KR101849088B1 - Sterilizing Apparatus and Method of Inner Flow Path in Water Purifier - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for disinfecting a flow path in a water purifier by connecting a disinfecting device having a disinfecting module for supplying disinfecting water and a disinfecting device independently configured from a water purifier to the water purifier from the outside of the water purifier. A step of installing a sterilizing device connecting the inner flow path and the sterilizing device; A sterilizing water circulation step for sterilizing the sterilizing water from the sterilizing module to supply the sterilizing water to the water line inside the water purifier and circulating the sterilizing water; And a sterilizing water discharging step of discharging sterilizing water accommodated in a water purifier internal flow path to the outside after the sterilizing water circulation step, wherein the step of installing the sterilizing apparatus comprises the steps of: supplying water from the water purifier to the sterilizing module; A circulation line connecting the sterilizing module and the inner flow path of the water purifier for circulating sterilizing water from the sterilizing module to the inner flow path of the water purifier; Wherein the sterilization water circulation step is configured such that sterilization water from the sterilization module is supplied to the purifier internal flow path through the circulation line and then flows back to the sterilization module through the inflow line for circulation, Wherein the step of installing the inflow line comprises the step of inserting the inflow line into the inflow port of the sterilization module and the inflow port of the purifier Connecting the cock is installed in the tank, there is provided a method of sterilization of the water purifier inside the flow path.

Description

(Sterilizing Apparatus and Method of Inner Flow Path in Water Purifier)

The present invention relates to a sterilizing device and a sterilizing method of an internal channel of a water purifier, and a sterilizing device and a sterilizing method of an internal channel of a water purifier that can sterilize an internal channel of a water purifier.

Generally, household water purifier filters out most ionic substances and microorganisms, including heavy metals, sediment filters to remove fine particles and rust in tap water, and sun carbon filters to adsorb and remove residual chlorine, odor inducing substances and volatile organic substances. An ultrafiltration filter for removing most contaminants except for a filter or an ionic substance, and a filter unit for combining deodorization and a post-carbon filter for improving the taste of water. The water having passed through the four-stage filter is stored in a purified water tank, cooled or heated through a cold water tank or a hot water tank, and then supplied to a user.

In this case, since the storage tank is difficult to seal completely, bacteria or microorganisms may proliferate through contact with the atmosphere and may be connected to the secondary contamination of the purified water. Depending on the characteristics of the incoming tap water, the microorganism may proliferate in the filter itself, The microorganisms may flow out through the purified water. Especially, when the water purifier is not used for a long time, the possibility of contamination of the purified water by bacteria and microorganisms becomes higher.

In order to solve such problems, a method of coating silver (Ag), which is known to have antibacterial properties, on activated carbon used in a post-carbon filter, a method of carrying ceramic antibacterial balls containing silver components in a storage tank, And a method of installing the carbon filter at the rear end thereof have been proposed.

However, the water purifier may be provided with an environment in which the bacteria can grow outside or by itself, and when the water purifier is maintained for a long period, contaminants may accumulate in the channel. Such contaminants may be purified May contaminate water.

Therefore, the conventional water purifier does not have a means for sterilizing the inside of the flow path, so there is a limit to keeping the water purifier and purified water clean.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has been made in order to solve the problems of the conventional water purifier sterilization apparatus. The present invention minimizes the environment in which bacteria can reproduce by periodically sterilizing the internal flow path of the water purifier, The present invention is directed to a sterilizing device and a sterilizing method of an internal channel of a water purifier that can effectively perform sanitation management of a water purifier.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are not intended to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. There will be.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for disinfecting a flow path inside a water purifier by connecting a sterilizing device, which is equipped with a sterilizing module for sterilizing water supply, A step of installing a sterilizing device connecting the internal flow path of the water purifier and the sterilizing device; A sterilizing water circulation step for sterilizing the sterilizing water from the sterilizing module to supply the sterilizing water to the water line inside the water purifier and circulating the sterilizing water; And a sterilizing water discharging step of discharging sterilizing water accommodated in a water purifier internal flow path to the outside after the sterilizing water circulation step, wherein the step of installing the sterilizing apparatus comprises the steps of: supplying water from the water purifier to the sterilizing module; A circulation line connecting the sterilizing module and the inner flow path of the water purifier for circulating sterilizing water from the sterilizing module to the inner flow path of the water purifier; Wherein the sterilization water circulation step is configured such that sterilization water from the sterilization module is supplied to the purifier internal flow path through the circulation line and then flows back to the sterilization module through the inflow line for circulation, Wherein the step of installing the inflow line comprises the step of inserting the inflow line into the inflow port of the sterilization module and the inflow port of the purifier Connecting the cock is installed in the tank, there is provided a method of sterilization of the water purifier inside the flow path.

At this time, the disinfecting water discharge step may discharge the sterilized water through the cock of the water purifier.

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The sterilization module may be connected to the storage tank of the water purifier through a plurality of inflow lines.

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Meanwhile, a plurality of corks may be installed in the storage tank of the water purifier, and the sterilizing module may be connected to the plurality of corks through the plurality of inflow lines.

The step of installing the inflow line may be configured to connect the inflow line to the drain part of the storage tank.

The sterilization apparatus may include a circulation pump that applies a pressing force to supply sterilized water to the inner channel of the water purifier, and the sterilization water circulation step may be configured to supply sterilized water to the inner channel of the water purifier through the circulation pump .

The sterilization water circulation step may be performed for a preset time.

In addition, the sterilization module may be configured to generate sterile water containing a germicidal material using an electrode installed therein.

The sterilization water circulation step may be configured to circulate the water contained in the water line inside the water purifier to generate sterilized water.

In addition, the sterilizing water circulation step may be configured to circulate the water contained in the storage tank of the water purifier to generate sterilized water.

The sterilization water circulation step may be configured to generate sterilized water using the salt introduced into the sterilization module.

Also, the sterilization water circulation step may be performed for a predetermined time after the sterilization module is turned off.

The sterilization module is configured to generate sterilized water containing a germicidal material by using an electrode installed therein, and the germicidal water circulation step is performed by using the sterilization module and the circulation pump to generate and circulate sterilized water The sterilization module may be turned off and circulation of sterile water may be performed using the circulation pump.

In addition, the step of installing the sterilizing device may include connecting the discharge line to the sterilizing module so that the water supplied from the water purifier to the sterilizing module in the sterilizing water discharge step is discharged to the outside of the sterilizing module without being supplied to the water purifier The sterilizing water accommodated in the water purifier internal flow path may be introduced into the sterilizing module through the inflow line and then discharged to the outside through the discharge line.

According to the apparatus for sterilizing the internal flow path of the water purifier according to the present invention, the water purifier can be kept clean by sterilizing the internal flow path of the water purifier by circulating the sterilizing water, so that it is very effective in sanitation management. The device is installed in the water purifier and the sterilized water generated by using the electrode is circulated, thereby eliminating the need for a separate device or part.

In addition, since the germicidal material can be generated by itself using an electrode without adding a separate germicidal substance, it is possible to obtain an effect that the maintenance and repair work for sterilizing the water purifier is easy.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a device for sterilizing an internal channel of a water purifier according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the channel configuration of the sterilizing apparatus according to the present invention,
FIG. 3 is a state diagram showing a state where the sterilizing device according to the present invention is applied to the water purifier, that is, installed.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular forms as used herein include plural forms as long as the phrases do not expressly express the opposite meaning thereto. Means that a particular feature, region, integer, step, operation, element and / or component is specified, and that other specific features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / And the like.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms including technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Commonly used predefined terms are further interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the relevant technical literature and the present disclosure, and are not to be construed as ideal or very formal meanings unless defined otherwise.

The embodiment of the present invention described with reference to the perspective view specifically illustrates an ideal embodiment of the present invention. As a result, various variations of the illustration, for example variations in the manufacturing method and / or specification, are expected. Thus, the embodiment is not limited to any particular form of the depicted area, but includes modifications of the form, for example, by manufacture. For example, the regions shown or described as being flat may have characteristics that are generally coarse / rough and nonlinear. Also, the portion shown as having a sharp angle may be rounded. Thus, the regions shown in the figures are merely approximate, and their shapes are not intended to depict the exact shape of the regions, nor are they intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

1 to 3, the sterilizing apparatus 100 mainly includes an inflow line 110 and a drain line 120, a circulation pump 130, Sterilizing module 140 and a controller 150. The sterilizing module 140 circulates the sterilizing water circulated in the water purifier installed with the sterilizing device according to the present invention to sterilize the internal flow path.

That is, by periodically sterilizing the internal flow path of the water purifier including the storage tank and the like by using the sterilizing device 100 of the water purifier internal flow path according to the present invention, the environment in which the bacteria can reproduce can be minimized.

In this case, sterilization water generated in the sterilization module 140 flows into the storage tank 200 of the water purifier, and the sterilization module 140 is connected to the storage tank 200, Or an inflow line 110 and a drain line 120 configured to discharge sterilized water to the storage tank 200, respectively. In addition, the circulation pump 130 circulates the sterilized water so as to apply pressure to the water flowing through the sterilizing device 100 so that the sterilizing water circulates through the inner channel of the water purifier.

The sterilization module 140 is a main component of the sterilization apparatus 100. The sterilization module 140 is connected to the storage tank 200 through a plurality of inflow lines 110, A pump 130 is installed on one side of the sterilizing module 140 and a sterilizing water containing sterilizing material can be generated using a plurality of electrodes 141 provided inside the sterilizing module 140.

As described above, the sterilizing apparatus 100 for the inner channel of the water purifier according to the present invention is connected to the inner channel of the water purifier which requires sterilization treatment.

3, the storage tank 200 may include a cold water portion 210 and a hot water portion 220. The cold water portion 210 may include a cold water portion cock 211 and a cold water drain portion 210. [ And the hot water part 220 may be provided with a hot water part cock 212 and a hot water drain part 222. [

3, the inflow line 110 is connected to the cold water part cock 211 or the hot water part cock 221 (see FIG. 3) And may be connected to the drain portion 212 of the cold water portion 210 or the drain portion 222 of the hot water portion 220.

One side of the drain line 120 may be connected to the sterilization apparatus 100 and the other side thereof may be connected to the storage tank 200.

The sterilization module 140 and the controller 150 are electrically connected to each other to control the operation mode of the sterilization module 140 in a timer manner.

Therefore, the sterilizing apparatus 100 uses the electrode 141 of the sterilizing module 140 to produce a sterilizing water containing a germicidal material, and injects sterilized water of a predetermined concentration into the water purifier at a constant flow rate, 200) and the like.

Since the sterilizing device 100 generates sterilizing water (oxidizing mixed material) when sterilizing water is prepared using common raw water, the sterilizing material can be produced without separately injecting salt. Sterilized water may be injected into the storage tank 200 at a constant flow rate using the circulation pump 130 and discharged through the cold water portion cock 211 or the hot water portion cock 221 of the water purifier for a predetermined period of time.

In addition, the sterilization apparatus 100 can be performed without emptying the storage tank 200, thereby allowing self-sterilized water to flow into the purified water itself of the storage tank 200, 200) is made of self-sterilized water, the time for disinfecting the water purifier can be saved.

At the same time, the inside of the cocks 211 and 221 can be sterilized by discharging the sterilized water to the cock 211 of the cold water unit 210 or the cock 221 of the hot water unit 220.

One end of the drain line 120 is connected to the storage tank 200 and a circulation line 120b circulates the sterilizing water. The other side of the drain line 120 is connected to a discharge line 120a for discharging the sterilizing water to the outside, .

The housing of the sterilization module 140 includes an operation indicator LED 143 indicating an operation state of the sterilization module 140, a circular display LED 144 indicating a circulation state of the sterilization water, And a flushing indication LED 145 for indicating the state of the flushing indicator LED 145. In addition, a salt inlet 142 for introducing a salt into the sterilizing module 140 may be formed on the upper portion of the housing of the sterilizing module 140.

In addition, since the sterilizing apparatus 100 generates the germicidal material while circulating the water in the storage tank 200, no separate water is required.

Salts can be used to control the sterilization time and flow rate. If you want to clean as well as sterilize, you can use sodium chlorite, odorless and safe. That is, the sterilization apparatus 100 according to the present invention can selectively use sterilization, sterilization, and cleaning.

In addition, the operation mode of the sterilization module 140 itself can be configured simply and simply by applying the timer method based on the required time while being controlled by the controller 150. [

During the operation of the sterilization module 140, the operation display LED 143 indicating the operation of the sterilization module 140 and the circular display LED 144 indicating the operation of the circulation pump 130 are turned on, The sterilization module 140 is operated only for a predetermined time and thereafter the sterilization module 140 is turned off. At this time, the operation display LED 143 is turned off. This is to produce a germicidal material up to the required concentration and throughout the cycle the germicidal module 140 does not need to be activated to produce sterile water.

That is, when sterilizing water is generated through the sterilizing module 140 and supplied to the inner flow path of the water purifier, the sterilizing module 140 and the circulation pump 130 are driven. 3, the sterilized water generated by the sterilization module 140 is pressurized by the circulation pump 130 and is supplied to the storage tank 200 through the circulation line 120b of the drainage line 120. As a result, And the water contained in the storage tank 200 is discharged to the cold water portion cock 211, the hot water portion cock 221, the cold water drain portion 212, the hot water drain portion 222, The sterilization module 140 is re-introduced into the sterilization module 140, and sterilized water is generated and circulated. In addition, the concentration of the sterilizing water circulated due to the operation of the sterilizing module 140 gradually increases, and the operation of the sterilizing module 140 is turned off when a predetermined time has elapsed after the sterilizing module 140 is operated.

Even if the sterilizing module 140 is turned off, the sterilizing water that has already been produced can be circulated for a certain period of time to sterilize or clean the flow path inside the water purifier. When the sterilization water circulation operation is completed, the circulation display LED 144 is turned off. That is, the sterilization water circulation operation is performed by operating the circulation pump 130 for a predetermined time while the sterilizing module 140 is off, and the circulation pump 130 is also turned off after a predetermined time elapses.

The sterilized water contained in the storage tank 200 is drained to the outside through the drain line 120a for discharging the sterilized water to the outside and the flushing display LED 145 indicating the flushing ON).

Accordingly, the sterilizer 100 operated as described above uses the existing water purifier system as it is, and only the sterilizer 100 is connected to the water purifier, so that maintenance and repair are convenient. In addition, sterilizing material can be generated by itself through the electrode of the sterilizing module 140 without disposing a separate sterilizing material, thereby sterilizing the inner channel of the water purifier, such as the storage tank 200, Since the biofilm is formed on the inner channel wall by periodic sterilization, there is no need to separately clean the storage tank, so that the cost reduction effect can be achieved in the water purifier management.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, Of course.

100: sterilizing device 110: inflow line
120: drain line 120a: exhaust line
120b: circulation line 130: circulation pump
140: sterilization module 141: electrode
142: Salt inlet 143: Operation indicator LED
144: Circular display LED 145: Flushing display LED
150: control unit 200: storage tank
210: cold water part 211: cock
220: hot water part 221: cock

Claims (16)

A sterilizing module for sterilizing water supplied to the water purifier and connected to a water purifier outside the water purifier to sterilize the water purifier internal flow path,
A step of installing a sterilizing device connecting the internal flow path of the water purifier and the sterilizing device;
A sterilizing water circulation step for sterilizing the sterilizing water from the sterilizing module to supply the sterilizing water to the water line inside the water purifier and circulating the sterilizing water; And
A sterilizing water discharging step of discharging the sterilizing water accommodated in the flow path of the water purifier to the outside after the sterilizing water circulation step;
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In the sterilizing apparatus installing step,
Installing an inflow line connecting the inflow port of the sterilization module and the inflow port of the water purifier to supply water from the water purifier to the sterilization module;
And a circulation line connecting the sterilizing module and the flow path inside the water purifier to supply circulated sterilizing water from the sterilizing module to the water purifier internal flow path,
Wherein the sterilization water circulation step is configured such that sterilization water from the sterilization module is supplied to the water purifier internal flow path through the circulation line and then flows back to the sterilization module through the inflow line to circulate,
Wherein the step of installing the inflow line connects the inflow line to an inlet of the sterilization module and a coke provided in a storage tank of the water purifier, respectively. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the sterilizing water discharging step discharges the sterilizing water through the cock of the water purifier. delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the sterilizing module is connected to the storage tank of the water purifier through a plurality of inflow lines. delete The method according to claim 1,
A plurality of corks are installed in the storage tank of the water purifier,
Wherein the sterilization module is connected to the plurality of corks via a plurality of inflow lines. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the step of installing the inflow line connects the inflow line to the drain part of the storage tank. The method according to claim 1,
The sterilization apparatus has a circulation pump for applying a pressing force to supply sterilized water to the flow path inside the water purifier,
Wherein the sterilizing water circulating step supplies sterilized water to the water line internal to the water purifier through the circulation pump. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the sterilizing water circulation step is performed for a predetermined time. The method according to any one of claims 1, 2, 4, 6 to 9,
Wherein the sterilizing module is configured to generate sterilizing water containing a germicidal substance using an electrode installed therein. 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the sterilizing water circulation step is configured to circulate water contained in the water purifier internal flow path to generate sterilizing water. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the sterilizing water circulation step is configured to circulate the water contained in the storage tank of the water purifier to generate sterilized water. 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the sterilization water circulation step is configured to generate sterile water using the salt introduced into the sterilization module. 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the sterilization water circulation step is performed for a predetermined time after the sterilization module is turned off. 10. The method according to claim 8 or 9,
Wherein the sterilizing module is configured to generate sterile water containing sterilizing material using an electrode disposed therein,
Wherein the sterilizing water circulation step includes the steps of generating and circulating sterilizing water using the sterilizing module and the circulation pump and then performing circulation of the sterilizing water using the circulation pump after turning off the sterilizing module A method of sterilizing a flow path. The method according to any one of claims 1, 2, 4, 6 to 9,
The step of installing the sterilizing device includes the step of connecting the discharge line to the sterilizing module so that the water supplied from the water purifier to the sterilizing module in the sterilizing water discharging step is discharged to the outside of the sterilizing module without being supplied to the water purifier again. , ≪ / RTI >
Wherein the disinfecting water discharging step discharges the disinfecting water accommodated in the water purifier internal flow passage to the sterilizing module via the inflow line and then to the outside through the discharge line.

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