KR20110056160A

KR20110056160A - Water purifing apparatus and method for cleaning water purifing apparatus

Info

Publication number: KR20110056160A
Application number: KR1020090112870A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 김영진; 서광하; 정경한
Original assignee: 엘지전자 주식회사
Priority date: 2009-11-20
Filing date: 2009-11-20
Publication date: 2011-05-26

Abstract

PURPOSE: A water purifier and a method for automatically sterilizing the same are provided to constantly maintain the degree of sterilization by including a heater selectively supplying heat to a cool water container. CONSTITUTION: A filtering part purifies water from water source. A water storing part stores water through the filtering part. The water storing part is composed of a storing part(31) and a cool water part(33). A water taking part selectively takes water from the water storing part. A heater(110) is selectively supplies heat to the cool water part by being installed to the outer circumference of the cool water part. The heater is based on a heat conductive material.

Description

Water purifier and automatic sterilization method of this water purifier {WATER PURIFING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CLEANING WATER PURIFING APPARATUS}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a water purifier, and more particularly, to a water purifier capable of automatically sterilizing the inside of a water purifier without using a chemical agent, and an automatic sterilization method of the water purifier.

Water purifier is a device that filters harmful elements such as foreign substances and heavy metals in water by physical and chemical methods. Articles similar to such water purifiers include ionizers and the like.

If the water purifier is classified according to its type, it may be classified into a direct type directly connected to a faucet and a storage type to pass water through a filter in a container. On the other hand, when classified according to the principle or method, it can be divided into natural filtration, direct filtration, ion exchange resin, distillation, reverse osmosis.

Natural filtration is a method in which stored water is purified by gravity through a ceramic filter. Direct filtration is a method of directly connecting a water purifier to a faucet. Ion-exchange resin uses an ion-exchange resin filter to remove metal ions dissolved in water. It is a method of separating and removing, and distillation is a method of cooling water vapor generated when water boils. In addition, reverse osmosis is a method of filtering impurities by passing water through the semi-permeable membrane under pressure.

The structure of the water purifier includes: a filter unit for filtering contaminants from raw water containing pollutants, a water tank unit for storing purified water past the filter unit, and a discharge for discharging purified water stored in the water tank unit It can be divided into wealth.

However, the conventional water purifier as described above, the performance of the filter is lowered according to the use time or usage, and the internal components of the water purifier, especially the components that pass or stored water, when the water is accumulated, contaminants, etc., contaminate the water drinking by consumers To cause problems.

In order to prevent this, cleaning of the water purifier has been regularly carried out by visiting the home or company of the water purifier purchaser, replacing the filter, and periodically injecting chemical fungicides by experts.

However, in the conventional water purifier sterilization method using a chemical sterilizing agent, since the filter unit of the filter unit of the water purifier is provided with a plurality of filters in sequence, it is difficult to remove contaminants and scales accumulated in the filter unit, as well as cleaning. There was a problem that occurs when the drug is to drink the remaining water.

In addition, since it is determined by the intuition of the operator or whether the sterilization action is completed by the administered sterilizing medicine, there is a problem that the degree of sterilization is not constant.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a water purifier which can be automatically sterilized without using a chemical sterilizer and a method for sterilizing the water purifier.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a water purifier having a constant sterilization degree and a method for sterilizing the water purifier.

In order to achieve the object of the present invention, there is provided a water purifier having a heater for selectively supplying heat to a cold water tank in which cold water is stored.

Here, the cold water tank is formed of a heat transfer material, the heater may be installed in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cold water tank.

In order to achieve the object of the present invention, the filter unit for purifying the water introduced from the water source (水原); A water tank unit for storing the water passing through the filter unit; And a extraction unit for selectively taking out the water stored in the water tank unit, wherein the water tank unit may be provided with a water purifier having a heater for selectively supplying heat to the water tank unit.

Here, the water tank unit includes a storage tank communicating with the filter unit for storing water, and a cold water tank communicating with the storage tank for storing cold water, wherein the heater is installed on at least one outer circumferential surface of the storage tank or cold water tank. Can be.

The reservoir may be eccentrically communicated with the center of the reservoir so that water is supplied from the water source, and the water supply tube may be provided with a pressure pump.

The water tank unit may further include a hot water tank communicating at a predetermined interval in the storage tank, and the heater may be provided with a heater for heating water stored in the hot water tank.

In order to achieve the object of the present invention, the step of draining water in a reservoir for storing water; Sterilizing the reservoir with heat by operating a heater installed around the reservoir; Turning off the heater; And filling the reservoir with water; a sterilization method of the water purifier may be provided.

Here, after the heater is turned off, the step of cooling the reservoir to a predetermined temperature may be further performed by using an evaporator installed around the reservoir.

The water purifier and the sterilization method of the water purifier according to the present invention can simplify the sterilization work for the water purifier by performing sterilization using heat without using a separate chemical agent when sterilizing the water tank of the water purifier. Since the sterilization work is uniform, the efficiency of sterilization work can be improved. In addition, by not using chemicals, chemicals remaining in the tank can be prevented from being mixed with water in advance, so that clean water can always be consumed.

Hereinafter, the water purifier according to the present invention and the sterilization method of the water purifier will be described in detail based on the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings.

1 is a front view showing the front of the water purifier with a cleaning system according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a view showing the water tank of the water purifier shown in Figure 1, Figure 3 is a filter of the water purifier shown in Figure 1 4 is a view schematically illustrating a water pipe of the water purifier illustrated in FIG. 1.

1 to 4, the water purifier 1 according to the present embodiment includes a case 10 forming an appearance and a water source 11 provided in the case 10, such as tap water and a storage container. Filter portion 20 for purifying water introduced from the water (hereinafter referred to as raw water) to purified water, and a water tank portion for storing purified water connected to the filter portion 20 by piping. 30 and a takeout part 40 connected to the water tank part 30 by a pipe and exposed to the front surface of the case 10.

The case 10 is formed in a hexahedral shape, the front surface is provided with an input unit 51 for receiving the operation signal of the water purifier 1 from the outside, one side of the input unit 51 is the water purifier 1 A status display unit 52 for displaying the status of is provided. The input unit 51 may be in the form of a button, and the status display unit 52 may be in the form of a 7-segment, liquid crystal display, or light emitting diode display. have.

In addition, an integrated control unit 60 may be provided at one side of the case 10 to control its operation through each component and signal transmission in the water purifier 1. The integrated controller 60 may be provided as a printed circuit board (PCB) configured with a control circuit.

The filter unit 20 may include at least one filter 21 and a filter head 27 provided with a filter coupling unit 23 to which the filter 21 is coupled and fixed. In this case, the filter head 27 may be provided with a flow path 25 for guiding raw water to the filter 21 and guiding purified water discharged from the filter 21 to the water tank unit 30.

Here, when the filter 21 is provided in plurality, the flow path 25 may be connected to the plurality of filters 21, the water source 11, and the water tank unit 30 in series, but the filter unit ( 20 may connect the at least one filter 21 and the inlet of the filter 21 to the water source 11 and the outlet of the filter 21 to the water tank 30 by pipe.

The filter 21 is a sediment filter for filtering foreign matter and suspended matter contained in raw water by applying a nonwoven fabric, and a precarbon filter for filtering chlorine or odor contained in raw water by applying surfactant carbon ( pre-carbon filter, reverse osmosis membrane filter to filter fine particles of 0.001㎛, and post carbon filter to remove pigments and odors due to relatively better adsorption power than surfactant activated carbon of precarbon filter. at least one of a carbon filter, a hollow fiber membrane, and an ultra filtration filter or a nano-filtration filter for filtering bacteria contained in raw water may be applied. .

In addition, the pre-filter 26 for supplying the pipe connecting the water source 11 and the filter unit 20 to the filter unit 20 to remove contaminants that may reduce the efficiency of the filter 21 in advance. ) And the raw water supply valve 24 for controlling the supply of raw water to the filter unit 20 and the filter unit 20 to determine the state of the prefilter 26 and the replacement time of the prefilter 26. Flow rate detection unit 22 for measuring the flow rate of raw water to be further provided.

The raw water supply valve 24 may be provided as a gate valve or cock valve that is manually opened or closed, or may be provided as a solenoid valve that is automatically opened or closed.

The water tank unit 30 may be provided as a storage tank 31 in which a space for storing purified water purified by the filter unit 20 is formed. In addition, the reservoir 31 may be provided with a float valve 34 to block the supply of purified water by buoyancy when the stored purified water becomes a predetermined amount.

In addition, the water tank unit 30 may further include a cold water tank 33 and a hot water tank 35 provided to communicate with the storage tank 31 in addition to the storage tank 31.

The cold water tank 33 may be provided in the lower portion of the reservoir 31 to be integrally or combined with the reservoir 31 to be in communication with each other, partitioning the two spaces, the purified water stored in the reservoir 31 is supplied The partition plate 32 having the purified water supply hole 32a may be provided.

The hot water tank 35 may be provided separately from the storage tank 31 at a predetermined interval so as to receive purified water through the purified water supply pipe 36 extending from the partition plate 32. The purified water supply pipe 36 may further include a hot water amount control valve 36a for controlling the amount of purified water supplied to the hot water tank 35.

Therefore, the amount of cold water stored in the cold water tank 33 is controlled by the float valve 34 and the amount of hot water stored in the hot water tank 35 is controlled by the hot water amount control valve 36a.

The outer periphery of the cold water tank 33 may be provided by winding an evaporator 33b for cooling the stored purified water, and the heater 35b for heating the purified water is provided around the outer periphery of the hot water tank 35. Can be. Although not shown in the drawings, the evaporator 33b and the heater 35b may be provided inside the cold water tank 33 and the hot water tank 35.

On the other hand, the cold water tank 33 and the hot water tank 35 may be provided with temperature sensors 33a, 35a for sensing the temperature of the cold water and hot water stored therein, respectively, the heat exchanger 33b and the heater 35b The operation of may be controlled based on the temperature sensed by the temperature sensors 33a and 35a.

Here, the reason why the hot water tank 35 is provided separately from the storage tank 31 and the cold water tank 33 is that the heat by the heater 35b affects the cold water tank 33 or the storage tank 31. In order to reduce the cooling efficiency of the cold water tank 33, or to prevent the growth of contaminants in the purified water stored in the storage tank (31).

In particular, the partition plate 32 partitioning the space to prevent heat exchange by convection between the storage tank 31 and the cold water tank 33 and the hot water tank 35 in order to prevent the cooling efficiency of the cold water tank 33 from being lowered. ) May be further provided.

The outlet 40 is connected to the cold water tank 33 and the hot water tank 35, respectively, the cold water pipe 33c and the hot water pipe 35c extending to be exposed to the front of the case 13, the cold water The opening and closing valves 43 and 45 for opening and closing the pipe 33c and the hot water pipe 35c, respectively, and the lever unit 37 for generating an operation signal of the opening and closing valves 43 and 45 may be provided.

Here, the opening and closing valves 43 and 45 may be provided as valves that are mechanically operated such as cocks or solenoid valves that are opened and closed by receiving an electrical input.

In the water purifier according to the present embodiment as described above, when the user selects the cold water or hot water by using the input unit 51, the water stored in the cold water tank 33 or the hot water tank 35 is the cold water pipe ( 33c) or the hot water pipe 35c is guided to the take-out part 40 and taken out to the cup. Then, the new water flows into the water storage tank 31 through the pipe from the water source 11 as much as water escapes from the cold water tank 33 or the hot water tank 35, and this water is the cold water tank 33 or the hot water tank ( Go to 35) and save. Then, the evaporator 33b surrounding the cold water tank 33 or the heater 35b surrounding the hot water tank 35 operates to lower or raise the water temperature to an appropriate temperature to prepare for taking out.

Here, since the water tank part 30, that is, the storage tank 31, the cold water tank 33 or the hot water tank 35 may pinch or breed various bacteria, the sterilization operation may be performed periodically so that It should be prevented before breeding. However, in the case of sterilization by adding chemical sterilization chemicals as in the prior art, sterilization work itself is not only cumbersome as the operator manually sterilizes as described above, and in some cases, the sterilization effect is not uniform and in some cases, Even after sterilization, sterile chemicals can remain and cause adverse health effects or discomfort for the user.

In view of this, the present invention is to sterilize the storage tank, cold water tank or hot water tank using heat without using a separate chemical sterilization agent. To this end, in the present invention, as shown in Figure 4 and 5, the sterilization heater 110 for sterilizing the cold water tank 33 by selectively applying heat to the cold water tank 33 of the cold water tank 33 It can be installed on the outer circumferential surface.

Here, the sterilization heater 110 is electrically connected to the integrated control unit 60 that controls the entire water purifier to perform sterilization periodically, or if the operator selects the sterilization mode to perform the sterilization work according to the selection You can do that.

That is, the cold water tank 33 is formed of a heat conductive material, for example, a corrosion resistant heat conductive material such as stainless material, and integrally formed at a lower portion of the storage tank 31 in communication with the filter unit 20 by pipe. Can be. In addition, the outer circumferential surface of the cold water tank 33 is installed to contact the evaporator 33b of the refrigeration cycle in order to cool the water stored in the cold water tank 33, and the sterilization heater (b) on the outer circumferential surface of the evaporator 33b. 110 may be installed. Although not shown in the drawings, in some cases, the sterilizing heater 110 may be installed between the inner circumferential surface of the evaporator 33b and the outer circumferential surface of the cold water tank 33.

6 and 7, a water supply pipe 120 is connected to one side of the reservoir 31 so as to communicate the reservoir 31 with the filter unit 20. The water supply pipe 120 is eccentric with the center of the reservoir 31 so that the water supplied to the reservoir 31 flows in the circumferential direction along the inner circumferential surface of the reservoir 31 to wash the scales, etc., That is, the outlet 121 of the water supply pipe 120 may be formed to face in a direction forming a tangent with the inner peripheral surface of the reservoir 110. And in the middle of the water supply pipe 120 may be further provided with a separate pressure pump 130 to supply water at a high pressure during the sterilization operation.

The sterilizing heater 110 is electrically connected to the integrated control unit 60 together with the hot water heater 35b surrounding the hot water tank 35. The hot water tank 35 may be provided to be spaced apart from the storage tank 31 by a predetermined interval, and the hot water heater 35b may be installed to contact the hot water tank 35 on an outer circumferential surface of the hot water tank 35. .

Sterilization process of the water purifier according to the present invention as described above is as follows.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, when the user places the water bowl in the outlet 40 and selects the sterilization mode, the raw water supply valve 24 is closed to stop the water supply to the reservoir 31. At the same time, the open / close valves 43 and 45 of the outlet portion 40 are opened to discharge water from the cold water tank 33 and the hot water tank 35. Then, the water stored in the storage tank 31 is taken out through the cold water tank 33 and the hot water tank 35. Of course, when the user sterilizes only the storage tank 31 and the cold water tank 33, it is not necessary to take out the water of the hot water tank 35. However, during the sterilization operation as described above, it is preferable to pump the high pressure water into the storage tank 31 to remove the scale, so that the hot water tank 35 is also emptied together and then stored again or sterilized together. )-(S102)

Next, after emptying all the water in the reservoir 31, the cold water tank 33, and the hot water tank 35, the sterilizing heater 110 wound around the outer circumferential surface of the cold water tank 33 is operated to heat the heater 110. Sterilize the cold water tank (33) using the heat generated from. At this time, the cold water tank 33 is integrally formed with the storage tank 31, so that when the sterilization heater 110 is operated, not only the cold water tank 33 but also the storage tank 31 are sterilized together. However, in order to speed up the sterilization operation as described above, it may be desirable to install the sterilization heater 110 together with the cold water tank 33 as well as on the outer circumferential surface of the storage tank 31. In particular, when the hot water tank 35 is not used, as the water is directly discharged from the storage tank 31 to the water outlet, the storage tank 31 also stores the sterilization heater 110 even in order to increase the sterilization effect. It may be more preferable to also install in 31). When operating the sterilization heater 110, it may be desirable to also sterilize the hot water tank 35 by operating the hot water heater 35b surrounding the hot water tank 35 together. However, since the heating temperature of the hot water heater 35b may not be suitable for the sterilization temperature, in this case, a separate sterilization heater 110 may be installed on the outer circumferential surface of the hot water tank 35 or the hot water heater 35b. It may be preferable to control using the integrated control unit 60 to increase the exothermic temperature of the up to the sterilization temperature (S103).

Next, when the time input to the sterilization operation is set in the integrated control unit 60, the integrated control unit 60 detects the sterilization time in real time and compares the setting value and the detection value set in the integrated control unit 60 and set it. When the time is reached, the sterilizing heater 110 is stopped. At this time, the heater 35b for hot water does not need to be stopped. (S104)

Next, after the sterilization operation is completed, the cold water tank 33 is cooled by using an evaporator 33b surrounding the cold water tank 33 by operating a refrigeration cycle installed in the water purifier. At this time, the storage tank 31 formed integrally with the cold water tank 33 is also cooled to an appropriate temperature.

Next, the raw water supply valve 24 is opened to pump water from the water source 11 to supply the reservoir 31. (S106)

In this way, by sterilizing the water tank of the water purifier by using heat without the use of a separate chemical, it is possible to simplify the sterilization work for the water purifier and the sterilization work is uniform, so the efficiency of sterilization work Can increase. In addition, by not using chemicals, chemicals remaining in the tank can be prevented from being mixed with water in advance, so that clean water can always be consumed.

The water purifier and the sterilization method of the water purifier according to the present invention can be applied to refrigerators and the like having a water extraction device in addition to the water purifier described above.

1 is a front view showing the front of a water purifier equipped with a cleaning system according to an embodiment of the present invention,

Figure 2 is a front view showing the water tank of the water purifier according to Figure 1,

3 is a front view showing the filter unit of the water purifier according to FIG. 1;

4 is a schematic diagram showing a water pipe diagram of the water purifier according to FIG. 1;

Figure 5 is a schematic view showing the water tank in the water pipe according to Figure 4,

6 and 7 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of the installation form of the sterilizing heater and the water supply pipe in the tank according to Figure 5,

8 is a schematic view showing the configuration of an integrated control unit in the water purifier according to FIG. 1;

9 is a block diagram schematically showing a sterilization process in the water purifier according to FIG. 1.

** Description of symbols for the main parts of the drawing **

31: reservoir 33: cold water tank

33b: evaporator 35: hot water tank

35b: heater for hot water 110: sterilization heater

120: water supply pipe 130: pressurized pump

Claims

A water purifier having a heater for selectively supplying heat to a cold water tank in which cold water is stored.

The method of claim 1,

The cold water tank is formed of a heat transfer material, the heater is installed in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cold water tank.

A filter unit for purifying water introduced from a water source;

A water tank unit for storing the water passing through the filter unit; And

It includes; taking out the water to selectively take out the water stored in the water tank;

The water tank unit is provided with a heater for selectively supplying heat to the tank unit.

The method of claim 3,

The water tank unit includes a storage tank communicating with the filter unit for storing water, and a cold water tank communicating with the storage tank for storing cold water.

The water purifier, wherein the heater is installed on at least one outer circumferential surface of the storage tank or the cold water tank.

The method of claim 4, wherein

The water supply pipe is eccentrically communicated with the center of the storage tank so that the water is supplied from the water source, the water supply pipe is provided with a pressure pump.

The method of claim 4, wherein

The water tank unit further includes a hot water tank communicated at a predetermined interval in the storage tank,

The water purifier is provided with a heater for heating the water stored in the hot water tank.

Draining the water from the reservoir for storing the water;

Sterilizing the reservoir with heat by operating a heater installed around the reservoir;

Turning off the heater; And

Filling the reservoir with water; Sterilization method of the water purifier proceeds to.

The method of claim 7, wherein

And after the heater is turned off, further cooling the reservoir to a predetermined temperature by using an evaporator installed around the reservoir.