KR102603502B1 - Water purifier having ice manufacturing function - Google Patents

Abstract

A water purifier equipped with an ice-making function is disclosed. The water purifier equipped with the ice-making function includes an auger module that generates cold water and ice by an auger-type ice-making method; An instantaneous hot water heater that generates hot water by heating supplied water; A hot water inlet valve provided at the inlet end of the instantaneous hot water heater to control the inflow into the instantaneous hot water heater; a hot water extraction pump provided at the inlet of the instantaneous hot water heater to supply water to the instantaneous hot water heater; A flow path switching valve provided at an outlet of the instantaneous hot water heater to switch the hot water flow path so that the hot water is provided to any one of the auger module, the extractor, and the drain; a cold water drain valve provided in a drain passage connecting the auger module and the drain to control discharge of water within the auger module; And it may be configured to include a control unit that controls to supply hot water heated by the instantaneous hot water heater to the auger module to thaw the auger module.

Description

Water purifier with ice making function {WATER PURIFIER HAVING ICE MANUFACTURING FUNCTION}

This application relates to a water purifier equipped with an ice-making function.

Water purifiers that provide purified water by purifying raw water supplied from the outside are widely used, and recently, in addition to providing purified water, water purifiers that generate cold water and ice using purified water are also widely used.

There are various ways to create ice, including immersion ice-making, spray-type ice-making, running-water ice-making, and auger-type ice-making.

Here, the auger-type ice making method causes the refrigerant to flow around the flow space where water flows, creating ice on the inner circumferential surface of the flow space, and causes the screw to rotate in the flow space to separate the ice from the inner circumferential surface of the flow space. The method is to transport it and discharge it to the outside.

A device that generates both ice and cold water by a single auger module employing this auger-type ice-making method can be considered.

However, when the auger module switches from an ice-making operation that generates ice to a cooling operation that generates cold water, the inside of the ice-making pipe may freeze due to the latent heat of evaporation of the ice-making pipe provided in the auger module, thereby preventing the production of cold water. Circulation of water becomes impossible, making it impossible to produce cold water.

In addition, when performing an ice-making operation, the auger module may freeze due to subcooling of the evaporator and the screw may be restricted, thereby making it impossible to create ice.

In this case, it is necessary to wait until the ice-making pipe is thawed or to perform a separate thawing operation to thaw the ice-making pipe.

However, according to the prior art, there are limitations in that it takes a long time until thawing or a separate configuration for thawing must be provided.

Accordingly, in the relevant technical field, there is a need for a method for performing a more efficient thawing operation when the auger module is frozen in a home water purifier employing an auger-type ice making method.

In order to solve the above problem, an embodiment of the present invention provides a water purifier equipped with an ice-making function.

The water purifier equipped with the ice-making function includes an auger module that generates cold water and ice by an auger-type ice-making method; An instantaneous hot water heater that generates hot water by heating supplied water; A hot water inlet valve provided at the inlet end of the instantaneous hot water heater to control the inflow into the instantaneous hot water heater; a hot water extraction pump provided at the inlet of the instantaneous hot water heater to supply water to the instantaneous hot water heater; A flow path switching valve provided at an outlet of the instantaneous hot water heater to switch the hot water flow path so that the hot water is provided to any one of the auger module, the extractor, and the drain; a cold water drain valve provided in a drain passage connecting the auger module and the drain to control discharge of water within the auger module; And it may include a control unit that controls to supply hot water heated by the instantaneous hot water heater to the auger module to thaw the auger module.

Additionally, the means for solving the above problems do not enumerate all the features of the present invention. The various features of the present invention and the resulting advantages and effects can be understood in more detail by referring to the specific embodiments below.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, when the auger module is frozen, a thawing operation can be performed more quickly without a separate component for thawing.

Furthermore, since the auger module is thawed using hot water, scale generated inside the auger module can also be removed.

1 is a configuration diagram of a water purifier with an ice-making function according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a configuration diagram of a water purifier with an ice-making function according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an implementation example of the auger module shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method of operating a water purifier with an ice-making function shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is a detailed flowchart of the hot water thawing operation shown in FIG. 4.

Hereinafter, with reference to the attached drawings, preferred embodiments will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily practice the present invention. However, when describing preferred embodiments of the present invention in detail, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted. In addition, the same symbols are used throughout the drawings for parts that perform similar functions and actions.

In addition, throughout the specification, when a part is said to be 'connected' to another part, this does not only mean 'directly connected', but also 'indirectly connected' with another element in between. Includes. In addition, 'including' a certain component means that other components may be further included rather than excluding other components, unless specifically stated to the contrary.

1 is a configuration diagram of a water purifier with an ice-making function according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a water purifier 100 equipped with an ice-making function according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a filter unit 110, a purified water storage unit 120, a cold water and ice storage unit 130, and an auger module 140. ), a cooler 145, an extraction unit 150, an instantaneous hot water heater 160, a drain tank 170, a sensor unit 180, and a control unit 190.

The filter unit 110 is composed of one or more filters to sequentially filter and purify raw water, and may include a sediment filter, a free carbon filter, a reverse osmosis membrane filter, and a post carbon filter, but the types of filters, The number and order may change depending on the filtration method of the water purifier 100 or the filtration performance required for the water purifier 100. For example, a hollow fiber membrane filter may be provided instead of a reverse osmosis membrane filter. Additionally, a post carbon filter may not be provided, and a micro filter (MF) or other functional filter may be provided in place of or in addition to the above-mentioned filter.

The purified water storage unit 120 stores purified purified water as it passes through the filter unit 110 and can selectively discharge the stored purified water.

For example, the purified water stored in the purified water storage unit 120 is extracted to the extraction unit 150 such as a faucet through the first flow path switching valve (SV1), is provided to the cold water and ice storage unit 130, or is momentarily It may be provided as a hot water heater 160.

Here, the first flow path switching valve SV1 is provided in the flow path connecting the purified water storage unit 120 and the extraction unit 150, and can switch the flow path under the control of the control unit 190.

For example, the first flow path switching valve (SV1) is implemented as a 3-way valve, so that purified water stored in the purified water storage unit 120 is provided to the extraction unit 150, or is provided to the cold water and ice storage unit 130. Alternatively, the flow path can be converted to be provided as an instantaneous hot water heater (160).

In some cases, the purified water storage unit 120 may not be provided, in which case the purified purified water passing through the filter unit 110 is directly extracted into the extraction unit 150 or the cold water and ice storage unit 130. ) or may be provided as an instantaneous hot water heater 160.

The cold water and ice storage unit 130 stores cold water or ice generated by being provided from the purified water storage unit 120 and cooled by the auger module 140, which will be described later, and can selectively discharge the stored cold water or ice.

The cold water and ice storage unit 130 is divided into a first storage space for storing cold water and a second storage space for storing ice by a partition wall (not shown) provided therein, and may be configured to store cold water and ice, respectively. there is.

In this case, purified water provided from the purified water storage unit 120 may be introduced into the first storage space and then cooled by being provided to the auger module 140, which will be described later. Additionally, the cold water produced by cooling by the auger module 140 may be provided back to the cold water and ice storage unit 130 and stored in the first storage space. Meanwhile, ice generated by the auger module 140 may be provided to the cold water and ice storage unit 130 and stored in the second storage space.

However, as shown in FIG. 1, the storage unit for storing cold water and ice does not necessarily have to be formed as one, and the cold water storage unit and the ice storage unit may be configured to be independent and located adjacent to each other.

In addition, a pump (P1) and a second flow path switching valve (SV2) may be provided in the flow path connecting the first storage space of the cold water and ice storage unit 130 and the auger module 140.

Here, the pump P1 may be implemented as a motor, for example, so that the cold water stored in the first storage space is provided to the auger module 140.

In addition, the second flow path switching valve (SV2) is, for example, implemented as a 2-way valve to provide cold water stored in the first storage space of the cold water and ice storage unit 130 to the extraction unit 150, or an auger module ( Euros can be converted to be provided as 140).

Meanwhile, the second storage space of the cold water and ice storage unit 130 is equipped with a transport means (not shown) for transporting ice, and is configured to extract the ice transported by the transport means through the extraction unit 150. You can.

The auger module 140 is used to generate cold water and ice by cooling the cold water (or purified water) provided from the cold water and ice storage unit 130 using an auger-type ice making method.

Figure 3 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the auger module shown in Figure 1, where the auger module 140 includes a cooling part 142, a moving part 144, a separation transfer part 146, and a motor 148. It can be configured as follows.

Here, the cooling unit 142 constitutes the exterior of the auger module 140, and a space through which the refrigerant can flow is formed in the cooling unit 142 so that the refrigerant supplied from the cooler 145, which will be described later, can flow. .

In addition, the flowing part 144 formed in the internal space surrounded by the cooling part 142 receives cold water provided from the cold water and ice storage part 130 and allows it to flow. The cold water flowing in the flowing part 144 is further cooled by the refrigerant flowing in the cooling part 142, and ice may be generated on the surface in contact with the cooling part 142.

Here, the flow rate of cold water flowing through the flow unit 144 may vary depending on whether the above-described pump P1 is driven. For example, when the pump P1 is driven, the flow rate increases, and accordingly, no ice may be generated in the flow unit 144 or only a relatively small amount of ice may be generated. On the other hand, if the pump (P1) is not driven, the flow rate slows down and ice can be sufficiently generated.

The separation and transfer unit 146 is, for example, implemented as a screw that rotates in the moving unit 144 to separate and transport the ice created on the surface in contact with the cooling unit 142 and discharge it to the cold water and ice storage unit 130. there is.

The motor 148 can be driven to rotate the separation transfer unit 146.

The cold water generated by the above-described auger module 140 is provided to the first storage space of the cold water and ice storage unit 130, and the ice generated by the auger module 140 is provided to the cold water and ice storage unit 130. It may be provided as a second storage space.

Meanwhile, the auger module 140 may be connected to a drain passage connected to a drain to discharge water remaining in the auger module 140, and the drain passage may be equipped with a cold water drain valve (V2) and a drain tank 170. You can. The cold water drain valve V2 can control the discharge of water by opening and closing operations, and the drain tank 170 can store cold water discharged from the auger module 140 and discharge it to the drain.

The cooler 145 is for providing refrigerant to the cooling unit 142 of the auger module 140, and liquefies the refrigerant by releasing heat from a compressor that compresses the refrigerant and the high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous refrigerant compressed in the compressor. It may be configured to include a condenser and a cooling fan that is selectively driven to dissipate heat when the compressor is driven.

The extraction unit 150 is for selectively extracting purified water stored in the purified water storage unit 120, cold water stored in the first storage space of the cold water and ice storage unit 130, and ice stored in the second storage space, for example. For example, it can be implemented as a faucet for extracting purified water and cold water and an extractor for extracting ice.

The instantaneous hot water heater 160 is intended to generate hot water by heating water supplied from the purified water storage unit 120, and can be implemented, for example, with various instantaneous hot water means known to those skilled in the art.

A hot water intake valve (V1) and a hot water extraction pump (P2) may be provided in the passage connecting the first flow path switching valve (SV1) and the instantaneous hot water heater (160). Here, the hot water inlet valve V1 can control the inflow into the instantaneous hot water heater 160 by opening and closing operations, and the hot water extraction pump P2 is implemented as a motor, for example, and the purified water stored in the purified water storage unit 120. It can be provided as an instantaneous hot water heater (160).

Hot water heated by the instantaneous hot water heater 160 is provided to the extraction unit 150 through the hot water extraction valve (SV3), or to the auger module 140 through the hot water extraction valve (SV3) and the hot water drain valve (SV4). It may be provided or discharged as a drain.

Here, the hot water extraction valve (SV3) and the hot water drain valve (SV4) are connected to the outlet of the instantaneous hot water heater 160 and can be implemented as a flow path switching valve for switching the flow path of hot water, and the hot water extraction valve (SV3) And the hot water drain valve (SV4) is integrated and implemented as a single flow path switching valve, so that the hot water flow path can be switched to one of three directions (i.e., extraction unit 150, auger module 140, and drain).

The sensor unit 180 is used to detect information necessary for controlling the operation of the water purifier 100.

For example, the sensor unit 180 includes a first temperature sensor that detects the temperature of cold water stored in the first storage space of the cold water and ice storage unit 130, a second temperature sensor that detects the outside temperature, and an instantaneous hot water sensor. It may include a third temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of hot water heated by the heater 160, and a current sensor for detecting the current value of the motor 148 provided in the auger module 140.

The control unit 190 is for controlling the overall operation of the water purifier 100, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), microprocessor, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field It can be implemented with processors such as Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA).

For example, the control unit 190 controls the operations of the above-described components of the water purifier 100 based on the signal received from the sensor unit 180 or according to preset operation time conditions, such as ice making operation, hot water thawing operation, and A cooling operation can be performed.

A specific method by which the control unit 190 controls the operation of the water purifier 100 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

Figure 2 is a configuration diagram of a water purifier with an ice-making function according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, a water purifier 200 with an ice-making function according to another embodiment of the present invention is almost similar to the water purifier 100 shown in FIG. 1, but the hot water heated by the instantaneous hot water heater 260 is The only difference is in the flow path.

Specifically, hot water heated by the instantaneous hot water heater 260 may be provided to the extraction unit 250 or the auger module 240 through the hot water extraction valve (SV3).

In addition, the remaining components and flow path structure are the same as those of the water purifier 100 shown in FIG. 1, so redundant description thereof will be omitted.

In the case of the water purifier 200 shown in FIG. 2, when performing a thawing operation of the auger module 240, hot water passing through the instantaneous hot water heater 260 may be provided to the auger module 240 regardless of its temperature. .

In other words, in the water purifier 200 shown in FIG. 2, hot water (or purified water) that is not sufficiently heated may be provided to the auger module 240 for thawing of the auger module 240. In this case, the auger module 240 ) is possible to thaw.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method of operating a water purifier with an ice-making function shown in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 4, after the water purifier performs an ice-making operation by the auger module 140 (S410), and after performing a thawing operation of the auger module 140 by hot water (S420), the auger module 140 A cooling operation can be performed (S430).

Here, in the ice-making operation performance step (S410), the pump (P1) provided at the inlet end of the auger module 140 is turned OFF, the compressor of the cooler 145 is turned ON, and the motor 148 of the auger module 140 is turned ON. can be controlled, and optionally, the cooling fan of the cooler can be controlled to ON when the outside temperature is above a preset temperature (for example, 10°C).

The ice making operation performing step (S410) is performed until the cold water stored in the first storage space of the cold water and ice storage unit 130 reaches a preset temperature (for example, 6.8°C) or until the cold water and ice storage unit 130 The process can be performed until the second storage space is full of ice, that is, full ice is detected, and then proceed to the next step.

Next, in the hot water thawing operation performance step (S420), hot water heated by the instantaneous hot water heater 160 may be supplied to the auger module 140 to thaw the auger module 140.

The detailed operation flow of the hot water thawing operation performing step (S420) will be described in more detail later with reference to FIG. 5.

Next, in the cooling operation performance step (S430), the pump (P1) provided at the inlet end of the auger module 140 is turned on, the compressor of the cooler 145 is turned on, and the motor 148 of the auger module 140 is turned on. It can be controlled to OFF, and optionally, the cooling fan of the cooler can be controlled to ON when the outside temperature is above a preset temperature (for example, 10°C).

The above-described cooling operation performing step (S430) may be performed until the cold water stored in the first storage space of the cold water and ice storage unit 130 reaches a preset temperature (for example, 4°C).

FIG. 5 is a detailed flowchart of the hot water thawing operation shown in FIG. 4.

Referring to FIG. 5, when the hot water thawing operation is initiated, after detecting the current value of the motor 148 of the auger module 140 and starting feedback (S4211), the hot water inlet valve V1 is turned ON (i.e., opened). ) (S4212), the hot water extraction pump (P2) is ON (S4213), the instantaneous hot water heater (160) is ON (S4214), the hot water extraction valve (SV3) is controlled in the drain direction (S4215), and the hot water drain valve (SV4) ) can be controlled in the drain direction (S4216). As a result, hot water for thawing the auger module 140 can be generated by the instantaneous hot water heater 160.

Afterwards, when the hot water heated by the instantaneous hot water heater 160 reaches the preset target temperature (S4217), the cold water drain valve (V2) is turned ON (S4218), and the hot water drain valve (SV4) is controlled in the direction of the auger module. (S4219). Accordingly, the auger module 140 can be thawed by hot water.

Afterwards, when the amount of change in the current value of the feedback motor 148 becomes less than the preset value, or when the preset minimum hot water supply time t elapses (S4220), the instantaneous hot water heater 160 turns OFF (S4221) and hot water is extracted. The pump (P2) is OFF (S4222), the hot water inlet valve (V1) is OFF (i.e. closed) (S4223), the hot water drain valve (SV4) is controlled in the drain direction (S4224), and the cold water drain valve (V2) is controlled in the drain direction. Can be controlled to OFF (S4225). As a result, the thawing operation using hot water can be completed.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and attached drawings. For those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains, it will be clear that components according to the present invention can be replaced, modified, and changed without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention.

100: Water purifier
110: Filter unit
120: Integer storage unit
130: Cold water and ice storage unit
140: Auger module
145: cooler
150: extraction unit
160: Instantaneous hot water heater
170: drain tank
180: sensor unit
190: Control unit

Claims (5)

An auger module that generates cold water and ice by an auger-type ice making method;
An instantaneous hot water heater that generates hot water by heating supplied water;
A hot water inlet valve provided at the inlet end of the instantaneous hot water heater to control the inflow into the instantaneous hot water heater;
a hot water extraction pump provided at the inlet of the instantaneous hot water heater to supply water to the instantaneous hot water heater;
A flow path switching valve provided at an outlet of the instantaneous hot water heater to switch the hot water flow path so that the hot water is provided to any one of the auger module, the extractor, and the drain;
a cold water drain valve provided in a drain passage connecting the auger module and the drain to control discharge of water within the auger module;
A control unit that controls to supply hot water heated by the instantaneous hot water heater to the auger module to thaw the auger module;
a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of hot water heated by the instantaneous hot water heater; and
A current sensor that detects the current value of the motor provided in the auger module; Including,
The control unit,
Feedback of the current value of the motor is initiated by the current sensor, the hot water inlet valve is opened, the hot water extraction pump is ON, the instantaneous hot water heater is ON, and the flow path switching valve is controlled in the drain direction to control the auger module. Controlled to generate hot water to thaw,
When the temperature detected by the temperature sensor reaches the preset target temperature, the cold water drain valve opens, and the flow path switching valve is controlled in the direction of the auger module to thaw the auger module by hot water.
A water purifier with an ice-making function.
delete delete delete According to claim 1,
When the amount of change in the current value fed back by the control unit becomes less than a preset value or when hot water is supplied to the auger module and a preset time elapses, the instantaneous hot water heater is turned OFF, the hot water extraction pump is turned OFF, and the hot water intake valve is turned OFF. A water purifier with an ice-making function that closes, the flow path switching valve is controlled in the drain direction, and the cold water drain valve is closed to end the thawing operation of the auger module.

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