KR101606809B1 - Display method of residual mineral quantity of drinking water supplying device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for displaying the residual quantity of minerals in a drinking water supply device which provides mineral water. The drinking water supply device provided by an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a cabinet which forms appearance; a water supply pipe in which purified water flows; a mineral water supply module which includes a mineral supply pipe of having a fine flow path unit to supply the fine amount of minerals to the water supply pipe, a mineral cartridge of being connected to the mineral supply pipe and containing the small predetermined amount of concentrated minerals, a pump of draining minerals contained in the mineral cartridge to the mineral supply pipe, a mineral water generating unit of connecting the water supply pipe with the mineral supply pipe and forming a mixed space in which purified water and minerals are mixed; a discharge pipe which is connected to the mineral water generating unit and discharges purified water or mineral water; a mineral overflow sensor which is installed in the mineral supply pipe and senses the overflow of minerals; a control unit which checks abnormal states of the mineral water supply module through the overflow state of minerals sensed in the mineral overflow sensor and calculates the residual quantity of the minerals contained in the mineral cartridge according to the quantity of the sensed mineral overflow; and a display unit which is installed in the cabinet and displays the residual quantity of minerals according to signals of the control unit.

Description

Technical Field [0001] The present invention relates to a method for displaying minerals remaining in a drinking water supply device,

The present invention relates to a drinking water supply device capable of providing a mineral water, and more particularly, to a drinking water supply device for easily visualizing the replacement time of a mineral cartridge by visualizing the remaining amount of minerals in the drinking water supply device.

Generally, a drinking water supply device is a device for supplying drinking water to a user. Such a drinking water supply device may be a stand-alone device, and it may be a part of a household appliance such as a refrigerator.

The drinking water supply device can not only supply the drinking water at normal temperature but also cool the drinking water flowing in the drinking water supply device using a cold water supply device including a refrigeration cycle or heat the drinking water with a heater, .

The drinking water may be raw water supplied from ground water or water, and raw water fed with water can be filtered by another filtering means. However, the drinking water described below is not limited to the kind of water mentioned in the meaning of drinking water.

Recently, the drinking water supply device is intended not only to provide the user with filtered purified water, cold water, or hot water, but also to provide a function number that meets various needs of the user. For example, a drinking water supply device with a mineral water supply module may be provided to provide the user with mineral water containing a predetermined amount of mineral.

Minerals are one of the five essential nutrients along with protein, fat, carbohydrates and vitamins. They are known to play an important role in biochemical (catalytic) action, bone and tooth composition in the human body.

In particular, trace elements such as calcium (Ca), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), and sodium (Na) are sufficient, but they can be considered essential minerals for metabolism.

Mineral water containing these minerals can play a supporting role in promoting health such as discharging waste accumulated in the body and promoting digestion.

If a certain amount of minerals are contained in the drinking water, the user can feel an improved water taste in drinking.

In order to produce such mineral water, a mineral water supply module such as an electrolytic apparatus, a mineral filter, or a device for directly supplying concentrated minerals to purified water may be applied to the drinking water supply apparatus.

In the case of a device for directly supplying concentrated minerals to the purified water in the above-mentioned mineral water supply module, it can be realized in a compact size as compared with other mineral water supply modules.

For example, the mineral water supply module for directly supplying the concentrated mineral may be formed by supplying the minerals discharged from the mineral cartridge containing the mineral concentrate to the outflow pipe through the mineral supply pipe.

The mineral cartridge may contain minerals corresponding to a predetermined amount of mineral water or a mineral amount capable of generating a predetermined amount of mineral water.

Mineral cartridges are required to be replaced at predetermined intervals depending on when the contained minerals are exhausted or when the minerals are available for drinking.

However, if only the information of the mineral is supplied to the user, the user may inconvenience that the mineral water can not be consumed until the replacement of the mineral cartridge is made.

Therefore, it is required to provide the user with information on the amount of remaining minerals contained in the mineral cartridge.

In addition, minerals have a strong hardness, so that when energy is applied, crystals can form and scale. Such a scale reduces the flow cross-sectional area of the piping, thereby interfering with the flow of the mineral flow, and may cause malfunctions such as malfunction of the valve.

Therefore, there is a need for a sensing means and a sensing method capable of detecting a failure of the mineral water generating module depending on whether or not the mineral is leaked.

Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem [8] Accordingly, the present invention provides a drinking water supply device capable of confirming a residual amount of minerals in a mineral cartridge, thereby enabling a user to recognize a replacement time of a mineral cartridge.

Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem [8] Accordingly, the present invention provides a drinking water supply device capable of promptly detecting a failure of a mineral water supply module and appropriately performing post-management.

Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem [8] Accordingly, the present invention provides a drinking water supply device that increases the usability by notifying a user of a remaining amount of minerals or failure or failure.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a drinking water supply apparatus including a cabinet forming an outer appearance, a purified water pipe through which purified water flows, and a discharge pipe through which purified water or mineral water is discharged.

Wherein the drinking water supply device comprises: a mineral supply pipe having a micro flow path for supplying a minute flow amount of minerals to the purified water pipe; a mineral cartridge connected to the mineral supply pipe and containing a predetermined amount of concentrated minerals; And a mineral water supply module for connecting the purified water pipe and the mineral supply pipe and forming a mixing space in which water and minerals are mixed together.

The drinking water supply device is provided with a mineral outflow detection sensor provided in the mineral supply pipe to sense the leakage of the mineral, so that it can detect the mineral outflow and the mineral outflow amount.

The controller may further include a control unit for checking the abnormal state of the mineral water supply module through the presence or absence of the mineral leakage detected by the mineral leakage detection sensor and calculating the amount of the mineral retained in the mineral cartridge according to the detected mineral discharge amount.

The control unit may provide the remaining amount of minerals to the user by displaying the remaining amount of the minerals in the cabinet through the display unit.

The controller may initialize the mineral capacity after receiving the mounting signal of the mineral cartridge, and subtract the mineral discharge amount sensed by the mineral discharge sensor at the previous mineral capacity to calculate the remaining mineral amount.

The controller may display the remaining amount of minerals by selecting a display mode corresponding to the currently calculated remaining amount of minerals among the plurality of display modes.

Meanwhile, the mineral spill detection sensor may be a flow rate sensor or a pressure sensor.

When the mineral outflow detection sensor is a flow rate sensor, the controller can determine that the mineral water supply module is in an abnormal state when an abnormal operation occurs, in which the mineral outflow amount detected by the mineral outflow detection sensor does not change for a predetermined time.

When the abnormal state of the mineral water supply module is repeated more than a predetermined number of times, the controller can transmit information to the user through the display unit that the mineral water supply module needs to be inspected.

When the mineral leak sensor is a pressure sensor, the controller determines that the mineral water supply module is in an abnormal state when the pressure measured by the pressure sensor is maintained below a predetermined value for a predetermined time or there is no change in pressure, Can be informed.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for displaying a residual mineral amount of a drinking water supplying apparatus, the method comprising the steps of: detecting a mineral outflow to the mineral supply pipe using the mineral outflow detection sensor; A minerals remaining amount calculating step of subtracting an outflow amount detected in the mineral spill detection step from a previous miner amount to calculate a current miner residual amount; And a mineral residue amount display step of displaying the remaining mineral residue amount of the mineral cartridge on the display unit.

A mineral remaining amount range selecting step of comparing the calculated minerals remaining amount with the preset minerals remaining amount reference range may be performed after the minerals remaining amount calculating step.

And a residual amount display step of displaying a remaining amount display mode among a plurality of remaining amount display modes previously set so as to correspond to the plurality of mineral remaining amount reference ranges by the control unit is displayed on the display unit.

As a result, the user can confirm the remaining amount of the mineral inside the mineral cartridge through the display unit, so that the replacement of the mineral cartridge can be performed at an appropriate time.

Meanwhile, if the mineral spillage is not detected for a predetermined period of time in the mineral spill detection step, it may be detected that the mineral water supply module is in an abnormal state and that an abnormal state is repeated more than a predetermined number of times.

If the abnormal state of the mineral water supply module is repeated more than a predetermined number of times, the user can be notified of the failure state through the failure occurrence notification step informing that the mineral water supply module is in a failure state.

As described above, according to the drinking water supply apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, information on the amount of minerals accommodated in the mineral cartridge is provided, thereby providing a drinking water supply device that allows the user to easily recognize the replacement time of the mineral cartridge can do.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a drinking water supply device for quickly detecting malfunction of a mineral water supply module according to whether a mineral water is leaked from a mineral water supply module, .

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a drinking water supply device for improving usability by visualizing and reminding a residual amount of minerals or failures.

1 is an external perspective view of a drinking water supply apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a conceptual view showing a structure and piping of a drinking water supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a schematic view showing a configuration of a mineral water supply module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a schematic view showing a display unit according to a display mode of a drinking water supply apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of displaying the remaining amount of minerals in a drinking water supply apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a method for displaying the remaining amount of minerals in the drinking water supply apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The same or corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals regardless of the reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted. For convenience of explanation, the size and the shape of each constituent member shown may be exaggerated or reduced.

On the other hand, terms including an ordinal number such as a first or a second may be used to describe various elements, but the constituent elements are not limited by the terms, and the terms may refer to a constituent element from another constituent element It is used only for the purpose of discrimination.

Hereinafter, in defining the term, water before passing through the filter section is referred to as raw water, raw water purified through the filter is referred to as an integer, and an integer containing minerals is referred to as mineral water. In addition, the rear end and the front end may refer to the upstream side and the downstream side, respectively, with respect to the forward flow direction of the fluid.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a drinking water supplying apparatus. Hereinafter, an outline of a drinking water supplying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The drinking water supply device (1) comprises a cabinet (2) and a dispenser (3) forming an external shape. Here, the dispenser 3 means a space where a user is supplied with drinking water. Therefore, generally, the dispenser 3 is formed in front of the cabinet 2. [

The dispenser 3 is provided with a cock 73 through which drinking water is discharged, and may be provided with a lever 4 for operating to discharge drinking water. That is, when the user operates the lever 4, the drinking water can be discharged from the cock 73. Here, the operation of the lever 4 may be in the form of pushing or pulling the lever.

The drinking water that can be provided by the drinking water supply device may be either purified water, cold water or hot water. It may also be a function of various types. Accordingly, the cabinet 2 may be provided with a user interface 5 for selecting the drinking water to be discharged.

The drinking water supply device 1 may further include a mineral water supply module for supplying mineral water that improves the water taste and promotes health of the user. The mineral water supply module may include a mineral cartridge for receiving concentrated minerals to supply a predetermined amount of mineral from the mineral cartridge to the purified water.

However, as described above, it is required to increase the convenience by providing information on the residual amount of minerals in the mineral cartridge according to the supply of minerals, and to make it easy for the user to recognize the replacement time of the mineral cartridge.

The drinking water supply apparatus 1 of the present invention may further include a display unit 500 provided in the cabinet 2 and displaying information on the amount of remaining minerals in the mineral cartridge 140. The display unit 500 may inform the user of the replacement timing of the mineral cartridge 140 as well. In addition, the display unit 500 may be formed as one with the interface 5 and separately formed as shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, referring to FIG. 2, the piping and the constitution of the drinking water supply device provided with the mineral water supply module according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The drawings of the attached drinking water supply device illustrate exemplary forms of the present invention, which are provided to explain the present invention in detail, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

The drinking water supply device 1 of the present invention can convert the raw water flowing into the drinking water supply device 1 through the external water supply source 10 into the purified water via the filter part 20. The configuration of the filter unit 20 can be variously modified, and the filter unit 20 can be configured through a plurality of single filters. In FIG. 2, three single filters are connected in series to form the filter unit 20, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Specifically, the filter unit 20 may include a pre-carbon filter 21, a UF filter 22, and a post-carbon filter 23. Of course, other types of filters may be added in some cases.

The purified water is filtered and purified water can be discharged to the outside through the purified water pipe 30, the purified water supply valve 32 and the cock 73.

The drinking water supply device (1) can be supplied with cold water or hot water according to the demand of the user.

The hot water supplied by heating the purified water is supplied to the first branched water purification pipe 301 branched from point A of the purified water pipe 30, the heating device 51, the hot water pipe 50, the hot water supply valve 52, To be able to go out.

The chilled water supplied by cooling the purified water is supplied to the second branched purified water pipe 302 branched from the point B of the purified water pipe 30, the cooling device 41, the cold water pipe 40, the cold water supply valve 42, To be able to go out.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment in which purified water, cold water and hot water are discharged through a single coke 73 for convenience of explanation. However, since each cock can be provided for water, cold water and hot water, and the single coke hot water may have a separate cock, the constitution of the cock for heading is not limited to the drawing .

On the other hand, a cock valve 74 may be provided at a rear end of the purified water supply valve 32, the cold water supply valve 42 and the hot water supply valve 52. The cock valve 74 may be connected to the distribution pipe 60. The distribution pipe 60 may be connected to the purified water pipe 30, the cold water pipe 40, and the hot water pipe 50, respectively.

An outflow pipe 70 to which purified water, cold water or hot water can be supplied may be provided at the rear end of the cock valve 74.

Water, cold water or hot water can be supplied to the distribution pipe 60. When the coke 73 is opened through the single coke valve 74, purified water, cold water or hot water is selectively supplied through the outflow pipe 70 .

On the other hand, the mineral water supply module 100 for generating mineral water may be connected to the outflow pipe 70.

The mineral water supply module 100 may be connected to one side of the outflow pipe 70 through a mineral water generator 120 connected to the outflow pipe 70.

Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, an outflow pipe 70 located at the front end of the mineral water generating unit 120 and connected to the mineral water generating unit 120 is referred to as a water supply pipe 71, and a mineral water generating unit 120 And the outflow pipe 70 connected at the rear end is referred to as a discharge pipe 72. [

That is, when the coke 73 is opened through the single coke valve 74, the water pipe 71 may be a pipe that selectively receives water, cold water or hot water and flows into the mineral water generating unit 120.

The discharge pipe 72 is a pipe through which water, cold water, hot water, or mineral water flowing in the mineral water generating unit 120 is selectively discharged to the coke 73 according to the user's selection.

The mineral water supply module 100 may include a mineral supply pipe 110 connected to the mineral water generation unit 120 to supply minerals.

 The mineral supply pipe 110 is provided with a mineral cartridge 140 containing a mineral concentrate, a pump 160 discharging minerals by pressing the mineral cartridge 140, and a mineral 160 selectively supplying minerals to the mineral water generating unit 120 A mineral supply valve 130 may be provided.

Meanwhile, the mineral supplied from the mineral supply pipe 110 to the mineral water producing unit 120 may be a concentrated mineral having a high concentration.

The mineral cartridge 140 may contain a mineral concentrate mixed with minerals such as calcium (Ca), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), and sodium (Na).

For example, the mineral concentration of the mineral concentrate contained in the mineral cartridge 140 may be about 200 times the average mineral concentration contained in the purified water.

According to the experimental results, the amount of the mineral concentrate required to produce the user's preferred mineral number of the taste is an extremely small amount of 0.0006 times the integer. In order to provide the mineral water having the water taste within the allowable deviation every time, it is required that a predetermined amount of the mineral is supplied for a predetermined time.

Therefore, a minute amount of minerals set in advance as described above must be constantly supplied for a predetermined time, and the mineral water supply module 100 is required to provide the minute channel portion 200 capable of supplying a minute amount of minerals.

The micro channel portion 200 may be formed in a cylindrical or polyhedral shape having a predetermined area and a predetermined length. If the pressure of the pump 160 to be pressurized is the same, the flow rate discharged from the micro channel section 200 may be determined by the area and the length.

In order to supply a minute amount of minerals set for a predetermined time to the mineral water generating unit 120, the micro channel unit 200 is formed to have a small flow cross sectional area and a predetermined length to induce a pressure loss of the liquid desirable.

Specifically, when the micro channel portion 200 is formed in a cylindrical shape, the diameter may be in a range of 0.5 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less.

The maximum diameter of the micro channel portion 200 may be a diameter capable of supplying minerals within a predetermined allowable deviation range.

Specifically, it is preferable that the micro channel part 200 is formed to have a diameter such that the water or mineral water can be taken out within a tolerance of the tastes when the water is crossed.

That is, when the water is crossed with the mineral water, the minerals remaining in the micro channel part 200 can be minimized so that the purified water can be formed with a diameter allowing the mineral to be contained in an acceptable concentration range .

And when the mineral water crosses the water, the mineral water containing an acceptable concentration range of minerals can be formed in the diameter of the water.

It is most preferable that the minimum diameter of the micro channel portion 200 is formed to a diameter of 0.5 mm which enables molding or processing. A diameter of 0.5 mm or less is not easy to be formed or processed, and therefore, productivity may be deteriorated.

The maximum diameter of the micro channel portion 200 derived by the experiment and satisfying the above conditions may be 1.0 mm.

The numerical diameter of the micro channel portion 200 is a value derived from a water supply pipe having an outer diameter of 6.35 mm and a pump having a discharge flow rate of 0.1 ml / s to 1 ml / s, which is commonly used in the drinking water supply apparatus.

If the flow cross-sectional area of the micro channel portion 200 has a circular or polygonal shape other than a circle, it is most preferable that the micro flow channel portion 200 has a minimum machining area.

By forming the micro channel part 200 in a predetermined length range, it is possible to induce a pressure drop of minerals flowing through the micro channel part 200 and to discharge a preset amount of minerals. In addition, it is possible to reduce the instantaneous change in the flow rate due to the pressure variation that can be generated by driving the pump 160.

Specifically, when the micro channel section 200 is formed at a lower limit value or less than a predetermined length range, a large amount of minerals may be discharged so that the pressure drop of the minerals flowing through the micro channel section 200 is small, . That is, when the micro channel portion 200 is formed short, the pressure of the minerals flowing in the mineral supply pipe 110 can not be sufficiently lowered due to the friction loss, so that the discharge flow rate may become a set value or more.

On the contrary, when the length is formed to be longer than the upper limit value of the predetermined length range, the pressure loss due to the friction of the minerals flowing in the micro flow path portion 200 is excessively generated, so that the mineral flow amount smaller than the set flow amount can be discharged.

Therefore, it is preferable that the micro channel portion 200 is formed to have a predetermined length capable of discharging a predetermined amount of mineral content. Specifically, the length of the micro channel portion 200 may be 15 mm or more and 20 mm or less.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the mineral water supply module for calculating the amount of mineral remaining in the mineral cartridge and determining the abnormal state will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

The mineral water supply module 100 according to the present invention includes a water supply pipe 71 for supplying purified water, a mineral supply pipe 110 for supplying minerals, and an outlet for selectively discharging mineral water containing minerals, And a pipe (72).

The mineral water supply module 100 may include a mineral cartridge 140 in which concentrated minerals are received and a mineral cartridge receiving portion 150 for connecting the mineral cartridge 140 to the mineral supply pipe 110. The mineral cartridge 140 may further include a pump 160 for pressurizing the mineral cartridge 140 or the mineral supply pipe 110 to discharge the mineral inside the mineral cartridge 140 to the mineral supply pipe 110.

The mineral supply pipe 110 may include a mineral supply valve 130 for selectively opening and closing the mineral supply pipe 110 depending on whether mineral water is generated or not. The mineral supply valve 130 may be provided at a rear end of the mineral cartridge 140 in the mineral supply pipe 110 adjacent to the water supply pipe 71.

The mineral water supply module 100 may include a mineral water generator 120 in which the purified water supplied from the water supply pipe 71 and the minerals supplied from the mineral pipe 110 are mixed to generate mineral water .

The mineral water generating unit 120 includes a first connection pipe 121 connected to the water supply pipe 71, a second connection pipe 122 connected to the mineral supply pipe 110, A third connection pipe 123 may be formed.

In order to provide mineral water having a minimal variation in the concentration of the contained minerals, a micro channel section 200 for forming a minute mineral flow channel in the second connection pipe 122 may be provided. The micro channel portion 200 minimizes the deviation of the amount of minerals discharged by forming a flow path in which minute minerals flow constantly for a predetermined time.

Hereinafter, the mineral cartridge and the sensor for detecting the leakage of the mineral will be described in more detail.

The mineral cartridge 140 may be connected to the mineral supply pipe 110 through a mineral cartridge receiving portion 150 connecting the mineral supply pipe 110 and the mineral cartridge 140. The mineral cartridge 140 may be detachably connected to the mineral cartridge receiving portion 150 so that the received mineral may be exhausted or replaced according to a period in which the mineral can be consumed.

The mineral cartridge 140 may contain a predetermined amount of minerals capable of generating a predetermined number or a predetermined amount of mineral water. However, since the mineral cartridge 140 is formed in a size that is easy to mount on the drinking water supply device 1, the size of the mineral cartridge 1 can be formed within a predetermined range.

Therefore, it is preferable that the mineral cartridge 140 is formed in a predetermined size that is easy to install in the drinking water supply device 1 and is replaced at a predetermined cycle.

Meanwhile, the mineral supply pipe 110 may be provided with a mineral discharge sensor 170 for detecting the mineral discharge.

The mineral outflow sensor 170 can detect whether the mineral supply pipe 110 discharges minerals and the amount of minerals discharged from the mineral cartridge 140 for a predetermined time.

The mineral spillage detection sensor 170 may be a flow rate sensor or a pressure sensor.

The drinking water supply device 1 may include a control unit 400 for calculating a residual amount of minerals contained in the mineral cartridge 140 based on the amount of mineral outflow detected by the mineral outflow detection sensor 170. The control unit 400 can check the abnormal state of the mineral water supply module 100 according to the detected mineral leakage.

Specifically, when the supply of mineral water is selected by the user, the control unit 400 subtracts the amount of mineral outflow detected by the mineral outflow sensor 170 from the remaining amount of the mineral cartridge to determine the final amount of residual mineral through the display unit 500 .

The control unit 400 may display a predetermined initial display mode on the display unit 500 by receiving a mounting signal of the new mineral cartridge 140 after the replacement. That is, the control unit 400 receives the mounting signal of the mineral cartridge 140 and initializes the capacity of the mineral.

After the mineral capacity is initialized, the controller 400 may sense the mineral water supply signal by the user and calculate the mineral residual amount by subtracting the mineral discharge amount from the initial or previous mineral capacity.

And display the corresponding one of the plurality of display modes preset according to the mineral residual amount range to provide the remaining amount information to the user. The control unit 400 can visualize the range of the remaining amount of minerals by turning on or off various shapes, symbols, characters, and the like that indicate the remaining amount of minerals.

Meanwhile, the controller 400 may determine whether the mineral water supply module 100 has failed if the amount of mineral outflow detected by the mineral outflow sensor 170 does not change for a predetermined time.

If the mineral spillage sensor 170 is a flow rate sensor, the controller 400 can detect whether the mineral spillage from the mineral supply pipe 110 is leaked for a predetermined time.

That is, when receiving the mineral water generation signal, the controller 400 opens the mineral supply valve 130 for a predetermined time and drives the pump 160. If the mineral flow rate is not detected by the flow rate sensor even though the mineral supply valve 130 is opened, the controller 400 may determine the failure. The control unit 400 may store the number of times for failure determination if there is no change in the flow rate for a predetermined set time (n seconds) for the mineral discharge.

If the minerals flow rate is not continuously detected by the flow sensor even though the predetermined number of times (N times) the mineral number generating signal is inputted, the controller 400 determines that the mineral water supply module 100 is out of order, . That is, the user can inform the display unit 500 that the mineral water supply module 100 needs to be inspected.

When the mineral outflow sensor 170 is a pressure sensor, the controller 400 may sense a change in the pressure of the mineral supply pipe 110 for a predetermined time. That is, the pressure sensor can sense the failure of the mineral water supply module 100 by sensing the pressure change of the mineral supply pipe 110 due to the mineral outflow for a predetermined time.

If the pressure of the mineral supply pipe 110 is detected to be lower than the target pressure continuously for a predetermined time and for a predetermined number of times, or if the pressure is not changed or is higher than the target pressure, it can be determined that the mineral water supply module 100 is in an abnormal state.

For example, the abnormal state of the mineral water supply module 100 may be a leakage of the mineral supply valve 130 or the failure of the pump 160 when the detection value of the pressure sensor is continuously lower than a predetermined value for a predetermined time. If there is no or high pressure change, it may be a blockage of the mineral feed pipe 110, an open error due to the failure of the mineral feed valve 130, or a malfunction of the pump 160.

Hereinafter, a display mode for informing the user of the remaining amount of minerals or the abnormal state through the display unit will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

FIG. 4 shows a range of residual mineral contents by a method of stepping on or off a plurality of bars in a display mode for displaying the remaining amount of minerals, and shows an abnormal state of the mineral water supply module through a separate display section. However, as described above, the display mode for displaying the remaining amount of minerals can be implemented in various forms, and thus is not limited thereto.

The control unit 400 may display the first mineral capacity on the display unit 500 in the first display mode after the new mineral cartridge 140 is installed. That is, as shown in Fig. 4 (a), a plurality of bars can be visualized in a lighting manner.

If the current mineral amount is calculated according to the selection of the mineral number by the user, the controller 400 may display the corresponding display mode of the remaining mineral amount.

The mineral balance can be visualized in such a manner that only one of the plurality of bars is lit, as shown in Fig. 4 (b).

In addition, as described above, the malfunction of the mineral water supply module 100 can be informed to the user in a manner of lighting a separate display unit as shown in Fig. 4 (c).

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 5, a method of displaying the remaining amount of minerals in the mineral cartridge of the drinking water supply apparatus will be described in detail.

A mineral cartridge replacement check step (S100) may be performed to check whether the mineral cartridge 140 is replaced by a method of displaying the remaining amount of minerals in the mineral cartridge.

If the replacement of the mineral cartridge 140 is confirmed, an initial mineral amount indicating step S200 may be performed to display the initial mineral amount of the mineral cartridge 140. At this time, the initial amount of minerals may be displayed on the display unit 500 in the first display mode.

A mineral number generation signal detection step (S300) may be performed to detect whether the number of minerals is selected by the user after the initial mineral amount display step (S200).

If the mineral cartridge 140 is not replaced, the mineral water generation signal sensing step S300 may be performed while displaying the amount of mineral in the previous step.

If the mineral water supply is selected by the user, the mineral spill detection step S400 for detecting the leakage of the minerals leaking to the mineral supply pipe 110 using the mineral spillage detection sensor 170 provided in the mineral supply pipe 110 .

The mineral residue calculating step S500 may be performed by the control unit 400 to subtract an outflow amount detected by the mineral outflow sensor 170 from a previous mineral amount to calculate a mineral amount.

The control unit 400 may compare the remaining mineral amount calculated in the mineral remaining amount calculation step S500 with a preset plurality of mineral residual amount ranges to select a corresponding mineral residual amount range.

Any one of a plurality of display modes set to correspond to a plurality of minerals remaining amount ranges may be selected.

Specifically, a mineral residue amount range selection step (S600) may be performed to compare which mineral residue amount range falls within each predetermined range of mineral residue amount.

Then, a mineral remaining amount display step (S700) in which the display mode corresponding to the selected mineral remaining amount range is displayed on the display unit 500 can be performed.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the measured amount of minerals is equal to or greater than the first reference amount, the second display mode may be performed. At this time, the first reference amount may be a value smaller than the initial mineral capacity by a predetermined value.

If the measured amount of minerals is equal to or greater than the first reference amount and equal to or greater than the second reference amount, the third display mode and the fourth display mode may be displayed if the measured amount is equal to or greater than the third reference amount.

If the fourth reference amount is less than the third reference amount, the display unit 500 may flicker to notify the user that the minimum amount of minerals required to be replaced is received. That is, the user must prepare for replacement of the mineral cartridge at this time.

If the minerals contained in the mineral cartridge are below the fourth reference amount, the controller 400 may indicate to the user that no mineral water can be generated. That is, the display unit 500 can display the exhaustion of minerals or a mineral cartridge replacement signal. And the mineral water supply module 100 can be controlled to prevent the generation of mineral water.

The display mode is not limited to the display mode described above for convenience of explanation.

After the display mode corresponding to the detected remaining amount of minerals is displayed, the process returns to step S100 to check whether or not the mineral cartridge is replaced, and the subsequent process may be repeatedly performed.

Meanwhile, if the mineral outflow is not detected during the set time for mineral outflow in the mineral outflow detection step (S400), the mineral water supply module abnormal state detection step (S800) may be performed.

In the mineral water supply module abnormality state detection step S800, the controller 400 may store the abnormality detection number for the malfunction determination if there is no change in the flow rate for the set time (n seconds) for the mineral spill.

If the mineral flow is not detected by the flow sensor continuously for a predetermined number of times (N times) even though the mineral water generation signal is inputted a predetermined number of times (N times), it is determined that the mineral water supply module 100 is faulty, Step S900 may be performed.

Therefore, the drinking water supply device 1 of the present invention is advantageous in that it is not necessary to further include an abnormality determination device by judging the abnormality of the mineral water supply module 100 through the mineral outflow detection sensor 170.

In addition, it is possible to inform the user of the abnormality of the mineral water supply module 100 through the display unit 500, so that the post management can be properly performed.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation, The present invention may be modified in various ways. Therefore, modifications of the embodiments of the present invention will not depart from the scope of the present invention.

1: Drinking water supply device 2: Cabinet
10: water supply 20: filter part
30: purified water pipe 70: outflow pipe
71: water pipe 72: discharge pipe
100: Mineral water supply module 110: Mineral supply pipe
120: Mineral water generator 130: Mineral supply valve
140: Mineral cartridge 160: Pump
170: mineral leak detection sensor 200:
400: control unit 500: display unit

Claims (15)

A cabinet forming an appearance;
A water supply pipe through which purified water flows;
A minerals supply pipe connected to the mineral supply pipe and containing a predetermined amount of concentrated minerals, a pump for discharging the minerals contained in the minerals cartridge to the mineral supply pipe, And a mineral water supply module connecting the water supply pipe and the mineral supply pipe and forming a mixing space in which purified water and minerals are mixed;
A discharge pipe connected to the mineral water generating unit and discharging purified water or mineral water;
A mineral spill detection sensor provided in the mineral spill pipe to sense the leakage of minerals;
A controller for checking the abnormal state of the mineral water supply module through the mineral outflow detected by the mineral outflow sensor and calculating the remaining amount of minerals contained in the mineral cartridge according to the detected mineral outflow amount; And
And a display unit provided in the cabinet for displaying a residual amount of minerals according to a signal of the control unit. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the mineral cartridge is replaced by a user at a predetermined cycle, and the controller initializes the mineral capacity after receiving a mounting signal of the mineral cartridge. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the control unit calculates the residual mineral content by subtracting the mineral outflow amount detected by the mineral outflow detection sensor from the previous mineral capacity. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the control unit displays a remaining amount of mineral by selecting a display mode corresponding to the currently calculated remaining amount of minerals among a plurality of display modes. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Wherein the mineral spill detection sensor is a flow rate sensor. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the control unit determines that the mineral water supply module is in an abnormal state when an abnormal operation occurs in which the amount of the mineral drainage sensed by the mineral drainage detection sensor does not change for a predetermined period of time. The method according to claim 6,
Wherein when the abnormal operation of the mineral water supply module is repeated more than a predetermined number of times, the control unit indicates to the display unit that the mineral water supply module needs to be inspected. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Wherein the mineral spill detection sensor is a pressure sensor. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the control unit determines that the mineral water supply module is in an abnormal state when the pressure measured by the pressure sensor is maintained below a predetermined value for a predetermined time or when there is no change in pressure. A minerals outflow sensor that senses the outflow of minerals flowing out from the minerals supply pipe and a minerals outflow sensor which is provided in the cabinet and which is provided in a cabinet, A method for displaying a remaining amount of minerals in a drinking water supply device including a display portion showing a remaining amount of minerals in a cartridge,
A mineral spill sensing step of sensing a mineral spill to the mineral supply pipe using the mineral spill detection sensor;
A minerals remaining amount calculating step of subtracting an outflow amount detected in the mineral spill detection step from a previous miner amount to calculate a current miner residual amount;
And displaying a remaining amount of minerals in the mineral cartridge on the display unit. 11. The method of claim 10,
Confirming whether or not the mineral cartridge is replaced or not, which is performed before the mineral spill detection step, to check whether the mineral cartridge is replaced;
An initial mineral amount indication step of indicating an initial amount of mineral of the mineral cartridge when the replacement of the mineral cartridge is detected in the step of detecting replacement of the mineral cartridge;
And a mineral number generation signal detection step of detecting whether a mineral number is inputted by the user. 11. The method of claim 10,
A minerals remaining amount range selecting step of comparing the minerals remaining amount calculated after the minerals remaining amount calculating step with a preset plurality of minerals remaining amount reference ranges; And
And displaying a residual amount display mode on any one of a plurality of residual amount display modes preset to correspond to the plurality of remaining mineral amount reference ranges on the display unit. Way. 13. The method of claim 12,
Wherein the minerals remaining amount display step displays no minerals on the display unit when the minerals remaining amount calculated in the minerals remaining amount calculating step is less than a predetermined value. 11. The method of claim 10,
Further comprising an abnormal state sensing step of sensing an abnormal state of the mineral water supply module and detecting whether the abnormal state is repeated a predetermined number of times or more when the mineral outflow is not detected in the mineral spill detection step for a predetermined time, Display method. 15. The method of claim 14,
And notifying that the mineral water supply module is in a failure state when an abnormal state of the mineral water supply module is repeated a predetermined number of times or more.

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