JP2020131113A - Water purification device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a water purification device with a simple configuration that allows easy maintenance such as replacement of the water in a water supply tank and eliminates a need for a concentration sensor.SOLUTION: The device includes a connector part connected to a raw water supply pipe and a concentrated water feedback pipe on a lower side or bottom of a water supply tank. The connector part has a first connector to be attached to the water supply tank and a second connector detachably fitted to the first connector and connected to the raw water supply pipe and concentrated water feedback pipe. The first and second connectors allow the raw water in the raw water supply pipe and the concentrated water in the concentrated water return pipe to have a fluid communication in a concentric circle, and the first connector is provided with a valve mechanism that allows the raw water to flow when the second connector is connected and prohibits the raw water from flowing when the second connector is separated.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a circulation type water purification device using a reverse osmosis membrane, and particularly relates to a water purification device having a simple structure and easy maintenance such as replacement work of a water supply tank.

In the conventional water purification device, the raw water in the water supply tank is sucked up by a pressure pump and passed through a filter to generate purified water, while the concentrated water generated by the purification action of the reverse osmosis membrane is returned to the water supply tank and reused as raw water. .. In a water purification device having this configuration, a raw water supply pipe for sucking up raw water and a concentrated water return pipe for returning concentrated water to the water supply tank are generally inserted from the upper lid of the water supply tank. (See, for example, Patent Document 1).

However, since the raw water supply pipe extends to the vicinity of the lower part of the water supply tank, it is necessary to remove the upper lid and pull out the raw water supply pipe and the concentrated water return pipe from the water supply tank when replacing the raw water in the water supply tank. For this reason, the replacement work is troublesome, and structurally, it is necessary to provide a sufficient space above the water supply tank for attaching and detaching the pipe.

In addition, conventionally, the impurity concentration of the raw water in the water supply tank is measured, and when the impurity concentration exceeds a certain value, the pressurizing pump is stopped and an alarm indicating that the raw water in the water supply tank needs to be replaced is output. It was. Therefore, the cost for providing the impurity concentration sensor and the like is required.

JP-A-2018-65584

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and provides a water purification device having a simple configuration that facilitates maintenance such as water replacement work in a water supply tank and does not require a concentration sensor or the like. The purpose.

In order to achieve the above object, in the water purification device of the present disclosure,
A water supply tank that stores raw water, and a raw water supply pipe that supplies raw water from the water supply tank to a pressurizing pump via a connector.
A purification filter unit including a reverse osmosis membrane that removes impurities in the raw water sent from the pressurizing pump to generate purified water.
A concentrated water return pipe that returns the concentrated water generated by the purification action of the reverse osmosis membrane to the water supply tank via the flowing water adjusting unit.
A water purification tank that stores the purified water, a purified water outlet that takes out purified water from the purified water tank, and a water purification unit.
It is a water purification device equipped with
The water supply tank is provided with a water supply port on the upper side, and a connector portion connected to the raw water supply pipe and the concentrated water return pipe on the lower side surface or bottom surface.
The connector portion comprises a first connector to be attached to the water supply tank and a second connector that is detachably fitted to the first connector and is connected to the raw water supply pipe and the concentrated water return pipe. The connection portion of the first and second connectors allows the raw water of the raw water supply pipe and the concentrated water of the concentrated water return pipe to be concentrically communicated with each other, and the first connector is a fitting of the second connector. It is characterized by having a valve mechanism that sometimes allows the flow of raw water and prohibits the flow of raw water when the second connector is separated.

In particular, in the first connector, the inside of the concentrically formed fluid communication part is assigned to the flow of raw water, the outside is assigned to the flow of concentrated water, and a valve mechanism is provided in the inner fluid communication part to provide the second connector. It is preferable to prohibit the flow of raw water at the time of separation because of the simple configuration. Of course, a valve mechanism may be provided at both the outer and inner fluid communication portions to prohibit the flow of both raw water and concentrated water when the second connector is separated. Then, due to the structure in which the first connector and the second connector are rotationally fitted around the concentric fluid communication portion as the central axis, the raw water supply pipe and the concentrated water return pipe coming from different directions in the water purification device are respectively in the water supply tank. It can be easily connected and separated at the same time as the pipe.

In the water purification device of the present disclosure, when the water supply tank is attached or detached, the valve is automatically closed by the operation of the valve inside the connector, and the water dripping when the water supply tank is moved can be minimized.
Further, of the two pipes protruding into the water supply tank of the first connector of the water purification device according to the present disclosure, one of them is a pipe that communicates with the raw water supply pipe in a fluid communication, and protrudes substantially horizontally in the water supply tank. The other is a pipe that communicates fluidly with the concentrated water return pipe, and has an outlet that extends upward toward the water supply tank and has a discharge port at a position higher than the water intake. It is characterized by.

In particular, the position of the intake port is preferably determined by the permissible value of the impurity concentration of the raw water. In many cases, the source of raw water (general tap water or river, etc.) is determined for each installation location of water purification equipment. According to the present disclosure, it is possible to control the concentration of impurities in the raw water when the raw water is reused by the amount of water when the water supply tank is full and the amount of water when the raw water is replaced, which is determined by the height of the intake port. The sensor can be omitted.

Preferably, the position of the water intake should be adjustable. For each installation location of the water purification device, the intake can be set to a low position when the quality of the raw water is good, and the intake can be set to a high position when the quality of the raw water is poor. It becomes accurate and easy, and at the same time, the quality of purified water can be maintained.

The position of the water intake can be adjusted by making it possible to connect a plurality of pipes or by making the pipes expandable and contractible such as bellows so that the height extending upward can be adjusted.
Alternatively, instead of adjusting the position of the water intake port, a scale indicating the amount (height) of water to be put into the water supply tank depending on the water quality may be provided on the surface of the water supply tank. For example, in the case of tap water, it is possible to control the concentration of impurities in the raw water by replenishing the water to a high scale and keeping the poor water quality such as a river at a low scale position.

The effect of preventing water dripping can be enhanced by raising the connector portion of the water supply tank by a predetermined angle on the outer side with respect to the inner side of the tank. The angle at this time can be [the opening diameter of the pipe / the horizontal length of the pipe].

Further, the water purification device according to the present disclosure includes a high-pressure switch that is interposed between the purification filter unit and the water flow adjustment unit and outputs a detection signal when a constant pressure is detected.
An arithmetic processing means for controlling the drainage control valve and the pressurizing pump by inputting the state of the manual switch or the high-pressure switch.
With
The water intake of the pressurizing pump is installed below the water intake in the water supply tank.
The arithmetic processing means
Based on the detection signal, the operation of the pressurizing pump is stopped, and the arrival of the replacement time of the raw water in the water supply tank is notified.

The arithmetic processing means of the water purification device according to the present disclosure detects that the pressure in the concentrated water return pipe is below a certain value by the detection signal of the high pressure switch during water purification, and if this continues for a certain period of time, the raw water in the water supply tank is replaced. It is determined that the time has been reached and an alarm is output.

Specifically, when the amount of water in the tank reaches a low water level in the water tank, the "tank low water level lamp" on the operation panel blinks, and at the same time, a buzzer sounds to warn the user and replace the raw water in the water tank. To urge. According to the present disclosure, the operation of the pressurizing pump is automatically stopped when the raw water in the water supply tank is at a low water level to prevent the pressurizing pump from slipping due to air inflow and reduce the load on the electrical system, resulting in a failure or accident. Causes can be reduced.

Further, whether or not the water flow adjusting unit of the water purification device according to the present disclosure is connected in parallel with a drainage adjusting valve for adjusting the flow rate in the pipe and the drainage adjusting valve to bypass the drainage adjusting valve by opening and closing the valve. It consists of a drainage control valve that controls
Equipped with a tank switch that notifies the completion of water supply by manually operating after setting the water supply tank
The arithmetic processing means
The reverse osmosis membrane is flushed and washed by operating the pressurizing pump with the drainage control valve open for a predetermined time when the power is turned on or the state change of the tank switch is detected, and then the drainage control valve is operated. It is characterized in that the water purification treatment is executed and the flushing cleaning treatment is executed at regular intervals in the closed state.

According to the present disclosure, the reverse osmosis membrane filter (RO membrane filter) is flushed and washed by opening the control valve of the concentrated water that returns to the water supply tank at regular intervals, and the ability of the reverse osmosis membrane filter to remove impurities is maintained. Can be prolonged.

At this time, a latch circuit that is set at the time of determining that the replacement time of the arithmetic processing means has arrived and that detects and resets the operation of the manual switch but does not reset when the power is turned off is provided, and is based on the state of the latch circuit. It is preferable to start or stop the pressurizing pump. As a result, the arithmetic processing means can read the state of the latch circuit when the power is turned on and appropriately detect whether or not the raw water in the water supply tank needs to be replaced.

Further, the water purification device according to the present disclosure includes a high water level sensor that detects that the water purification tank is full, and a low water level sensor that detects that the water level has dropped to a certain level.
The arithmetic processing means
When the high water level sensor detects that the water purification tank is full, the pressurizing pump is stopped, and then when the low water level sensor detects a decrease in the amount of water in the water purification tank, pressurization is performed. Run the pump,
The water level detected by the high water level sensor and the water level detected by the low water level sensor are such that the amount of water stored in the water purification tank corresponding to the difference between the two water levels is within the execution interval of the flushing cleaning process executed by the arithmetic processing means. It is characterized in that it is set to be larger than the amount of purified water that can be produced.

As a result, it is possible to prevent frequent repetition of flushing cleaning and perform flushing cleaning and water purification treatment at an appropriate timing.

Further, in order to prevent contamination of germs and the like near the faucet when the purified water of the water purification device according to the present disclosure is supplied, high temperature water including the cold water line always flows in when using hot water, and the function of performing heat sterilization is characterized.

As described above, in the water purification device of the present invention, maintenance such as water replacement work in the water supply tank is easy, and a water purification device having a simple configuration can be realized without the need for a concentration sensor or the like.

It is a block diagram of the water purification apparatus by embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the principle of the connector of FIG. It is a block diagram by one Example of FIG. It is a figure which saw the insertion surface of the connector of FIG. It is a block diagram of the locking means of the connector of FIG. It is explanatory drawing of operation of the locking means of the connector of FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the extension tube inserted into the connector of FIG. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the locking means according to another embodiment of the connector of FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the structure of the cold water / hot water outlet of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the processing procedure at the time of power-on of the control circuit of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the processing procedure at the time of exchanging a water supply tank of the control circuit of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the processing procedure at the time of power-on according to another embodiment of the control circuit of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of resetting the Empty flag of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the processing procedure at the time of water tank exchange by another embodiment of the control circuit of FIG.

The first embodiment of the water purification apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.
In FIG. 1, the water purification device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a water supply tank 2 for storing raw water such as tap water and natural water. The water supply tank 2 is connected to the raw water supply pipe 21 and the concentrated water return pipe 22 via the connector 3. The raw water supply pipe 21 is connected to a pressurizing pump 4 that pushes the raw water into the circulatory system. The pressurizing pump 4 returns the concentrated water generated by the purification action of the RO membrane to the water supply tank 2 and the purification filter unit 5 including the RO membrane filter 52 that removes impurities in the raw water to generate purified water by the connecting pipe 23. It is provided with a connecting pipe 24 for making the water purified, a cooling tank 9 for storing purified water purified by the purification filter unit 5, and a connecting pipe 27 for supplying purified water from the purification filter unit 5 to the cooling tank 9.

A cooling device (not shown) is attached to the lower part of the cooling tank 9, and the stored water can be cooled to a certain temperature to be cooled. The cooling temperature can be set arbitrarily. Two connecting pipes 28, 29 are connected to the cooling tank 9 so as to communicate with each other in the cooling tank 9. One end of the connecting pipe 28 is higher than the intake position of the connecting pipe 29 of the cooling tank 9, and is configured to take in purified water from a position where a cooling device is not attached, and the other end extends to the upper part of the heating tank 10. ing. The heating tank 10 is heated by a heating heater (not shown), and the purified water supplied from the cooling tank 9 is heated through the connecting pipe 28 to warm the water. A drain pipe 32 is arranged on the bottom surface of the heating tank 10, and the drain pipe 32 can be discharged from a hot water discharge port 14 having an on-off valve.

A connecting pipe 30 is connected to the heating tank 10, and one end of the connecting pipe 30 is connected to the hot water solenoid valve 11. The other end of the hot water solenoid valve 11 is connected to the cold water / hot water outlet 13 by a connecting pipe 31. On the other hand, the bottom of the cooling tank 9 is connected to the chilled water solenoid valve 12 via a connecting pipe 29, and the chilled water / hot water outlet 13 is arranged directly below the chilled water solenoid valve 12.

The purification filter unit 5 includes an RO membrane filter 52, a pre-filter 51 and a post filter 53, which are two activated carbon tanks arranged before and after the RO membrane filter 52. The pre-filter 51 and the RO membrane filter 52 are connected by a connecting tube 33. The post filter 53 and the RO membrane filter 52 are connected by a connecting tube 34. A plurality of pre-filters 51 and post filters 53 may be provided if necessary. A connecting pipe 23 from the pressurizing pump 4 is connected to the raw water introduction port of the pre-filter 51 in the front stage.

The raw water sent out from the pressurizing pump 4 driven and controlled by the drive signal S4 from the control circuit 40, which will be described later, passes through the prefilter 51 via the connecting pipe 23, and chlorine ions contained in the raw water due to the adsorption action of activated carbon. Adsorbs and removes harmful substances such as organic compounds. The raw water that has been pretreated with activated carbon flows into the water supply port of the RO membrane filter 52.

The RO membrane filter 52 is a tubular container in which the RO membrane is housed, and a water supply port, a purified water discharge port, and a concentrated water discharge port are provided on the container. Pure water from which impurities are highly removed from the supplied water is discharged from the purified water outlet, and concentrated water generated by the reverse osmosis action is discharged from the concentrated water discharge port.

The purified water discharge port of the RO membrane filter 52 is connected to the post filter 53 via a connecting pipe 34. The concentrated water discharge port of the RO membrane filter 52 is connected to one end of the high pressure switch 6 via a connecting pipe 24. The other end of the high-pressure switch is connected to the drainage control valve 7 and the drainage control valve 8 in parallel via a T-shaped pipe 15. The other ends of the drainage control valve 7 and the drainage control valve 8 are connected to the concentrated water return pipe 22 via the T-shaped pipe 16. When the water supply tank 2 is attached, the raw water supply pipe 35 and the concentrated water return pipe 36 in the water supply tank 2 are connected to the raw water supply pipe 21 and the concentrated water return pipe 22 outside the water supply tank, respectively, via the connector 3. To do. The raw water supply pipe 35 is configured to supply water from a low position in the water supply tank 2, and the concentrated water return pipe 36 is configured to drain water to a high position in the water supply tank 2. The intake of the raw water supply pipe 35 is preferably formed horizontally upward. As a result, when the water level of the water supply tank drops to the height of the intake port of the raw water supply pipe 35, it is possible to prevent the raw water mixed with air from being supplied to the pressurizing pump 4 side for a long time.

The concentrated water in which impurities are concentrated through the RO membrane filter 52 returns to the water supply tank 2, is discharged from the concentrated water return pipe 36, and is used for reprocessing. That is, the concentrated water returned to the water supply tank 2 becomes raw water, is taken in from the intake port of the raw water supply pipe 35, and is sent to the purification filter unit 5 again by the pressurizing pump 4 to form a circulation type water purification treatment system. There is.

(Structure of control circuit 40)
The control circuit 40 includes an input means for input processing an external signal, an arithmetic processing means for arithmetically processing the input signal, an output means for outputting an arithmetic result, and a storage means (not shown) for storing data. ..

The signal processed by the input means includes a state of a tank switch that is manually turned off and on when the water supply tank is replaced, a state of pressure detection of the high pressure switch 6, and the like. The arithmetic processing means mainly executes the power-on processing and the water tank replacement processing. The output means outputs an alarm signal for notifying the arrival of the water supply exchange time, which is the execution result of each of the above processes, an open / close signal of the drainage control valve, and a drive signal of the pressurizing pump.

The control circuit 40 includes a microprocessor (hereinafter, referred to as “CPU”) 40a as arithmetic processing means, and arithmetically processes the input signal. This processing procedure will be described later.

(Treatment of drainage control valve 8 arranged side by side with drainage control valve 7)
Normally, when purified water is generated, the drainage control valve 8 is closed, and pressure is applied to the RO membrane filter to purify water while controlling the flow rate by the drainage regulating valve 7 built in the pipe. However, when the cooling tank 9 continues to be full and there is almost no movement of circulating water, the concentrated water stays inside the RO membrane filter due to the action of positive permeation, which causes a decrease in water purification efficiency.

Therefore, the control circuit 40 outputs an opening command S3 to the drainage control valve 8 at regular time intervals (for example, every 30 minutes. When the drainage control valve 8 receives the opening command S3, it outputs the drainage control valve 8. The RO membrane is flushed and washed by increasing the flow rate in the open state.

As a result, the concentrated water retained inside can be drained to the outside of the RO membrane filter, and the RO membrane filter can be cleaned to prevent a decrease in the removal rate.

(Water purification treatment)
The purified water generated by the RO membrane filter 52 flows into the purified water inlet of the post filter 53. By passing the purified water introduced into the post filter 53 through the filter (activated carbon tank), trace amounts of residual substances contained in the raw water are also removed, and the cooling tank is passed through the connecting pipe 27 connected to the purified water drain port of the post filter 53. It is discharged to 9.

The purified water providing unit 9a is configured to be able to provide purified water from the cooling tank 9 or the heating tank 10 as cold water or hot water through a faucet (cold water / hot water outlet) 13. The drain end of the connecting pipe 27 is attached to the upper lid of the cooling tank 9, and purified water is stored inside the cooling tank 9 from the drain port. Further, a UV lamp (ultraviolet germicidal lamp) 91 and a float switch (liquid level sensor) 92 are attached to the upper lid of the cooling tank 9 toward the inside of the tank. The UV lamp 91 is turned on and off by a control command from the control circuit 40.

The float switch 92 detects whether or not a predetermined amount of purified water is stored by contacting the surface of the stored purified water. That is, the float switch 92 is a detection means for detecting that a predetermined amount of purified water is stored, and detects the upper limit position and the lower limit position of the liquid level by the float that moves up and down according to the rise and fall of the liquid level. .. When the float switch 92 detects the upper limit position H and the lower limit position L of the liquid surface, the detection signals S2a and S2b are output, respectively. The control circuit 40 first stops the pressurizing pump 4 by receiving the detection signal S2a at the upper limit position H, and stops the supply of purified water to the cooling tank 9. After that, the control circuit 40 transmits the drive signal S4 to the pressurizing pump 4 to drive it by receiving the detection signal S2b at the lower limit position L, and restarts the generation of purified water. In this way, the water purification amount is controlled so that the purified water in the cooling tank 9 is maintained at a constant water level by the intermittent drive of the pressurizing pump 4 linked with the monitoring of the purified water amount by the float switch 92.

(Structure of connector 3 of water tank 2)
Next, the basic principle of the connector 3 mounted on the water supply tank 2 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the basic principle, and details of the fitting structure and the like are omitted. Further, in the connector 3, only the portion forming the pipe wall is hatched, and the moving portion such as the valve is not hatched.

The connector 3 is composed of a connector 3a that is directly attached to the water supply tank 2 and a connector 3b that is fitted to the connector 3a. The raw water supply pipe 21 going to the pressurizing pump and the concentrated water return pipe 22 arranged from the flowing water adjusting unit 7a are connected to the connector 3b.

In this connector 3b, a water flow path is formed concentrically at the connection portion with the connector 3a, the raw water supply pipe 21 is connected to the central pipe 61b, and the concentrated water return pipe 22 is connected to the outer pipe 62b. There is. On the other hand, also in the connector 3a, a water flow path is formed concentrically at the connection portion like the connector 3b, the raw water supply pipe 35 is connected to the central pipe 61a, and the concentrated water return pipe 36 is connected to the outer pipe 62a. Has been done. When the connectors 3a and 3b configured in this way are fitted and connected, raw water can be circulated on the central side (61a and 61b) of the concentric pipe, and concentrated water can be circulated on the outside (62a and 62b). ..

The connector 3a is provided with a check valve 63a on the center side, and when the connector 3b is connected, the check valve spring 64a is pushed by the protrusion 63b of the connector 3b as shown in FIG. 2B. , The packing 65a is separated from the opening of the pipe 61a, and as a result, the check valve 63a is opened. When the connector 3b is removed, the check valve spring 64a is stretched by the restoring force as shown in FIG. 2A, and the packing 65a closes the opening of the pipe 61a. As a result, the check valve 63a is closed, and the outflow of raw water from the water supply tank 2 to the outside can be prevented.

In FIG. 2, the concentrated water side is not provided with a valve and is always in a state where it can be distributed. When the water supply tank is replaced, the pressurizing pump is normally stopped, so there is almost no outflow of concentrated water. However, it is of course possible to provide a check valve at the inlet from the concentrated water return pipe 22 to the outer pipe 62b.

FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the connector 3 according to this embodiment. FIG. 3A shows the flow of raw water when the connector is fitted, and FIG. 3B shows the flow of concentrated water when the connector is fitted. FIG. 3C shows the main parts constituting the check valve.

Next, the structures of the connectors 3a and 3b will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7.
FIG. 4 is a view of the connectors 3a and 3b according to the embodiment as viewed from the insertion surface. When the connectors 3a and 3b are attached to the water supply tank 2, an extension tube 37 is provided on the drain port side of the concentrated water return pipe 36 toward the upper side of the water supply tank as shown in FIG. 7 during operation. Is not shown.

The joints of the connectors 3a and 3b have a concentric double pipe structure separated by outer pipe walls 69a and 69b and inner pipe walls 68a and 68b, respectively. The outer tube wall 69a of the connector 3b is fitted inside the outer tube wall 69b of the connector 3b, and the inner tube wall 68a of the connector 3a is fitted inside the inner tube wall 68b of the connector 3b. Then, the raw water flows through the pipes 61a and 61b formed inside the inner pipe walls 68a and 68b, and the concentrated water flows through the pipes 62a and 62b formed between the inner pipe walls 68a and 68b and the outer pipe walls 69a and 69b. Pass through. The connector 3b is provided with a protrusion 63b inside the inner pipe wall 68b, and by pushing the head of the check valve 63a of the connector 3a with the protrusion 63b, the packing 65a is separated from the opening and the check valve 63a is opened. ..

Next, the locking means for fitting and fixing the connectors 3a and 3b will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 5C, the connector 3a is attached to the water supply tank 2 by sandwiching the outer wall between the connector main body 71a inserted into the outer wall of the water supply tank 2 represented by the alternate long and short dash line and the fixing means 72a. Be done. The connector 3a is provided with two locking means 80a at positions symmetrical with respect to the central axis. The locking means 80a includes an inclined slide portion 81a formed convexly on the outer surface of the outer tube wall 69a and having a constant inclined gradient with respect to the insertion surface, and a parallel slide portion 82a having a surface substantially parallel to the insertion surface. I have.

5 (a) and 5 (b) show the locking means 80b of the connector 3b. The locking means 80b is formed in a convex shape on the inner surface of the outer tube wall 69b of the connector 3b at a position corresponding to the locking means 80a, and has an inclined sliding portion 81b having an inclined gradient with respect to the insertion surface. A parallel slide portion 82b having parallel surfaces is provided.

Next, the operation of the locking means 80a and 80b when the connectors 3a and 3b are attached and detached will be described. The connector attachment / detachment work is performed with the raw water supply pipe and the concentrated water return pipe attached to the connector 3b. In FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b), the raw water supply pipe and the concentrated water return pipe are described. Is omitted.

When attaching the connector 3b, the user inserts the connector 3b into the connector 3a and rotates it to the right in this embodiment. Then, the inclined slide portion 81b of the locking means 80b and the inclined slide portion 81a of the locking means 80a come into contact with each other, and the inclined slide portion 81b slides on the inclined slide portion 81a. The state during sliding is shown in FIG. 6 (a). As a result, the connector 3b is inserted deeper into the connector 3a.

When the connector 3b is inserted into the connector 3a by the user, that is, before the inclined slide portion 81b slides, the pipes 61a and 61b and the pipes 62a and 62b are in a fluid communication state, respectively, and during the sliding of the inclined slide portion 81b. The height of the protrusion 63b can be determined so that the check valve 63a opens. Then, when the insertion surface of the connector 3b comes into contact with the fixing means 72a of the connector 3a, the sliding by the inclined slide portions 81a and 81b shifts to the sliding by the parallel slide portions 82a and 82b.

As shown in FIG. 5B, the locking means 80b of the connector 3b is inclined having a surface inclined at an angle with respect to the insertion surface from the parallel slide portion 82b toward the back side (the side opposite to the insertion surface). The slide portion 83b is provided, and the inclined slide portion 81a of the connector 3a eventually comes into contact with the inclined slide portion 83b of the connector 3b due to rotation in the right direction (mounting direction). This allows the user to perceive that the connector 3b is properly mounted.

On the other hand, when removing the connector 3b, the user rotates the connector 3b to the left. As a result, the parallel slide portion 82b of the connector 3b slides on the parallel slide portion 82a of the connector 3a. When further rotated counterclockwise, the corner portion 83a of the locking means 80a in the connector 3a abuts on the inclined sliding portion 83b of the opposing (adjacent) locking means 80b in the connector 3b, and then slides along the inclined sliding portion 83. As a result, the connector 3b gradually separates from the connector 3a, and the user can easily remove the connector 3b.

As described above, if the height of the protrusion 63b is determined so that the check valve 63a opens while the inclined slide portions 81a and 81b are sliding when the connector is attached, the check valve 63a can be removed even when the connector is removed. After closing, the tubes 61a and 61b and the tubes 62a and 62b are separated, respectively.

In the above description, it is not necessary to set a constant inclination angle for the inclined slide portion 81b of the connector 3b, and it is sufficient if the inclined slide portion 81b has a convex portion that can slide on the inclined slide portion 81a.

(Other Examples)
The parallel slide portions 82a and 82b have been described above as being substantially parallel to the insertion surface. However, as shown in FIG. 8A, the parallel slide portion 82a of the connector 3a is tilted by a certain angle γ with respect to the insertion surface, and the parallel slide portion 82b of the connector 3b in contact with the parallel slide portion 82b is also tilted by the same angle. You may. As a result, when the sliding by the inclined slide portions 81a and 81b shifts to the parallel slide portions 82a and 82b, a locking force can be generated by the elastic restoring force of the material (for example, plastic) of the connectors 3a and 3b. it can. That is, when the inclined slide portions 81a and 81b are slid when the connector is attached, the insertion surface of the connector 3b comes into contact with the fixing means 72a of the connector 3a, and at this time, the inclined slide portion as shown in FIG. 8B. 81b is still on the tilted slide portion 81a. In this state, when the connector 3b is further rotated to the right, the inclined slide portion 81b passes through the inclined slide portion 81a due to the elastic deformation of the connectors 3a and 3b, and shifts toward the parallel slide portion 82a. Then, as shown in FIG. 8C, the parallel slide portions 82a and 82b are locked in close contact with each other by the elastic restoring force of the connectors 3a and 3b.

(Concentration control method for concentrated water)
The concentration of concentrated water can be achieved, for example, by varying the height of the extension tube attached to the concentrated water return pipe 36. When the user removes the connector 3b and fills the water supply tank with raw water, if the raw water is filled higher than the discharge port of the extension tube, the raw water is discharged to the outside of the connector 3a through the concentrated return pipe 36. The amount of raw water filled in the tank is determined by the height of the extension tube. On the other hand, since the intake of the raw water supply pipe is closed by a check valve, it is not discharged to the outside through the raw water supply pipe. Therefore, if the intake of the raw water supply pipe is set to a certain height, the concentration control of the return water can be controlled by the length of the extension tube.
A second extension tube whose height can be adjusted may be attached to the intake of the raw water supply pipe to control the concentration of concentrated water.

(Structure near cold / hot water outlet)
Next, the structure of the faucet portion of the water purification device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in this figure, the faucet portion of the water purification device has a structure in which it flows out from the faucet in the vertical direction. This prevents cold water from staying near the faucet in the pipe. On the other hand, the hot water is allowed to flow out from the side to the faucet. As a result, the vicinity of the faucet is heat sterilized by hot water, and the hot water remaining in the horizontal pipe is also heat sterilized by itself, so that a hygienic state can be maintained at all times.

(Operation of control circuit)
The operation of the control circuit (arithmetic processing means, hereinafter referred to as “CPU”) 40 of the water purification device according to the next embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.

1. 1. Operation when the power is turned on (see Fig. 10)
When the power is turned on, the microprocessor (hereinafter referred to as CPU) 40a of the control circuit 40 executes the power-on processing. In the power-on processing, it is determined whether or not the tank switch to be manually turned on / off is on (S101), and if it is not on (“No” in S101), it means that the water in the water supply tank has reached the replacement time. The indicated LED (hereinafter referred to as "Empty LED") is blinked (S102).

On the other hand, when the tank switch is on (“Yes” in S101), an open command is output to the drainage control valve 8 and a drive command is output to the pressurizing pump 4 (S103). As a result, the drainage control valve 8 is opened. Since the water intake of the pressure pump 4 is installed at a position lower than that of the connector 3, the raw water of the water supply tank 2 flows to the pressure pump 4 by gravity. Then, the raw water extruded by the pressurizing pump 4 returns to the water supply tank 2 through the connecting pipe 23, the purification filter unit 5, the drainage control valve 8, and the concentrated water return pipe 22. As a result, flushing cleaning of the RO membrane filter 52 is executed. At this time, purified water is not generated through the RO membrane filter 52.

After continuing the flushing cleaning for a certain period of time (for example, 30 seconds) (S104), the CPU 40a outputs a closing command to the drainage control valve 8 (S105). As a result, the drainage control valve 8 is closed, and a constant pressure is applied to the RO membrane filter 52 by the drainage control valve 7. As a result, purified water is generated through the RO membrane filter 52, further purified by the post filter 52, and then stored in the cooling tank 9 through the connecting pipe 27.

The CPU 40a constantly monitors the state of the detection signal S1 of the high-pressure switch 6 during the generation of purified water (S106), and if the high-pressure state is not detected for a certain period of time (for example, 5 minutes) (S110), the water supply tank 2 is empty. It is determined that the state, that is, the low water level has been reached, the Empty LED indicating that it is time to replace the raw water is blinked, and an alarm is output (S111). Then, a stop command is output to the pressurizing pump 4 (S112). The algorithm for determining whether the water supply tank 2 is empty is empty (raw water replacement time) when the high pressure state is not continuously detected for a second time shorter than that within the preset first time. It is preferable to determine that there is. When determining whether or not the water supply tank is empty, raw water mixed with air is taken in from the raw water supply pipe 35 until it becomes empty. In this case, if the pressure is above a certain level, high pressure (on), If you use a high-pressure switch that will be low pressure (off) if it is lower than that, the detection result may become unstable when the water tank approaches empty, but according to this method, water supply is more stable. It is possible to determine the emptyness of the tank and reduce the amount of water remaining in the concentrated water return pipe 22 as much as possible to reduce the dripping from the concentrated water return pipe 22 when the water supply tank is replaced. In the present embodiment, if the high pressure state is not detected for 10 seconds or more within 5 minutes, it is determined that the water supply tank is empty (raw water replacement time) (S106, S107, S110).

2. 2. Operation when replacing water in the water tank (see Fig. 11)
As described above, when the water supply tank is emptied, the CPU 40a blinks the Empty LED and sounds a buzzer or the like to output an alarm. When the user knows that it is time to replace the water in the water tank by this notification, the connector of the water tank is separated. Then, when the concentrated water in the water supply tank is discarded and new raw water is filled up to the marked full water position in the water supply tank, the connector of the water supply tank is connected and the tank switch is turned off and on.

When the CPU 40a detects that the tank switch is off / on (“Yes” in S201), the Empty LED is turned off (S203), the flushing cleaning process (S204, S205) and the water purification / water tank empty determination process (S206 to S213). To execute. The flushing cleaning process and the water purification / water tank empty determination process are the same as the procedure for the power-on process described above, so explanations are omitted.

3. 3. Other Examples FIGS. 12 to 14 show other examples of the power-on processing and the water exchange processing of the water supply tank. In this embodiment, the Empty flag that is set when the time to replace the water in the water supply tank arrives and is reset after the replacement is saved as internal data in the storage unit of the CPU 40a, and an event occurs from the tank switch off to on. An interrupt routine that is started by and resets the Empty flag is provided.

Hereinafter, the differences from FIGS. 10 and 11 will be mainly described.
In the power-on processing shown in FIG. 12, in the water supply tank set determination processing, when the tank switch is on (S101), the Empty flag is subsequently turned off. Further, in the case of determining that there is no water (the replacement time has arrived) in step S110, the Empty flag is turned on (S110a). Then, before the pressurizing pump is turned off and the processing is completed, the water supply tank replacement processing means is activated (S113).

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 13, the Empty flag reset routine turns off the Empty flag when it is activated by the occurrence of an event from off to on of the tank switch.
The water exchange processing of the water supply tank is a routine that starts at a fixed cycle after being started in the power-on processing. In FIG. 14, when the water exchange processing routine of the water supply tank is activated, it is determined whether or not the Empty flag is off (S201a), and if it is not off, the Empty LED continues to blink (S202). In the present embodiment, the start interval of the water exchange treatment routine of the water tank is assumed to be a time interval at which the user can sufficiently recognize an alarm (for example, a buzzer sound), so that the alarm should be turned off. However, the alarm may be turned off when the water replacement processing routine of the water tank is activated a certain number of times or when the Empty flag is turned off. Further, when it is determined in step S211 that there is no water (the replacement time has arrived), the Empty flag is turned on (S211a).

In this embodiment, while the Empty flag is provided, the change detection from off to on of the tank switch is executed by a routine independent of the water exchange processing of the water tank, and the Empty flag is reset in the routine. In the water replacement process of the water tank, it is determined whether or not the water in the water tank has been replaced based on the state of this Empty flag. Therefore, when the water level of the water purification tank drops and the float switch is turned on, the pressurizing pump operates. It is possible to operate stably even when it is stopped.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the raw water supply pipe and the concentrated water return pipe coming from different directions are converted into concentric double pipes and relatively rotated to form a detachable connector configuration on the center side. Since the raw water supply pipe is provided with a check valve, it is possible to reduce water dripping when replacing the water supply tank and alleviate the complexity of the replacement work.

In addition, since the raw water replacement time can be controlled by the height of the raw water intake in the water supply tank and the amount of water when the water is full, the concentration sensor is not required and the cost can be reduced.

Further, by lowering the height of the water supply port of the pressurizing pump from the raw water intake port, the raw water is naturally supplied to the pressurizing pump, so that the pressurizing pump is not required to have a suction capacity and a discharge capacity. Since it is only necessary to consider only the pressure pump, labor saving in selecting the pressure pump can be achieved, and an inexpensive pressure pump can be adopted.

In addition, by monitoring the pressure of the high-pressure switch, it is detected that the raw water in the water supply tank has reached a low level, the pressurizing pump is stopped, and an alarm is output, so the user can easily replace the raw water. You can know.

Furthermore, not only during water purification treatment, but also when the power is turned on, when the water supply tank is replaced, and when the water purification treatment is restarted when the water level in the cold water tank drops, flushing cleaning is performed, so the entire circulation system including the pressurizing pump and purification filter is assured. Can be filled with water before water purification.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be realized by various modifications without departing from the gist thereof. For example, in the above description, the tank switch has been described as a switch that is manually turned on and off, but a switch that automatically turns off and on when the tank switch is removed or attached (for example, a pressure sensitive switch) may be used. .. The Empty flag can be managed by software, but it may be managed by the output of a latch circuit that is set when it is time to replace the water tank and is reset by a change in the tank switch.

1 Water purification device 2 Water supply tanks 3, 3a, 3b Connector 4 Pressurization pump 5 Purification filter unit 6 High pressure switch 7 Drainage adjustment valve 7a Flow water adjustment unit 8 Drainage control valve 9 Cooling tank 9a Water purification supply unit 10 Heating tank 11 Hot water solenoid valve 12 Cold water solenoid valve 13 Cold water / hot water outlet 14 Hot water discharge port 15, 16 T-shaped pipe 21 Raw water supply pipe 22 Concentrated water return pipe 23, 24, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33, 34 Connecting pipe 35 Raw water supply pipe 36 Concentrated water return pipe 40 Control circuit 51 Pre-filter 52 Reverse osmosis membrane filter 52 Post filter 63a Check valve 64a Check valve Spring 91 UV lamp 92 Float switch

Claims (5)

A water supply tank that stores raw water, and a raw water supply pipe that supplies raw water from the water supply tank to a pressurizing pump via a connector.
A purification filter unit including a reverse osmosis membrane that removes impurities in the raw water sent from the pressurizing pump to generate purified water.
A concentrated water return pipe that returns the concentrated water generated by the purification action of the reverse osmosis membrane to the water supply tank via the flowing water adjusting unit.
A water purification tank that stores the purified water, a purified water outlet that takes out purified water from the purified water tank, and a water purification unit.
It is a water purification device equipped with
The water tank is provided with a water supply port on the upper side, and a connector portion connected to the raw water supply pipe and the concentrated water return pipe on the lower side surface or bottom surface.
The connector portion comprises a first connector to be attached to the water supply tank and a second connector that is detachably fitted to the first connector and is connected to the raw water supply pipe and the concentrated water return pipe. The connection portion of the first and second connectors allows the raw water of the raw water supply pipe and the concentrated water of the concentrated water return pipe to be concentrically communicated with each other, and the first connector is a connection of the second connector. A water purification device characterized in that it is provided with a valve mechanism that sometimes enables the flow of raw water and prohibits the flow of raw water when the second connector is separated. Of the two pipes protruding into the water supply tank of the first connector, one is a pipe that communicates fluid with the raw water supply pipe and has an intake port for taking in the raw water in the water supply tank, and the other is said. The water purification device according to claim 1, which is a pipe that communicates fluid with the concentrated water return pipe and extends upward toward the water supply tank and has a discharge port at a position higher than the water intake port. A high-pressure switch that is installed between the purification filter unit and the flowing water adjustment unit and outputs a detection signal when a constant pressure is detected.
An arithmetic processing means for controlling the drainage control valve and the pressurizing pump by inputting the state of the manual switch or the high-pressure switch.
With
The water intake of the pressurizing pump is installed below the water intake in the water supply tank.
The arithmetic processing means
The water purification device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the water purification apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 notifies the arrival of the replacement time of the raw water in the water supply tank based on the detection signal. The flow rate adjusting unit includes a drainage control valve for adjusting the flow rate in the pipe and a drainage control valve which is connected in parallel with the drainage control valve and controls whether or not the drainage control valve is bypassed by opening and closing the valve. ,
Equipped with a tank switch to notify the completion of water supply after setting the water supply tank
The arithmetic processing means
The reverse osmosis membrane is flushed and washed by operating the pressurizing pump with the drainage control valve open for a predetermined time when the power is turned on or the state change of the tank switch is detected.
The water purification apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the drainage control valve is then closed, the water purification treatment is executed, and the flushing cleaning treatment is executed at regular intervals. A high water level sensor that detects that the water purification tank is full and a low water level sensor that detects that the water level has dropped to a certain level are provided.
The arithmetic processing means
When the high water level sensor detects that the water purification tank is full, the pressurizing pump is stopped, and then when the low water level sensor detects a decrease in the amount of water in the water purification tank, pressurization is performed. Run the pump,
The water level detected by the high water level sensor and the water level detected by the low water level sensor are such that the amount of water stored in the water purification tank corresponding to the difference between the two water levels is within the execution interval of the flushing cleaning process executed by the arithmetic processing means. The water purification apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the water purification apparatus is set to be larger than the amount that can generate purified water.