KR102536934B1 - A water softener and control method of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a water softener including an opening/closing sensor and easy to maintain, and a method for controlling the same. A water softener including a cover that surrounds the outside of the housing and is positioned to be opened and closed, comprising: a water intake valve for controlling the inflow of raw water into the regeneration cylinder; a residual water valve controlling discharge of residual water in the regeneration cylinder; a water outlet valve controlling discharge of soft water from the ion resin tank; a regeneration valve controlling an inflow of regeneration water from the regeneration cylinder to the ion resin tank; a control unit controlling opening and closing of the water inlet valve, the residual water valve, and the water outlet valve; and an open/close detector detecting whether the cover is opened or closed.
According to the present invention, maintenance work such as water softener maintenance can be minimized by automating, defects due to work omission can be improved, and furthermore, power consumption can be reduced.

Description

A water softener and control method of the same}

The present invention relates to a water softener, and more particularly, to a water softener that is easy to maintain and a control method thereof.

Water softeners installed in homes or offices have a function of chemically converting hard water ions contained in tap water into softened water.

In general, tap water (hard water) contains a large amount of chlorine used in the purification process, and also contains various heavy metals (ions) such as iron, zinc, lead, and mercury that are harmful to the human body due to old pipes and water pollution. .

Such tap water is not fatal to the human body, but when used as it is to wash the skin, the metal ions contained in the water and the fatty acids of the soap combine to form metallic foreign substances. In addition, contact with the skin causes various skin diseases such as allergies or accelerates skin aging.

Therefore, in order to prevent this, a water softener that passes tap water through an ion exchange resin to make soft water has been developed and is mainly used for cleaning.

In general, such a water softener is provided with an ion resin tank that softens raw water by introducing water into the ion resin tank. It is also provided with a regeneration cylinder to be supplied to.

In addition, when the regeneration agent in the regeneration cylinder is exhausted according to the generation of regeneration water and needs to be recharged, or when replacement or cleaning is required, maintenance work such as separating the regeneration cylinder is required.

In the case of such maintenance work of the water softener, after opening the cover outside the water softener, blocking water inflow and outflow, removing residual water in the regeneration tank, and starting water inflow and outflow again, the regeneration function of the ion resin tank is regenerated. However, if a step is omitted due to an operator's (or user's) inexperience, there are problems such as leakage of residual water when separating the regeneration cylinder or defects in the water softener.

Patent Document 1: KR 2014-0113161 A

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to address the problems of the prior art as described above, and provides a water softener and a control method thereof to solve problems that may occur during maintenance of the water softener.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a water softener including a housing, an ion resin tank disposed in the housing, a regeneration cylinder connected to the ion resin tank, and a cover covering the outside of the housing and positioned to be openable and openable. , an inlet valve for controlling the inflow of raw water into the regeneration cylinder; a residual water valve controlling discharge of residual water in the regeneration cylinder; a water outlet valve controlling discharge of soft water from the ion resin tank; a regeneration valve controlling an inflow of regeneration water from the regeneration cylinder to the ion resin tank; a control unit controlling opening and closing of the water inlet valve, the residual water valve, and the water outlet valve; and an open/close detector detecting whether the cover is opened or closed.

The controller closes the water inlet valve and the water outlet valve and opens the residual water valve when the open/close detection unit senses that the cover is open, and closes the residual water valve when a predetermined time elapses after the residual water valve is opened. and, after closing the residual water valve, when it is detected that the cover is coupled to the housing, the water inlet valve and the regeneration valve are opened so that the raw water passing through the regeneration tank flows into the ion resin tank as regeneration water. It is desirable to do

The opening and closing detection unit, one side of which is exposed to the outside of the housing, the pressing unit positioned to be pressed or released according to the opening and closing operation of the cover; a magnet positioned so that a hinge operation is possible according to whether the pressing part is pressed or released; and a reed switch located at one side of the magnet so as to be in contact with or spaced apart from the magnet according to the hinge operation of the magnet.

The control unit closes the water inlet valve and the water outlet valve and opens the residual water valve when the magnet contacts the reed switch as the pressurization unit is released by the opening of the cover, and after opening the residual water valve, When a predetermined time elapses, the residual water valve is closed, and after the residual water valve is closed, the pressing part is pressed by the closing of the cover, and when the magnet is separated from the reed switch, the water inlet valve and the regeneration valve are opened. Thus, it is preferable to allow the raw water that has passed through the regeneration tank to flow into the ion resin tank as regeneration water.

It is preferable to further include a display unit for displaying open/closed states of the water inlet valve, the water outlet valve, the residual water valve, and the regeneration valve.

In addition, the control method of the water softener may include: (a) detecting that the cover is opened by the opening/closing detecting unit; (b) closing the water inlet valve and the water outlet valve and opening the residual water valve by the control unit; (c) closing the residual water valve by the control unit when a predetermined time elapses after the residual water valve is opened; and (d) when it is detected that the cover is closed after the remaining water valve is closed, the controller opens the water inlet valve and the regeneration valve so that the raw water passing through the regeneration tank flows into the ion resin tank as regeneration water. It provides a control method for a water softener including;

In addition, as a control method of the water softener, (a) contacting the magnet with the reed switch as the cover is opened and the pressure is released from the pressing part; (b) closing, by the control unit, the water inlet valve and the water outlet valve and opening the residual water valve; (c) closing the residual water valve by the controller when a predetermined time elapses after opening the residual water valve; and (d) after the remaining water valve is closed, when the cover is closed and the magnet is separated from the reed switch as the pressing part is pressed, the controller opens the water inlet valve and the regeneration valve to open the regeneration cylinder. It provides a control method for a water softener, including the step of allowing the passed raw water to flow into the ion resin tank as regeneration water.

According to the water softener and its control method according to an embodiment of the present invention, maintenance tasks such as maintenance of the water softener can be minimized by automating, defects due to work omission can be improved, and power consumption can be reduced.

1 is a perspective view of a water softener according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which a cover is closed.
2 is a perspective view of a water softener according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which a cover is opened.
3 is a rear view of the water softener according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which the cover is removed.
4 schematically shows the configuration of a water softener according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a perspective view showing the operation of the opening/closing detection unit of the water softener according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is a closed state of the cover and an enlarged view of the opening/closing detection unit in this state.
6 is a perspective view showing the operation of the opening and closing detection unit of the water softener according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is an open state of the cover and an enlarged view of the opening and closing detection unit in this state.
7 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a water softener according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The above objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing preferred embodiments of the present invention in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this process, the thickness of lines or the size of components shown in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity and convenience of description. In addition, terms to be described later are terms defined in consideration of functions in the present invention, which may vary according to the intention or custom of a user or operator. Therefore, the definitions of these terms should be described based on the contents throughout this specification.

In addition, the described embodiments are provided by way of example for explanation of the present invention, and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

Each of the components constituting the water softener according to the present invention may be used integrally or separately as needed. In addition, it is possible to use by omitting some components depending on the type of use.

First, the configuration of a water softener according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6 attached.

A water softener according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a housing 10, an ion resin tank 200, a regeneration cylinder 300, a controller 900, an open/close detector 800, a cover 20, and a plurality of valves. include

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , a predetermined space is provided inside the housing 10, and the filter unit 100 and the ion resin tank 200 can be accommodated therein.

The cover 20 is positioned to surround the outside of the housing 10, and an opening and closing means such as a hinge part 22 is provided on one side so that the housing 10 can be exposed by opening and closing the cover 20 do.

A protruding protrusion 21 is located on one side of the inside of the cover 20, and a through hole 11 is formed in the lower portion of the housing 10, so that the protrusion 21 penetrates according to the opening or closing of the cover 20. It is inserted into or withdrawn from the ball (11).

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 , the filter unit 100 is located inside the housing 10 and consists of a filter for filtering raw water introduced from the outside. The filter unit 100 may be composed of various known filters as needed.

The ion resin tank 200 is located on one side of the filter unit 100 inside the housing 10, and raw water passing through the filter unit 100 is introduced.

The ion resin tank 200 is configured to soften the raw water that has passed through the filter unit 100, and for this purpose, an ion exchange resin such as a special polymer compound containing sodium ions is accommodated therein.

In a state where a large amount of ion exchange resin is stored in the form of fine grains in the ion resin tank 200, raw water is continuously passed into the ion resin tank 200 and contacted with the ion exchange resin to produce soft water.

The regeneration tank 300 is connected to the ion exchange tank, and raw water may be introduced into the tank.

An ion exchange resin regeneration material such as salt capable of generating sodium ions is accommodated in the regeneration cylinder 300 .

Raw water is introduced into the regeneration tank 300, regeneration water composed of NaCl is generated inside the regeneration tank 300, and the generated regeneration water is supplied into the ion resin tank 200.

The ion exchange resin needs to be periodically regenerated because the Na ⁺ component of the ion exchange resin contained therein gradually decreases due to the soft water generation action caused by continuous contact with incoming raw water. As regeneration water is generated and supplied into the ion resin tank 200, the softening function of the ion resin tank 200 is reproduced.

In addition, the regeneration cylinder 300 is located at the upper part of the housing 10 so as to be detachable from the housing 10, preferably by pressing the button 310 located between the regeneration cylinder 300 and the housing 10 to the housing 10. A separation from (10) can be made.

The water intake valve 400 controls raw water flowing in from the outside between the regeneration cylinder 300 and the filter unit 100 to selectively flow into the regeneration cylinder 300 and the filter unit 100, and also Adjust the amount of raw water.

The residual water valve 500 controls the discharge of residual water in the regeneration cylinder 300 . As described above, after the regeneration water is supplied from the regeneration cylinder 300 to the ion resin tank 200, there may be residual water, that is, remaining regeneration water in the regeneration cylinder 300, and the residual water valve 500 controls the discharge thereof.

The regeneration valve 700 controls the inflow of the regeneration water generated in the regeneration cylinder 300 into the ion resin tank 200 as described above.

The water outlet valve 600 controls the discharge of soft water generated in the ion resin tank 200 .

The controller 900 is located in the housing 10 and controls opening and closing of each valve.

Hereinafter, a specific configuration of the opening/closing detection unit 800 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6 .

The opening/closing detection unit 800 is located on one side inside the housing 10 and detects that the cover 20 is opened or closed.

The opening/closing detection unit 800 includes a pressing unit 830, a magnet 820, and a reed switch 840, and detects the opening or closing of the cover 20 through them.

Opening and closing detection unit 800, in the present embodiment, is located in the lower part of the inside of the housing 10, but is not limited thereto.

The pressing part 830 is located below the housing 10, and one side thereof is exposed through the through hole 11 formed in the housing 10.

Thus, the pressing portion 830 can come into contact with the protruding portion 21 formed on the cover 20 to be pressed, and the protruding portion 21 is inserted into the through hole 11 by the opening and closing operation of the cover 20 as described above. As it is moved or withdrawn, it is pressed by the protrusion 21 or the pressure is released.

The magnet 820 is connected to one side of the pressing unit 830 and is operably positioned according to the operation of the pressing unit 830. Specifically, one side is installed through the housing 10 and the shaft 821, so that the In response to pressure due to contact of the cover 20 to the portion 830, the hinge operation is possible around the shaft 821.

The reed switch 840 is located close to one side of the magnetic 820, so that the cover 20 and the housing ( The opening or closing of 10) is detected.

As shown in FIG. 5 , in a state in which the cover 20 is closed, that is, in a state in which the water softener is in use, the protrusion 21 is inserted into the through hole 11, and the pressurizing portion 830 is pressed accordingly. The magnet 820 is spaced apart from the reed switch 840.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, in a state in which the cover 20 is open, that is, in a state during maintenance of the water softener, the protrusion 21 is drawn out from the through hole 11 as the cover 20 is opened. , the pressing of the pressing unit 830 is released, and the magnet 820 is brought into contact with the reed switch 840.

As such, when the water softener is in use, the magnet 820 is separated from the reed switch 840 and the magnet 820 contacts the reed switch 840 and operates only when the cover 20 is opened for maintenance. By doing so, it is possible to reduce the power consumed by the opening/closing detection unit 800 .

The controller 900 is connected to each of the valves and controls each valve according to whether the cover 20 is opened or closed, which is detected by the open/close detection unit 800, which will be described later.

In addition, a display unit for displaying the status of each valve according to the control of the control unit 900 may be further provided.

Hereinafter, with further reference to attached FIG. 7 , a control method of a water softener including the opening/closing detection unit 800 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

First, the opening of the cover 20 is detected by the opening/closing detection unit 800 (S10).

When the cover 20 is opened for maintenance such as repair and maintenance of the water softener by the user, the opening of the cover 20 is detected by the open/close detection unit 800 .

Specifically, when the water softener is in use and the cover 20 is closed, the protrusion 21 located inside the cover 20 is inserted into the through hole 11, and thus the pressing portion 830 is pressed, the magnet 820 connected to the pressing part 830 is separated from the reed switch 840 (see FIG. 5).

In this state, when maintenance of the water softener is required, the cover 20 is opened by the user, the protrusion 21 is drawn out from the through hole 11, and the pressurization of the pressurization part 830 is released, thereby releasing the pressurization part. 830 is hinged in a direction exposed through the through hole 11, and accordingly, the magnetic 820 approaches the reed switch, thereby detecting that the cover 20 is opened (see FIG. 6).

Next, the water inlet valve 400 and the water outlet valve 600 are closed, and the residual water valve 500 is opened (S20).

When the opening/closing detection unit 800 detects that the cover 20 is open, the control unit 900 closes the water inlet valve 400 and the water outlet valve 600 to block the inflow of raw water into the water softener and the outflow of soft water. do.

Then, the residual water valve 500 is opened so that residual water in the regeneration cylinder 300 is discharged.

As described above, residual water, that is, remaining reclaimed water, exists in the regeneration cylinder 300. If the regeneration cylinder 300 is separated without discharging it, residual water in the regeneration cylinder 300 leaks out, so it is drained in advance.

At this time, the display unit displays the state of the valves as described above, that is, the closed state of the water inlet valve 400 and the water outlet valve 600 and the open state of the residual water valve 500, so that the residual water in the regeneration cylinder 300 is discharged to the user. inform that there is

Next, the residual water valve 500 is closed (S30).

When a predetermined time elapses after the residual water valve 500 is opened, the controller 900 closes the residual water valve 500 .

At this time, the display unit displays the closed state of the remaining water valve 500 to notify that the regeneration cylinder 300 can be separated.

As the residual water valve 500 is closed, the regeneration container 300 can be separated without leakage of residual water, and the regeneration container 300 can be washed or refilled with a regenerating agent.

Next, after the remaining water valve 500 is closed, it is checked whether or not the cover 20 is detected to be closed (S40), and when the cover 20 is detected to be closed, the water intake valve 400 and the regeneration valve 700 is opened, and the raw water passing through the regeneration cylinder 300 flows into the ion resin tank 200 as regeneration water (S50).

When the cover 20 is closed, the protrusion 21 located inside the cover 20 is inserted into the through hole 11, whereby the pressing part 830 is pressed, and the magnet 820 connected to the pressing part 830 By being separated from this reed switch 840, it is sensed that the cover 20 is closed.

As described above, when the closing of the cover 20 is detected by the opening/closing detection unit 800, the control unit 900 opens the water intake valve 400 and the regeneration valve 700.

Raw water is introduced into the regeneration cylinder 300 through the opened inlet valve 400, regeneration water is generated, and the generated regeneration water flows into the ion resin tank 200, thereby improving the softening function of the ion resin tank 200. is played

As described above, according to the water softener and the control method thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention, maintenance work such as maintenance of the water softener can be minimized by automating, defects due to work omission can be improved, and power consumption can be reduced.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. That is, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains can make many changes and modifications to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims, and all such appropriate changes and modifications Equivalents should also be considered as falling within the scope of this invention.

10: housing
20: cover
100: filter unit
200: ion resin tank
300: recycling bin
400: intake valve
500: residual water valve
600: water outlet valve
700: regeneration valve
800: opening and closing detection unit
820: magnetic
830: pressing part
840: reed switch
900: control unit

Claims (7)

A water softener including a housing, an ion resin tank disposed in the housing, a regeneration cylinder connected to the ion resin tank, and a cover covering the outside of the housing and positioned to be openable and closed,
an inlet valve for controlling the inflow of raw water into the regeneration cylinder;
a residual water valve controlling discharge of residual water in the regeneration cylinder;
a water outlet valve controlling discharge of soft water from the ion resin tank;
a regeneration valve controlling an inflow of regeneration water from the regeneration cylinder to the ion resin tank;
a control unit controlling opening and closing of the water inlet valve, the residual water valve, and the water outlet valve; and
It includes; an open/close detection unit for detecting whether the cover is opened or closed,
The opening and closing detection unit,
a pressurizing unit, one side of which is exposed to the outside of the housing, and positioned such that pressurization or pressurization is released according to the opening and closing operation of the cover;
a magnet positioned so that a hinge operation is possible according to whether the pressing part is pressed or released; and
On one side of the magnet, a reed switch positioned so as to be in contact with or separated from the magnet according to the hinge operation of the magnet; including,
water softener.
According to claim 1,
The control unit closes the water inlet valve and the water outlet valve and opens the remaining water valve when the open/close detection unit detects that the cover is open,
After the residual water valve is opened, when a predetermined time elapses, the residual water valve is closed;
After the remaining water valve is closed, when it is detected that the cover is coupled to the housing, the water inlet valve and the regeneration valve are opened so that the raw water passing through the regeneration tank flows into the ion resin tank as regeneration water.
water softener.
delete According to claim 1,
The controller closes the water inlet valve and the water outlet valve and opens the remaining water valve when the magnet contacts the reed switch as the pressurizing part is released by the opening of the cover,
After the residual water valve is opened, when a predetermined time elapses, the residual water valve is closed;
After the remaining water valve is closed, when the pressurizing part is pressed by the closing of the cover, and the magnet is separated from the reed switch, the water inlet valve and the regeneration valve are opened, and the raw water passing through the regeneration cylinder is treated as regeneration water. To be introduced into the ion resin tank,
water softener.
According to claim 2,
Further comprising a display unit for displaying the open and closed states of the water inlet valve, the water outlet valve, the residual water valve, and the regeneration valve,
water softener.
A control method of the water softener according to any one of claims 1, 2, 4 and 5,
(a) detecting that the cover is opened by the opening/closing detection unit;
(b) closing the water inlet valve and the water outlet valve and opening the residual water valve by the control unit;
(c) closing the residual water valve by the control unit when a predetermined time elapses after the residual water valve is opened; and
(d) After the remaining water valve is closed, when the closing of the cover is detected by the opening/closing detection unit, the control unit opens the water inlet valve and the regeneration valve so that the raw water passing through the regeneration cylinder is converted into regeneration water, and the ion Including, step of allowing it to flow into the resin tank;
Water softener control method.
A control method of the water softener according to any one of claims 1, 2, 4 and 5,
(a) contacting the magnet with the reed switch as the cover is opened and the pressing part is released;
(b) the control unit closing the water inlet valve and the water outlet valve and opening the residual water valve;
(c) closing the residual water valve by the controller when a predetermined time elapses after opening the residual water valve; and
(d) After the remaining water valve is closed, when the cover is closed and the magnet is separated from the reed switch as the pressing part is pressed, the control unit opens the water inlet valve and the regeneration valve to pass through the regeneration cylinder. Including, allowing raw water to flow into the ion resin tank as regeneration water.
Water softener control method.

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