KR101906344B1 - Water treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A filter unit for purifying raw water; A storage tank connected to the filter unit and storing purified water passing through the filter unit; An electrolytic sterilizer fixedly installed in a flow path between the filter unit and the storage tank and electrolyzing the filtered purified water through at least a part of the filter unit to generate sterilized water to supply sterilized water to the storage tank; And a drain line connected to the storage tank for discharging water contained in the storage tank; And a control unit for controlling the constant mode by the filter unit and the sterilization mode through the electrolytic sterilizer and the drain unit. And a circulation line for supplying the sterilized water drained through the drain line to the storage tank is provided between the drain line and the integer line provided in the filter unit, Wherein the filter unit includes a post carbon filter, the circulation line is connected to an integer line of the front end of the post carbon filter, and the post carbon filter is connected to the post carbon filter, There is provided a water treatment apparatus configured to sterilize the inside of the filter and the purified line at the rear end of the post-carbon filter.

Description

[0001] WATER TREATMENT APPARATUS [0002]

The present invention relates to a water treatment apparatus capable of sterilizing a storage tank, and more particularly, to a water treatment apparatus capable of sterilizing water stored in a storage tank by generating sterile water containing a substance having sterilizing function through electrolysis, To a water treatment apparatus capable of sterilizing a tank and a channel connected thereto, and a sterilization cleaning method thereof.

On the other hand, the water treatment apparatus can be used for various purposes such as industrial wastewater treatment, wastewater treatment, water treatment, ultrapure water treatment, and the like, but the present invention particularly relates to a water treatment apparatus used for drinking. In this way, the water treatment apparatus for drinking water collects raw water (constant water) and generates purified water for drinking, so it may be collectively referred to as a water purifier in a narrow sense. The water purifier is configured to supply raw water (constant water) to the user, which is filtered at the filter unit, and can provide hot water and / or cold water to the user by heating / cooling the purified water at room temperature do.

In addition, not only water, but also various functional water such as ionized water, carbonated water, and oxygenated water are supplied to the water treatment apparatus for drinking. In addition, there are a water heater, a water cooler, and an ice maker which heat or cool water supplied from a bucket or the like or generate ice. In the present specification, the term "water treatment apparatus" is used to mean the water purifier, the functional water heater, the water heater, the water cooler, the ice water heater, and the like and a device having a combination of these functions. For the sake of convenience of explanation, a water purifier is exemplified, but such water purifier should be understood as an example of the water treatment apparatus according to the present invention.

Generally, the water purifier is divided into a hollow fiber membrane type and a reverse osmosis membrane type depending on the purification method.

Among these, the reverse osmosis membrane type water purifier is known to be superior to other purification methods developed to date in the removal of contaminants.

The water purifier of the reverse osmosis membrane type uses a sediment filter which receives raw water from a water conduction or the like and removes dust, debris and various suspended substances through a fine filter of about 5 microns, and a sediment filter which removes carcinogens (THM) It is composed of a free carbon filter that removes chemical substances and residual chlorine such as synthetic detergents and insecticides, and a reverse osmosis membrane of 0.0001 micron. It filters heavy metals such as lead and arsenic as well as sodium and various pathogens. A reverse osmosis membrane filter (RO membrane filter) that discharges water through the reverse osmosis membrane filter, and a post-carbon filter that removes unpleasant taste, smell, pigment, and the like contained in the water that has passed through the reverse osmosis membrane filter.

In addition, a hollow fiber membrane filter (ultrafiltration filter, UF) is used instead of the reverse osmosis membrane filter. The hollow fiber membrane filter is a porous filter having pores having a size of several tens to several hundred nanometers (nm), and it removes contaminants in water through numerous micro pores distributed on the membrane surface.

As described above, the reverse osmosis membrane type water purifier or the hollow fiber membrane type water purifier can use four filters as described above, but it may be used with an antibacterial filter or a functional filter, and may be used as a composite filter It is also said. For example, the functions of a sediment filter and a pre-carbon filter may be implemented in a single composite filter.

However, such a water purifier suffers from the problem that the post-carbon filter or the like is easily contaminated by bacteria and the bacteria are introduced into the storage tank, so that microorganisms are replanted in the storage tank. In addition, bacteria and microorganisms may infiltrate into the water stored in the storage tank and propagate from outside, and water may be generated on the inner wall of the storage tank.

In order to sterilize germs and microorganisms propagated in the storage tank, a technique of sterilizing the discharge channel of the storage tank and the purified water by adding an external sterilizing agent from the outside has been proposed.

However, since the method of supplying the sterilization agent is performed by the user or the water purifier manager through the separate sterilization agent supply operation, the sterilization operation is troublesome and the sterilization management is inefficient. That is, when the sterilizing agent is injected, it is impossible to inject the sterilizing agent automatically, or even if the injection is automatically performed, the sterilizing agent must be periodically filled, which is very troublesome.

In addition, when the sterilizing agent is injected, the concentration of the sterilizing agent may be higher than necessary, depending on the case. Since there is a difference in the amount of the sterilizing agent input depending on the user or manager, There is a problem that it can be done. Therefore, a plurality of rinsing operations are essential after the rinsing operation, and if the rinsing operation is not completed, not only is it harmful to the human body, but also complaints due to the chemical smell increase.

In addition, since the water purifier manager needs to perform the sterilizing agent supply work, the cost for disinfection treatment of the water purifier is incurred, and the user may feel the burden on the service cost.

Particularly, since the water purifier itself is not sterilized and cleaned but is often carried out by the service person, there is a problem that the reliability of the water purifier is deteriorated

The conditions under which the sterilizing agent is melted or eluted differs depending on the water purifier operating conditions (for example, raw water pressure, flow rate, etc.). For example, when the flow rate is small, the sterilization concentration may be relatively high. On the contrary, when the flow rate is large, the sterilization concentration is low, and thus there is a great difficulty in sterilization control. Therefore, when the concentration of the sterilizing agent is high, odor can be generated.

In addition, sterilizing materials generated by sterilizing chemicals have a low odor and very high OCl ^- substances. Therefore, odor is much generated and sterilizing performance is only about 1/70 of that of HOCl. Therefore, in order to sterilize the same tank capacity, A disinfecting substance of the present invention is required. This is problematic in that sterilization efficiency is remarkably lowered as compared with the case of producing a sterilizing material composed of a mixed oxide predominantly containing an HOCl substance by using an electrolytic bath as described later.

In order to solve the problem of the water purifier which sterilizes by using the sterilizing agent, a method of automatically sterilizing the storage tank by using the electrolyzer has been proposed. FIG. 1 shows a water treatment apparatus disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 2009-0128785.

1, the conventional water treatment apparatus 10 filters raw water supplied from a raw water supply unit such as a water supply 15 through a water filter 14 and stores it in a water storage tank 13, The purified water is supplied through the dispenser 17. At this time, if contamination of the water contained in the water storage tank 13 is detected through the pollution degree sensor 13a provided in the water storage tank 13 or the chloride supply device 11 and the electrolysis apparatus 12 are operated (Hypochlorous acid) and supplies the generated hypochlorous acid to the water storage tank 13. The washing operation of the water storage tank 13 disclosed in the above patent will be described in detail as follows.

First, when the water tank 13 needs to be cleaned through the pollution level sensor 13a or the like, the water contained in the water tank 13 is extracted using the extraction pipe G and the dispenser 17 or through the drain pipe F 16) (or most of it to be adjacent to the low water level to the bottom). When the water contained in the water storage tank 13 is drained, the valve Vg or Vf is shut off. A chloride such as sodium chloride (NaCl) or potassium chloride (KCl) is supplied to the electrolytic apparatus 12 from the chloride supply device 11 and a raw water supply pipe B (Purified water) from the water filter 14 via the purified water supply pipe C at the rear end of the water filter 14. [ At this time, power is applied to the electrode 12a of the electrolytic device 12 after a sufficient time has elapsed for the chloride to dissolve after the chloride and the raw water (constant water) or purified water have been supplied into the electrolytic device 12 An aqueous solution containing hypochlorous acid is produced through electrolysis (redox reaction) of the chloride aqueous solution. The hypochlorous acid aqueous solution thus generated is filled in the water storage tank 13 until the water storage tank 13 reaches the full water level and is maintained for a predetermined time required for sterilizing and washing the water storage tank 13, And is discharged to the outside of the water storage tank 13. To remove the aqueous hypochlorous acid solution, the water having passed through the water filter 14 is supplied to the water storage tank 13 through the water supply pipe D or the water without rinsing the water filter 14 through the rinsing pipe H The washing operation of the water storage tank 13 is completed when a rinsing operation of supplying the water to the full water level and draining the rinsing water stored in the water storage tank 13 after a lapse of a predetermined time is performed a plurality of times. Then, raw water is filtered through the water filter 14 so that the water can be taken by the user, and the purified water is supplied to the water storage tank 13.

However, the conventional water treatment apparatus 10 having the above-described configuration has the following problems.

First, sterilizing water such as hypochlorous acid aqueous solution is required to be sterilized and cleaned in the water storage tank 13, and thus there is a problem that the chloride supply device 11 is essentially required.

That is, in the conventional water treatment apparatus, a chloride such as sodium chloride (NaCl) or potassium chloride (KCl) is supplied to the electrolytic apparatus 12 through the chloride supply device 11, and the chloride aqueous solution is electrolyzed to form a hypochlorous acid aqueous solution Respectively.

However, if the chloride is supplied to the electrolytic apparatus 12 in such a manner, the chloride should be completely and at least substantially dissolved until the chloride is completely dissolved in order to produce an aqueous solution of chloride. Therefore, in order to reduce the chloride dissolution time There is a problem in that an agitating device for the agitation is required.

Further, there is a problem that the structure and control of the chloride supply device 11 are complicated in order to provide a space for installing the chloride supply device 11 and to supply a certain amount of chloride to the electrolysis device 12. [

Secondly, since the hypochlorous acid aqueous solution is produced through the chloride supply device 11 and the electrolytic device 12, it is necessary not only to completely (or at least most) drain the hypochlorous acid aqueous solution having high sterilizing power and odor from the water storage tank 13, There is a problem that a rinse operation is required. In particular, since the odor-intensive hypochlorous acid aqueous solution is not sufficiently removed by a single rinse, the user may be uncomfortable due to the odor. On the contrary, when performing the rinse operation several times, it takes a lot of time to rinse, There is a problem that this is wasted.

Third, when raw water (constant water) not supplied through the water filter 14 is supplied to the electrolytic apparatus 12 from the conventional water treatment apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 through the raw water supply pipe B, And the performance is remarkably lowered.

That is, when raw water (constant water) not filtered is supplied to the electrolytic apparatus 12, various foreign substances are supplied to the electrolytic apparatus 12, so that the life of the electrode 12a is shortened, or the area where the electrolytic reaction occurs is reduced , Air, overcurrent, and the like are generated.

On the contrary, when the water, which has passed through the water filter 14 in the conventional water treatment apparatus 10, is supplied to the electrolytic apparatus 12 through the purified water supply pipe C, the amount of total dissolved solid matter (TDS) A sufficient amount of electrolytic material is not supplied to the electrolytic apparatus 12, and thus an oxidizing mixed material (MO: Mixed Oxidant, Germicidal material) can not be produced. That is, as described above, the water filter 14 is equipped with a plurality of filters including a reverse osmosis membrane filter. When the water is passed through the reverse osmosis membrane filter, the amount of total dissolved solid matters (TDS) It is impossible to produce the required oxidizing mixed material.

In addition, in the conventional water treatment apparatus 10 shown in Fig. 1, water that has passed through the water filter 14 is moved to the water storage tank 13 or to the electrolytic apparatus 12. [ Therefore, in the conventional technique, the flow path is changed (branching the C flow path from the D flow path) so that the water flowing into the water storage tank 13 flows into the electrolytic apparatus 12, It is impossible to control the flow rate of water. That is, in the prior art, the flow rate control can not be performed on the electrolytic device 12, and thus the concentration of the sterilizing substance generated in the electrolytic device 12 becomes uneven.

Fourth, the conventional water treatment apparatus 10 is designed to completely clean the water contained in the water storage tank 13 (or at least to be adjacent to the low water level or the bottom) before the aqueous hypochlorous acid solution is supplied to the water storage tank 13 for cleaning the water storage tank 13 Most of them are drained. To do this, it takes a lot of time to drain water, and there is a problem that water is wasted.

Particularly, in the conventional water treatment apparatus 10, the water tank 13 having a large capacity is completely (or mostly) emptied, and then the inside of the water tank 13 is filled with a hypochlorous acid aqueous solution. Therefore, in order to supply the hypochlorous acid aqueous solution, The operation time of the electrode 12a is prolonged, power consumption is high, the life of the electrode 12a is shortened, and a long time is required for supplying the aqueous hypochlorous acid solution.

Fifth, since the conventional water treatment apparatus 10 adopts a natural drainage method for draining the water storage tank 13 at the drainage stage before the hypochlorous acid aqueous solution supply, the hypochlorous acid aqueous solution drainage stage, and the rinsing liquid drainage stage, So that it takes a long time to sterilize and wash the water storage tank 13.

In particular, as described above, it takes a lot of time to perform sterilizing and cleaning, which is a burden to the user or the water purifier manager. In addition, even if the user uses the water purifier at night, And the noise generated by the sterilization cleaning operation is maintained for a long time, which causes a lot of inconvenience to the user.

Sixth, the conventional water treatment apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 can sterilize and clean the dispenser (cock) 17 by discharging hypochlorous acid aqueous solution through the dispenser (cock) 17, A separate water-bearing member is to be prepared. Particularly, considering the fact that the capacity of the water storage tank 13 is large, there is a limit in practically performing drainage automatically.

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a water treatment apparatus capable of performing sterilization and cleaning by using only purified water filtered through a filter unit without addition of a sterilizing agent or chloride, It is an object of the present invention to provide a sterilization cleaning method.

The present invention also provides a water treatment apparatus and a sterilizing cleaning method which can extend the lifetime of an electrode by driving an electrolytic sterilizer at low current and low power for producing sterilizing material.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a water treatment apparatus capable of sterilizing purified water in the intake coke or the storage tank as well as the storage tank, and a sterilizing cleaning method thereof. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a water treatment apparatus and a sterilization cleaning method which can automatically and easily sterilize the intake coke by a simple operation.

Aspects of the present invention provide a water treatment apparatus and a sterilizing cleaning method that can minimize the time required for sterilizing and cleaning.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a water treatment apparatus and a sterilizing cleaning method thereof capable of improving durability and service life of an electrolytic sterilizer.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a water treatment apparatus and a sterilizing cleaning method which can automatically sterilize the storage space and the discharge flow passage of the purified water according to the setting time or the user's choice.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a water purifier comprising: a filter unit for purifying raw water; A storage tank connected to the filter unit and storing purified water passing through the filter unit; An electrolytic sterilizer fixedly installed in a flow path between the filter unit and the storage tank and electrolyzing the filtered water while passing through only a part of the filter unit to generate sterilized water to supply sterilized water to the storage tank; And a drain line connected to the storage tank for discharging water contained in the storage tank; And a control unit for controlling an integer mode by the filter unit and a sterilization mode through the electrolytic sterilizer and the drain unit, wherein the drain line is connected between the drain line and the integer line inside the filter unit, And a circulation line for supplying the sterilized water drained through the circulation line to the storage tank is provided and between the drain line and the circulation line is provided a flow path switching valve for switching the flow path for circulating and draining the sterilized water, Wherein the electrolytic sterilizer is branched from a front end of the main filter, and the electrolytic sterilizer is branched from a front end of the main filter, Wherein the sterilization water line is connected to the rear end of the post carbon filter and the storage tank Wherein the sterilizing water is supplied to the storage tank through sterilizing water line to sterilize and clean the storage tank, wherein the circulation line is connected to an integer line of the front end of the post-carbon filter And connected to the post-carbon filter, and is connected to the post-carbon filter rear end of the post-carbon filter and the storage tank at the time of sterilizing through the circulation line, and sterilizing the storage tank.

At this time, the drain unit further includes a drain pump installed in the drain line, and circulation of the sterilizing water through the circulation line can be performed by pressing the drain pump.

Further, in the sterilization mode through the control unit, the sterilization water supplied to the storage tank may be discharged through the water intake coke connected to the storage tank, or may be discharged through the drainage unit.

The water intake cock may be connected to a drain line of the drain unit via a connection member. At this time, the connection member includes a first connection cap detachable from the water intake cock, a second connection cap detachable from the drain unit, and a connection hose connecting the first connection cap and the second connection cap . The second connection cap may be detachably attached to a valve connector provided on a drain line of the drain unit.

Further, in the case of the sterilization mode, the control unit may operate the electrolytic sterilizer to generate sterilized water, and discharge the sterilized water stored in the storage tank through the drainage unit.

The main filter may include a reverse osmosis membrane filter or a hollow fiber membrane filter.

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A constant flow valve may be installed at the front end of the electrolytic sterilizer so that the flow rate of the electrolytic sterilizer is constant.

Meanwhile, the storage tank includes a middle water level sensor for sensing a middle water level between a full water level and a low water level, and the control unit controls the constant stored in the storage tank until the detection of the water level sensor And may open the drain line connected to the storage tank to drain. At this time, the control unit may drive a drain pump provided in the drainage unit for a drainage of purified water accommodated in the storage tank.

Preferably, the filter unit includes a reverse osmosis membrane filter, and the electrolytic sterilizer may be installed in a sterilizing water line between a front end of the reverse osmosis membrane filter and the storage tank. More specifically, the filter unit includes a sediment filter, a pre-carbon filter, and a reverse osmosis membrane filter that are sequentially connected through an integer line, and the electrolytic sterilizer is branched from a channel between the sediment filter and the reverse osmosis membrane filter, And may be installed in a sterilization water line connected to the storage tank. At this time, the sediment filter and the pre-carbon filter may be formed as a pre-treatment composite filter. A pressure pump may be installed in the flow path between the sediment filter and the free carbon filter or in the flow path between the free carbon filter and the reverse osmosis membrane filter to apply pressure to the raw water flowing into the reverse osmosis membrane filter. A flow path switching valve may be provided at a portion between the flow path between the sediment filter and the reverse osmosis membrane filter and the sterilizing water line.

As another example, the filter section may include a hollow fiber membrane filter, and the electrolytic sterilizer may be installed in a sterilizing water line between the front end of the hollow fiber membrane filter and the storage tank. More specifically, the filter unit includes a sediment filter, a free carbon filter, and a hollow fiber membrane filter sequentially connected through an integer line, and the electrolytic sterilizer is branched from the flow path between the sediment filter and the hollow fiber membrane filter And may be installed in a sterilizing water line connected to the storage tank.

In addition, a raw water shutoff valve for selectively shutting off the supply of raw water may be installed in the integer line of the filter unit.

In addition, a first opening / closing valve is provided in the flow path between the sediment filter and the reverse osmosis membrane filter to block or allow the purified water filtered by the sediment filter or the precious carbon filter to flow into the reverse osmosis membrane filter , And the sterilization water line may be provided with a second opening / closing valve for blocking or allowing the purified water filtered by the sediment filter or the sediment filter and the pre-carbon filter to flow into the electrolytic sterilizer.

Preferably, the front end of the electrolytic sterilizer may be provided with a constant flow rate valve such that the flow rate of the electrolytic sterilizer is constant. At this time, the constant flow rate valve may further include a function of reducing the pressure of the inflow water to a predetermined pressure or less.

Also, preferably, the sterilization water line may be a channel separate from the channel connecting the last filter provided in the filter unit and the storage tank.

Preferably, the drainage unit may include a drain line for discharging the water contained in the storage tank. In addition, the drain unit may further include a drain pump installed in the drain line. At this time, the drain unit may further include a drain valve for opening / closing the drain line. The reverse osmosis membrane filter may be connected to a drain pipe for discharging domestic water generated during filtration of raw water, and the drain line may communicate with the drain pipe.

Preferably, the storage tank stores a constant passing through the filter unit and is connected to the first water intake line. The water stored in the first water storage unit is changed by changing the temperature of the purified water supplied from the first storage unit, And the second withdrawal line and the second withdrawal line may be connected to the withdrawal cock.

In another embodiment, a sterilizing water extraction line may be provided at the rear end of the electrolytic sterilizer to discharge the sterilizing water generated by the electrolytic sterilizer to the outside without passing through the storage tank. At this time, a flow path switching valve may be installed at a branch point of the purified line between the sterilizing water extraction line and the electrolytic sterilizer and the storage tank.

Preferably, the anode of the electrolytic sterilizer may be coated with ruthenium (Ru) on the electrode body. At this time, the electrode bodies of the anode and cathode electrodes of the electrolytic sterilizer may be made of titanium (Ti).

Also, preferably, the electrolytic sterilizer may include one anode electrode and two cathode electrodes disposed on both sides of the anode electrode. At this time, the control unit can control driving of the electrolytic sterilizer so that the maximum voltage applied to the electrolytic sterilizer becomes 30 volts. In addition, the control unit may control driving of the electrolytic sterilizer so that the maximum current applied to the electrolytic sterilizer becomes 0.5A.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sterilizing and cleaning method of a water treatment apparatus for storing purified water filtered through a filter unit in a storage tank, the method comprising: a water drain step of draining purified water stored in the storage tank; A sterilizing water supplying step of electrolyzing only the purified water passing through at least a part of the filter part to generate sterilizing water and supplying the sterilizing water to the storage tank; And a sterilizing water discharging step of discharging the sterilizing water accommodated in the storage tank from the storage tank.

Preferably, the electrolytic sterilizer is capable of producing a sterilizing water containing an oxidizing mixture through electrolysis.

Preferably, the method further comprises a rinsing water supply step of supplying the rinsing water to the storage tank after the sterilizing water discharge step; And a rinsing water discharging step of discharging the rinsing water stored in the storage tank from the storage tank.

Preferably, the integer drainage step and the sterilizing water supply step may be performed simultaneously.

Preferably, in the water drainage step, the drain line connected to the storage tank is discharged for a predetermined time so that only a part of the purified water stored in the storage tank is drained, or the drainage line connected to the storage tank is discharged for a predetermined time, Until it senses that there is a middle water between the two.

Preferably, the filter unit includes a reverse osmosis membrane filter, and the sterilizing water supply step generates electrolytic water by electrolyzing only purified water passing through the filter provided at the upstream side of the reverse osmosis membrane filter. More specifically, the filter unit may include a sediment filter, a pre-carbon filter, and a reverse osmosis membrane filter that are sequentially disposed from a raw water supply unit, and the sterilizing water supply step may include supplying the sterilization water to the sediment filter, Only the purified water purified through the filter can be electrolyzed to generate sterilized water. Here, the sediment filter and the pre-carbon filter may be formed as a pretreatment composite filter.

In another configuration, the filter unit includes a hollow fiber membrane filter, and the sterilizing water supply step may electrolyze only the purified water passing through the filter provided at the upstream of the hollow fiber membrane filter to generate sterilized water. More specifically, the filter unit may include a sediment filter, a free carbon filter, and a hollow fiber membrane filter that are sequentially disposed from the raw water supply unit. The sterilizing water supply step may electrolyze only the purified water filtered through the sediment filter or the sediment filter and the free carbon filter to generate sterilizing water. Here, the sediment filter and the pre-carbon filter may be formed as a pretreatment composite filter.

Preferably, the sterilizing water supply step may include connecting one side of the electrolytic sterilizer with a flow path provided in the filter unit before the step of generating sterilized water through the electrolytic sterilizer, and the other side of the electrolytic sterilizer is connected to the filter unit And a flow path between the storage tanks or a process of connecting to the storage tanks. At this time, the electrolytic sterilizer is installed at the front end of the electrolytic sterilizer with a constant flow rate valve so that the flow rate to the electrolytic sterilizer is a certain amount, and the electrolytic sterilizer can be desorbed together with the constant flow rate valve.

Preferably, the sterilizing water supply step may be performed until the water level of the storage tank reaches a full water level.

Also preferably, at least one of the water draining step and the sterilizing water discharging step may drain water contained in the storage tank using a drain pump. At this time, the disinfecting water discharge step may be performed until the drainage of the storage tank is terminated and an overload occurs in the drainage pump.

Preferably, the sterilizing water discharging step may be configured to discharge sterilization water accommodated in the storage tank through a water intake cock or through a drain unit connected to the storage tank.

More preferably, the sterilized water discharged through the intake coke can be discharged through a drain pipe connected to the filter unit.

Also, preferably, the rinsing water supply step may be performed by supplying a predetermined amount smaller than the full capacity corresponding to the full water level of the storage tank so as to rinse the bottom surface of the storage tank. At this time, the filter unit may include a reverse osmosis membrane filter, and the rinsing water supply unit may supply the purified water passing through the filter provided at the upstream side of the reverse osmosis membrane filter.

Preferably, the rinsing water discharging step may discharge the rinsing water stored in the storage tank to the outside by using a drain pump. At this time, the rinse water discharging step may be performed until drainage of the storage tank is terminated and an overload occurs in the drain pump.

Also, preferably, the sterilized water supply step may be performed by introducing the reduced pressure purified water into the electrolytic sterilizer at a constant flow rate.

The sterilization water discharging step may include a discharge start step of discharging sterilized water from the storage tank, a circulating sterilization step of circulating the sterilized water discharged from the storage tank to the channel provided in the water treatment apparatus, And an external discharging step of discharging sterilizing water to the outside.

At this time, the circulating sterilization step is preferably performed by supplying sterilized water discharged from the storage tank to the storage tank again.

Preferably, the sterilization water contained in the storage tank is discharged through the water intake cock, and the circulating sterilization is performed by supplying the sterilized water discharged through the water intake cock to the purified water line of the filter unit, As shown in FIG.

Preferably, the intake cock is connected to a valve connector provided on a drain line of the drain unit through a connecting member, and the drain line can communicate with the purified water line through a circulation line.

According to the water treatment apparatus of the present invention as described above, unlike the prior art in which disinfectant or the like is added to sterilize the storage tank or the like by offline service, sterilization And the sterilized water is discharged in a state of being stored in the storage tank, whereby the discharge duct of the storage tank and the purified water can be automatically sterilized by itself.

Therefore, in this embodiment, sterilization is automatically performed in accordance with the setting time or the user's selection, so that sterilization management of the water treatment device (water purifier) is convenient, reliability of the device can be improved, and relative competitive advantage can be secured The effect is expected.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for sterilizing and cleaning water by electrolyzing a purified water passing through only a part of the filter unit without adding any chloride for electrolysis, in particular, And it is also possible to solve problems such as dissolution time due to the use of chloride, generation of toxic substances, and increase in time required for rinsing.

In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrolytic sterilizer comprising: an electrolytic sterilizer having a plurality of electrolytic sterilizers, the electrolytic sterilizer having a plurality of electrolytic sterilizers, The sterilized water containing the sterilant at a high concentration can be stably produced. In addition, since disinfection water is generated only through the purified water without supplying any additional chloride, generation of odor and gas can be minimized, and there is no harm and no change in the water taste even if the user is drinking.

In addition, the present invention provides, as one aspect, the use of a ruthenium (Ru) coated electrode as the anode electrode and titanium (Ti) as the cathode electrode, and further, two titanium cathode electrodes and one ruthenium It is possible to obtain an effect of obtaining a desired concentration of the germicidal material even at low current and low power without addition of a separate chloride. Since the electrode can be driven at a low current through the electrode structure as described above, the life of the electrode can be prolonged.

In addition, the present invention can obtain the effect that sterilization of the water intake cock and sterilization of the purified water line can be achieved as one aspect. Particularly, by connecting the water intake coke to the water drain line by using the connecting member, it is possible to solve the problem of using a separate water receiving member for sterilizing the water intake coke.

These drawings are for the purpose of describing an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and therefore the technical idea of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the accompanying drawings.
1 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of a conventional water treatment apparatus;
2 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of a water treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of a water treatment apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4A is a block diagram showing a flow path configuration of the constant mode of the water treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 3; FIG.
FIG. 4B is a block diagram showing the flow path configuration of the sterilization mode of the water treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 3; FIG.
5 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of a water treatment apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a connecting member included in the water treatment apparatus according to the present invention.
7A is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of a water treatment apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7B is a block diagram showing the flow path configuration of the sterilization mode of the water treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 7A. FIG.
8A is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of a water treatment apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8B is a block diagram showing a flow path configuration of a circulating sterilization mode of the water treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 8A. FIG.
FIG. 8C is a block diagram showing the flow path configuration of the sterilizing water extraction mode of the water treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 8A. FIG.
FIG. 9A is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of a water treatment apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
FIG. 9B is a block diagram showing the flow path configuration of the circulating sterilization mode of the water treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 9A. FIG.
10 is a flowchart showing a sterilization cleaning method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a flowchart showing a sterilization cleaning method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

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.

In order to clearly illustrate the present invention, parts not related to the description are omitted, and the same or similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the specification.

In addition, the size and thickness of each component shown in the drawings are arbitrarily shown for convenience of explanation, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those shown in the drawings.

The water treatment apparatus according to the present invention will be described below. The water treatment apparatus according to the present invention purifies the raw water as the water to be treated, which is introduced through the raw water supply unit, through various filters and separates purified purified water (hereinafter referred to as " (Water purifier) capable of storing the water in a storage space of the water purifier and discharging the water to the outside.

Such a water treatment apparatus filters raw water such as tap water or natural water through filters provided in the filter section to remove particulate impurities, heavy metals, and other harmful substances contained in the raw water.

The water treatment apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that the filtered purified water passes through at least a part of the filter part and is electrolyzed (herein, the term "electrolysis" is referred to as "oxidation reduction reaction" Mixed water, and mixed oxidant, and supplies the sterilized water to the storage tank and discharges the sterilized water, thereby sterilizing and cleaning the flow path of the storage tank and the sterilization water.

That is, the water treatment apparatus according to the present invention generates sterilizing water containing an oxidizing mixed material having bactericidal properties by electrolysis and then supplies the sterilizing water to the storage tank to sterilize the sterilized water already stored in the storage tank, (For example, MO (oxidizing mixed material) of 0.05 ppm or more), and disinfects the water storage space and the discharge passage by automatically discharging the sterilizing water.

Hereinafter, a water treatment apparatus according to various embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 9B.

[First Example  And the second Example ]

First, a water treatment apparatus according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2, 3, 4A and 4B.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing a water treatment apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing a water treatment apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4B is a block diagram showing a channel configuration of the sterilizing mode of the water treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 3, and FIG.

The water treatment apparatus 100 according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention basically includes a filter unit 110, a storage tank 170, an electrolytic sterilizer 130, a drain unit 150, And a control unit 190, which will be described below in terms of their constitution.

Meanwhile, the water treatment apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2 and the water treatment apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 3, 4A, There is a difference in that the inlet port 141 is connected to the sterilization water line 142 and then connected to the storage tank 170 (see FIG. 2) or directly connected to the storage tank 170 (FIG. 3). Therefore, the first embodiment and the second embodiment will be described below.

2 through 4, the filter unit 110 is for purifying raw water by sequentially filtering raw water. The filter unit 110 includes a sediment filter 111, a free carbon filter 112, a reverse osmosis membrane filter 113, (Or ultrafiltration) filter and a post-carbon filter 114, but the type, number, and order of the filters may vary depending on the filtration method of the water treatment apparatus (water purifier) or the filtration required for the water treatment apparatus (water purifier) It can be changed depending on performance. For example, a hollow fiber membrane filter may be provided instead of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113. Such a hollow fiber membrane filter is a porous filter having a pore size of several tens to several hundred nanometers (nm), and it removes contaminants in water through numerous micropores distributed on the membrane surface.

In addition, the post-carbon filter 114 shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 may not be provided, or a micro filter MF or another functional filter may be provided in place of or in addition to the above-described filter.

Each of the filters 111, 112, 113, and 114 includes a filter case having a filter element built therein and an external case for housing the filter case, and the raw water, which is received in the external case, And then discharged out of the outer casing.

However, in the present invention, as described above, the filters 111, 112, 113, and 114 of the filter unit 110 are not particularly limited to the independent cartridges, and may be a composite filter having two or more filters . For example, the sediment filter 111 and the pre-carbon filter 112 may be configured as a single pre-processing compound filter (see 211 in FIG. 7A).

Hereinafter, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the case where the filters 111, 112, 113, and 114 of the filter unit 110 are sequentially connected as independent cartridge structures will be described as an example, The configuration of the filter unit 110 is not limited thereto.

The sediment filter 111 functions to adsorb and remove solid matter such as suspended solids, sand, and the like contained in the raw water by supplying raw water from the raw water supply unit W.

In this case, a raw water shutoff valve (WV) for selectively shutting off raw water supplied from the raw water supply unit W may be installed at the front end of the sediment filter 111, but the raw water shutoff valve (WV) The installation position of the raw water shutoff valve WV is not limited thereto and it is possible to install the raw water shutoff valve WV in the middle of the filter part like the raw water shutoff valve WV in Fig.

In addition, the free carbon filter 112 is supplied with water that has passed through the sediment filter 111, and through the adsorption method of activated carbon, it is possible to remove harmful chemicals such as volatile organic compounds, carcinogens, synthetic detergents, (For example, HOCl or ClO) components.

The reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 receives the filtered water from the pre-carbon filter 112, and removes heavy organic and inorganic substances such as bacteria and heavy metals and other metal ions contained in the water through the membrane having fine pores.

The reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 is connected to a drain pipe dL for discharging domestic water generated during filtration of raw water, that is, wastewater (commonly referred to as "concentrated water" Is provided with a drain valve (dV) for regulating the discharge amount of domestic water.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, a hollow fiber membrane filter may be provided instead of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 as described above. Such a hollow fiber membrane filter is a porous filter having a pore size of several tens to several hundred nanometers (nm), and it removes contaminants in water through numerous micropores distributed on the membrane surface.

The post-carbon filter 114 functions to adsorb and remove unpleasant taste, odor and color of the filtered water through the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113. The purified water filtered through the post-carbon filter 114 passes through the purified water line And is stored in the storage tank 170.

Since the filters 111, 112, 113, and 114 of the filter unit 110 are widely used in a general water treatment apparatus (water purifier) as a filter of a conventional structure well known in the art, A description thereof will be omitted.

The filter unit 110 includes a pressurizing pump P capable of supplying water as a pumping pressure to the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 because the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 purges water through a membrane having fine pores It is possible.

2, the pressurizing pump P may be installed in a quadrant 141 between the sediment filter 111 and the free carbon filter 112. However, the pressurizing pump P may be installed in the free carbon filter 112 and the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113, which are connected in series. Alternatively, the pressure pump P may not be provided depending on the pressure of the raw water supplied from the raw water supply unit W. The pressurizing pump P may be a conventional booster pump applied to a reverse osmosis membrane water purifier or the like, but is not limited thereto.

A flow rate sensing unit PS may be provided to sense the flow rate of the raw water flowing into the filter unit 110. The flow rate sensing unit PS senses the pressure of the raw water supplied from the raw water supply unit W, And an LPS (Low Pressure Switch) which is switched when the water pressure is equal to or higher than the appropriate water pressure and supplies an operation signal to the pressurization pump P.

In addition, the storage tank 170 passes purified water through the filter unit 110, stores the purified water, and selectively discharges purified water. The purified water is supplied with the purified water introduced from the post-carbon filter 114, The sterilizing water flowing into the electrolytic sterilizer 130 is received.

Specifically, the storage tank 170 stores purified purified water and purified water that has passed through the filter unit 110 and has cooled a part of the purified water, 1 storage unit 171 and a second storage unit 172 for forming a storage space for storing the cold water. At this time, it is obvious that the storage tank 170 may be formed as a storage space for storing only constants at room temperature, and the first storage unit 171 and the second storage unit 172 may be independent tanks.

The first and second storage units 171 and 172 are connected to each other in a vertical direction. The first storage unit 171 is located on the upper side and the second storage unit 172 is connected to the first storage unit 171).

Here, the first and second storage units 171 and 172 are partitioned and communicated with each other in a vertical direction through a partition (separator) (not shown).

The first storage unit 171 is provided with water level sensors 175a, 175b and 175c for sensing the level of the purified water and outputting the detection signal to the control unit 190. Here, the water level sensors 175a, 175b, and 175c include a low water level sensor 175a for sensing a low level of the lower limit level of the water, that is, a low water level for recharging the water in the first storage 171, The upper sensor 175b and the full-water level sensor 175c for detecting the upper limit level, that is, the full water level at which the further inflow of the integer is blocked. The number and position of the water level sensors can be changed according to the concrete control method of the water treatment apparatus (water purifier).

In this case, the raw water shutoff valve WV mentioned above is determined by the low water level sensor 175a and the high water level sensor 175c to operate the valve. When the first water level in the first storage 171 is full, 175c are closed by the control unit 190 and an off signal is input from the low level sensor 175a so that the constant may be opened by the control unit 190 .

A cooling unit 173 for cooling the purified water flowing from the first storage unit 171 is installed in the second storage unit 172. The cooling unit 173 may be a cooling coil well known in the art But is not limited thereto.

A first water intake line 178a for discharging purified water is connected to the first storage unit 171 and a second water intake line 178b for discharging cold water is connected to the second storage unit 172 The first and second water intake lines 178a and 178b merge with each other and can be connected to the water intake cock 179. Alternatively, the water intake cock 179 may be separately installed in each of the water intake lines 178a and 178b.

A valve (not shown) (see 277a and 277b in FIG. 7a) is provided on the first and second intake lines 178a and 178b, and the operation of the valve by the control unit 190 It is natural that the first and second intake lines 178a and 178b are selectively opened and closed.

That is, the room temperature constant stored in the first storage unit 171 can be discharged through the water intake cock 179 while being discharged through the first water intake line 178a, and the cold water stored in the second storage unit 171 May be withdrawn through the withdrawal cock 179 while being discharged through the second withdrawal line 178b.

It is also possible to open both the first and second intake lines 178a and 178b as an operation of a valve (not shown) by the control unit 190 to set the constant of the room temperature stored in the first storage unit 171 and the second- The cold water stored in the storage unit 172 can be discharged through the water intake cock 179 while being simultaneously discharged through the first and second water intake lines 178a and 178b.

2 to 4, the electrolytic sterilizer 130 is installed in the sterilizing water line 142 and performs electrolysis using only purified water filtered through at least some filters provided in the filter unit 110 (MO: Mixed Oxidant), which is capable of generating sterilizing water containing a sterilizing substance.

The electrolytic sterilizer 130 sterilizes or extinguishes microorganisms and bacteria remaining in water by passing water between electrodes having different polarities. In general, the sterilization of water by electrolysis involves direct oxidation which directly oxidizes the microorganisms in the anode and various mixed oxidants (MO: Mixed Oxidant) such as residual chlorine, ozone, OH radical, oxygen Radicals and the like oxidize the microorganisms.

In the present invention, the electrolytic sterilizer 130 performs electrolysis using purified water and chlorine ions (Cl < ^- > included therein) through at least some filters provided in the filter unit 110, Chlorine and H ⁺ ions come out at the same time, and at the (-) pole, OH ^- ions are produced, so that the overall pH is neutral. When the pH is neutral, most of the residual chlorine is present as HOCl.

As a result, the residual chlorine is mostly in the form of HOCl in the neutral state. However, when the pH is increased, OCl ^- is increased. When the pH is 8 or more (alkaline), most of the residual chlorine is present in the OCl ^- form. On the contrary, when the pH is decreased, the amount of Cl ₂ is increased. When the pH is less than _2, the amount of Cl ₂ is rapidly increased and the amount of HOCl is decreased. At this time, the order of sterilizing ability is HOCl, OCl ^- , and NH ₂ Cl, and HOCl has about 70 times of OCl ^- and about 300 times of NH ₂ Cl. Thus, it can be seen that HOCl is most advantageous when the same amount of residual chlorine is present.

In the present invention, electrolytic sterilizer 130 performs electrolysis using water and residual chlorine contained in raw water, so that the pH is neutral, so residual chlorine is present in the form of HOCl, thereby maximizing sterilizing ability.

On the other hand, the pH of the solution of the prior art, in which a sterilizing agent such as NaOCl is dissolved in water to make residual chlorine, becomes very high, at least 10, and most of the residual chlorine is present as OCl ^- . In this case, since the strength of the sterilizing power is about 1/70 of the HOCl, a sterilizing substance having a capacity 70 times higher than that of HOCl is required. In addition, when a sterilizing agent is used, since Cl ^- supplied from NaOCl is used instead of Cl ^- dissolved in water, a large amount of Cl ^- exceeding the solubility is discharged out of the water. Therefore, Cl ^- supplied from NaOCl There is a problem in that chlorine gas is generated.

On the other hand, in the case of the prior art (see FIG. 1) in which electrolysis is performed using chlorides to produce a germicidal material, since the pH is neutral as in the present invention, it can have a large sterilizing power, There is a problem that the occurrence is large.

Specifically, when an electrolytic material such as a chloride is added, the basic total dissolved solids (TDS) of the water is increased by several hundreds, so that a total dissolved solid matter (TDS) of several hundred to several thousand ppm is produced. Applying power to such high TDS water will oxidize all the oxidizable substances contained in the water, resulting not only in residual chlorine but also in various oxidizing substances to generate odor, The generation of gas is also increased. That is, in contrast to the present invention in which chloride is added to produce a germicidal material through electrolysis without adding chloride, the prior art of adding chlorides can realize a similar residual chlorine concentration, but due to the impurities contained in the chloride, Significant amounts of materials are also produced.

As a result, residual chlorine and other substances are dissolved (contained) in water, so that the solubility of residual chlorine is relatively lowered, so that the amount of residual chlorine gasified and discharged out of the water is increased, and the time remaining in water is shortened . Therefore, in the case of the prior art, there is a problem that a substantially higher concentration of residual chlorine is produced in order to realize the same germicidal power as the present invention. In this case, not only does it cause more odor, but also power consumption is increased and electrode life is shortened. In addition, if the high TDS water is not rinsed properly, the total dissolved solids (TDS) concentration of the purified water may be affected and the water taste may be changed, so that the rinsing operation must be performed several times.

However, in the present invention, since the electrolytic sterilizer 130 performs electrolysis using water and the residual chlorine contained in the raw water, the pH is neutral and the residual chlorine is present in the form of HOCl, thereby maximizing the sterilizing ability And there is no fear of generation of gas or odor due to other impurities.

In addition, when a chloride (electrolyte) is used as in the prior art, the current increases due to the addition of the electrolyte, thereby shortening the lifetime of the electrode and consuming a lot of electric power. However, according to the present invention, since a separate electrolyte is not added, there is an advantage that a relatively low current is formed as compared with the prior art, resulting in low power consumption.

As described above, in the case of the present invention, low current and low power driving are possible. For example, the maximum current can be driven to 0.5 A or less, preferably 0.35 A or less, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 24V. ≪ / RTI > Of course, the power consumption of the electrolytic sterilizer 130 can also be operated within 10W.

In one embodiment of the present invention, it is preferable to coat ruthenium (Ru) on the electrode body of the anode so that a germicidal material can be produced without addition of a chloride (electrolyte). Ruthenium (Ru) is Cl ^- as a catalyst, which lowers the potential difference when the reduction in the Cl ₂ and the resulting in the water by the ruthenium Cl ₂ was immediately dissolved in the water is the HOCl (residual chlorine). Flow and voltage conditions can be set to maximize the activity of such ruthenium (Ru) catalysts.

In an embodiment of the present invention, ruthenium (Ru) is coated on the electrode body of the anode electrode (more precisely, the ruthenium-coated electrode is heated to a high temperature to oxidize ruthenium oxide (RuOx) The remaining material on the electrode surface is ruthenium oxide. However, since the material coated at the initial stage of electrode formation is ruthenium, the term " ruthenium-coated " Therefore, in order to prevent the ruthenium coating from being damaged, a high voltage can not be used. Therefore, in order to prevent the ruthenium (Ru) catalyst activity and the coating damage, a maximum voltage of 30 volts, And power is also within 10 watts.

If ruthenium (Ru) is used for the electrode body, the life of the electrode may be shortened. In the present invention, however, since the low current driving is possible as described above, the life of the electrode can be prevented from shortening. In order to further increase the lifetime of the ruthenium (Ru) coated electrode, it is desirable to further reduce the current. For this purpose, it is preferable that the cathode electrode, which is a counter electrode, is formed only of titanium (Ti) electrode without any additional coating.

That is, in the case of using titanium (Ti) as the cathode electrode, the effect of lowering the current at the same voltage can be achieved, and when the current is lowered, the power is also reduced and the life of the cathode electrode and the anode electrode is prolonged .

As described above, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the ruthenium (Ru) coating electrode is used as the anode electrode, the titanium (Ti) is used as the cathode electrode, and a separate chloride ), And can produce a desired concentration of germicidal material at low current or low power.

Meanwhile, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the electrolytic sterilizer 130 preferably includes one anode electrode and two cathode electrodes disposed on both sides thereof.

Of course, two positive electrodes and one negative electrode may be used, or one positive electrode and one negative electrode may be used. However, in order to minimize the current value while achieving the concentration of the germicidal material, (-) electrode, a (+) electrode, and a (-) electrode are preferably arranged in this order.

When power is applied to the electrolytic sterilizer 130 having such a configuration, sterilizing water including an oxidizing mixed material MO is generated and supplied to the first storage unit 171 of the storage tank 170 .

2 and 3, the electrolytic sterilizer 130 is disposed between the positive electrode 141 of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 (or the hollow fiber membrane filter) and the storage tank 170, And may be installed in the sterilization water line 142. That is, the electrolytic sterilizer 130 may be installed in the sterilizing water line 142 branched from the channel of the front end of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 and connected to the storage tank 170. More specifically, the electrolytic sterilizer 130 is connected between the sediment filter 111 and the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113, that is, between the sediment filter 111 and the free carbon filter 112, or between the free carbon filter 112 When the sediment filter 111 and the free carbon filter 112 are provided as one composite filter 211 as shown in FIG. 7A as described below and between the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 and the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113, Can be installed in sterilizing water line (242) which branches off the flow path between filter (213). In the drawing, the embodiment in which the sterilizing water line 142 is branched in the flow path between the sediment filter 111 and the free carbon filter 112 is not shown in detail, but the sediment filter 111 and the pre- The structure that branches off from the flow path between the exhaust pipe 112 and the exhaust pipe 112 is also clearly included in the scope of the present invention. This configuration can be applied to a case where a hollow fiber membrane filter is used instead of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113.

At this time, the flow path switching valve 120 may be provided at a portion where the sterilizing water line 141 at the front end of the RO filter 113 and the sterilizing water line 142 are connected. The flow path switching valve 120 supplies the purified water introduced from the upstream side of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 to either one of the purified water line 141 and the sterilization water line 142 in accordance with an electrical signal from the control unit 190 .

As described above, in the first and second embodiments of the present invention, the sterilizing water line 142 through which at least a portion of the filter unit 110 is introduced for producing the sterilizing water is connected to the circulation line 141, It is possible to control the flow rate independently of the sterilizing water line 142, so that it is easy to control the concentration of the oxidizing mixed substance MO generated in the electrolytic sterilizer 130.

In the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the post-carbon filter 114 is connected to the sterilization water line 142 and then connected to the storage tank 170. However, In the embodiment, since the integer line 141 after the post-carbon filter 114 is directly connected to the storage tank 170, the sterilizing water line 142 after the electrolytic sterilizer 130 is connected to the circulation line 141 Respectively. Therefore, in the case of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 3, since the sterilized water does not flow into the quartz tube 141 after the post-carbon filter 114, the sterilized water remaining in the sterilizing water flow path 142 is mixed with the purified water for drinking Can be prevented.

The drainage unit 150 is for selectively discharging the sterilized water stored in the storage tank 170 and may be connected to the second storage unit 172 under the storage tank 170 .

The drainage unit 150 further includes a drainage line 151 connected to the storage tank 170 and a flow path switching valve 157 for switching the flow path between the drainage line 151 and the drainage pipe dL .

The drain line 151 is provided as a drain line connected to the lower end of the second reservoir 172 for draining the water or sterilizing water stored in the storage tank 170 into the drinking water.

The flow path switching valve 157 is provided in the drain line 151 and is provided as a direction switching valve which rotates the valve spool according to an electrical signal from the control unit 190 and can change the flow path .

In this case, the flow path switching valve 157 is also connected to the drain valve dV provided on the drain pipe dL of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113. The flow path switching valve 157 is operated by the control unit 190 to open the drain line 151 and close the flow path of the drain pipe dL or close the drain line 151, Can be opened.

The drainage unit 150 may further include a drainage pump 155 installed in the drainage line 151 if necessary. The drain pump 155 is installed on the drain line 151 to discharge the water stored in the storage tank 170 as a predetermined pumping pressure. In this way, when the drain pump 155 is provided, the water stored in the storage tank 170 can be quickly drained, thereby reducing the time required for sterilizing and cleaning the water treatment apparatus (water purifier).

The control unit 190 controls all the operations of the water treatment apparatus 100. More specifically, the operation mode of the water treatment apparatus 100 is an integer mode in which raw water is purified through the filter unit 110, To control various modes implemented in the water treatment apparatus 100 such as a sterilization mode for generating sterile water through the sterilizer 130 and the drainage unit 150 and sterilizing the passage of the storage tank 170 and the channel as the sterilization water . 2 to 4B, the control unit 190 is connected to only the raw water shutoff valve (WV), the electrolytic sterilizer 120, the drain pump 155 and the water level sensors 175a, 175b and 175c in order to simplify the drawing. But it is configured to control various components requiring electric / electronic control such as a flow rate sensing unit PS, a flow path switching valve 157, a cooling unit 173, and the like.

Meanwhile, the control unit 190 controls various components such that the raw water is purified by the filters 111, 112, 113, and 114 of the filter unit 110 in the integer mode, The electrolytic sterilizer 130 is operated to generate sterilized water, and then stored in the storage tank 170. The electrolytic sterilizer 130 is connected to the electrolytic sterilizer 130, And discharges the sterilized water through the drainage unit 150 automatically.

In this case, the control unit 190 performs a water treatment (not shown) by a conventional memory unit (not shown) storing the set time required for the operation of the constant mode and the sterilization mode or the logic of various data values according to the operation switch signal And controls the overall operating mode of the device 100.

The control unit 190 controls the operation of the valves and the pumps by applying a control signal to the above-mentioned valves and pumps in accordance with a predetermined time or a switching signal.

Hereinafter, the operation of the water treatment apparatus 100 according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B.

First, the integer mode will be described with reference to FIG. 4A.

This signal is transmitted to the control unit 190 when the low water level sensor 175a provided in the storage tank 170 detects that the water level has reached the low water level (water replenishment water level) The raw water is supplied from the raw water supply unit W. The raw water supplied from the raw water supply unit W sequentially passes through the filters 111, 112, 113 and 114 provided in the filter unit 110 to generate purified water. The process of filtering the raw water in the filter unit 110 is a general process, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The purified water filtered through the filter unit 110 is supplied to the storage tank 170 until the water level of the storage tank 170 reaches the full water level and the water level sensor 175c detects the full water level, WV) is cut off and the integer mode is terminated. Thus, the constant stored in the storage tank 170 is extracted from the intake cock 179 by the user's extraction.

On the other hand, the water treatment apparatus 100 according to the present invention can be switched to the sterilization mode at predetermined time intervals or at the user's selection. The operation in this sterilization mode will be described with reference to FIG. 4B.

First, in a state where the sterilizing mode of the water treatment apparatus 100 is started, the pressurizing pump P and the electrolytic sterilizer 130 are turned off by the control unit 190, and the flow path switching valve 157 is connected to the control unit 190, the drain pipe dL is closed and the drain line 151 is opened.

When the drain pump 155 is provided, the control unit 190 operates the drain pump 155 by applying an electrical signal to the drain pump 155 to drain the purified water stored in the storage tank 170 The pumping pressure of the pump 155 is discharged through the drain line 151 until the level of the purified water in the storage tank 170 becomes a predetermined level and then the operation of the drain pump 155 is stopped and the flow path switching valve 157 The drain line 151 is closed. However, if the drain pump 155 is not provided, it may be performed by operating a drain valve (see 252 in Fig. 7A) to open the drain line 151. [ Through the discharge of the purified water, the storage tank 170 secures space for sterilization of the purified water generated by the electrolysis generated through the operation of the electrolytic sterilizer 130 and the oxidizing mixed material. That is, when the sterilized water is introduced into the storage tank 170 without discharging the purified water stored in the storage tank 170, the water overflow phenomenon may occur in the storage tank 170. In order to prevent such a phenomenon, Thereby securing space. As such, the drainage of the storage tank 170 at the start of the sterilization mode may empty the storage tank 170 completely (or sufficiently to become the water level adjacent to the bottom of the storage tank or the low water level), but at the same time, A partial drainage is preferable in order to prevent the entire sterilization mode execution time from being prolonged due to the time required for drainage of the drainage pipe 170. This partial drainage operation may be performed in a manner such that a water level sensor 175b is installed in the storage tank 170 slightly below the water level sensor 175c and a water level sensor is detected in the water level sensor 175b, It may be possible to operate the drain pump 155 only for a predetermined time or to open the drain valve (see 252 in FIG. 7A) provided in the drainage unit only for a predetermined period of time in consideration of the drainage amount. Particularly, when the water level sensor 175b is used, the water contained in the storage tank 170 can be accurately measured. Therefore, sterilizing water containing the oxidizing mixed material flows into the storage tank 170 and is mixed with the storage tank 170 ) Can be adjusted as close as possible to a predetermined set value. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a phenomenon in which the oxidizing mixture introduced into the storage tank 170 flows more than necessary and deteriorates the water taste due to excessive residue of the oxidizing mixture after the rinsing operation. In addition, It is possible to prevent the phenomenon that the effect of sterilizing cleaning is reduced due to the material.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4B, the control unit 190 opens the raw water shutoff valve WV to introduce the raw water, and operates the pressurizing pump P to filter the raw water. At this time, an electric signal is applied to the flow path switching valve 120 so that the purified water at the front end of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 can be supplied to the electrolytic sterilizer 130. The flow path of the front end of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113, 111 and the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 and the sterilizing water line 142 are communicated with each other.

At this time, the sediment filter 111 functions to adsorb and remove solid matters such as suspended solids and sand, which are included in the raw water, and the free carbon filter 112 adsorbs water (Cl ^- ) contained in the raw water, because it functions to remove chemical substances and residual chlorine (for example, HOCl or ClO) which are harmful to the human body such as volatile organic compounds, carcinogens, synthetic detergents, Even though it passes through the sediment filter 111 and the pre-carbon filter 112 (approximately 10 to 20 ppm, though depending on the raw water).

Particularly, the activated carbon filter, such as the free carbon filter 112, contains a mineral component. As a result, the water passing through the activated carbon is weakly alkaline while dissolving the inorganic substance in the activated carbon. This alkaline water has a reducing power and reduces residual chlorine (Cl ₂ , HOCl, ClO) in the water to chlorine ion (Cl ^- ) which is harmless to the human body. Various harmful substances are adsorbed on many holes in activated carbon itself, The chemical is removed.

Therefore, the concentration of chlorine ions in the purified water filtered through the sediment filter 111 or the sediment filter 111 and the free carbon filter 112 becomes almost similar to the raw water (for example, about 10 to 20 ppm The chlorine ions and other substances contained in the purified water passing through the sediment filter 111 and / or the free carbon filter 112 are oxidized by the electrolysis (oxidation-reduction reaction) of the electrolytic sterilizer 130 . Particularly, the total dissolved solids (TDS, total dissolved solids (calcium or magnesium), water, or the like are mixed in the purified water through the sediment filter 111 alone or the sediment filter 111 and the free carbon filter 112 without passing through the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 The amount of solid matter including minerals such as iron is dissolved in water), which is an advantage that electrolytic reaction (redox reaction) can be smoothly performed in electrolytic sterilizer 130.

On the other hand, when passing through the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113, a considerable amount of such solid matter is removed, and electrolysis reaction (oxidation-reduction reaction) can not be performed smoothly, so that a high voltage is required. Since the material is also removed in a large amount, the concentration of the oxidizing mixed substance through electrolysis becomes low, which is not sufficient for sterilization.

As described above, the purified water supplied through the sediment filter 111 or the sediment filter 111 and the pre-carbon filter 112 located at the previous stage of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 has a large amount of total dissolved solids, Level chlorine ions, and the constants of the constants are supplied to the electrolytic sterilizer 130. [

For example, the concentration of chlorine ions contained in the purified water through the sediment filter 111 alone or between the sediment filter 111 and the pre-carbon filter 112 can be determined by the concentration of chlorine ions contained in the raw water The electrolytic sterilizer 130 can not only be introduced into the electrolytic sterilizer 130 of a sufficient amount of chlorine ions but also the electrolyte necessary for electrolysis, that is, the total dissolved solid matter (TDS) Experiments have shown that the sterilized water containing 2 to 3 ppm of oxidizing compound can be produced by adjusting the inflow volume (liter / minute), current, voltage, etc. of the purified water.

On the other hand, when the amount of the total dissolved solids contained in the purified water through the sediment filter 111 alone or between the sediment filter 111 and the free carbon filter 112 is excessively larger than the proper range (for example, more than 30 ppm) A stable concentration of the oxidizing mixed material can be generated through the voltage and / or current control of the electrolytic sterilizer 130. [ The control of the electrolytic sterilizer 130 for producing a stable oxidative mixture substance is described in detail in the unpublished prior application (Korean Patent Application No. 2010-0062233) of the present applicant, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted .

As described above, since the electrolytic sterilizer 130 has enough chlorine ions, it only electrolyzes purified water without supplying any electrolytic substance such as chloride (sodium chloride, potassium chloride, etc.), thereby generating a highly oxidative mixed material In addition, since the concentration of the total dissolved solids is high, it is possible to produce an oxidizing mixed material having a sufficient concentration for sterilization even under low current or low voltage driving.

Thus, the sterilized water at a high concentration (e.g., 2 to 3 ppm) generated by the electrolytic sterilizer 130 is supplied through the sterilizing water line 142 until the water level of the storage tank 170 reaches the high water level.

The high concentration of sterilized water supplied to the storage tank 170 is mixed with the purified water contained in the storage tank 170 so that a certain concentration of the oxidative mixture material contacts the inner wall of the storage tank 170, Can be sterilized through sterilized water. For example, when the concentration of the oxidizing mixed material MO contained in the sterilized water supplied to the storage tank 170 is 2 to 3 ppm, the concentration of the oxidizing mixed substance is mixed with the purified water remaining in the storage tank 170, Can be adjusted to 0.05 to 0.15 ppm, and sterilization efficiency can be expected. Particularly, considering that the concentration of the oxidizing mixed substance required for sterilization is 0.05 ppm, the concentration of the oxidizing mixed substance in the storage tank 170 due to the inflow of the sterilizing water is slightly higher than 0.05 ppm described above so as to obtain a stable sterilization effect 0.07 to 0.13 ppm.

When the sterilization water supplied to the storage tank 170 is full, the detection signal of the water level sensor 175c is output to the control unit 190, and the control unit 190 closes the raw water shutoff valve WV do.

The control unit 190 applies an electrical signal to the drain pump 155 when the drain pump 155 is installed, and the drain pump 155 is connected to the drain pump 155, At the same time, an electric signal is applied to the channel switching valve 157 to open the drain line 151 to the living water discharge side.

The sterilized water stored in the storage tank 170 is discharged through the drain line 151 by the pumping pressure of the drain pump 155 and discharged into the domestic water through the flow path switching valve 157. However, in the case where the drain pump 155 is not provided, the control unit 190 opens the drain valve (see 252 in FIG. 7A) provided in the drain line 151 for a sufficient time for drainage, May be controlled.

The drainage operation of the sterilized water may be configured to block the operation of the drain pump 155 after the predetermined time has elapsed, but the control unit 190 may be provided to prevent the drain pump 155 from being driven for longer than necessary It is preferable that the system is configured to be terminated by detecting that the drain pump 155 is overloaded due to drainage of the storage tank 170 (including a state in which drainage does not occur even if water remains in the storage tank).

In this manner, when the drainage of the sterilized water is finished, the control unit 190 may open the raw water shutoff valve WV again to perform the rinsing operation.

However, since the concentration of the oxidizing mixed material in the storage tank 170 during sterilization is about 0.05 to 0.15 ppm, the amount of the oxidizing mixed material remaining in the storage tank 170 after the sterilizing water is drained is extremely small, When the purified water is reintroduced into the filter 170, the concentration of the purified water is remarkably lowered so that it is not detected, and it is also possible that the user does not feel any abnormality of the water taste due to the oxidizing mixed material, so that no separate rinsing operation is performed. In particular, in the case of the present invention, only the purified water is electrolyzed without supplying any additional chloride, and the concentration of the purified water is controlled to be below the drinking water standard, so even if the sterilizing material is consumed, it is not harmful to the human body.

However, it is desirable to perform a rinsing operation to more reliably remove the germicidal substance such as the oxidizing mixed substance.

This rinsing operation is performed by filtering the supplied raw water through the sediment filter 111 alone or through the sediment filter 111 and the pre-carbon filter 112, and then supplying the raw water to the storage tank 170. At this time, the purified water supplied to the storage tank 170 is supplied through the sterilizing water line 142, but since the electrolytic sterilizer 130 is turned off, no sterilizing water is generated. That is, the flow path during the rinsing operation is the same as the flow path shown in FIG. 4B, except that the electrolytic sterilizer 130 is turned off.

On the other hand, it is also possible to supply purified water to the storage tank 170 to the full water level to perform the rinsing operation. However, when supplying purified water to the high water level, not only a lot of time is required for supplying and draining water (rinse water), but also a lot of water is wasted. Accordingly, according to a more preferred embodiment of the present invention, the amount of rinsing water (rinsing water) supplied to the storage tank 170 during the rinsing operation is greater than the amount of rinsing water supplied to the storage tank 170 It is effective to be able to rinse the bottom surface. For this, the amount of purified water (rinse water) supplied to the storage tank 170 is preferably supplied by a predetermined amount smaller than the full water capacity corresponding to the full water level of the storage tank 170. For example, it may suffice to supply an integer of water level lower than the low water level that can be sensed through the low water level sensor 175a.

As described above, the water treatment apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention performs a process of generating a germicidal material including sterilization of a purified water and an oxidizing mixed material MO by electrolysis, Sterilized water contained in the storage tank 170 is supplied to the storage tank 170 and the sterilized water stored in the storage tank 170 is automatically discharged to sterilize the inside and purified water discharge passages of the storage tank 170. [

Accordingly, the water treatment apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention differs from the prior art in that a disinfectant or the like is added to sterilize a storage tank or the like by an off-line service, And discharging the sterilized water in a state where it is stored in the storage tank 170, it is possible to automatically sterilize the storage tank 170 and the purified water discharge passage by itself. Thus, since the water treatment apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention is automatically sterilized according to the setting time or the user's selection, sterilization management of the water treatment apparatus is convenient, reliability of the apparatus can be improved, It is expected to have a competitive advantage.

Particularly, in the water treatment apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the purified water having a large amount of chlorine ions and total dissolved solid matters flows into the electrolytic sterilizer 130 through a part of the filter unit 110, It is possible to stably produce a sterilized water containing an oxidizing mixed substance at a high concentration. Further, since sterilized water is produced only through the purified water without supplying any additional chloride, there is an advantageous effect that stability is not a problem even if the user drinks it.

[Third Example ]

5 is a block diagram schematically showing a water treatment apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

The water treatment apparatus 100 according to the third embodiment of the present invention is based on the structure of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 3, and is provided with a valve connector (not shown) in the drainage unit 150, 159 are additionally provided. Therefore, for the avoidance of unnecessary duplication, a detailed description of the same or similar contents will be omitted, and the same reference numerals will be used for the same or corresponding components.

5, the water treatment apparatus 100 according to the third embodiment of the present invention supplies sterile water containing an oxidizing mixed substance generated from the electrolytic sterilizer 130 to the storage tank 170, The sterilized water stored in the storage tank 170 is discharged to the water intake cock 179 via the first and second water intake lines 178a and 178b. Therefore, it is characterized in that the water intake lines 178a, 178b and the water intake cock 179 can be sterilized through sterilized water. In particular, the water treatment apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 5 does not need to receive the sterilized water discharged to the water intake cock 179 through a separate drain tank, and drains the water through the drainage unit 150 installed in the water treatment apparatus 100 .

To this end, the third embodiment shown in FIG. 5 includes a connecting member 180 connecting the drain line 151 of the drain unit 150 and the intake cock 179.

5, the connecting member 180 is connected to the water intake cock 179 at one side and connected to the water drainage unit 150 at the other side. The sterilized water discharged through the water intake cock 179 is discharged to the drain Line 151 as shown in FIG.

6, the connection member 180 includes a first connection cap 181 detachably attached to the water intake cock 179, and a valve connection hole 159 provided in the drain line 151 of the drainage unit 150 And a connection hose 183 for connecting the first and second connection caps 181 and 182. The second connection cap 182 is detachable from the first connection cap 181 and the second connection cap 182,

In this case, the connecting member 180 is preferably made of a rubber material having flexibility.

5, the first connection cap 181 of the connection member 180 is coupled to the water intake cock 179, and the second connection 181 of the connection member 180 is connected to the second connection pipe 181. Therefore, in the water treatment apparatus 100 according to the third embodiment of the present invention, After the cap 182 is connected to the valve connector 159, a sterilization mode is performed. The execution of this sterilization mode may be initiated by selecting the cork sterilization function provided in the display unit (not shown), but is not limited thereto.

In this sterilization mode, the control unit 190 opens the valves (not shown) provided in the first and second intake lines 178a, 178b to open the first and second water intake lines 178a, 178b of the storage tank 170, And the flow path of the flow path switching valve 157 is switched so that the drain line 151 is connected to the living water discharge side. The sterilized water stored in the storage tank 170 flows into the drain line 151 through the first and second water intake lines 178a and 178b, the connecting member 180 and the valve connection hole 159 and is discharged to the outside .

At this time, by operating the drain pump 155, the sterilized water can be discharged from the storage tank 170 at a high speed, thereby shortening the time required for sterilizing and cleaning the storage tank 170 There is an advantage.

As described above, according to the third embodiment of the present invention shown in Fig. 5, sterilizing water stored in the first and second storage units 171 and 172 of the storage tank 170 is supplied to the first and second water intake lines 178a And 178b and the water intake cock 179 to the drain line 151 to sterilize the flow passages of the first and second water intake lines 178a and 178b and the inside of the water intake cock 179. [ The water treatment apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 5 further includes a connecting member 180 connecting the water intake cock 179 and the water drain line 151 to separate water from the water intake cock 179 There is an advantage that the sterilized water can be quickly discharged through the drain pump 155 provided in the drain line 151. Further,

Although the water treatment apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 5 has only described the sterilization of the storage tank 170 and the water intake cock 179 in the above description, as in the water treatment apparatus shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the storage tank 170 It is possible to discharge the sterilized water accommodated in the sewage disposal line 151 directly through the drain line 151 without passing through the water intake cock 179. In addition, the water treatment apparatus 100 may have a separate selection button so that a mode for sterilizing the water intake cock 179 may be performed while the connection member 180 is connected.

[Fourth Example ]

FIG. 7A is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of a water treatment apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7B is a block diagram showing a flow path configuration of a sterilization mode of the water treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 7A.

Hereinafter, a water treatment apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 7A and 7B.

The water treatment apparatus 200 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is based on the structure of the second embodiment shown in Fig. 3 and includes a filter unit 210, a sterilizing water line 242, a drainage unit 250, There is a difference in the specific configuration of the tank 270. Therefore, for the same or similar configuration as the second embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the reference numerals are incremented by '100' so as to avoid unnecessary duplication.

The water treatment apparatus 200 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 7A is configured such that in the integer mode, raw water supplied from the raw water supply unit W is supplied to the storage tank 270 via the filter unit 210 And is supplied to the user through the intake coke 279a, 279b.

3, except that the sediment filter 111 and the pre-carbon filter 112 shown in FIG. 3 are composed of a composite filter 211. In this embodiment, Is the same as the configuration of the filter unit 110. [ In addition, although FIG. 7A shows that the pressurizing pump for pressurizing the raw water flowing into the reverse osmosis membrane filter 213 is not separately provided, the pressurizing pump P shown in FIG. 3 is connected to the reverse osmosis membrane filter 213).

In addition, the storage tank 270 includes a first storage unit 271, a second storage unit 272, and a third storage unit 274. The first storage unit 271 receives cold water at room temperature, do. The constant temperature contained in the first reservoir 271 is discharged to the first withdrawal cock 279a via the first withdrawal line 278a when the first withdrawal valve 277a is opened and the second reservoir 272 Is released to the first water intake cock 279a via the second water intake line 278b when the second extraction valve 277b is opened and the warm water contained in the third storage 274 is discharged through the third extraction And is discharged to the second water intake cock 279c via the third water intake line 278c when the valve 277c is opened.

The drainage unit 250 is connected to a drainage line 251 at a lower end of the storage tank 270 and a drainage valve 252 may be provided at a drainage line 251 adjacent to the storage tank 270. This drain valve 252 can be opened by the control unit 290 to discharge the water contained in the storage tank 270 through the drain line 251. [

A first opening and closing valve 221 for opening and closing the integer line 241 may be provided in the purified water line 241 at the rear end of the raw water shutoff valve WV and a sterilizing water line 242 Off valve 222 for opening and closing the second open / close valve 222.

The constant flow valve 223 is installed in the sterilization water line 242 so that the flow rate of the purified water flowing into the electrolytic sterilizer 230 is constant via the composite filter 211 in which the functions of the sediment filter and the pre- . When the constant flow valve 223 is installed as described above, it is possible to maintain a constant flow rate of the purified water flowing into the electrolytic sterilizer 230, thereby generating sterilized water of stable concentration. The constant flow valve 223 controls the flow rate of water flowing into the electrolytic sterilizer 230 so that sterilizing water can be more stably produced in the electrolytic sterilizer 230 and a load is not applied to the electrolytic sterilizer 230 It is preferable to additionally have a function of reducing pressure so as to maintain a constant pressure of the gas.

Accordingly, since the purified water reduced in pressure by the constant flow rate valve 223 flows into the electrolytic sterilizer 230, it is possible to prevent the concentration of the oxidizing mixed material from fluctuating due to the flow rate or pressure of the inflow water.

The electrolytic sterilizer 200 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 7A is sterilized and cleaned in the reservoir tank 270 while passing through the flow path indicated by an arrow in FIG. 7B in the sterilizing mode. In addition, the rinsing water is supplied to the water storage tank 270 while passing through the flow path indicated by an arrow in Fig. 7B in the rinsing mode. In this case, the electrolytic sterilizer 230 is off.

Specifically, in the sterilization mode, the control unit 290 opens the drain valve 252 and drives the drain pump 255 to prevent the storage tank 270 from overflowing by the inflow of sterile water, A part of the purified water is discharged. This partial drainage operation can be performed by detecting the off signal at the water level sensor 275b or by opening the drain line 251 for a predetermined time.

After the partial drainage work of the storage tank 270 is completed, the control unit 290 opens the raw water shutoff valve WV and the second open / close valve 222, closes the first open / close valve 221, W to be introduced into the electrolytic sterilizer 230. Thus, the introduced raw water flows into the sterilizing water flow path 242 through the composite filter 211 in which the functions of the sediment filter and the pre-carbon filter are combined. The raw water is decompressed at the constant flow valve 223 and supplied to the electrolytic sterilizer 230). The control unit 290 controls the current and / or the voltage supplied to the electrodes of the electrolytic sterilizer 230 so as to generate the oxidizing mixed material having the predetermined concentration range. Thus, the sterilizing water containing the oxidizing mixed material (Not shown).

Particularly, in the first to third embodiments of the present invention, the water flowing through the filter unit 110 flows into the electrolytic sterilizer 130 through the flow path, so that the flow rate of the water flowing into the electrolytic sterilizer 130 can not be controlled. 4, when the constant flow valve 223 is installed in the sterilizing water channel 242, the flow rate of the electrolytic sterilizer 230 can be adjusted, so that the electrolytic sterilizer 230 generates a stable sterilizing substance There is an advantage to be able to.

When the sterilization water is introduced until the water level of the storage tank 270 reaches the full water level, the operation of the electrolytic sterilizer 230 is stopped and the second opening / closing valve 222 is closed to generate sterilized water and flow into the storage tank 270 Stopped.

Thereafter, the sterilized water is drained when the predetermined time elapses, and the drain pump 255 is operated in the sterilized water draining process, so that the draining time of the sterilized water is greatly shortened and the time required for the sterilization washing can be shortened. The discharging operation of the sterilized water is the same as the partial drainage operation of the storage tank 270, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

After the discharging operation of the sterilizing water is completed, a rinsing operation is performed to remove the sterilizing water remaining on the storage tank 270, particularly the bottom surface. The rinsing operation is the same as that in which the sterilization water is introduced into the storage tank 270, but only the electrolytic sterilizer 230 is not operated.

When the supply of the rinse water is completed, the rinse water is discharged again, and the new constant is stored in the storage tank 270 through the positive line 241.

[Fifth Example ]

Next, a water treatment apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 8A, 8B, and 8C.

FIG. 8A is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of a water treatment apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8B is a block diagram showing a flow path configuration of a circulating sterilization mode of the water treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 8A And FIG. 8C is a block diagram showing the flow path configuration of the sterilizing water extraction mode of the water treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 8A.

The water treatment apparatus 200 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention is different from the water treatment apparatus 200 according to the fourth embodiment shown in Fig. 7A in that it has a circulation line 243 and a sterilizing water extraction line 244 . Therefore, in order to avoid unnecessary duplication, detailed description of the same or similar configuration and operation will be omitted, and the same reference numerals will be used for the same or similar configurations.

The water treatment apparatus 200 shown in FIG. 8A includes a circulation line 251 for supplying the sterilized water drained through the drain line 251 to the storage tank 270 between the drain line 251 and the integer line 241 243). The circulation line 243 sterilizes the purified liquor 241 and the storage tank 270 by the sterilizing water 241 by returning sterilizing water to the purified liquor 241.

8A and 8B, one end of the circulation line 243 is connected to a flow path switching valve 253 provided in the drain line 251 and the other end is connected to a post-carbon filter (not shown) of the filter unit 210 214 and the storage tank 270 so as to sterilize the purified water 241 between the post-carbon filter 214 and the storage tank 270. At this time, it is preferable that the circulation line 243 is connected to the integer line 241 at a position as close as possible to the post-carbon filter 214 so that sterilization cleaning of a wide range of the integer lines 241 is possible.

However, the circulation line 243 is provided between the drainage line 251 and the integer line 241 provided in the filter unit 210, so that the integer line 241 inside the filter unit 210 is sterilized . For example, the circulation line 243 is connected to a positive integer 241 of the front end of the post-carbon filter 214 where a lot of pollution is generated, so that the inside of the post-carbon filter 214 and the end of the post- It is also possible to sterilize and clean the integer lines 241.

Alternatively, the circulation line 243 may include a positive integer 241, for example, the sediment filter 111 and the free carbon filter 112 shown in FIGS. 2 to 4B, It is also possible to connect them to the flow path between them. In this case, the sterilization water may be bypassed without passing through the reverse osmosis membrane filter 213 to be directly supplied to the storage tank 270 so that the reverse osmosis membrane filter 213 is not damaged by the sterilized water, It may be preferable to form a flow path so as to bypass the post-carbon filter 214 and be supplied directly to the storage tank 270.

In order to smoothly circulate sterilized water re-flowing into the storage tank 270 through the storage tank 270, the drain line 251, the circulation line 243 and the integer line 241, It is preferable to pressurize the sterilized water passing through the drain line 251 through the drain pump 255 provided in the drain line 251.

8B, the sterilizing water generated in the electrolytic sterilizer 230 and stored in the storage tank 270 is supplied to the drain line 251, the circulation line 243, 241 to the storage tank 270. After the sterilization water is filled in the storage tank 270, the control unit 290 opens the drain valve 252 and connects the drain line 251 and the circulation line 243 to the flow path of the flow path switching valve 253 And the drain pump 255 is driven, the sterilizing water is circulated along the flow indicated by the arrow "A ".

The control unit 290 switches the flow path of the flow path switching valve 253 so that the drain line 251 is connected to the flow path on the side of the drain pipe dL after the circulation through the circulation line 243 is performed for a predetermined time, The sterilizing water is discharged to the outside along the flow indicated by the arrow "B ".

It is possible to sterilize and clean the centrifugal pump 241 at the front end of the storage tank 270 as well as the storage tank 270 through the circulating sterilization process.

Thereafter, as in the above-described embodiments, the rinsing process and the purified water refill process are performed.

[Sixth Example ]

Referring to FIGS. 9A and 9B, a water treatment apparatus according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 9A is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of a water treatment apparatus according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9B is a block diagram showing a flow path configuration of a circulating sterilization mode of the water treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 9A .

The water treatment apparatus 200 according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention is based on the structure of the fifth embodiment shown in FIG. 8A, and includes valve connection ports 259a, 259b, and 259c on a drain line 251, There is a difference in that a connecting member 280 is provided between the second intake cocks 279a and 279b and the valve connectors 259a, 259b and 259c. Therefore, in order to avoid unnecessary duplication, detailed description of the same or similar configuration and operation will be omitted, and the same reference numerals will be used for the same or similar configurations.

The water treatment apparatus 200 according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention shown in Fig. 9A is similar to the water treatment apparatus 100 of the third embodiment shown in Fig. 5 except that the water intake line 278a, 278b, and 278c and the intake corks 279a and 279b can be sterilized and cleaned. In other words, the sterilizing water containing the oxidizing mixed material generated from the electrolytic sterilizer 230 is supplied to the storage tank 270 and then discharged to the intake coke 279a, 279b via the water intake lines 278a, 278b, 278c. Accordingly, the water intake lines 278a, 278b, 278c and the intake corks 279a, 279b can be sterilized by the sterilizing water. Particularly, the water treatment apparatus 200 shown in FIG. 9A does not need to receive the sterilized water discharged to the water intake corks 279a and 279b through a separate drain tank, and the water drainage unit 250 installed in the water treatment apparatus 200 So that it can be drained.

To this end, the sixth embodiment shown in FIG. 9A includes a connecting member 280 (see FIG. 6) for connecting the drainage line 251 of the drainage unit 250 and the intake coke 279a, 279b.

9A, the connecting member 280 has a first connecting cap 281 connected to the first receiving cock 279a and a second connecting cap 282 connected to the first connecting cap 281 of the drain unit 250, And is connected to the valve connecting port 259a so as to supply the sterilized water discharged through the first water intake cock 279a to the drain line 251. [ The connection member 280 may further be connected between the second water intake cock 279b through which hot water is discharged and the second valve connection port 259b and may be connected to the hot water drain pipe 276 and the third valve And may be further connected between the connector 259c.

In the water treatment apparatus 200 according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention having such a configuration, the connection member 280 is connected to the valve connection ports 259a, 259b and 259c, the water intake cocks 279a and 279b and the hot water drain pipe 276 0.0 > sterilization < / RTI > mode is performed. The execution of this sterilization mode may be initiated by selecting the cork sterilization function provided in the display unit (not shown), but is not limited thereto.

The control unit 290 opens the extraction valves 277a, 277b and 277c provided in the first to the second water intake lines 278a, 278b and 278c in the sterilization mode of the water intake corks 279a and 279b, 278c and 278c of the water supply line 251 and the water supply line 251 and the living water discharge side are switched to the state where the sterilized water can flow out through the first to third water intake lines 278a, To be communicated. 9B, the sterilized water stored in the storage tank 270 passes through the first to third water intake lines 278a, 278b, and 278c, the connection member 280, and the valve connection ports 259a and 259b Flows into the drainage line 251 and is discharged to the outside along the arrow "B ". At this time, by operating the drain pump 255, the flow of the sterilized water from the storage tank 270 can be performed at a high speed, thereby shortening the time required for sterilizing and cleaning the storage tank 270 There is an advantage.

In the sterilization mode for the intake coke 279a, 279b and the integer line 241, the extraction valves 277a, 277b, 277c provided in the first to second intake lines 278a, 278b, 278c are opened and stored The drainage line 251 and the circulation line 252 are connected to each other so that sterilized water can flow out through the first to third water intake lines 278a, 278b and 278c of the tank 270, (243). 9B, sterilizing water stored in the storage tank 270 is supplied to the first to third water intake lines 278a, 278b and 278c, the connecting member 280, the valve connection ports 259a and 259b, Flows through the circulation line 253 along the arrow "A " through the line 251, and then supplied to the storage tank 270 through the positive line 241. [

The control unit 290 switches the flow path of the flow path switching valve 253 so that the drain line 251 is connected to the flow path on the side of the drain pipe dL after the circulation through the circulation line 243 is performed for a predetermined time, The sterilizing water is discharged to the outside along the flow indicated by the arrow "B ".

It is possible to sterilize and clean the storage tank 270 and the extraction corks 279a and 279b as well as the cleaner 241 at the front end of the storage tank 270 through the circulating sterilization process.

[Seventh Example ]

Although the electrolytic sterilizers 130 and 230 installed in the sterilized water lines 142 and 242 are fixedly installed in the water treatment devices 100 and 200 in the first to sixth embodiments described above, The sterilizers 130 and 230 may be used after being manually desorbed during the sterilization cleaning operation.

That is, in the case of the first to sixth embodiments, the electrolytic sterilizers 130 and 230, which are expensive but not frequently used, are fixedly installed in the water treatment apparatuses 100 and 200, resulting in low cost efficiency. In addition, when the sterilization cleaning operation is performed manually, the sterilization cleaning operation itself may be difficult or incomplete due to a lack of experience of the user. Thus, it may be more desirable for a professional sanitation manager (a professional cleaning operator) to perform the task.

2 to 5, the electrolytic sterilizer 130 may be separated from the electrolytic sterilizer 130, and the electrolytic sterilizer 130 and the sterilizing water line 142 connected thereto may be entirely separated from each other have. That is, one side of the electrolytic sterilizer 130 is connected to the free carbon filter 112 through the known connection means such as a channel and fitting between the sediment filter 111 and the free carbon filter 112, or between the free carbon filter 112 and the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 And the other side may be connected to a flow path between the post-carbon filter 114 and the storage tank 170 through known connecting means such as a fitting as shown in FIG. Alternatively, the other side of the electrolytic sterilizer 130 may be directly connected to the storage tank 170 as shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. At this time, one side of the electrolytic sterilizer 130 is connected to the front end of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113, and the other channel is positioned above the storage tank 170 through the upper part of the storage tank 170, It is also possible to cause the sterilization water generated by the operation of the sterilization apparatus 130 to flow into the storage tank 170.

In addition, since the electrolytic sterilizer 130 is detached, the flow path switching valve 120 of FIGS. 2 to 5 may not be provided, and may be provided simply as an opening / closing valve.

When rinsing water is supplied to the storage tank 170, the purified water passing through only a part of the filter unit 110 in the stopped state of the electrolytic sterilizer 130 is supplied to the storage tank 170 through the electrolytic sterilizer 130 . In addition, the electrolytic sterilizer 130 may be driven manually, but may be configured to be automatically controlled through the wired / wireless connection with the control unit 190.

7A to 9B, the electrolytic sterilizer 230 may be separated, and the electrolytic sterilizer 230 and the sterilizing water line 242 connected thereto may be entirely separated from each other have. That is, one side of the electrolytic sterilizer 230 is connected to the reverse osmosis membrane filter 213 through a known connection means such as a fitting and a flow path between the composite filter 211 in which the functions of the sediment filter and the pre-carbon filter are combined, Or may be configured to be connected directly to the storage tank 270. At this time, one side of the electrolytic sterilizer 230 is connected to the front end of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 213, and the other channel is positioned above the storage tank 270 through the lid, It is also possible that sterilization water generated by the operation of the sterilization tank 230 flows into the storage tank 270.

In addition, since the electrolytic sterilizer 230 is detachable, the second open / close valve 222 of FIGS. 7A to 9B may not be provided.

When rinsing water is supplied to the storage tank 170, the purified water passing through only a part of the filter unit 210 is supplied to the storage tank 270 through the electrolytic sterilizer 230 while the electrolytic sterilizer 230 is stopped. . Also, the electrolytic sterilizer 230 may be driven manually, but it may be configured to be automatically controlled through the wired / wireless connection with the control unit 290.

7A to 9B, a constant flow valve 223 may be additionally provided at a front end of the detachable electrolytic sterilizer 230 such that the flow rate of the electrolytic sterilizer 230 flowing into the electrolytic sterilizer 230 is constant . At this time, since the constant flow valve 223 is necessary for driving the electrolytic sterilizer 230, it is desirably detached together with the electrolytic sterilizer 230.

8A to 9B illustrate that the electrolytic sterilizer 230 is provided with the sterilizing water extraction line 244 but when the electrolyzer sterilizer 230 is detached as in the seventh embodiment, (244) and a flow path switching valve (225) for this purpose may not be provided.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11, a description will be given of a sterilizing and washing method of a water treatment apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention.

[First of the sterilization cleaning method Example ]

First, a sterilization cleaning method (S100) of the water treatment apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 9B showing FIG. 10 and the water treatment apparatuses 100 and 200.

As shown in FIG. 10, the sterilizing cleaning method (S100) of the water treatment apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes storing the filtered purified water in the storage tanks 170 and 270 through the filter units 110 and 210 The present invention relates to a sterilization and cleaning method for water treatment apparatuses 100 and 200. The sterilization and cleaning method of the water treatment apparatuses 100 and 200 includes a water drainage step S110 for draining purified water stored in the storage tanks 170 and 270, A sterilizing water supplying step S120 for electrolyzing only the purified water to generate sterilizing water to supply sterilized water to the storage tanks 170 and 270 and a sterilizing water supply step S120 for supplying sterilizing water accommodated in the storage tanks 170 and 270 And a sterilizing water discharging step (S140) for discharging the sterilizing water from the storage tanks (170, 270), wherein the rinsing water is supplied to the storage tanks (170, 270) The supply step S150 and the rinsing water stored in the storage tanks 170 and 270 are performed in the storage tanks 170 and 270, The rinse water discharge phase (S160) to discharge from the can comprise further.

At this time, the sterilizing water generated in the sterilizing water supply step (S120) may include an oxidizing mixed substance generated through electrolysis in the electrolytic sterilizers (130, 230).

Hereinafter, the configuration of each step will be described.

The sterilization cleaning method of the water treatment apparatus according to the present invention is automatically switched to the sterilization mode at predetermined time intervals or at the user's choice.

The water drainage step (S110) is a step for securing space for sterilization of purified water and electrolytic water generated through the operation of the electrolytic sterilizers (130, 230) and oxidizing mixed material.

The electrolytic sterilizers 130 and 230 are turned off by the control units 190 and 290 and the flow path switching valve 157 is operated by the control units 190 and 290 The drain pipe dL is closed and the drain lines 151 and 251 are opened. In this state, the control units 190 and 290 apply electric signals to the drain pumps 155 and 255, The purified water stored in the storage tanks 170 and 270 is operated by the pumping pressure of the drain pumps 155 and 255 through the drain lines 151 and 251 by operating the pumps 155 and 255, The operation of the drain pumps 155 and 255 is stopped and the drain lines 151 and 251 are closed through the flow path switching valve 157. If sterilized water is introduced into the storage tanks 170 and 270 without discharging the purified water stored in the storage tanks 170 and 270, water overflow may occur in the storage tanks 170 and 270, Thereby securing a space in which the sterilizing water is to be introduced.

In this manner, the drainage of the storage tanks 170, 270 at the start of the sterilization mode may empty the storage tanks 170, 270 completely (or enough to become a low water level or a level close to the tank bottom) Partial drainage is preferred in order to prevent the entire sterilization mode run time from becoming long due to the time required to drain the storage tanks 170,

In particular, when the water drainage step S110 is performed simultaneously with the sterilization water supply step S120 described later, the entire sterilization mode execution time can be further shortened. At this time, sterilized water is introduced at the upper end of the storage tanks 170 and 270 at the upper end, but the inflow speed of the purified water is much faster than the inflow speed of the sterilized water, Is negligible.

This partial drainage of the purified water is performed by installing the water level sensors 175b and 275b in the storage tanks 170 and 270 slightly below the water level sensor 175c and detecting the water level in the water level sensors 175b and 275b Alternatively, a method of opening the drain lines 151 and 251 for a predetermined time may be used in consideration of the drainage amount.

At this time, in order to open the drain line only for a predetermined time, the flow path switching valve 157 shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 is switched to the flow path to be connected to the drain pipe dL side, or the drain valve 252 for a predetermined time, and at the same time, it is also possible to operate the drain pump 155, 255 only for a certain period of time.

In particular, when the water level sensors 175b and 275b are used, the amount of water contained in the storage tanks 170 and 270 can be accurately measured. Therefore, sterilizing water containing the oxidizing mixed material flows into the storage tanks 170 and 270, The concentration of the oxidizing mixed substance contained in the storage tanks 170 and 270 can be adjusted as close as possible to a predetermined set value. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a phenomenon in which the oxidizing mixed material flowing into the storage tanks 170 and 270 is unnecessarily introduced and deteriorated due to excessive residue of the oxidizing mixed material after the rinsing operation, It is possible to prevent the phenomenon that the effect of the sterilizing cleaning is reduced due to the oxidizing mixed material.

In the sterilized water supply step (S120), sterilizing water is generated through the electrolytic sterilizers (130, 230) and supplied to the storage tanks (170, 270).

To this end, the control unit (190, 290) opens the raw water shutoff valve (WV) and flows the raw water to filter the raw water. In the case of the water treatment apparatus 100 shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, an electric signal is applied to the flow path switching valve 120, and in the case of the water treatment apparatus 100 shown in FIGS. 7A to 9B, Off valve 222 is opened in a state in which the filter 221 is shut off and the purified water is filtered by the sediment filter 111 or the sediment filter 111 and the free carbon filter 112 or the composite filter 211, A flow path between the sediment filter 111 and the free carbon filter 112 and a flow path between the free carbon filter 112 and the reverse osmosis membrane 112 are provided so as to be able to be received by the electrolytic sterilizers 130 and 230, The flow path between the filter 113 and the flow path between the composite filter 211 and the reverse osmosis membrane filter 213 and the sterilizing water line 142 are communicated with each other. At this time, as described in the embodiments of the water treatment apparatuses 100 and 200, a hollow fiber membrane filter may be provided instead of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113.

On the other hand, the sediment filter 111 functions to adsorb and remove solid matters such as suspended solids, sand, and the like contained in relatively large particulate water contained in the raw water, and the free carbon filter 112 includes water (Cl ^- ) contained in the raw water, because it functions to remove chemical substances and residual chlorine (for example, HOCl or ClO) harmful to the human body such as volatile organic compounds, carcinogens, synthetic detergents, insecticides, Even though it passes through the sediment filter 111 or the sediment filter 111 and the pre-carbon filter 112 (approximately 10 to 20 ppm, though depending on the raw water). At this time, the sediment filter 111 and the free carbon filter 112 may be provided as a composite filter 211, as shown in FIG. 7A and the like.

Particularly, the activated carbon filter, such as the free carbon filter 112, contains a mineral component. As a result, the water passing through the activated carbon is weakly alkaline while dissolving the inorganic substance in the activated carbon. This alkaline water has a reducing power and reduces residual chlorine (Cl ₂ , HOCl, ClO) in the water to chlorine ion (Cl ^- ) which is harmless to the human body. Various harmful substances are adsorbed on many holes in activated carbon itself, The chemical is removed.

Therefore, the concentration of chlorine ions in the purified water filtered through the sediment filter 111, the sediment filter 111, the free carbon filter 112, or the composite filter 211 becomes almost similar to that of the raw water The concentration of chlorine ions and other substances contained in the purified water passing through the sediment filter 111 or the sediment filter 111 and the pre-carbon filter 112 or the composite filter 211 is about 10 to 20 ppm, An electrolytic decomposition (oxidation-reduction reaction) of the electrolytic sterilizers 130 and 230 generates an oxidizing mixed material. Particularly, the total dissolved solids (TDS, total dissolved solids: calcium or the like) may be added to the purified water through the sediment filter 111, the sediment filter 111, the free carbon filter 112, (The amount of solid matter including minerals such as iron, magnesium, etc. dissolved in water) is high, it is advantageous that the electrolytic reaction (redox reaction) can be smoothly performed in the electrolytic sterilizers 130 and 230.

On the other hand, when passing through the reverse osmosis membrane filters 113 and 213, a considerable amount of such solid matter is removed and an electrolysis reaction (oxidation-reduction reaction) can not be performed smoothly. Hence, a high voltage and / or a high current are required, The amount of the substance required for the production of the mixed substance is also largely removed, so that the concentration of the oxidizing mixed substance through electrolysis becomes low, which is not sufficient for sterilization.

The purified water supplied from the sediment filter 111 or the sediment filter 111 and the pre-carbon filter 112 or the composite filter 211 located at the front end of the reverse osmosis membrane filters 113 and 213, The electrolytic sterilizer 130 and 230 are supplied with the electrolytic sterilizer 130 and 230 in a state in which the quantity of the water is high and the electrolytic sterilizer 130 or 230 has the same level of chlorine ion as that of the raw water.

For example, the concentration of chlorine ions contained in the purified water through the sediment filter 111, or the sediment filter 111 and the free carbon filter 112, or the composite filter 211, (Typically, 10 to 20 ppm) is almost the same, so that not only can it be introduced into the electrolytic sterilizers 130 and 230 of a sufficient amount of chlorine ions, but also the electrolyte necessary for electrolysis, that is, the total dissolved solid matter (TDS) (Sterilized water containing 2 to 3 ppm of oxidizing mixed material) by controlling the inflow volume (liter / minute), the flow rate of the purified water flowing into the electrolytic sterilizers 130 and 230, the current and the voltage, I could.

Particularly, as shown in FIGS. 7A to 9B, if the constant flow valve 223 is provided at the front end of the electrolytic sterilizer 230 to supply purified water at a reduced flow rate, more stable sterilization of the electrolytic sterilizers 130 and 230 Number generation is possible.

On the other hand, when the amount of the total dissolved solids contained in the purified water passing through the sediment filter 111, the sediment filter 111, the free carbon filter 112, or the composite filter 211 is excessively larger than the proper range The electrolytic sterilizer 130 and 230 can control the voltage and / or the current of the electrolytic sterilizers 130 and 230 to produce stable concentrations of the oxidizing mixed material.

As described above, since the electrolytic sterilizers 130 and 230 are sufficient for chlorine ions, they only electrolyze the purified water without supplying any electrolytic substance such as chloride (sodium chloride, potassium chloride, etc.) And the concentration of the total dissolved solids is also high. Therefore, it is possible to produce oxidizing mixed material having a sufficient concentration for sterilization even under low current or low voltage driving.

On the other hand, since the purified water passing through the sediment filter 111, the sediment filter 111, the free carbon filter 112, or the composite filter 211 flows into the electrolytic sterilizer 130 and 230, the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 , 213 can be replaced with other filters such as a hollow fiber filter or a microfilter, it is possible to produce an oxidizing mixed material having a sufficient concentration for sterilization even under low current or low voltage driving as described above.

The sterilized water at a high concentration (for example, 2 to 3 ppm) generated by the electrolytic sterilizers 130 and 230 is supplied to the sterilization water lines 142 and 242 through the sterilization water lines 142 and 242, (S130). That is, in order to perform sterilizing cleaning to the upper end of the storage tanks 170 and 270, it is preferable that the sterilized water is supplied up to the full water level.

The high concentration of sterilized water supplied to the storage tanks 170 and 270 is mixed with the purified water contained in the storage tanks 170 and 270 so that a certain concentration of the oxidizing mixture is contacted with the inner walls of the storage tanks 170 and 270, As a result, the inner walls of the storage tanks 170 and 270 can be sterilized through sterilized water. For example, when the concentration of the oxidizing mixed material MO contained in the sterilized water supplied to the storage tanks 170 and 270 is 2 to 3 ppm, it is mixed with the purified water remaining in the storage tanks 170 and 270, The concentration of the mixed substance can be adjusted to 0.05 to 0.15 ppm and the sterilization efficiency can be expected. Particularly, considering that the concentration of the oxidizing mixed substance required for sterilization is 0.05 ppm, the concentration of the oxidizing mixed substance in the storage tanks 170 and 270 due to the inflow of the sterilizing water is not more than 0.05 ppm It is preferable that the concentration is about 0.07 to 0.13 ppm which is slightly higher.

When the sterilization water supplied to the storage tanks 170 and 270 is full, the detection signal of the water level sensor 175c is output to the control units 190 and 290. The control unit 190 controls the raw water shutoff valve WV ).

As described above, after the supply of the sterilized water to the storage tanks 170 and 270 is completed, the sterilized water discharge step S140 is performed.

The disinfecting water discharge step (S140) may discharge the sterilized water to the outside after a predetermined time has elapsed from the time when the inflow of the sterilized water has become the full water level or the time when the water level has become high.

At this time, the control units 190 and 290 apply electric signals to the drain pumps 155 and 255 to operate the drain pumps 155 and 255, and at the same time, an electric signal is applied to the channel switching valve 157 The drainage line 151 is opened to the living water discharge side (Figs. 2 to 5) or the drainage valve 252 is opened (Figs. 7A to 7B).

The sterilized water stored in the storage tanks 170 and 270 is discharged to the living water at a high speed through the drain lines 151 and 251 by the pumping pressure of the drain pumps 155 and 255. Particularly, when the drain pumps 155 and 255 are used, it is possible to perform a quick drainage operation, thereby shortening the time required for sterilizing and cleaning.

The drainage operation of the sterilized water may be configured to shut off the operation of the drain pump 155, 255 after the predetermined time, but in order to prevent the drain pump 155, 255 from being driven for more than necessary time, (190, 290) is terminated by sensing that an overload occurs in the drain pump (155, 255) due to drainage of the storage tanks (170, 270).

5, 9A and 9B, the sterilization water contained in the storage tanks 170 and 270 can be discharged through the water intake cocks 159, 259a and 259b, , 280 and valve connection ports 159, 259a, 259b, 259c to the drain lines 151, 251 and then to the outside. In this way, when the sterilized water is discharged through the intake corks 159, 259a, and 259b, the water intake corks 159, 259a, and 259b can be sterilized and cleaned. 259a, 259b from the intake corks 159, 259a, 259b by only connecting the intake corks 159, 259a, 259b and the valve connectors 159, 259a, 259b, 259c through the connecting members 180, The water can be discharged to the drain pipe dL of the filter units 110 and 210 so that the water intake corks 159, 259a and 259b can be sterilized and cleaned easily without using a separate water receiving member.

Thus, when the number of sterilized water is finished, the rinsing water supply step (S150) may be performed, in which case the control unit (190, 290) reopens the raw water shutoff valve (WV) .

However, since the concentration of the oxidizing mixed material in the storage tanks 170 and 270 during sterilization is about 0.05 to 0.15 ppm, the amount of the oxidizing mixed material remaining in the storage tanks 170 and 270 after sterilizing water draining is extremely small , And when the water is reintroduced into the later storage tanks 170 and 270, the concentration thereof is remarkably lowered, so that it is harmless to the human body and the user can not feel abnormality of the water taste due to the oxidizing mixed material. It is also possible not to. In particular, in the case of the present invention, only the purified water is electrolyzed without supplying any additional chloride, so even if the germicidal material is consumed, it is almost harmless to the human body.

However, it may be desirable to perform a rinsing operation to more reliably remove the oxidizing mixed material.

In this rinse water supply step (S150), the raw water is filtered through the sediment filter 111, the sediment filter 111 and the free carbon filter 112, or the composite filter 211, (170, 270). At this time, the purified water supplied to the storage tanks 170 and 270 is supplied through the sterilizing water lines 142 and 242, but since the electrolytic sterilizers 130 and 230 are off, no sterilizing water is generated.

At this time, in order to prevent waste of water and to supply rinse water at a high speed and to prevent unfiltered raw water from entering the storage tanks 170 and 270 as it is, the rinsing water is supplied to the reverse side of the reverse osmosis membrane filters 113 and 213 The filtered constants are used, for example, the sediment filters 111 and 211, or the sediment filters 111 and 211 and the pre-carbon filters 112 and 212, or the composite filter 211 .

On the other hand, it is also possible to supply purified water to the storage tanks 170 and 270 to the full water level to perform the rinsing operation. However, when supplying purified water to the high water level, not only a lot of time is required for supplying and draining water (rinse water), but also a lot of water is wasted. Accordingly, according to a more preferred embodiment of the present invention, the amount of rinsing water (rinsing water) supplied to the storage tanks 170 and 270 during the rinsing operation is such that, (For example, a constant supply of about 0.1 to 0.5 liters) so as to be able to rinse the bottom surfaces of the first and second plates 170 and 270. To this end, the amount of purified water (rinsing water) supplied to the storage tanks 170 and 270 is preferably supplied by a predetermined amount smaller than the full water capacity corresponding to the full water level of the storage tanks 170 and 270. As an example, it may suffice to supply an integer of water level lower than the low water level which can be sensed through the low water level sensors 175a and 275a.

As described above, when the supply of the rinsing water is finished, the rinsing water discharge step (S160) is performed. The rinse water discharging step S160 basically has the same mechanism as that of the disinfecting water discharging step S140, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

When the drain pump 155 or 255 is used in the rinse water discharging step S160, the time required for the rinsing can be shortened and the control unit 190 or 290 can drain the storage tanks 170 and 270 It is possible to prevent the drain pump 155, 255 from being driven for a long time by configuring the drain pump 155, 255 to detect the occurrence of an overload and terminating the rinsing water discharging step S160.

Then, the sterilization cleaning method (S100) is completed by performing the water supply step (S170) in which the purified water having passed through the filter units (110, 210) is supplied again to the storage tank.

[The second of the sterilization cleaning method Example ]

Next, a sterilization cleaning method (S200) of the water treatment apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A and 9B showing the water treatment apparatuses 100 and 200 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 11, the sterilizing cleaning method (S200) of the water treatment apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention is basically the same as the sterilizing cleaning method (S100) shown in FIG. 10 except that the sterilizing water discharging step (S140) . Therefore, in order to avoid unnecessary duplication, a detailed description of the same or similar configuration will be omitted, and only differences will be discussed.

11, the disinfecting water discharging step S140 includes an discharging start step S141 for discharging the sterilizing water from the storage tank 270 and a disinfecting operation for discharging sterilizing water discharged from the storage tank 270 to water treatment A circulating sterilization step (S143) for circulating the circulating water through a channel provided inside the apparatus, and an external discharging step (S145) for discharging circulated sterilized water to the outside.

Hereinafter, each step will be described separately as the fifth embodiment of the water treatment apparatus shown in Figs. 8A and 8B and the sixth embodiment of the water treatment apparatus shown in Figs. 9A and 9B.

First, in the case of the fifth embodiment of the water treatment apparatus 200 shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the discharge start step (S141) causes the sterilized water accommodated in the storage tank 270 to be discharged directly to the drain line 251 , And is performed by opening the drain valve 252 by the control unit 290. [

In the circulating sterilization step S143, sterilization water discharged to the drain line 251 through the drain valve 252 is introduced into the circulation line 243 via the flow path switching valve 253, And is re-introduced into the storage tank 270. In this process, as well as the storage tank 270, sterilization cleaning of the purified water 241, the drainage line 251, and the circulation line 243 through which the sterilized water flows is performed.

The external discharge step S145 is a step of discharging sterilized water circulated sterilized for a predetermined time to the outside, which is performed in the same process as the sterilized water discharge step S140 shown in FIG. 10, do.

In the case of the sixth embodiment of the water treatment apparatus 200 shown in Figs. 9A and 9B, the discharge start step S141 is a step of discharging the sterilizing water accommodated in the storage tank 270 through the water intake cocks 279a and 279b And discharging the water to the line 251 is performed by first opening the drain valve 252 and opening the water intake valves 277a, 277b and 277c by the control unit 290 after the connection member 280 is first installed.

The circulating sterilization step S143 is a step in which sterilizing water is supplied to the drainage line 279a and 279b through the intake valves 279a and 279b, the connection member 270 and the valve connection ports 259a, 259b and 259c by opening the intake valves 277a, 277b and 277c, 251 and the sterilized water flowing into the drain line 251 flows into the circulation line 243 through the channel switching valve 253 and then flows into the storage tank 270 through the purified line 241 . In this process, as well as the storage tank 270, the sterilizing cleaning of the water intake cocks 279a and 279b and the water line 241 and the drainage line 251 and the circulation line 243 through which sterilizing water flows are performed.

The external discharge step S145 is a step of discharging sterilized water circulated sterilized for a predetermined time to the outside, which is performed in the same process as the sterilized water discharge step S140 shown in FIG. 10, do.

[Third of the sterilization cleaning method Example ]

In the case of the water treatment apparatuses 100 and 200 according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention as described above, the electrolytic sterilizers 130 and 230 or the electrolytic sterilizers 130 and 230 and the sterilizing water lines 142 and 242, Can be detached.

The third embodiment of the sterilizing and cleaning method of the water treatment apparatus is characterized in that the electrolytic sterilizers 130 and 230 are connected to the water treatment apparatus 130 before the sterilizing water is supplied through the electrolytic sterilizers 130 and 230 to the sterilizing water supply step S120 (100, 200), as in the case of the first and second embodiments of the sterilizing cleaning method. Therefore, in order to avoid unnecessary duplication, a detailed description of the same or similar configuration will be omitted, and only differences will be discussed.

In the third embodiment of the sterilization and cleaning method according to the present invention, one side of the electrolytic sterilizers 130 and 230 is connected to the inside of the filter unit 110 before the sterilizing water is generated through the electrolytic sterilizers 130 and 230, And the other side of the electrolytic sterilizers 130 and 230 is connected to the storage tanks 170 and 270. [

Specifically, the sterilizing water supply step (S120) is a step of supplying sterilizing water to one side of the electrolytic sterilizers 130 and 230 through the flow path between the sediment filter 111 and the free carbon filter 112, or between the free carbon filter 112 and the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 And the other side is connected to the post carbon filters 114 and 214 and the storage tanks 170 and 270 through a connection path such as a flow path between the composite filter 211 and the reverse osmosis membrane filter 213, Or through a known connection means to the storage tanks 170 and 270. [0064]

7A and FIG. 9B, when a constant flow rate valve 223 is installed at a front end of the electrolytic sterilizer 230 so that the flow rate of the electrolytic sterilant 230 flowing into the electrolytic sterilizer 230 is constant, the electrolytic sterilizer 230 It is desirably detached together with the constant flow valve 223.

In the case of supplying the rinsing water to the storage tanks 170 and 270 in step S150, the purified water passing through only a part of the filter units 110 and 210 in the state where the driving of the electrolytic sterilizers 130 and 230 is stopped, To the storage tanks (170, 270) through the first and second openings (130, 230). At this time, the electrolytic sterilizers 130 and 230 may be driven manually, but may be configured to be automatically controlled through wired / wireless connection with the control units 190 and 290.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but, on the contrary, And it goes without saying that the invention belongs to the scope of the invention.

100, 200 ... The water treatment apparatus 110, 210 ... The filter unit
120 ... The flow path switching valves 130, 230 ... Electrolytic sterilizer
141, 241 ... Integer lines 142, 242 ... Sterilized water line
150, 250 ... The drainage units 151, 251 ... Drain line
155, 255 ... Drainage pump 157 ... Euro switching valve
170, 270 ... Storage tanks 171, 271 ... The first storage unit
172, 272 ... The second storage units 175a, 275c ... Low-level sensor
175b, 275b ... The water level sensors 175c, 275a ... Full-water level sensor
274 ... The hot water tanks 178a, 278a ... The first intake line
178b, 278b ... The second intake lines 159, 259a, 259b, 259c ... Valve connector
180, 280 ... The connecting members 181, 281 ... The first connection cap
182, 282 ... The second connection caps 183, 283 ... Connecting hose
190, 290 ... The control unit 243 ... Circulation line
244 ... Sterilization water extraction line dL ... Drain pipe
dV ... Drain valve P ... Pressure pump
PS ... Flow sensing unit W ... Source water supplier
WV ... Raw water shutoff valve

Claims (13)

A filter unit for purifying raw water;
A storage tank connected to the filter unit and storing purified water passing through the filter unit;
An electrolytic sterilizer fixedly installed in a flow path between the filter unit and the storage tank and electrolyzing the filtered water while passing through only a part of the filter unit to generate sterilized water to supply sterilized water to the storage tank;
And a drain line connected to the storage tank for discharging water contained in the storage tank; And
A control unit for controlling the constant mode by the filter unit and the sterilization mode through the electrolytic sterilizer and the drain unit;
/ RTI >
A circulation line for supplying sterilized water drained through the drain line to the storage tank is provided between the drainage line and the integer line provided in the filter unit,
A flow path switching valve is provided between the drain line and the circulation line for switching the flow path for circulating and draining sterilized water,
Wherein the filter unit includes a main filter having a higher degree of filtration than other filters provided in the filter unit, and a post-carbon filter disposed at a rear end of the main filter,
Wherein the electrolytic sterilizer is installed in a sterilizing water line branched from a front end of the main filter and connected to the storage tank,
Wherein the sterilization water line is formed as a flow path separate from an integral line connecting the rear end of the post carbon filter and the storage tank so that sterilizing water is supplied to the storage tank through the sterilization water line, Lt; / RTI >
Wherein the circulation line is a constant line connected to an integer line of the front end of the post carbon filter and connecting the inside of the post carbon filter and the rear end of the post carbon filter and the storage tank at sterilization through the circulation line, A water treatment device configured to sterilize and clean. The method according to claim 1,
The drainage unit further comprises a drain pump installed in the drainage line,
Wherein the circulation of the sterilizing water through the circulation line is performed by the pressurization of the drain pump. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein sterilization water supplied to the storage tank is discharged through a water intake coke connected to the storage tank or discharged through the water drainage unit in a sterilization mode through the control unit. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the water intake cock is connected to a drain line of the drain unit via a connection member. 5. The method of claim 4,
The connecting member includes:
A first connection cap detachable from the water intake cock, a second connection cap detachable from the drainage unit, and a connection hose connecting the first connection cap and the second connection cap. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the second connection cap is detachably attached to a valve connection port provided in a drain line of the drain unit. 7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
Wherein the control unit operates the electrolytic sterilizer to generate sterilized water in the sterilization mode, and discharges sterilized water stored in the storage tank through the drain unit. delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the main filter comprises a reverse osmosis membrane filter or a hollow fiber membrane filter. delete 7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
Wherein a flow rate valve is installed at a front end of the electrolytic sterilizer so that the flow rate of the electrolytic sterilizer is constant. 7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
Wherein the storage tank includes a water level sensor for sensing a water level between a full water level and a low water level,
Wherein the control unit opens the drain line connected to the storage tank to drain the purified water stored in the storage tank until the detection of the water level sensor is not performed at the start of the sterilization mode. 13. The method of claim 12,
Wherein the control unit drives a drain pump provided in the drainage unit for an integral multiple of the water contained in the storage tank.

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