when the power is turned off and then turned on again, the operation mode automatically returns to the drinking mode used before the power was turned off.

For example, assume that acidic water is currently being generated. Immediately before that, the strong alkaline water generation mode is used, and before that, the level 3 alkaline water mode is used, and before that, the level 1 alkaline water mode is used. When the current acidic water mode is completed, the operation mode automatically changes to level 3
To return to the alkaline water mode.

That is, the above levels 1 to 3 suitable for drinking
When the alkaline water mode and the water purification mode are selected, they are backed up in a non-volatile memory. Even if a mode that is not suitable for drinking is selected, when the operation mode is completed, the mode is suitable for the last drinking. It returns to the operation mode.

For example, even if the generation of the acidic water is completed as described above, the acidic water mode does not remain as it is, but becomes an operation mode suitable for drinking last used. Therefore, there is no danger of accidentally drinking acidic water. Moreover, the last used driving mode suitable for drinking, whether it is Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3, or the water purification mode, is considered to be the mode that is most frequently used, and therefore automatically returns to that mode. Doing so is convenient.

[0099] When the sanitary water mode is selected,
In other words, instead of the water purification cartridge 8 containing activated carbon or the like, the electric conductivity in the electrolytic cell 7 is increased to increase the pH.
In a state in which the electrolysis promoting cartridge 9 containing a chlorine-based electrolytic substance for obtaining high-value strongly electrolyzed water is mounted, the mode is always the sanitary water mode.

Further, the electrolyzed water generator A according to this embodiment
Has a demo mode.

[0101] This means that an output equivalent to the output from the flow meter B functioning as a flow sensor can be obtained without actually flowing water, and the operation / display panel P can be virtually operated. it can.

In this embodiment, the switches S1 to S1
When the power is turned on while pressing a switch of a predetermined combination from among S7, this demo mode is set. Therefore, no one can easily set this demo mode. Note that the demonstration mode can be confirmed by sounding a buzzer that indicates acceptance.

In the demonstration mode, first, the water purification mode is set. Then, although the electrolysis is not actually performed, the display lamps P1 to P15 and the buzzer P16 operate according to the selection operation of each operation mode thereafter, thereby creating a state in which the electrolyzed water is generated on the appearance. be able to. When the power is turned off, the demonstration mode is canceled.

Providing such a demonstration mode is very convenient when the manufacturer or the dealer teaches the user the operation procedure and the like.

[0105]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a water treatment capable of producing alkaline water and acidic water by electrolyzing water in an electrolytic cell in which a positive electrode and a negative electrode are separated by a diaphragm. In the apparatus, when a forward voltage is applied to the electrode to electrolyze water, a short-time reverse voltage pulse is applied at a constant cycle to enable electrode cleaning while performing electrolysis, and when switching between forward and reverse voltage application. Immediately before, the off time for stopping the application is provided, so that the electrode cleaning, which had to be performed frequently, can be performed at relatively long intervals, and the usability is remarkably improved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the pH value of the generated water can be adjusted by the length of the off-time, in addition to the above-described effects, it is not necessary to separately install a pH sensor or the like. PH adjustment can be performed at a low cost.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the flow rate detecting means for detecting the amount of water flowing into the electrolytic cell is provided, and the off time is adjusted based on the detection result of the flow rate detecting means. In addition to the effects described above, fine pH adjustment according to the usage environment can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an electrolyzed water generator as a water treatment device according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a flow path of the electrolyzed water generator.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an operation / display panel.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a display panel.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of electrolysis control.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of electrolysis control.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of electrolysis control.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing an electrolyzed water generator in a state where an electrolysis promoting cartridge is used.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A electrolyzed water generator (water treatment device) B flow meter (flow rate detection means) T1 off time T2 application time 7 electrolytic cell 70 positive electrode 71 negative electrode 72 diaphragm

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Masahiro Tokito 4680 Ikata, Fukuoka-machi, Fagawa Prefecture Fukuoka Prefecture Inside Kyushu Hitachi Maxell Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Shinichi Oguri 5-5-1 Nihonbashi, Naniwa-ku, Osaka-shi F-term (reference) in Fuji Medical Device Co., Ltd.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A diaphragm (72) between a positive electrode (70) and a negative electrode (71).
In a water treatment apparatus capable of generating alkaline water and acidic water by electrolyzing water in an electrolytic cell (7) partitioned by the above, a forward voltage is applied to the electrodes (70) and (71) to remove water. During electrolysis, a short-time reverse voltage pulse is applied at a fixed cycle to enable electrode cleaning while performing electrolysis, and an off-time (T1) is provided to stop application immediately before switching between forward and reverse voltage application. A water treatment apparatus, characterized in that: 2. The water treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pH value of the generated water is adjustable by the length of the off time (T1). 3. An off-time (T1) based on a detection result of the flow rate detecting means (B), comprising a flow rate detecting means for detecting an amount of water flowing into the electrolytic cell (7). The water treatment device according to claim 2.