KR100794117B1 - Apparatus and method for measuring accumulated using time of water purifier filter - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for measuring accumulative used hours of a filter of a water purifier are provided to measure the accumulative used hours of the filter accurately, by using output signals of an LPS(Low Pressure Switch) and an HPS(High Pressure Switch) respectively installed at the front and the rear of the filter. A water purifier includes a filter(20) for purifying raw water into purified water. An LPS(S1) senses the input of the raw water into the water purifier. An HPS(S2) senses the dispensing time of the purified water by sensing the time while a hydraulic pressure of the purified water, which is inputted into a water dispense unit(40) from the filter, is decreased. A controller(50) receives sensing signals of the LPS and the HPS, and computes the accumulative used hours of the filter. The LPS outputs a low signal to the controller if the raw water is inputted into the water purifier from the outside, and outputs a high signal to the controller if the raw water is shut off from the outside. The HPS outputs a low signal to the controller if the purified water is dispensed to the outside from the water dispensing unit, and outputs a high signal to the controller if the purified is not dispensed. The controller calculates the dispensing time of the purified water by using an output time of the low signal of the HPS, and computes the accumulative used hours of the filer by accumulating the dispensing time of the purified water whenever the raw water is inputted into the water purifier.

Description

Apparatus and method for measuring cumulative usage time of water purifier filter {APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MEASURING ACCUMULATED USING TIME OF WATER PURIFIER FILTER}

1 is a block diagram of an apparatus for measuring a cumulative usage time of a water filter according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is an exemplary view of the raw water inflow detection unit and the discharge time detection unit according to the present invention, and

3 is a time chart for measuring the cumulative use time of the water purifier filter of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

10: raw water inflow detection unit 20: filter unit

30: discharge time detection unit 40: discharge unit

50: control unit 21, 23: switch

22,24: spring

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for measuring a cumulative usage time of a water purifier filter, and in particular, an output of a low pressure switch (LPS) and a high pressure switch (HPS) installed at the front and rear ends of a water filter. An apparatus and method for measuring a cumulative use time of a water purifier filter using time.

In general, water purifier is a device that can be used as drinking water to remove the heavy metals and other harmful substances contained in the raw water through the process of sedimentation, filtration, sterilization, such as tap water, in recent years As the name of pollution is serious and the distrust of tap water increases, interest in water purifiers is sharply increasing. Such water purifiers are widely used not only for general households and businesses, but also for cutting-edge scientific industries or cleaning or medical use of high-precision electronic components.

Typically, the water purifier includes a plurality of filters for removing and purifying foreign substances contained in the raw water supplied through the water supply pipe. The raw water passes through the plurality of filters to precipitate, filter, and sterilize the heavy metals contained in the raw water. And other harmful substances are removed. The filter of such water purifier is deteriorated according to the use time of the water purifier. Therefore, it is important to accurately calculate the cumulative usage time of the filter in order to replace the water purifier filter at an appropriate time. Because if you change too soon, you can purify even though you can use more, it can lead to waste of resources. If you change too late, the user may drink unpurified water.

Conventionally, a number of techniques for measuring the time of replacement of a water filter are proposed. For example, Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-36035 (published on April 30, 2004) calculates the amount of flowing water flowing along a water supply pipe per unit time by using an operation time of a pump to automatically inform the filter replacement time of the water purifier. Disclosed is a filter replacement timing measuring device for a water purifier.

As another example, Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-80314 (published Oct. 17, 2003) measures the amount of fluid flowing inside a water purifier in a flow meter and a read switch, and inserts a magnetic material into the flow meter to rotate the rotor. A water purifier filter replacement time notification device and method for indicating a filter replacement time by detecting a pulse signal generated when a reed switch is detected and calculating the amount of water passing through the filter are disclosed.

In addition, when the integer stroke is started, a timer is used to measure the time that the integer stroke is performed, and the measured time of the integer stroke is compared with the treatment time corresponding to the allowed amount of treatment of each filter. The display technology is shown (Korean Unexamined Patent Publication No. 1997-69089 (published on November 7, 1997).

In these prior art patents, the configuration of each device is complicated and it is very complicated to implement a program for controlling these components in the control unit. In addition, it was difficult to accurately measure the water purification time of the water purifier, making it difficult to accurately measure the time of filter replacement.

Therefore, there has been a continuous demand in the art for the development of a technique for easily measuring the cumulative use time of the filter using the water passage time of the water filter so that the filter of the water filter can be replaced at an appropriate time.

The present invention has been proposed to solve the above problems of the prior art, the low pressure cutoff switch (LPS) and the high pressure cutoff switch (HPS) for outputting a signal in accordance with the pressure of the water, respectively, before and after the water purifier filter, It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for accurately measuring the cumulative service time of a water purifier filter through a simple configuration by using the output signals of the LPS and HPS for the flow of raw water flowing into the water purifier and the water flowing out of the water purifier. have.

In the cumulative use time detection device for a water purifier filter according to the present invention for achieving the above object, in the filter cumulative use time measurement device for a water purifier having a filter for purifying raw water into purified water,

Raw water inflow detection unit for detecting whether the raw water flows from the outside of the water purifier; A discharge part for discharging the purified water purified by the filter to the outside; Discharge time detection unit for detecting the purified water discharge time of the discharge unit; And receiving the detection signals of the raw water inflow detection unit and the discharge time detection unit, and calculating the accumulated usage time of the filter unit by summing the purified water discharge time detected by the discharge time detection unit when raw water inflow detection unit detects the raw water inflow. It includes a control unit.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the raw water inlet detection unit is a low pressure cutoff switch (LPS), the low pressure cutoff switch (LPS) is a low signal when the raw water flows from the outside of the water purifier (low) The controller outputs a high signal to the controller when it is singular from the outside.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the discharge time detection unit is preferably a high-pressure cutoff switch (HPS), the high-pressure cutoff switch (HPS) is a low signal when the purified water is discharged from the discharge unit to the outside of the water purifier (low) The controller outputs the high signal to the controller if it is not discharged.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the control unit calculates the discharge time of the purified water by using the output time of the low signal (low) of the HPS, and the cumulative time by adding up the purified water discharge time in the inflow of the raw water Calculate

In one embodiment of the present invention, the discharge time detection unit detects the purified water discharge time by detecting a time that the hydraulic pressure of the purified water flowing from the filter unit to the discharge unit as the purified water is discharged from the discharge unit outside the water purifier. .

In addition, the cumulative use time measurement method of the water purifier filter according to the present invention for achieving the above object, in the filter cumulative use time measurement method of the water purifier having a filter for purifying the raw water to purified water,

A first step of detecting whether the raw water flows from the outside of the water purifier; A second step of detecting a discharge time of the discharged purified water when discharging the purified water purified by the filter to the outside of the water purifier; And a third step of calculating the accumulated use time of the filter unit by summing the detected purified water discharge time when the raw water flows from the outside of the water purifier.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the first step outputs a low signal when raw water flows from the outside of the water purifier, and outputs a high signal when the water flows from the outside.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the second step outputs a low signal when the purified water is discharged to the outside of the water purifier, and outputs a high signal when the purified water is not discharged. At this time, the discharge time of the purified water is calculated using the low signal output time of the third step, and the cumulative time is calculated by summing the calculated purified water discharge time when the raw water is introduced into the raw water.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the second step detects the discharge time of the purified water by detecting a time that the oil pressure of the purified water is lowered as the purified water purified by the filter is discharged to the outside of the water purifier.

In the following, a detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description of the present invention, in the case where it is determined that detailed descriptions of related well-known functions or configurations may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted so as not to obscure the subject matter of the present invention. will be.

1 is a block diagram of an apparatus for measuring a cumulative usage time of a water purifier filter according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Figure 1, the cumulative use time measuring device 100 of the water purifier filter according to the present invention, the raw water inflow detection unit 10 for detecting whether the raw water, such as tap water flows into the interior, the inflow into the interior Filter unit 20 for purifying the purified raw water into purified water, discharge unit 40 for discharging purified water purified by the filter to the outside, discharge time detection unit 30 for detecting the purified water discharge time from the discharge unit 40 And the detection time output from the raw water inflow detection unit 10 and the discharge time detection unit 30, and the raw water inflow detection unit 10 detects the inflow of raw water into the water purifier. And a control unit 50 for calculating the cumulative usage time of the filter unit 20 by summing the purified water discharge time detected by the filter unit 20.

The raw water inflow detection unit 10 detects whether raw water, such as tap water, flows in from the outside of the water purifier or whether the inflow of raw water is blocked through a passage connected from the outside of the water purifier to the inside. For example, the raw water inflow detection unit 10 may detect the inflow of raw water using the hydraulic pressure of the raw water flowing through the passage connected to the water purifier.

The filter unit 20 purifies the purified water by purifying the raw water introduced into the water purifier as described above. In particular, the filter unit 20 may be used as drinking water by removing heavy metals or other harmful substances contained in the raw water through a purification process such as sedimentation, filtration, sterilization of the introduced raw water.

The discharge unit 40 discharges the purified water purified by the filter unit 20 to the outside for the user to use as drinking water. Discharge part 40 of the present invention may be preferably implemented in the form of a valve or a cock.

The discharge time detection unit 30 detects the discharge time of the purified water discharged from the discharge unit 40 to the outside. Preferably, the discharge time detection unit 30 is installed between the filter unit 20 and the discharge unit 40, in the filter unit 20 to discharge the purified water to the outside through the discharge unit 40 The discharge time of the purified water discharged to the outside from the discharge unit 40 can be detected by using the hydraulic pressure of the purified water flowing in the discharge unit 40. In more detail, in order to discharge the purified water from the discharge unit 40, the purified water flows from the filter unit 20 to the discharge unit 40, but does not discharge the purified water from the discharge unit 40 In the filter unit 20, the purified water does not flow into the discharge unit 40. In addition, as the discharge of purified water proceeds from the discharge part 40 to the outside of the water purifier, the hydrostatic hydraulic pressure inside the passage connected between the filter part 20 and the discharge part 40 is lowered. Therefore, in one embodiment of the present invention, in order to detect the purified water discharge time in the discharge portion 40, preferably, the hydraulic pressure in the connection passage between the filter portion 20 and the discharge portion 40 is lowered The time to be detected is detected.

The controller 50 receives the raw water inflow detection signal from the raw water inflow detection unit 10 and the discharge time detection unit 30 into the water purifier and the purified water discharge time detection signal from the discharge unit 40, respectively. When the raw water inflow detection unit 10 detects the inflow of raw water, the use time of the filter unit 20 is calculated by summing the purified water discharge time detected by the discharge time detection unit 30. That is, the controller 50 adds the time received from the discharge time detection unit 30 to receive the purified water discharge time detection signal in the state where the raw water inflow detection unit 10 receives the raw water inflow detection signal. Calculate the usage time of). Here, the discharge time of the purified water discharged to the outside of the water purifier while the raw water flows into the water purifier corresponds to the use time of the filter unit 20. This is because the filter unit 20 performs the purification function in response to the purified water discharge time from the discharge unit 40, so that the purified water discharge time is comparable to the use time of the filter unit 20. Therefore, by accumulating and summing the discharge time of the purified water it is possible to calculate the cumulative use time of the filter unit 20.

2 is an exemplary view of the raw water inflow detection unit and the discharge time detection unit according to the present invention.

The raw water inflow detection unit 10 and the discharge time detection unit 30 according to the embodiment of the present invention are implemented as a low pressure switch (LPS) and a high pressure switch (HPS). 2 (a) and 2 (b) show the structures of the low pressure cutoff switch LPS and the high pressure cutoff switch HPS.

In the low pressure cutoff switch LPS and the high pressure cutoff switch HPS shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, pressure is applied to the springs 22 and 24 by a fluid filling or penetrating therein. In response to the applied pressure, the switches 21 and 23 operate to output corresponding signals (S1, S2 or zero signals). Hereinafter, the operation of the low pressure cutoff switch LPS and the high pressure cutoff switch HPS according to the present invention will be described in detail.

First, referring to the low pressure cut-off switch LPS shown in FIG. 2A, when the raw water introduced from the outside of the water purifier flows into the low pressure cut-off switch LPS, the low pressure cut-off switch LPS The internal pressure of) increases to a high pressure and the pressure is transmitted to the spring 22 as it is. As a result, the switch 21 is contacted by the spring 22, and the output value of + 5V falls to the ground, and a low signal (zero signal) is output to the output terminal. However, if raw water does not flow into the water purifier, raw water does not flow into the low pressure cutoff switch (LPS), so the pressure inside the low pressure cutoff switch (LPS) changes to low pressure and the force transmitted to the spring 22 is small. The switch 21 is cut off. As a result, a voltage value of + 5V is output to the output terminal, and a high signal S1 is output.

As described above, in the low pressure shut-off switch LPS according to the present invention, when raw water flows into the water purifier, the pressure increases, and the switch 21 is contacted to output a low signal S1. The lowering is performed so that the switch 21 is cut off to output a high signal.

Purified purified water by the filter unit 20 flows into the high pressure cutoff switch HPS of FIG. 2B. That is, the purified water discharged from the filter unit 20 flows into the discharge unit 40 through the inside of the high pressure cutoff switch HPS. In this case, when the discharge unit 40 does not discharge the purified water to the outside of the water purifier, the internal pressure of the high pressure cutoff switch HPS is increased to a high pressure by a constant present inside the high pressure cutoff switch HPS. The pressure is transmitted to the spring 24 as it is. As a result, the switch 21 is cut off by the spring 24, and an output value of + 5V is output through the output terminal, thereby outputting a high signal S2. However, when the discharge unit 40 discharges the purified water to the outside of the water purifier, the pressure inside the high pressure cutoff switch HPS is changed to low pressure and the force transmitted to the spring 24 becomes small so that the switch 23 is Contact. As a result, the output value of + 5V goes to ground, and a low signal (zero signal) is output to the output terminal.

As described above, in the high pressure cut-off switch (HPS) according to the present invention, when the purified water is discharged from the discharge unit 40 to the outside of the water purifier, the internal pressure decreases and the switch 23 is cut off to output a high signal S2. When the purified water is not discharged from the discharge unit 40, the internal pressure rises and the switch 23 is contacted to output a low signal (zero signal).

The output signal states according to internal pressure fluctuations of the low pressure cutoff switch LPS and the high pressure cutoff switch HPS are shown in Table 1 below.

Table 1

Internal pressure HPS output signal LPS output signal Low pressure Low signal High signal High pressure High signal Low signal

As described above, the low pressure cutoff switch LPS according to the present invention outputs a low signal S1 when raw water flows into the water purifier, and outputs a high signal zero when raw water is cut off, and a high voltage cutoff switch ( The HPS outputs a low signal zero when discharging the purified water from the discharge unit 40 and outputs a high signal S2 when discharging the purified water.

3 is a time chart for measuring the cumulative use time of the water purifier filter of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, when the discharge part 40 is closed, the purified water is not discharged to the outside of the water purifier, and when opened, the purified water is discharged to the outside. At this time, as the discharge unit 40 is opened and the purified water is discharged to the outside of the water purifier, the purified water discharged from the filter unit 20 passes through the inside of the high pressure cutoff switch (HPS), whereby the internal pressure of the high pressure cutoff switch (HPS) is increased. At low pressure, a low signal is output. On the contrary, if the discharge unit 40 is closed and the purified water is not discharged to the outside, the purified water discharged from the filter unit 20 does not pass while filling the inside of the high pressure cutoff switch (HPS), thereby the high pressure cutoff switch (HPS). The internal pressure of becomes high pressure and outputs a high signal.

As such, the time when the high voltage cut-off switch HPS outputs a low signal means a time when the purified water is discharged from the discharge unit 40 to the outside, which is a time for using the filter unit 20. it means. Therefore, the cumulative usage time of the filter unit 20 is calculated by summing the times at which the low signal is output from the high voltage cut-off switch HPS.

Here, it should be noted that the sum of the time that the high voltage cut-off switch HPS outputs the low signal while the raw water flows from the outside of the water purifier, that is, the low voltage cut-off switch LPS outputs the low signal, It is to calculate the cumulative use time of the filter unit 20. This is because the raw water does not flow into the water purifier when the high signal is output from the low pressure shut-off switch LPS.

As described above, the controller 50 accumulates the use time of the filter unit 20 according to the operation of the water purifier.

[Table 2]

Raw water condition LPS output signal HPS output signal Control Enemies singular High signal - Do not accumulate filter hours Raw water inflow Low signal High signal Do not accumulate filter hours Raw water inflow Low signal Low signal Accumulated filter time

As described above, the apparatus and method for measuring the cumulative use time of the water purifier filter according to the present invention is provided with a low pressure cutoff switch (LPS) and a high pressure cutoff switch (HPS) at the front and rear ends of the filter, respectively, and the low pressure cutoff switch (LPS). Determination of raw water inflow to the inside of the water purifier by using a), and by detecting the pressure of the purified water discharged from the filter through the high-pressure cutoff switch (HPS) to detect the time the purified purified water is discharged through the discharge unit to use the filter Allow time to be calculated.

The above description of the present invention and the contents of the drawings exemplarily describe preferred embodiments of the apparatus and method for measuring the cumulative usage time of the water filter according to the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. In addition, any person having ordinary skill in the art may make various changes and imitations without departing from the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should not be determined by the above description and drawings, but should be determined by the appended claims.

As described above, according to the method for measuring the cumulative usage time of the water purifier filter according to the present invention, the LPS and HPS are installed before and after the water purifier filter, and the cumulative usage time of the filter is determined using the switching time of the LPS and HPS. By calculating, the cumulative use time of the filter can be accurately measured in a simple configuration.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, it is possible to determine the appropriate replacement time of the water purifier filter, thereby preventing the waste of resources of the filter and providing a reliable product to customers.

Claims (13)

In the filter cumulative use time measuring device of a water purifier having a filter for purifying raw water to purified water, A low pressure shut-off switch for detecting inflow of raw water into the water purifier; A high-pressure cut-off switch for detecting a discharge time by detecting a time at which the hydraulic pressure of the purified water flowing from the filter unit decreases as the purified water is discharged to the outside of the water purifier from the discharge unit for discharging the purified purified water to the outside; And And a control unit for receiving the detection signals of the low pressure cutoff switch and the high pressure cutoff switch, and calculating the cumulative use time of the filter unit by summing the discharge time when raw water inflow is detected by the low pressure cutoff switch. The low pressure shutoff switch outputs a low signal to the controller when raw water flows from the outside of the water purifier, and outputs a high signal to the controller when the water is cut off from the outside. When a constant is discharged, a low signal is output to the control unit, and if it is not discharged, a high signal is output to the control unit. Accumulated time measurement device for a water purifier filter, characterized in that to calculate the cumulative time by summing the discharge time when the internal inflow. delete delete delete delete delete delete A water purifier comprising a cumulative usage time measuring device for the water purifier filter according to claim 1. In the filter cumulative use time measurement method of a water purifier having a filter for purifying raw water to purified water, A first step of detecting whether the raw water flows from the outside of the water purifier; A second step of detecting a discharge time of the purified water by detecting a time at which the oil pressure of the purified water decreases as the purified water purified by the filter is discharged to the outside of the water purifier; And A third step of calculating a cumulative use time of the filter unit by summing the discharge time of the purified water when the raw water flows from the outside of the water purifier; The first step outputs a low signal when raw water flows from the outside of the water purifier, and outputs a high signal when the water flows out from the outside. The second step outputs a low signal when the purified water is discharged to the outside of the water purifier. And outputting a high signal if it is not discharged, and the third step is to calculate the discharge time of the purified water by using the output time of the low signal and calculate the cumulative time by summing the calculated discharge time when the raw water is introduced into the raw water. Cumulative usage time measurement method of the water purifier filter characterized in that. delete delete delete delete

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