KR100531667B1 - Drinking water purifier which can automatically disinfect water tank and method for disinfecting the purifier - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a water purifier capable of periodically and automatically sterilizing microorganisms or bacteria inevitably generated in a water storage tank of a water purifier using chlorine-containing disinfecting water, and a method of sterilizing the water purifier. In the disinfection device of the water purifier, an inlet is formed in communication with the inlet line after the ultrafiltration membrane filter, a through passage communicating with the inlet is formed, and a water outlet is formed through the end of the through passage, and a circulation in communication with the inlet and the through passage is formed. A flow path is formed, and at the end of the circulation flow path, a first body through which a disinfection export port is formed, a second body detachably fixed to the first body, an accommodation space between the first body and the second body, and a first body. A chlorine generator having an electrode connected to the controller to generate chlorine in the circulation passage of the; A valve for controlling supply to the reservoir of purified water and sterilized water discharged through the chlorine generator; The controller detects the amount of purified water supplied to the chlorine generator during sterilization and controls the current applied to the electrode according to the amount of purified water to generate a constant chlorine concentration of sterilized water so that it can be connected to the controller. Consisting of a flow sensor.

Description

Drinking water purifier which can automatically disinfect water tank and method for disinfecting the purifier}

The present invention relates to a water purifier capable of automatically sterilizing a water tank, and more particularly, to automatically sterilize microorganisms or bacteria generated inevitably in a water tank of a household water purifier by automatically and periodically generating disinfectant water containing chlorine. The present invention relates to a water purifier which can be used to receive purified water after draining and rinsing the disinfectant water used for disinfection completely after removal, and a method of disinfecting the water purifier.

In recent years, various types of water purifiers have been widely used in homes as living standards have improved and the importance of drinking water has increased. Generally, a water purifier uses a pretreatment filter, an activated carbon filter, an ultrafiltration membrane filter, a reverse osmosis membrane filter, etc. According to such a general water purifier, raw water such as tap water is purified and used as drinking water in such a manner that the water passing through the activated carbon filter completely removes residual chlorine in the tap water.

However, such a water purifier has been shown to cause a variety of problems. First, there is a problem in that the purified water can be disinfected residual microorganisms proliferated in the activated charcoal filter and the microorganisms introduced from the outside air to proliferate in the reservoir.

In addition, the water purifier is equipped with a reservoir for storing the purified water for maintaining the flow rate or cold temperature function, and the user is at least one week to suppress the growth of microorganisms because the microorganisms grow while the purified water is stored in the reservoir. There is an uncomfortable problem of one or more cleaning and sterilization or disinfection.

Meanwhile, to solve this problem, existing water purifier manufacturers use a reservoir as an antimicrobial material, attach a UV sterilizer to the reservoir, or automatically drain the stored water after a certain period of time, or automatically circulate the reservoir, In order to minimize contact with outside air, a method of sealing or dissolving a small amount of chlorine in an electrode sterilizer, adding a silver component to an activated carbon filter, or containing silver in a ceramic and sterilizing is used. As one example for implementing such a method, there is a water purifier having a sterilization device disclosed in Utility Model Registration No. 3379548.

Water purifier having a sterilization device of Utility Model No. 3379548, as shown in the claims and FIG. 1, the water purifier filter (1), and the water tank connected to the water purifier filter (1) for storing purified water ( 2), a drainage coke (3) which discharges water from the reservoir (2) to the outside, and an anode which generates oxygen and ozone and other oxides through electrolysis in water and directly removes microorganisms through a direct oxidation reaction. Electrode, having a cathode electrode for generating hydrogen and other reactants through the electrolysis reaction in water, and a spacer provided between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode to maintain the gap between the anode and the cathode, cathode electrode and the spacer And a power supply device 5 for supplying power to the sterilizer 4. According to this configuration, during the electrolysis reaction, microorganisms in the water can be sterilized by the oxidation reaction of the anode, and ozone and residual complex oxidants are generated and supplied to the purified water to sterilize the water purifier and the purified water bacteria. It is.

However, this Utility Model Registration No. 3379548 already sterilizes water that is purified and supplied to drinking water, and drinking water has a problem in that drinking water is supplied with a sterilizing component which may eventually be harmful to the human body.

Moreover, conventional sterilization methods also do not completely inhibit the inflow of microorganisms grown in activated carbon and the residual microorganisms in the air. That is, the reservoir using the antimicrobial agent is effective in suppressing the growth of the microorganisms generated on the wall of the reservoir, but there is a problem in that the growth of the microorganism propagating in the water by proliferation in the activated carbon filter does not inhibit.

In addition, when the UV sterilizer is attached, there is a problem in that UV rays cannot be disinfected and the entire inside of the reservoir cannot be sterilized, so that microorganisms cannot be completely sterilized in water. In addition, disinfection by dissolving silver from silver activated carbon is not a fundamental solution because silver remains in drinking water, which may damage the liver, lungs, etc. of the human body, and it is not a fundamental countermeasure. The method of dissolving chlorine requires a dissolution of chlorine in the water purifier, which is an important function, and thus does not function as a water purifier.

In addition, the conventional water purifier must disinfect the inside of the UV sterilization filter because microorganisms multiply at the rear end of the UV sterilization filter and the UV wavelength does not affect. UV light decomposes chlorine. do. Free residual chlorine is widely used as a disinfectant disinfectant in tap water, and the water supply standards stipulate that residual chlorine of 0.4 mg / L or more remains in the tap water, and in general, tap water usually contains more than 0.5 mg / L of residual chlorine. It prevents the development of microorganisms. However, in the water purifier, there is no disinfection residue as 100% of free chlorine is removed in the activated carbon filter process, and microorganisms flow from the air and activated carbon filter and multiply on the wall of the reservoir during the storage process. Phosphorus exceeds 100 CFU / mL.

In reservoirs, microorganisms multiply mainly on the wall and form thousands of colonies per millimeter (mL) with microorganisms from outside. Therefore, it is necessary to regularly disinfect the wall of the reservoir tank with a disinfectant disinfectant and to minimize the inflow of microorganisms from the outside. Due to the structure of the reservoir of the water purifier, it is difficult for the actual users to clean the tank regularly. In addition, since the microorganism is continuously proliferated in the activated carbon filter, there is a problem that the microorganism cannot be suppressed only by cleaning the reservoir.

Accordingly, the present invention has been invented to solve the above problems, the object of the present invention is to automatically sterilize or disinfect the microorganisms generated in the reservoir of the water purifier periodically or according to a set time, and the water used for disinfection and sterilization After rinsing with rinsing water after completely draining, it is possible to provide drinking water to newly purified water only.It can be automatically sterilized by setting the disinfection cycle of the water tank according to the amount of drinking water used. It is to provide a water purifier capable of disinfecting the reservoir in the state of and a method of disinfecting the water purifier.

These objects are provided with a raw water inlet through which raw water is introduced, and a filter including an inlet line for transporting the inflowed raw water and purified water, a pretreatment filter installed in the inlet line, an activated carbon filter, and an ultrafiltration membrane filter. A storage tank installed at the end of the inlet line and filled with purified water, a discharge line for supplying purified water of the storage tank to a user, and converting purified water introduced into the storage tank during disinfection of the storage tank into disinfectant water remaining with chlorine And a controller connected to a drain valve installed in the discharge line and the disinfection device to control the operation thereof, and a sensor connected to a sensor for detecting the high water level and the low water level of the water tank. In the water purifier capable of automatically sterilizing the reservoir, the disinfection device is the ultrafiltration An inlet communicating with the inlet line after the filter is formed, a through passage communicating with the inlet is formed, a water purification outlet is formed through the end of the through passage, and a circulation passage communicating with the inlet and the through passage is formed. At the end of the circulation passage, a first body through which a disinfection outlet is formed, a second body detachably fixed to the first body, an accommodation space between the first body and the second body, and the first body A chlorine generator having an electrode connected to the controller to generate chlorine water in a circulation passage of the; A valve for controlling a supply to a reservoir of purified water and sterilized water discharged through the chlorine generator; And the controller detects the amount of purified water flowing into the chlorine generator during sterilization and controls the current applied to the electrode according to the amount of purified water to generate sterilized water with a constant chlorine concentration. And it can be achieved by a water purifier capable of automatically sterilizing the reservoir, characterized in that it comprises a flow sensor connected to the controller.

The above object is also provided by applying power to the first solenoid of the valve of the disinfecting apparatus of the water purifier to cut off the purified water flow path to block the supply of purified water to the reservoir; Opening the drain valve of the reservoir to completely discharge the purified water to the reservoir level, and then closing the drain valve; When the drainage to the low water level of the reservoir is completed, applying a current to the electrode of the chlorine generator to generate disinfection water containing chlorine, by applying a current to the second solenoid to open the disinfection water flow path to supply the disinfection water to the reservoir ; Disinfecting water up to a high level of the water tank to cut off the current of the second solenoid of the valve to block the disinfection water flow path, and disinfecting the current of the electrode of the chlorine generator; Draining the waste disinfecting water in the reservoir by opening the drain valve when disinfection is performed for a predetermined time; When the waste sterilized water in the reservoir is discharged below the low level, closing the drain valve and cutting off the current of the first solenoid of the valve to open a purified water passage to supply and rinse the rinsing water into the reservoir; When the rinsing water is filled up to the high water level of the reservoir, the current is supplied to the first solenoid of the valve to cut off the purified water flow path, and the current to the second solenoid is cut off to shut off the disinfection water flow path and open the drain valve to open the rinsing water. Discharging; When the drainage of the hemgum water to the low water level of the water reservoir is completed, the drain valve is closed and the current of the first solenoid of the valve is shut off to open the purified water channel and the current of the second solenoid is shut off to close the disinfection water channel to purify the water. It may be achieved by a method of disinfecting a water purifier capable of automatically sterilizing the reservoir, characterized in that it comprises the step of supplying and storing the reservoir.

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

First, as shown in Figs. 2 to 6, the water purifier according to the present invention is basically, the raw water inlet (10) at the end to be connected to a pipeline to which such raw water is supplied to receive raw water such as groundwater or tap water. ) Is provided and has an inlet line 12 to be transferred to the reservoir described later. The inlet line 12 includes a pretreatment filter 14 for removing foreign substances contained in tap water flowing from the water pipe, an activated carbon filter 16 for removing residual chlorine, odors and gas components, and fine particles and microorganisms. Ultrafiltration membrane filters 18 are arranged in a row. And the end of the inlet line 12 is connected to the reservoir 22 in which purified water is filled through the reservoir inlet 20. The reservoir 22 is, of course, provided with a hot water tank 24 and a cold water tank 26, the hot water tank 24 is connected to the hot water discharge line 28 and the cold water tank 26 is connected to the cold water discharge line 30. They can be supplied with hot or cold water, respectively. Of course, each discharge line (28:30) is provided with a valve (28a: 30a). Reservoir 22 may be provided with a sensor (S1; S2) for detecting the high and low levels of purified water and chlorine or disinfectant water stored in the reservoir. Optionally, a sensor S3 may be installed at the central portion of the reservoir 22 to detect the intermediate level of purified water and sterilized water.

In addition, the cold water discharge line 30 is connected to the drain valve 32 for discharging the purified water in the reservoir during disinfection of the water purifier as described below. The drain valve 32 is preferably configured to be connected to a controller to be described later to control the opening and closing automatically.

In particular, the water purifier according to the present invention is provided with a disinfection device 40 for generating chlorine water and supplying it to the reservoir 22 to sterilize microorganisms or bacteria parasitic in the reservoir. The disinfection device 40 includes a chlorine generator 42 installed in the inlet line after the ultrafiltration membrane filter 18.

The chlorine generator 42 has a first body 421 which is actually fixed to the valve 42 and a second body 422 which is detachably fixed to the first body 421. Of course, it is preferable that the first body 421 and the second body 422 are formed to ensure a sufficient accommodation space so that the electrodes to be described later when installed.

An inlet 423 is formed at the first body 421 to protrude from the inlet line 12 to supply purified water from the chlorine generator 42. A through flow passage 424 is formed in the first body 421 to communicate with the inlet 423, and a water purification outlet 425 is formed at the end of the through passage 424 or at one end of the inner side of the first body 421. Is formed through. In addition, the first body 421 is formed with a circulation passage 426 in communication with the inlet 423 and the through passage 424, the end of the circulation passage 426 or the other upper end of the inner side of the first body 421 The disinfection export port 427 is formed through. In the circulation passage 426, a plurality of ribs 428 protrude from the circulation of the purified water to maintain the strength of the first body 421. In addition, through holes 429 and 430 are formed in the lower end of the first body 421 so that a terminal for applying power to an electrode to be described later protrudes outward.

An electrode 43 for generating chlorine water is inserted into a receiving space formed between the first body 421 and the second body 422, more specifically, the circulation passage 426 of the first body 421.

The electrode 43 is composed of a first electrode plate 431 having a two-ply or two-layer type and a second electrode plate 432 spaced apart from the first electrode plate 431. Of course, the first electrode plate 431 is integrally provided with a terminal 433 which is inserted into the through hole 429 of the first body 421 and protrudes to the outside so as to receive a current from the outside. The plate 432 is integrally provided with a terminal 434 which is inserted into the through hole 430 of the first body 421 and protrudes to the outside so as to receive a current from the outside.

 The chlorine generator 42 is provided with a valve 44 for controlling the supply to the reservoir 22 of purified or disinfected water discharged through the chlorine generator.

The valve 44 is provided with a first inlet 441 communicating with the water purification outlet 425 of the first body 421 of the chlorine generator 42, and the second inlet communicating with the disinfection outlet 425 on the other side ( 442 is formed. The purified water passage 443 communicates with the first inlet 441, and the disinfection water passage 444 communicates with the second inlet 442. Both the purified water flow path 443 and the disinfecting water flow path 444 are connected to the inlet line 12 directed to the water storage tank 22 through the outlet 45 to supply purified water or disinfectant water discharged therefrom.

On the other hand, both sides of the valve 44 is provided with a solenoid for opening and closing each flow path (443; 444) independently. That is, one side of the valve 44 is provided with a first solenoid 445 for controlling the opening and closing of the purified water flow passage 443 communicating with the first inlet 441, the second inlet ( A second solenoid 446 is installed to open and close the control of the disinfection water passage 444 communicating with 442. Of course, the first solenoid 445 and the second solenoid 446 are connected to the terminal 447 and the terminal 448 which are connected to the controller described later to supply power to each of them.

In particular, it is preferable that the first solenoid 445 is formed in a normal open type that normally maintains an open state in a normal state, that is, in general, in a state in which drinking water is supplied with purified water from the reservoir 22. Accordingly, the first solenoid 445 is to maintain the purified water flow path 443 is always in the open state in the state that power is not supplied in the normal state, it is possible to supply the purified water to the reservoir (22). Of course, when disinfecting as described below, when power is supplied through the terminal 447, the first solenoid 445 operates to block the purified water flow path 443.

On the contrary, it is preferable that the second solenoid 446 is formed in a normally closed state in which the drinking water is always kept closed when the drinking water is supplied with purified water from the water tank. Accordingly, the second solenoid 446 always maintains the disinfection water passage 444 in a closed state in a state in which power is not supplied in the normal state, so that only the purified water flows into the reservoir 22 through the purified water passage 443. It can be supplied. However, when power is supplied to the second solenoid 446 through the terminal 448 during disinfection, the second solenoid 446 operates to open the disinfecting water passage 444 to supply the disinfecting water to the reservoir 22. .

In addition, the water purifier according to the present invention includes a chlorine generator 42 and a valve 44 of the disinfection device 40, and a controller 46 for controlling the operation of the drain valve 32, the water storage inlet 20, and the like. do. That is, the controller 46 controls the respective solenoids 445 and 446 of the valve 44, supplies current to the electrode 43 of the chlorine generator 42, opens and closes the drain valve 32, and a water storage inlet ( 20) or a device that can be installed at the water storage inlet. As described below, the controller 46 preferably includes a timer 48 to automatically perform disinfection by automatically setting or inputting a disinfection period, a disinfection cycle, a disinfection period, or the like by a user. In addition, the controller 46 is connected to the sensor (S1; S2) for detecting the high water level (HH) and low water level (LH) of the reservoir 22 and the sensor (S3) for detecting the medium water level (MH). Here, the controller 46 may be configured to control the high water level, the low water level, and the medium water level in the water storage tank by the drainage time and the water storage time.

Meanwhile, a flow rate sensor 50 may be installed in the inlet line 12 before the chlorine generator 42 so that the residual amount or concentration of chlorine in the disinfecting water supplied to the reservoir during the disinfection may be constantly maintained. The flow sensor 50 detects the flow rate flowing through the inlet line 12 to provide to the controller 46, the controller 46 controls the amount of current supplied to the electrode 43, the chlorine concentration of the sterilized water You can keep it constant.

Optionally, a constant flow rate valve 52 may be installed instead of the above-described flow sensor 50 so that the chlorine concentration of the disinfectant water supplied to the reservoir at the time of disinfection may be constantly maintained. The constant flow rate valve 52 makes the flow rate flowing through the inlet line 12 constant, and accordingly, the controller 46 makes the amount of current supplied to the electrode 43 constant so that the chlorine concentration of the sterilized water is constant. It can be maintained.

In addition, to disinfect the disinfecting water supplied to the reservoir during the disinfection to spray the disinfectant toward the inner wall of the reservoir 22, to remove the parasitic bacteria on the inner side, the reservoir nozzle 20 is provided with a spray nozzle 54 Can be.

As described above, the chlorine generator 42 constituting the disinfection device 40 of the water purifier according to the present invention sterilizes the microorganisms proliferating in the reservoir and prevents the microorganisms from parasitic in the purified water. That is, when installed in front of the ultraviolet sterilization filter 20, for example, two to three times a week to operate periodically or more frequently depending on the amount of water used, the water is electrolyzed by the chlorine generator 42 to chlorine ion ( Cl-) is reduced to chlorine (Cl2) to act as a disinfectant and thus can disinfect the interior of the reservoir.

When the action of the chlorine generator 42 is described in more detail, chlorine ions are generally contained in the tap water of 15 mg / L, and all of the chlorine ions remain in the raw water passing through the ultrafiltration membrane filter 18. At this time, when water is electrolyzed by the electrode 43 of the chlorine generator 42, a reaction occurs in which negatively-charged ions (OH-, Cl-, etc.) at the anode deprive the electron (e-) of the electrode. Chlorine gas and hypochlorous acid (HClO) are generated, which is represented by the following reaction formula. In other words,

H2O → H + + OH-

4OH--4e- → 2H2O + O2

O2 + H2O-e- → O3 ↑ + 2H +

2Cl--2e- → 2Cl- → Cl2

Cl2 + 2H2O-2e- → 2HClO + H +

Hereinafter, a method of disinfecting and purifying the water purifier according to the present invention configured as described above in detail as follows.

First, in the normal state, the raw water introduced through the raw water inlet 10 is transferred through the pretreatment filter 14, the activated carbon filter 16, the ultrafiltration membrane filter 18, and the disinfection device 40 to pass through the water storage inlet 20. It is stored in the reservoir 22 and the drinker or the user receives hot water or cold water through the hot water discharge line 28 and its discharge valve 28a or cold water discharge line 30 and the discharge valve 30a to drink or Can be used.

In this steady state, the first solenoid 445 is opened by maintaining the state in which no current is applied to both the first solenoid 445 and the second solenoid 446 of the valve 44 by the controller 46. In a closed state, the second solenoid 446 remains closed. Accordingly, the purified water flowing into the chlorine generator 42 through the inlet 423 connected to the inlet line 12 passes through the through passage 424 of the first body 421 and passes through the purified water outlet 425. The first inlet 441 is passed through the purified water flow passage 443 is discharged through the discharge port 45 is supplied to the reservoir 22 through the inlet line 12 is provided to the drinking water.

Meanwhile, the reservoir 22 of the water purifier is automatically sterilized as shown in FIG. 7 after a predetermined time or when the user operates the controller 46 or the program input to the controller 46.

First, the controller 46 blocks the purified water flow path 443 by applying power to the first solenoid 445 of the valve 44 of the sterilizer 40 (S100). At this time, all of the flow paths 443 and 444 are blocked, so that communication between the first inlet 441 and the second inlet 442 and the discharge port 45 is all blocked, so that the supply of purified water to the reservoir 22 is blocked.

In such a state that the supply of purified water is blocked, the controller 46 opens the drain valve 32 to completely discharge the purified water in the reservoir 22 to the low water level (LH) through the cold water discharge line 30, and then to the drain valve. Close the 32 (S110).

When the state in which drainage is completed from the low water level sensor S2 to the low water level LH is detected, the controller 46 applies power to the electrode 43 of the chlorine generator 42 to operate the chlorine generator 42. Power is applied to the two solenoids 426 through the terminal 448 to open the disinfecting water flow passage 444, so that the circulation passage 426 of the chlorine generator 42, the second inlet 442 of the valve 44, and The discharge port 45 is communicated to supply the sterilized water generated in the chlorine generator 42 to the water storage tank 22 (S120). Here, when a current is applied to each of the electrode plates 431 and 432 forming the electrode 43, raw water or purified water is electrolyzed to generate chlorine to generate disinfecting water.

In particular, in the chlorine generation step or the disinfection water generation step as described above, the controller 46 measures the amount of purified water supplied to the chlorine generator 42 from the flow sensor 50 installed in the inlet line 12 before the chlorine generator 42. The concentration of the chlorine in the disinfectant water can be kept constant by changing the current value applied to each of the electrode plates 431 and 432 of the electrode 43 through the terminals 433 and 434 according to the flow rate. One).

Optionally, in the case where the fixed flow rate valve 52 is installed in the inlet line 12 before the chlorine generator 42, the controller 46 operates the constant flow rate valve 52 to dissipate a constant amount of purified water during disinfection. At the same time, the current value supplied to each of the electrode plates 431 and 432 may be kept constant so that the concentration of chlorine contained in the disinfectant water may be kept constant.

Subsequently, when the disinfection water is continuously supplied to the reservoir 22 and filled up to the high water level HH of the reservoir by the sensor S1 installed in the reservoir 22, the controller 46 checks this and then checks the valve of the sterilizer 40. Blocking the power supplied to the second solenoid 446 of (44) to block the disinfection water flow path (444) to eventually block the communication between the disinfection device 40 and the reservoir 22, and also the chlorine generator (42) Disinfection is performed in the state of interrupting the supply of power to the electrode 43 (S130). Here, the controller 46 operates the timer 48 to disinfect the inside of the reservoir 22 by the disinfecting water for an input time or a time set by the user.

When the sterilization is performed for a predetermined time by the timer 48, the controller 46 opens the drain valve 32 to discharge the sterilized water in the reservoir 22, that is, the pesotoxin sterilized by the bacteria in the reservoir, to the outside ( S140).

When the waste water disinfection water in the reservoir 22 is discharged below the water level LH of the reservoir 22, the controller 46 detects it from the water level sensor S2 and then shuts off the drain valve 32, and the valve ( The power supplied to the first solenoid 445 of 44 is cut off to open the purified water flow path 443, and the rinsing water is supplied to the reservoir 22 to rinse (S150). Here, the disinfectant water passage 444 may be opened by supplying power to the second solenoid 446 of the valve 44 so that the chlorine generator 42 may be rinsed at the same time. At this time, the rinsing water is an electrode 43 embedded in the through passage 424, the circulation passage 426, and the circulation passage 426 of the chlorine generator 42 through respective passages 443 and 444 of the valve 44. After being supplied to the reservoir 22 and then discharged, the chlorine generator 42, the electrode 43, and the valve 44 of the disinfection device 40, as well as all of the subsequent inlet lines 12 and the reservoir 22 thereafter. ) Can be disinfected and cleaned.

When the rinsing water in the reservoir 22 is filled up to the high water level (HH), the controller 46 detects it from the water level sensor S1 and supplies power to the first solenoid 445 of the valve 44 to purify the water. 443 is blocked and the second solenoid 446 shuts off the power to block the disinfecting water flow passage 444 and simultaneously releases the rinsing water by opening the drain valve 32 (S160).

Again, if the controller 46 is provided with a state in which drainage of the hemum water from the low water level sensor S2 to the low water level LH is completed, the controller 46 closes the drain valve 32 and at the same time the valve 44 is closed. The first solenoid 445 cuts off the power to open the purified water flow path 443 and the second solenoid 446 shuts off the power to close the disinfecting water flow path 444 to supply and store the purified water to the water storage tank 22. (S170). After that, of course, the drinker or the user can properly use the drinking water in the reservoir (22).

Optionally, when the injection nozzle 54 is installed in the inlet 20 of the reservoir 22, the step (S130) of filling and disinfecting the disinfecting water in the reservoir 22 described above is used for disinfecting water using the spray nozzle 54. It can be replaced by spraying to sterilize or disinfect the inner wall of the reservoir 22. In this case, although the spray nozzle 54 may be used from the beginning, when the spraying force is weakly reached or cannot be reached by the transverse wall at the lower part of the reservoir 22, the disinfectant water may be used up to the middle water level ML of the reservoir 22. After being filled, the middle water level sensor S3 detects this and delivers it to the controller 46. At this time, the controller 46 may operate the spray nozzle 54 to disinfect or sterilize the upper and lower portions of the water reservoir 22. will be.

60 days of the actual microbial sterilization experiment by applying the above operation is shown in Table 1.

Elapsed time (days) General bacterial concentration (CFU / mL) Example 1 Example 2 General water purifier Water purifier according to the present invention General water purifier Water purifier according to the present invention One 0 0 0 0 3 20 0 30 0 5 3000 0 5000 0 10 5000 One 7000 2 15 4500 0 7500 0 20 4800 0 7300 0 25 4800 0 7200 0 30 5000 0 7400 0 35 5200 0 7700 3 40 4900 0 8000 0 45 5100 0 7500 0 50 5000 3 8100 0 55 5200 0 8000 2

As can be seen from the above table, when the water purifier according to the present invention is automatically sterilized at intervals of 3 to 5 days, in the case of the water purification system according to the present invention in each embodiment, the normal bacterial concentration is zero when disinfection is performed. (0) indicates that perfect sterilization was achieved. The concentration of general bacteria was slightly increased before disinfection, but repeated disinfection showed that general bacteria were suitable for the legal standard of 100CFU / mL. On the other hand, the water purifier without disinfection device shows a high concentration of general bacteria of 3,000 ~ 8,000 CFU / mL, it can be seen that the disinfection effect of the water purifier with a disinfection device according to the present invention is excellent.

According to the water purifier with a disinfection device and a method for disinfecting according to the present invention, after discharging the purified water in the reservoir periodically or automatically when the water purifier is used, the disinfection water is filled in the reservoir using a chlorine generator for a predetermined time. After disinfecting and discharging the disinfecting water, rinse or clean the water tank and flow path again with purified rinsing water to completely disinfect it, and drink drinking purified water in the water tank to receive clean water at all times. .

While a preferred embodiment according to the present invention has been described above, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a water purifier having a sterilization apparatus of Utility Model Registration No. 20-337958.

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the water purifier that can automatically sterilize the reservoir according to the present invention.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing in detail the disinfection device of the water purifier of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the disinfection device of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the overall structure of the disinfection device of Figure 3, a cross-sectional view showing a solenoid state in a normal state.

6 is a plan view showing in detail the internal structure of the first body of the chlorine generator of the disinfection device of FIG.

Figure 7 is a schematic flow chart showing the disinfection of the water purifier capable of automatically sterilizing the reservoir according to the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings>

10: raw water inlet 12: inlet line

14: pretreatment filter 16: activated carbon filter

18: ultrafiltration membrane filter 22: water tank

24: hot water tank 26: cold water tank

28: hot water discharge line 30: cold water discharge line

32: drain valve 40: disinfection device

42: valve 44: chlorine generator

46: controller 48: timer

50: flow sensor 54: injection nozzle

Claims (9)

delete An inlet line having a raw water inlet through which raw water flows, and including a pretreatment filter, an activated carbon filter, and an ultrafiltration membrane filter installed at the inlet line, and a feed line for transferring the inflowed raw water and purified water; It is installed at the end of the reservoir is filled with purified water, the discharge line for supplying the purified water of the reservoir to the user, and when the disinfection of the reservoir to convert the purified water flowing into the reservoir into disinfection water remaining chlorine is supplied into the reservoir And a disinfection device for disinfection, and a drain valve installed in the discharge line, and a controller connected to the disinfection device to control their operation and connected to a sensor for detecting the high and low water levels of the water tank. In the water purifier capable of sterilization, the disinfection device is An inlet is formed to communicate with the inlet line after the ultrafiltration membrane filter, a through passage communicating with the inlet is formed, a water purification outlet is formed through the end of the through passage, and a circulation passage communicating with the inlet and the through passage. Is formed, the first body is formed at the end of the circulation passage and the disinfection outlet is formed through, the second body detachably fixed to the first body, the receiving space between the first body and the second body And a chlorine generator having an electrode connected to the controller to generate chlorine water in the circulation passage of the first body; A valve for controlling a supply to a reservoir of purified water and disinfectant water discharged through the chlorine generator, During the disinfection, the controller detects the amount of purified water flowing into the chlorine generator and controls the current applied to the electrode according to the amount of purified water, so that the controller is installed in the inlet line before the chlorine generator to generate disinfectant water having a constant chlorine concentration. A flow sensor coupled to the controller; In the central portion of the valve is formed a first inlet communicating with the water purification outlet of the first body of the chlorine generator, the other inlet is formed with a second inlet communicating with the disinfection export, the first inlet is connected to the purified water passage The second inlet is in communication with a disinfection channel, and both the purified water channel and the disinfection channel are connected to an inlet line directed to the reservoir through the outlet, and one side of the valve is connected to the controller to open and close the purified water channel independently. The first solenoid to be installed, the other side of the valve is a water purifier that can automatically sterilize the reservoir, characterized in that the second solenoid connected to the controller is installed to open and close the disinfection channel independently. The method of claim 2, wherein the first solenoid is formed in a normal open type in which the drinking water is kept open without being supplied with power when the drinking water is supplied from the reservoir, and the second solenoid is A water purifier capable of automatically sterilizing a water tank, characterized in that it is formed in a normally closed state in which power is not supplied and maintains a closed state when water is supplied from the water tank. 3. The electrode of claim 2, wherein the electrode is formed in a two-layered form and is spaced apart between the first electrode plate capable of receiving current from the controller by a terminal and spaced between the first electrode plate and the current from the controller by a terminal. A water purifier capable of automatically sterilizing the reservoir, characterized in that consisting of a second electrode plate that can be supplied with. The water purifier according to claim 2, wherein the reservoir is further provided with a detection sensor capable of detecting a heavy water level, and the heavy water level sensor is connected to a controller. The flow rate sensor of claim 2, wherein the flow rate sensor maintains a constant chlorine concentration of the disinfectant water by maintaining a constant flow rate flowing into the chlorine generator through an inlet line to maintain a constant amount of current supplied to the electrode by the controller. Water purifier that can automatically sterilize the reservoir, characterized in that it is replaced by a fixed flow rate valve. According to claim 2, When disinfecting the disinfecting water supplied to the reservoir to spray the disinfecting water toward the inner wall of the reservoir, the spray nozzle is further installed, characterized in that the reservoir is further installed at the inlet of the reservoir Sterilizable water purifier. In the reservoir disinfection method of the water purifier capable of automatically sterilizing the reservoir according to any one of claims 2 to 7, Applying power to the first solenoid of the valve of the disinfecting device of the water purifier to cut off the purified water flow path to cut off the supply of purified water to the reservoir; Opening the drain valve of the reservoir to completely discharge the purified water to the reservoir level, and then closing the drain valve; When the drainage to the low water level of the reservoir is completed, applying a current to the electrode of the chlorine generator to generate disinfection water containing chlorine, by applying a current to the second solenoid to open the disinfection water flow path to supply the disinfection water to the reservoir ; Disinfecting water up to a high level of the water tank to cut off the current of the second solenoid of the valve to block the disinfection water flow path, and disinfecting the current of the electrode of the chlorine generator; Draining the waste disinfecting water in the reservoir by opening the drain valve when disinfection is performed for a predetermined time; Supplying rinsing water into the reservoir by closing the drain valve and cutting off the current of the first solenoid of the valve to open the purified water flow path when the waste sterilized water in the reservoir is discharged below the low level; When the rinsing water is filled up to the high water level of the reservoir, the current is supplied to the first solenoid of the valve to cut off the purified water flow path, and the current to the second solenoid is cut off to shut off the disinfection water flow path and open the drain valve to open the rinsing water. Discharging; When the drainage of the hemgum water to the low water level of the water reservoir is completed, the drain valve is closed and the current of the first solenoid of the valve is shut off to open the purified water channel and the current of the second solenoid is shut off to close the disinfection water channel to purify the water. Disinfection method of the water purifier which can automatically sterilize the reservoir, characterized in that it comprises the step of supplying and storing the reservoir. The method of claim 8, wherein the disinfecting water generating step including chlorine detects an amount of purified water supplied to the chlorine generator using the flow sensor to maintain the chlorine concentration of the disinfecting water in proportion to the flow rate. Disinfection method of the water purifier that can automatically sterilize the reservoir, characterized in that it comprises the step of changing the current value applied to each electrode plate of the.