JP5012539B2 - Water treatment equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a water treatment apparatus used for performing a predetermined treatment such as a softening treatment, a purification treatment, or an ionic water generation treatment of water such as tap water.

  For example, the water softening device has a water softening treatment tank having a configuration in which an ion exchange resin is contained in a container, and water is passed through the water softening treatment tank to obtain softened water. Can do. In such a water softening device, water exists in the water softening treatment tank even during the period when the water flow to the water softening treatment tank is stopped. On the other hand, when water stays in the water softening tank for a long time, the water quality may be deteriorated due to the eluate from the ion exchange resin. For this reason, it is not very desirable that water is not passed for a long time and that certain water remains in the water softening tank.

  Therefore, conventionally, when the state where water is not passed through the water softening treatment tank continues for a predetermined time or longer, there is a means for performing a washing process of the water softening treatment tank at that time (see, for example, Patent Document 1). . In this means, as shown in FIG. 8, for example, when water is passed to the water softening tank 90 at an appropriate time t1 after the start time t0 and no water is passed thereafter, for example, at time t1 The cleaning process is started at time t2 after 24 hours have elapsed.

  However, in the prior art, there is a case where a problem occurs as described below.

  That is, when the water flow amount is greater than or equal to the capacity of the water softening treatment tank 90 at the time t1 shown in FIG. 8, the total amount of the initial water W0 in the water softening treatment tank 90 is new. The water W1 is replaced, and in this case, the later-described malfunction does not occur. However, there are various ways of passing water to the water softening treatment tank 90. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the capacity of the water softening treatment tank 90 is 10L, whereas the water flow amount at time t1 is 8L. There is a case. When such water flow is made, the water softening tank 90 has new water W1 in an amount equivalent to the water flow amount, and 2 L of the original water W0 remains. For this reason, even if the cleaning process is performed at time t2 after 24 hours have elapsed from time t1, the above-described 2L of water W0 has already passed 24 hours or more from time t0 in the period indicated by symbol Pa. . On the other hand, there are cases where water is passed during the period indicated by the symbol Pa. Therefore, at the time of this water flow, the 2 L of water W0 described above flows out to the downstream side of the water softening treatment tank 90. Thus, in the said prior art, the water which retains for a long time more than the originally scheduled time is contained in the water-softening processing tank 90, and this may flow out by the same path | route as regular process water. . Such a situation is desired to be eliminated as much as possible from the viewpoint of giving the user a great sense of security, assuming that the water softener is excellent in hygiene.

Japanese Patent No. 3525899

  The present invention has been conceived under the circumstances as described above, and prevents water remaining in a water treatment tank for performing water softening treatment or other treatment from being generated for a long time. An object of the present invention is to provide a water treatment apparatus that can give a great sense of security to the user from the viewpoint of hygiene.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention takes the following technical means.

  The water treatment device provided by the present invention includes a water treatment tank configured to treat the water flowing into the interior and flow it downstream by passing water, and the water treatment tank. And a control means for performing control to execute a cleaning process in the water treatment tank when water is stopped for a predetermined time or more, wherein the control means includes the water treatment Of the water present in the tank, the cleaning process is performed when the residence time of water existing for the longest time reaches a predetermined time.

  According to such a configuration, unlike the conventional technique in which the cleaning process is performed only when the water flow stop time becomes equal to or longer than a predetermined time with reference to the time of water flow, the water treatment tank has a predetermined time. Water that stays longer than this does not exist, and such water can be prevented from flowing out through the same outflow path as regular treated water. Therefore, it is possible to make the water treatment apparatus more hygienic than the prior art and to give a great sense of security to the user.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control means manages the amount of water newly introduced into the water treatment tank and the time of entering the water each time water is passed into the water treatment tank. And determining the remaining amount of water that has existed in the water treatment tank before the water flow, and the earliest water entry time among the water entry times determined to be present in the water treatment tank When a predetermined time has passed, the cleaning process in the water treatment tank is executed.

  According to such a configuration, the control for performing the cleaning process when the residence time of water existing in the water treatment tank for the longest time reaches a predetermined time can be accurately executed by a simple process.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control means virtually divides the water treatment tank into a plurality of areas, and the amount of water newly flowing in through the water treatment tank, Management of the remaining amount of water that has existed before the water is made and the time of entry of the water is performed in units of the plurality of areas.

  According to such a structure, the calculation at the time of calculating | requiring the quantity of the water which flows in at the time of water flow and other above-mentioned items is simplified, and the process of a control means can be made still easier.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cleaning treatment is performed such that the entire amount of water present in the water treatment tank is replaced with new water.

  According to such a configuration, it is ensured that water having a long residence time in the water treatment tank is excluded from the water treatment tank. In addition, if the entire amount of water is replaced by performing a cleaning process, all of the water thereafter becomes new water, so the period until the next cleaning process can be lengthened and the effect of reducing the number of cleaning processes can also be obtained. It is done.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the water treatment tank includes a water softening treatment tank that performs water softening treatment, a purification treatment tank that performs water purification treatment, and an ionic water generation treatment tank that produces ionic water. Either one or a combination of at least two of these.

  Thus, in this invention, it is not limited to the water treatment apparatus (soft water apparatus) for performing the water softening process of water, It comprises as a water treatment apparatus provided with the above water treatment tanks. Can do. Of course, the content of the water treatment tank described above is merely an example, and water treatment other than the above can be performed.

  Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an example of a water softener to which the present invention is applied. The water softening device A of this embodiment includes a water softening treatment tank 1, a plurality of water channels 2a to 2d, and a control unit 3.

  The water softening treatment tank 1 has a configuration in which an ion exchange resin (not shown) for water softening is accommodated in a container 10, and two water inlets 11 </ b> A and 11 </ b> B communicating with the container 10. have. In this water softening treatment tank 1, as shown in FIG. 1, when water is supplied to the water passage 11A, the water proceeds downward in the container 10 and reaches the bottom in the container 10, and thereafter It passes through the tubular member 13 inserted in the container 10 upward and reaches the water inlet 11B. Of course, in the present invention, the two water inlets 11A and 11B may be provided at the lower part of the water softening treatment tank 1, or may be provided, for example, separated vertically. Moreover, the water flow direction in the water softening processing tank 1 can also be made into the opposite direction to this embodiment.

  Each of the flowing water passages 2a to 2e is configured using an appropriate piping member. Of these, one end of each of the water channels 2a to 2c is a water inlet 20a, a water outlet 20b, and a water outlet 20c. The other ends of the water flow channels 2a and 2b are connected to the water flow ports 11A and 11B of the water softening treatment tank 1, and the other end of the water flow channel 2c is connected to an intermediate position of the water flow channel 2a. The flowing water channel 2d is provided as a bypass route straddling the flowing water channels 2a and 2b. The flowing water channel 2e connects the regenerant tank 4 to the flowing water channel 2b. This regenerant tank 4 is for storing a regenerant for the ion exchange resin in the water softening treatment tank 1 and an aqueous solution thereof. When the ion exchange capacity of the ion exchange resin is reduced, By opening an on-off valve V5, which will be described later, an aqueous solution of the regenerant can be supplied into the water softening tank 1.

  As shown in the drawings, the flow channels 2a to 2e are provided with opening and closing valves V1 to V5 and flow rate sensors Sa and Sb. In this water softening device A, the water softening treatment of water and the washing treatment of the water softening treatment tank 1 can be selectively executed by controlling the on-off valves V1 to V5 as described below. ing. That is, when only the on-off valves V1 and V2 are opened, water advances along the path indicated by the thick line in FIG. 1, and water softening treatment is possible. In this water softening treatment, the water supplied to the water inlet 20a proceeds downward in the water softening treatment tank 1 (contained portion of the ion exchange resin) to perform the water softening treatment, and the water subjected to the water softening treatment is discharged. It reaches the water inlet 20b. The flow rate sensor Sa is useful for determining the amount of water flow (including the presence or absence of water flow) during the water softening treatment. On the other hand, when only the on-off valves V2 to V4 are opened, the water proceeds along the path indicated by the thick line in FIG. 2, and the water softening tank 1 can be cleaned. In this cleaning process, the water supplied to the water inlet 20a proceeds in the opposite direction to the inside of the water softening tank 1 and reaches the drain 20c. The flow rate sensor Sb is useful for determining the amount of water flow during this cleaning process. In addition, the cleaning process in the present embodiment is performed so that the entire amount of water present in the water softening tank 1 is replaced with new water.

  The control unit 3 is configured using, for example, a microcomputer and has a clock function that can determine the current time and the like. The control unit 3 performs operation control and data processing of each unit of the water softener A, but, as will be described later, among the water present in the water softening treatment tank 1, the residence time of water that exists for the longest time When the residence time reaches a predetermined time (for example, 24 hours), the water softening tank 1 is configured to perform the cleaning process.

  The contents of the control executed by the control unit 3 will be described with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. The control shown in FIG. 3 has simple contents corresponding to the prior art shown in FIG. 9 for easy understanding. In FIG. 3, the capacity | capacitance of the water-softening processing tank 1 is 10L, for example. In the initial state in which water W0 is newly accommodated at time t0, if there is a water flow amount of 8L at time t1, the control unit 3 leaves 2L of the original water W0 in the water softening treatment tank 1 at that time. Calculate what you are doing. This calculation is performed based on the detection signal from the flow sensor Sa and the data of the capacity of the water softening tank 1 stored in advance in the memory of the control unit 3. Thereafter, when the water passage into the water softening tank 1 is stopped, the time t3 is reached, and when the retention time of the water WO reaches a preset time (for example, 24 hours), the control unit 3 Start the cleaning process. Unlike the prior art, this cleaning process is performed before 24 hours have passed since the water passage time t1. According to the series of controls as described above, there is no water staying in the water softening tank 1 for 24 hours or more, and such water passes through the same route as the original treated water, and the outlet. It will not flow out of 20b.

  The control shown in FIG. 4 has a greater number of water passes than in the case of FIG. 3, but the basic content is the same as in the case of FIG. That is, in FIG. 4, the start time when the water softening tank 1 is filled with new water is set to time 0:00, and then water is passed at times 1:00, 15:00, and 18:00. , 8L water W1, 4L water W2, and 2L water W3 flow in, respectively. In this case, each time such water flow is made, the control unit 3 manages the amount of water newly entered into the water softening treatment tank 1 and the time of the water entry, and the inside of the water softening treatment tank 1 before water passage. The remaining amount of water that was present is calculated. Thereby, for example, at the time when the water entry at time 18:00 is completed, the control unit 3 determines that 4 L of water W1 exists in the water softening treatment tank 1. Then, this control part 3 starts the washing | cleaning process of the water-softening processing tank 1 at the time of 25:00 after 24 hours progress from the water entry time 1:00 of water W1. As a result, similarly to the case shown in FIG. 3, there is no water that remains in the water softening tank 1 for 24 hours or more. When the cleaning process ends at, for example, time 25:05, the control unit 3 resets the time to 0:00 at that time, and repeats a series of processes as described above.

The flowchart of FIG. 7 shows an example of an operation processing procedure of the control unit 3 for realizing the control as described above. In this operation processing procedure, as shown in FIG. 5, data 1 ′ obtained by virtually dividing the water softening tank into N areas AR (AR _{1 to} AR _N ) is conceptually used. In this data 1 ', water flow direction is a direction from the area AR ₁ in the area AR _N. Respective water passing times to these areas AR ₁ to AR _N are T _{1 to} T _N. The capacity of the water softening tank 1 is L. Therefore, the individual capacity of each area AR is L / N.

7, the control unit 3 is basically has sought water passing time T _N to the area AR _N by processing to be described later, when 24 hours for example from the water passage time T _N has passed, At that time, the cleaning process is started (S1: YES, S2). Here, the water flow time _TN is obtained by the following series of procedures. That is, if the water softening tank 1 is passing water, the control unit 3 integrates the amount of water passing based on the signal from the flow sensor Sa (S3: YES, S4). When the water flow stops, the value of X at that time is obtained by the equation X = water flow amount / (L / N) (S5: YES, S6). The value of X is the number of areas AR occupied by newly introduced water due to water flow. Preferably, the value of X is truncated after the decimal point. If such truncation is performed, the number of areas AR occupied by new water will not be unduly increased, and the risk that the amount of water existing before passing water will be judged to be less than the original value is eliminated. Can do.

After obtaining the value of X, the control unit 3 determines whether X is smaller than the number of areas AR (S7). Here, when X <N is not satisfied, it means that all the water in the water softening tank 1 has been replaced with new water. In this case, the control unit 3 sets all the water flow times T (T _{1 to} T _N ) as the current time (S7: NO, S16), and then proceeds to step S1 described above.

On the other hand, unlike the above, in step S7, when X <N, that is, when it is determined that not all the water in the water softening tank 1 has been replaced, but only water in some area AR has been replaced. (S7: YES), set n = N, calculate T _N = T _NX , and then set n = n−1 to determine whether n is equal to X, and these are not equal In this case, the processes in steps S9 to S11 are repeated until they are equal (S8 to S11). Here, _TN is the time of entering water existing in the area AR where the water is not replaced. Although FIG. 6 has shown an example of the rewriting process of the water entry time at the time of dividing the water softening treatment tank 1 into five areas AR virtually, in the process shown to (a)-(c) of the same figure. Corresponding to the movement of the water existing in the water softening tank 1 before passing water to another area AR, the water entry times T _{1 to} T ₃ in FIG. The water entry times T _{3 to} T ₅ are slid, and the water entry times T _{1 to} T ₃ in FIG. 5B are slid as the water entry times T _{3 to} T _{5 in} FIG. In the process of step S8~S11 mentioned above becomes the slide rewriting of such a water inlet time T ₃ through T ₅ are made.

In addition, after n = X, the control unit 3 sets n = 1, rewrites the water entry time T _n to the current time, and then sets n = n + 1 until the n becomes equal to X + 1. The process is repeated (S11: YES, S12 to S15). According to such processing, the current time at the time of passing water is rewritten as the incoming time of the area AR into which water has newly flowed (in the example shown in FIG. 6, this corresponds to the rewriting of the incoming times T _{1 to} T ₂ To do). When the above-described condition of step S15 is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S1 described above.

  According to the above-described series of operation processing procedures, the water softening treatment tank 1 is virtually divided into a plurality of areas, and the data processing for individually managing the time of entering water in each area is performed. It is possible to easily and accurately determine whether or not the residence time of water existing for the longest time in the water softening tank 1 has reached a predetermined time. Of course, according to the above processing procedure, control as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is possible, and there is no water that stays in the water softening tank 1 for a predetermined time or longer. Can be prevented from flowing out of the water outlet 20b.

  The present invention is not limited to the contents of the above-described embodiment. The specific configuration of each part of the water treatment apparatus according to the present invention can be varied in design in various ways.

  The water treatment tank referred to in the present invention can be configured as a purification treatment tank, an ionic water generation treatment tank, or any other treatment tank other than the water softening treatment tank, as already described. The washing treatment of the water treatment tank referred to in the present invention may be any process that at least replaces the water in the water treatment tank, and although it is preferable that the entire amount of water in the water treatment tank is replaced, It can also be set as the process in which only a part of water is replaced. Even if only a part of the water is replaced, it is possible to exclude all or part of the water staying in the water treatment tank for a relatively long time to the outside of the water treatment tank. Compared with the prior art in which no exclusion has been made, it can be made hygienic. Further, the cleaning process may not be reverse cleaning.

  In the present invention, it is only necessary to control so that the cleaning process is performed when the residence time of water existing in the water treatment tank for the longest time reaches a predetermined time. For example, a method different from the method described above can be adopted.

It is a schematic explanatory drawing which shows an example of the water softener to which this invention was applied. It is a schematic explanatory drawing which shows the flowing water path | route at the time of the washing process of the soft water apparatus shown in FIG. It is a schematic explanatory drawing which shows an example of the control content of the water softener shown in FIG. It is a schematic explanatory drawing which shows the other example of the control content of the water softener shown in FIG. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a state where the water softening tank of the water softening device is virtually divided into a plurality of areas. (A)-(c) is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the data rewriting process of the inflow time with respect to the area virtually divided | segmented of the water-softening processing tank. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation processing procedure of the control part of the water softener shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the control content of a prior art. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other example of the control content of a prior art.

Explanation of symbols

A Soft water device (water treatment device)
1 Water softening tank (water treatment tank)
3 Control unit (control means)

Claims (5)

A water treatment tank configured to treat the water that has flowed into the interior and flow it downstream, by passing water;
Control means for performing control to execute a cleaning process in the water treatment tank when water flow to the water treatment tank is stopped for a predetermined time or more;
A water treatment device comprising:
The control means is configured to execute the cleaning process when the residence time of water existing for the longest time among the water existing in the water treatment tank reaches a predetermined time. A water treatment device characterized.   The control means manages the amount of water that has newly flowed into the water treatment tank and the time of entering the water each time water is passed into the water treatment tank, and before the water is passed. Judging the remaining amount of water that was present in the water treatment tank, among the water entry time determined to be present in the water treatment tank, when a predetermined time has elapsed from the earliest water entry time, The water treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the water treatment apparatus is configured to execute a cleaning process in the water treatment tank.   The control means virtually divides the water treatment tank into a plurality of areas, and has existed before the water flow, the amount of water newly flowing in through the water treatment tank. The water treatment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the remaining amount of water and the time of entering water are managed in units of the plurality of areas.   The water treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cleaning treatment is performed such that a total amount of water existing in the water treatment tank is replaced with new water.   The water treatment tank is one of a water softening treatment tank that performs water softening treatment, a purification treatment tank that performs water purification treatment, and an ionic water generation treatment tank that produces ionic water, or at least two of these. The water treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the two are combined.

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