JP2003305468A - Alkaline ion water preparing unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an alkaline ion water preparing unit capable of rapidly coping with the change of a water flow rate or water quality and supplying ionized water having stable pH value. <P>SOLUTION: The alkaline ion water preparing unit prepares alkaline ion water and acidic ion water by electrolyzing feed water and is constituted so as to output a numerical code from a control part 19 to an electrolysis control part 21 as an energizing output to an electrolytic cell 7 and to convert the numerical code to a voltage level corresponding to the numerical code by using a D/A converter circuit in the electrolysis control part 21 to control the energizing output to the electrolytic cell 7. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention electrolyzes raw water such as tap water to produce alkaline ionized water used for beverages and medical purposes and acidic ionized water used as lotion, sterilizing and washing water, and the like. The present invention relates to an alkaline ionized water device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an alkaline ionized water conditioner has become popular as a continuous electrolysis type ionized water generator. This alkaline ionized water device electrolyzes tap water or the like in an electrolytic cell to produce acidic ionized water on the anode side and alkaline ionized water on the cathode side.

A conventional continuous electrolysis type alkaline ionized water conditioner will be described below.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a conventional alkaline ionized water device.

As shown in FIG. 3, a conventional continuous ionization type alkaline ionized water conditioner comprises a raw water pipe 1 for tap water and a faucet 2.
, An alkaline ionized water conditioner 3 connected to the raw water pipe 1 via the faucet 2, a water purification unit 4 for purifying raw water, a flow rate sensor 5 for notifying a control unit of a water flow rate to be described later, calcium, etc. A calcium supply unit 6 that adds calcium ions to the raw water to increase conductivity, an electrolysis tank 7 that electrolyzes the water that has passed through the flow rate sensor 5 and the calcium supply unit 6, and the electrolysis tank 7 is divided into two parts to form an electrode chamber. The diaphragm 8 to be formed and the diaphragm 8
Electrode plates 9 and 1 arranged in each of the divided electrode chambers
0, a water passage pipe 11 for passing water on the electrode plate 10 side, a water discharge pipe 12 for discharging water on the electrode plate 9 side, and a power supply plug 13 for supplying electricity from a commercial power source, and a commercial power source Power source section 14 for rectifying the electric current to generate a direct current power source required for electrolysis and control, and an electrolytic output section 15 for outputting electric power to the electrolytic cell 7.
An electrolysis current detection circuit 16 and an electrolysis voltage detection circuit 17 for detecting a current value and a voltage value at the time of electrolysis output, and an operation display section 18 for the user to select the electrolysis strength and acidic water or alkaline ionized water. A control unit 19 for controlling the electrolysis output while monitoring the values of the electrolysis current detection circuit 16 and the electrolysis voltage detection circuit 17 based on the setting of the operation display unit 18 is configured.

Next, the operation of the conventional continuous electrolysis type alkaline ionized water conditioner having the above-described structure for producing alkaline ionized water will be described.

The user presses the mode selection button of the operation display unit 18 to select the alkaline ionized water producing mode or the acidic ionized water producing mode and the required pH value range, and opens the faucet 2. The raw water passed from the tap 2
After being purified by the water purification unit 4, calcium and the like are dissolved by the calcium supply unit 6 through the flow rate sensor 5 to be treated as water that is easy to electrolyze, and then water is passed to the electrolytic bath 7.

On the other hand, AC100V, which is a commercial power source, is supplied from the power-on plug 13 to generate a DC voltage / current necessary for electrolysis in the transformer and the rectifier circuit in the power supply unit 14, and according to the instruction of the control unit 19, Electric power required for electrolysis is supplied to the electrode plates 9 and 10 of the electrolytic cell 7 through the electrolytic output unit 15. At this time, when the electrode plate to which the positive voltage is applied is the anode and the electrode plate to which the negative voltage is applied is the cathode, the anode chamber and the cathode chamber partitioned by the diaphragm 8 are formed in the electrolytic cell 7. In the alkaline ionized water generation mode, the electrode 10 serves as an anode and the electrode plate 9 serves as a cathode. In the acidic ionized water production mode, the electrode plate 9 serves as an anode and the electrode plate 10 serves as a cathode.

After passing water, the control unit 19 controls the flow rate sensor 5
When you read the signal of, and the signal level exceeds a certain amount,
It is judged that this state is under water. At this time, the operation display unit 1
Since the electrolysis conditions have already been set by pressing the generation mode of 8 and the pressing of the pH value range selection button, the control unit 19 applies a predetermined voltage to the electrode plates 9 and 10 to perform electrolysis in the electrolytic cell 7. As described above, the operation command is output to the electrolytic output unit 15. As a result, in the alkaline ionized water production mode, the electrode plate 9 is the cathode and the electrode plate 1 is
0 becomes the anode, the alkaline ionized water is discharged from the water discharge pipe 12, and the electrode plate 9 is used in the acidic ionized water generation mode.
Serves as an anode and the electrode plate 10 serves as a cathode, and acidic ionized water is discharged from the water discharge pipe 12. When the raw water is stopped by the faucet 2, the signal level of the flow rate sensor 5 falls below a certain amount, and the control unit 19 determines that the water is stopped, and the electrolytic output unit 15 transfers it to the electrode plates 9 and 10 of the electrolytic cell 7. The voltage application of is stopped.

Here, in the alkaline ionized water producing mode and the acidic ionized water producing mode, the control unit 19 supplies the DC voltage generated in the electrolytic output unit 15 to the electrode plates 9 and 10 of the electrolytic cell 7. A constant DC voltage is applied to the electrode plates 9 and 1
When supplied to 0, the current flowing between the electrode plates 9 and 10 changes depending on the water quality of the raw water and the flow rate of the water.
The pH value produced also changes. Therefore, in order to keep the pH value constant, it is necessary to detect changes in the current and the amount of water by the electrolytic current detection circuit 17 and the flow rate sensor 5, and apply the electrolytic current according to the signal level detected by the flow rate sensor 5. . For that purpose, there is a method of controlling the supply time of the DC voltage supplied to the electrode plates 9 and 10 of the electrolytic cell 7 at a constant cycle, that is, a so-called duty is varied to perform electrolytic control, which is detected by the electrolytic current detection circuit 17. If the electrolysis current value has not reached the electrolysis current value in the pH value range required by the user, the electrolysis current is increased by increasing the duty, or the electrolysis current detected by the electrolysis current detection circuit 16 is increased. If the value exceeds the electrolysis current value in the pH value range required by the user, the electrolysis current is reduced by lowering the duty, and the control unit 19 of the control unit 19 adjusts so as to match the pH value range required by the user. Control with instructions. The voltage detected by the voltage detection circuit 17 is determined in advance as a voltage upper limit value for approaching the target value of pH in each range when the electric conductivity of the raw water is low and a current is difficult to flow, and the voltage is set higher than that. It is for controlling not to apply.

[0011]

In the conventional continuous electrolysis type alkaline ionized water conditioner described above, the electrolytic output control is performed by turning on and off the DC power supply voltage at a constant cycle. To detect the electrolytic current accurately in such a state, convert the electrolytic current into a voltage signal and average the converted voltage waveform by dulling the ON and OFF signals using a capacitor in the electrolytic current detection circuit. It is detecting. However, in order to perform averaging so as to obtain a smooth waveform, it is necessary to increase the capacitance of the capacitor of the sampling circuit in the electrolytic current detection circuit 17 to some extent or to increase the resistance value of the limiting resistor. Increasing the resistance value of the capacitance or the limiting resistance slows down the change in the signal waveform to be detected, which tends to slow down the response of electrolytic output control.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems of the prior art by rapidly responding to changes in the water flow rate or water quality at the start of water supply and during water supply, and stabilizing ionized water having a required pH value. It is an object of the present invention to provide a continuous electrolysis-type alkaline ionized water conditioner that can be supplied by the method.

[0013]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is an alkaline ionized water conditioner for electrolyzing raw water to produce alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water, which comprises: According to the operation command, the electrolytic current and voltage values that change depending on the water flow rate detected by the flow rate sensor and the quality of the raw water are detected by the electrolytic current detection circuit and the electrolytic voltage detection circuit, and the discontinuous numerical codes from the control unit. Is output to the electrolytic control circuit.

According to the present invention, the feedback control of the electrolysis current and electrolysis voltage necessary for producing the ionic water having the desired pH is accurately and quickly performed, and the quality of the raw water and the flow rate of the raw water can be improved. It is possible to generate ionized water having a stable pH value.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is a flow rate sensor capable of detecting a flow rate of water flowing through a water passage, and an electrolytic cell for electrolyzing raw water to generate alkaline ionized water or acidic ionized water. And a power supply section that is internally connected to a commercial power source and outputs current to the electrolytic cell, an output adjustment circuit, an electrolytic current detection circuit and an electrolytic voltage detection circuit that detect current and voltage values in the current output state, and a current output A control unit that outputs a numerical code for controlling the power supply unit based on the current and voltage values of the state, and a numerical code from the control unit is converted into a voltage output, and a D / A conversion circuit and a signal amplification circuit are internally provided. In an alkaline ionized water device provided with an electrolysis control unit for determining the power supply voltage output of the power supply unit, and an operation display unit having an operation unit for performing an operation command to the control unit and a display unit for displaying the operating state, Operation display The electrolysis current value and electrolysis voltage detection circuit detect the electrolysis current value and electrolysis voltage value that change depending on the water flow rate detected by the flow rate sensor and the quality of the raw water according to the operation command from the A numerical code from the control unit is output to the electrolysis control unit as an energization output to the electrolytic cell according to the voltage value, and the D / A conversion circuit in the electrolysis control unit converts it to a voltage level according to the numerical code and passes it through the signal amplification circuit. It is an alkaline ionized water device that outputs to the output adjustment circuit in the power supply section and controls the energization output state to the electrolytic cell.It quickly changes the threshold of the output voltage of the power supply circuit and outputs the energization output to the electrolytic cell. By changing the state, it has the effect of performing quick feedback control of the electrolysis current during electrolysis in the production of ionized water.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the alkaline ionized water device according to the first aspect, the numerical code output from the control unit is changed at regular intervals. It has the function of artificially creating a voltage output between a continuous numerical code and the next numerical code.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an alkaline ionized water device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the alkaline ionized water device.

Note that the same reference numerals as those used in the description of the conventional technique in FIG. 1 are basically the same in the first embodiment as well, and therefore the detailed description thereof will be given to the conventional technique. And omit.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a raw water pipe for tap water or the like, 2
Is a faucet, 3 is the main body of the alkaline ionized water device of the present embodiment, 4 is a water purification unit, 5 is a flow rate sensor, 6 is a calcium supply unit, 7 is an electrolytic cell, 8 is a diaphragm, 9 and 10 are electrode plates, 1
Reference numeral 1 is a water passage pipe, 12 is a water discharge pipe, and 13 is a power-on plug.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 20 denotes a power supply unit according to the first embodiment, which is a switching power supply circuit having an output adjusting circuit therein. Reference numeral 15 is an electrolysis output unit, 16 is an electrolysis current detection circuit, 17 is an electrolysis voltage detection circuit, 18 is an operation display unit, and 19 is detection by the electrolysis current detection circuit 16 and the electrolysis voltage detection circuit 17 based on the setting of the operation display unit 18. The control unit controls the electrolysis output while monitoring the electrolysis current and voltage value, and controls the electrolysis voltage by a numerical code in the electrolysis control unit described later. Reference numeral 21 is an electrolysis control unit that converts a numerical code from the control unit into a voltage signal, and has an internal D / A
It has a conversion circuit and a signal amplification circuit.

The operation of the alkaline ionized water device 3 of the first embodiment having the above-described structure when producing alkaline ionized water will be described.

The user presses the mode selection button on the operation display unit 18 to select the alkaline ionized water production mode or the acidic ionized water production mode and the required pH value range, and opens the faucet 2. The raw water passed from the tap 2
After being purified by the water purification unit 4, calcium and the like are dissolved by the calcium supply unit 6 through the flow rate sensor 5 to be treated as water that is easy to electrolyze, and then water is passed to the electrolytic bath 7.

On the other hand, AC100V, which is a commercial power source, is supplied from the power-on plug 13, the transformer and the rectifier circuit in the power source section 20 convert the DC voltage, and the output adjusting circuit generates the DC voltage current necessary for electrolysis. . At that time, the control unit 19 outputs a predetermined numerical code to the electrolysis control unit 21, the D / A conversion circuit in the electrolysis control unit 21 converts it into a voltage level according to the numerical code, and the power amplifier 20 in the power supply unit 20 through the signal amplification circuit. The electrolytic voltage signal is output to the output adjustment circuit of.
The DC voltage / current required for electrolysis in the output adjusting circuit in the power supply unit 20 is supplied to the electrode plates 9 and 10 of the electrolytic cell 7 via the electrolysis output unit 15 as electric power required for electrolysis. At this time, when the electrode plate to which the positive voltage is applied is the anode and the electrode plate to which the negative voltage is applied is the cathode, the anode chamber and the cathode chamber partitioned by the diaphragm 8 are formed in the electrolytic cell 7. The electrode plate 1 is used in the alkaline ionized water generation mode.
0 serves as an anode, and the electrode plate 9 serves as a cathode. Further, in the acidic ionized water production mode, the electrode plate 9 serves as an anode and the electrode plate 10 serves as a cathode.

Now, after passing water, the control unit 19 controls the flow rate sensor 5
Signal is read, and if the flow rate level exceeds a certain amount, it is judged that this state is water passing. At this time, the operation display unit 18
Since the electrolysis conditions have already been set by pressing the generation mode selection button of No. 1, the control unit 19 sets a predetermined voltage so that a predetermined voltage is applied to the electrode plates 9 and 10 for performing electrolysis in the electrolytic cell 7. Is output to the electrolysis control unit 21, the electrolysis output command is issued to the electrolysis output unit 15, and voltage application to the electrode plates 9 and 10 of the electrolysis tank 7 is started. Thus, in the alkaline ionized water producing mode, the electrode plate 9 serves as a cathode and the electrode plate 10 serves as an anode, and the alkaline ionized water is ejected from the water discharge pipe 12, and in the acidic ionized water producing mode, the electrode plate 9 serves as an anode and an electrode. The plate 10 serves as a cathode, and acidic ionized water is discharged from the water discharge pipe 12. Faucet 2
When the raw water is stopped by, the control unit 19 determines that the water is stopped by the signal of the flow sensor 5, and stops the voltage application from the electrolytic output unit 15 to the electrode plates 9 and 10 of the electrolytic cell 7.

Here, in the alkaline ionized water producing mode and the acidic ionized water producing mode, the control section 19 supplies the DC voltage generated in the electrolytic output section 15 to the electrode plates 9 and 10 of the electrolytic cell 7. A constant DC voltage is applied to the electrode plates 9 and 1
When supplied to 0, the electrolytic current flowing between the electrode plates 9 and 10 changes depending on the water quality of the raw water and the water flow rate, and the generated pH value also changes. In such a state,
In order to keep the pH value constant, it is necessary to detect the changes in the electrolytic current and the flow rate of the flowing water by the electrolytic current detection circuit 16 and the flow sensor 5, and apply the electrolytic current according to the signal level detected by the flow sensor 5. is there.

Therefore, the control unit 19 carries out electrolysis in accordance with the pH value range set in the electrolytic cell 7 so that a predetermined voltage is applied to the electrode plates 9 and 10 so that an electrolytic output is given to the electrolytic output unit 15. When the command is issued, the numerical code signal for setting the electrolysis voltage is updated and output to the electrolysis control unit 21.

In the electrolysis control section 21, the updated numerical code signal from the control section 19 is converted into a voltage signal by the D / A conversion circuit and transmitted to the power supply section 20 through the signal amplification circuit. In the power supply unit 20, the power supply output adjusting circuit controls so as to output the electric power according to the signal from the electrolysis control unit 21, and the electrolysis current value detected by the electrolysis current detection circuit 16 is the pH value required by the user. If the electrolysis current value for generating is not reached, the electrolysis current is increased by increasing the electrolysis voltage by one rank by increasing the numerical code to the electrolysis control unit, or
If the electrolysis current value detected by the electrolysis current detection circuit 16 exceeds the electrolysis current value that produces the pH value required by the user, lower the electrolysis control circuit by one rank to lower the electrolysis voltage. Then, the electrolytic current is reduced to control with the instruction of the control unit 19 so as to match the pH value range required by the user. Then, in accordance with the signal from the electrolysis control unit 21, the power supply unit 2 outputs electric power according to the signal.
Since it is controlled by 0, the electric power supplied to the electrolytic output unit 15 becomes stable.

The voltage detected by the electrolysis voltage detection circuit 17 is the same as that in the prior art when the electric conductivity of the raw water is low and the current hardly flows, the voltage of each alkaline ion water generation mode or the acidic ion water generation mode set voltage is set. The upper limit is determined in advance, and the upper limit is controlled so that a voltage higher than that is not applied.

When finer voltage control than the resolution of the D / A conversion circuit in the electrolysis control section 21 is required, the numerical code output from the control section 19 is changed at regular intervals to obtain the desired voltage. The voltage output between the numerical code having a voltage exceeding the value and the numerical code having a voltage equal to or lower than the target voltage value can be artificially created and controlled.

For example, when the numerical code is 3 bits and 8 steps from 0 to 7, the electrolysis voltage is 5V when the numeric code is 0, the electrolysis voltage is 10V when the numeric code is 1, and the electrolysis voltage is 15V when the numeric code is 2. When the numerical code is 3, the electrolysis voltage is 20V, when the numerical code is 4, the electrolysis voltage is 25V, when the numerical code is 5, the electrolysis voltage is 30V, and the numerical code is 6.
When the electrolysis voltage is 35 V and the electrolysis voltage is 40 V when the numerical code is 7, when the electrolysis voltage of 12 V is required to output the electrolysis current value that secures the target pH range, the numerical code is 1 ms. 1 of 10 units
In the 0 ms cycle, the first 8 are numerical code 1 and electrolysis voltage is 10V, the latter 2 are numerical code 2 and electrolysis voltage is 1
By repeating the output of 5V, a 12V electrolytic voltage can be artificially created.

Next, the electrolytic current value and electrolytic voltage value of the electrolytic current detection circuit 16 and the electrolytic voltage detection circuit 17 in the electrolytic output section 15 of FIG. 2 will be described.

With the above numerical code output control, when the DC power supply voltage (40V) is controlled to be turned on and off at a constant cycle, an ON / OFF waveform of 0V to 40V is obtained, and the amount of change in electrolytic current is large, but When the code is divided and controlled, there is a difference between the voltage level determined by the numerical code output immediately before and the voltage level determined by the next numerical code, and the amount of change in electrolytic current is small. As a result, in a circuit that detects the electrolytic current value and the electrolytic voltage value signal by using a capacitor or the like, the capacity of the sampling circuit capacitor can be reduced, and the resistance value of the limiting resistor can also be reduced. The signal waveform changes rapidly, and the electrolytic output control response also becomes faster.

[0034]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the alkaline ionized water device of the present invention, it is necessary to promptly respond to changes in the flow rate or the quality of water at the start of water flow and at the time of water flow. It is possible to stably supply alkaline ionized water or acidic ionized water having a pH value, and the effect is great.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an alkaline ionized water device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electrolytic control circuit in the alkaline ionized water device.

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a conventional alkaline ionized water device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 raw water pipe 2 faucet 3 water conditioner body 4 Water Purification Department 5 Flow rate sensor 6 Calcium supplier 7 Electrolyzer 8 diaphragm 9,10 Electrode plate 11 water pipe 12 Discharge pipe 13 Power-on plug 14 power supply 15 Electrolysis output section 16 Electrolytic current detection circuit 17 Electrolytic voltage detection circuit 18 Operation display 19 Control unit 20 power supply 21 Electrolysis control unit

Continued front page    F-term (reference) 4D061 DA03 DB08 EA02 EB01 EB04                       EB12 EB37 EB38 EB39 ED12                       GA02 GA12 GA14 GB30 GC12                       GC14

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A flow rate sensor capable of detecting a flow rate of water flowing through a water passage, an electrolytic cell for electrolyzing raw water to generate alkaline ionized water or acidic ionized water, and a power source connected to a commercial power source for energization output. A power supply unit internally provided with an output adjustment circuit, an electrolytic current detection circuit and an electrolytic voltage detection circuit for detecting current and voltage values in the energized output state, and the power supply unit based on the current and voltage values in the energized output state. Electrolysis that includes a control unit that outputs a numeric code for controlling, a numeric code from the control unit that is converted into a voltage output, and that has a D / A conversion circuit and a signal amplification circuit inside to determine the power supply voltage output of the power supply unit In an alkaline ionized water device provided with a control unit and an operation display unit having an operation unit for performing an operation command to the control unit and a display unit for displaying an operating state, according to an operation command from the operation display unit, the The electrolysis current value and the electrolysis voltage value that change depending on the water flow rate and the raw water quality detected by the quantity sensor are detected by the electrolysis current detection circuit and the electrolysis voltage detection circuit, and the electrolysis according to the detected electrolysis current value and electrolysis voltage value is performed. A numerical code from the control unit is output to the electrolysis control unit as the energization output to the tank, and the D / A conversion circuit in the electrolysis control unit converts it into a voltage level according to the numerical code and the output adjustment circuit in the power supply unit through the signal amplification circuit. The alkaline ionized water conditioner is characterized in that the electric current is output to the electrolyzer to control the output state of electricity to the electrolytic cell. 2. The alkaline ionized water device according to claim 1, wherein the numerical code output from the control unit is changed at regular intervals.