KR20140131616A - water purifier and a control method of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a drinking water supplier and, more specifically, to a drinking water supplier with improved user convenience. The drinking water supplier may be a water purifier, in particular. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the control method of a water purifier, which has a purified water pipe from the rear end of a filter to a coke valve (a purified water coke valve) discharging the purified water, comprises a step of inputting a sterilization mode by a user operation or a pre-set condition, and a sterilization step of sterilizing by producing steam from the purified water bypassing from the purified water pipe with a heating device when the sterilization mode is input, and then, supplying the steam to the purified water pipe through a steam pipe so that the steam moves forward through the purified water pipe.

Description

Water purifier and control method thereof

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a drinking water supply apparatus, and more particularly, to a drinking water supply apparatus and a control method thereof.

The drinking water supply device is a device for supplying drinking water to be consumed by a user. This drinking water supply device may be a unique device, or it may be a part of another device.

For example, a water purifier is a device that passes raw water supplied from a water pipe into a separate filtering device, and then supplies the purified water to the user by filtering. In addition, a device that supplies purified water to cold water or hot water when necessary is also referred to as a water purifier. The water purifier may be a device independent of other appliances.

On the other hand, such a drinking water supply device may form part of a household appliance such as a refrigerator. That is, water purified from the inside of the refrigerator through the water purification device can be supplied to the outside through the drinking water supply device. Of course, water purified in the refrigerator may be cooled or frozen so that cold water or ice may be supplied to the outside through the drinking water supply device.

The drinking water supply device is provided so that the user can receive drinking water from outside regardless of whether or not the device is independent of other devices. In other words, it may be a device having a dispenser that is a space for receiving drinking water.

Fig. 1 shows an example of a conventional water purifier. Hereinafter, a conventional water purifier will be described with reference to Fig.

The vacuum cleaner 10 includes a cabinet 11 and a dispenser 12 which form an outer appearance. Here, the dispenser 12 means a space where a user is supplied with drinking water. Therefore, generally, the dispenser 12 is formed in front of the cabinet 11. Of course, such a dispenser 12 can be formed in the form of a recessed or recessed space in front of the cabinet 11. But it may be formed in a protruding shape in front of the cabinet 110 as the case may be.

The dispenser 12 is provided with a cock 15 through which drinking water is discharged, and a lever 16 for operating drinking water may be provided. That is, when the user operates the lever 16, the drinking water can be discharged from the cock 15. Here, the operation of the lever 16 may be in the form of pushing or pulling the lever.

Specifically, the user lifts the cup 1 so that the upper portion of the cup 1 is positioned below the cock 15, and the cup 1 can be pushed while the cup 1 is in contact with the lever 16. According to the operation of the lever 16, the drinking water can be discharged from the cock 15 and stored in the cup 1.

The user can drink the water stored in the cup 1 and throw the remaining water into the tray 13. [ Of course, a small amount of residue falling from the cock 15 can also be stored in the tray 13. [ Therefore, generally, the tray 13 is positioned directly below the cock 15. That is, below the dispenser 12.

As described above, the drinking water may be either purified water, cold water or hot water. Of course, it may be various forms of beverage. Accordingly, a user interface 14 for selecting the drinking water to be discharged can be provided.

For example, the user may select cold water through the user interface 14. [ Then, after the cup 1 is positioned below the cock 15, the lever 16 can be pushed. By this operation, the cold water is discharged from the cock 15 and the cup 1 is filled.

As described above, the general drinking water supply device is provided such that drinking water is supplied by a user's operation such as the operation of the lever 16. [ That is, it can be widely used for the purpose of supplying a small amount of drinking water to a container such as the cup 1.

Since the drinking water supply device such as the water purifier supplies at least one of the purified water, cold water or hot water which is directly drinkable by a person, hygiene is very important. That is, there is a high need for contamination inside the pipe through which the drinking water flows, contamination inside the coke where the drinking water is directly taken out, and decontamination of devices for receiving drinking water inside the water purifier.

Specifically, when the water purifier is used for a long period of time, foreign substances may be trapped in piping, valves, cocks, etc., and microorganisms may propagate and the hygiene may be deteriorated.

In the drinking water supply device such as the water purifier shown in Fig. 1, there are many cases where the user or the service person directly performs cleaning by opening the cabinet of the water purifier to remove such contamination.

Further, in the drinking water supply device such as the conventional water purifier, since the inside of the pipe is cleaned by using a cleaning liquid or the like, the cleaning time is long and there is a problem that many drinking water is wasted for normal use even after cleaning.

On the other hand, among conventional water purifiers, sterilization is performed using an electrolytic bath chlorine sterilization method or a UV sterilization method. However, the limitations of the sterilization power through such a sterilization method and the limited application range may be problematic. This is because it is difficult to sterilize the piping and the coke, and the sterilizing power of the attached bacteria is insignificant.

The present invention basically aims at solving the conventional water purifier problem.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a drinking water supply device, particularly a water purifier and a control method thereof, capable of sterilizing the inside of a pipe through steam and sterilizing the inside of a cock.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a water purifier and its control method in which steam is allowed to flow in the forward direction in the pipe to prevent malfunction of various valves, thereby improving reliability and durability.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a water purifier and its control method that can prevent safety accidents by minimizing the amount of time and amount of high temperature steam discharged from the sterilizing mode to the outside.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a water purifier that can discharge a small amount of high temperature steam through a coke for a relatively short period of time to provide coke sterilization and visible steam sterilization to a user. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a water purifier and a control method thereof that enhance user satisfaction and stability.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a water purifier and its control method that can prevent steam from being discharged through the coke in a sterilization mode, thereby enabling steam sterilization more safely.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a water purifier capable of preventing hot water or steam from being discharged to the outside through a drain pipe. The present invention also provides a water purifier capable of sterilizing steam to a cold water tank in which cooling water is stored, and a control method thereof.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a water purifier and its control method capable of performing a rapid sterilization mode and reducing the time required for the sterilization mode.

An embodiment of the present invention is to provide a water purifier and its control method that can be performed in an outgoing mode of the water purifier immediately after the sterilization mode is completed.

In order to achieve the above object, according to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a filter for filtering raw water to produce an integer; A purified water pipe connected to the downstream end of the filter; A steam pipe for heating the purified water bypassed from the purified water pipe through a heating device to generate steam and supplying the generated steam to the purified water pipe; A plurality of valves provided in the purified water pipe and the steam pipe; And a controller for controlling the driving of the plurality of valves and the heating device to control the flow of the purified water or steam selectively through the purified water pipe at the downstream end of the steam pipe.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a water purifier for continuously discharging at least one of purified water, cold water, and hot water using a water pressure of an external water source, A filter to generate an integer; A distribution pipe communicating with a single cock discharging the purified water, cold water and hot water to the outside; A purified water pipe connected from the downstream end of the filter to the distribution pipe; A purified water supply valve provided between the purified water pipe and the distribution pipe; A hot water piping branched from the purified water pipe at a rear end of the filter and connected to the distribution pipe, and a heating device for heating the purified water; A hot water supply valve provided between the hot water pipe and the distribution pipe; A cold water pipe branched from the purified water pipe at a branch point of the hot water pipe and connected to the distribution pipe, and including a cooling channel for cooling the purified water; A cold water supply valve provided between the cold water pipe and the distribution pipe; A steam pipe branched from the hot water pipe at a rear end of the heating device and connected to the purified water pipe at a front end of the cold water pipe branch point; And a steam valve for selectively opening and closing the steam pipe. Through this embodiment, a direct water purifier capable of supplying purified water, cold water and hot water can be provided.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a water purifier for continuously discharging at least one of purified water, cold water, and hot water using a water pressure of an external water source, A filter to generate an integer; A distribution pipe communicating with the single coke for discharging the cold water and hot water to the outside; A purified water pipe connected to a downstream end of the filter; A water purification valve provided in the purified water pipe; A hot water piping branched from the purified water pipe at a rear end of the filter and connected to the distribution pipe, and a heating device for heating the purified water; A hot water supply valve provided between the hot water pipe and the distribution pipe; A cold water pipe branched from the purified water pipe at a branch point of the hot water pipe and connected to the distribution pipe, and including a cooling channel for cooling the purified water; A cold water supply valve provided between the cold water pipe and the distribution pipe; A steam pipe branched from the hot water pipe at a rear end of the heating device and connected to the purified water pipe at a front end of the cold water pipe branch point; And a steam valve for selectively opening and closing the steam pipe. Through this embodiment, a direct water purifier capable of supplying cold water and hot water can be provided.

In the above embodiments, it is preferable that a water purification valve provided at a downstream end of the filter and selectively opening and closing the water purification pipe is branched, and the water supply pipe is branched between a downstream end of the filter and a front end of the water purification valve.

A cooling tank in which the cooling passage is accommodated; And a cooling water pipe provided between the distribution pipe and the single coke and communicating with the cooling bath.

And at least one valve for selectively communicating the distribution pipe, the cooling water pipe, and the distribution pipe with the single coke.

And a drain pipe for draining the cooling water in the cooling bath to the outside.

To achieve the above object, according to an embodiment of the present invention, A hot water piping provided for withdrawing hot water heated through the heating device; A cold water pipe provided for discharging cold water cooled through the cooling channel; And a steam pipe branched from the hot water pipe at a rear end of the heating device to supply steam to the purified water pipe and the cold water pipe. The purified water pipe may be provided for taking out the purified water as well as other hot water pipes and cold water pipes.

And a steam valve for selectively opening and closing the steam pipe, and the heating device may be provided to selectively generate the steam and hot water.

Wherein the steam valve is closed and the heating device is controlled to generate hot water in an outgoing mode for leaving out at least one of purified water, hot water and cold water, and in a sterilization mode for sterilizing the purified water pipe and the cold water pipe, The steam valve is opened, and the heating device is controlled to generate steam.

And the hot water pipe and the cold water pipe are branched from the purified water pipe.

In order to achieve the above object, according to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a control method of a water purifier including a purified water pipe extending from a downstream end of the filter to a cork valve (purified water coke valve) Receiving a sterilization mode through a predetermined condition; When the sterilization mode is input, steam is generated through the heating device by the purified water bypassed from the purified water pipe, and the steam is flowed through the steam pipe in the forward direction through the purified water pipe And a sterilization step of sterilizing the sterilization water supplied to the water purifier.

Wherein the sterilizing step includes a sterilization step of a purified water pipe for supplying the steam to the cooling water pipe branching from the purified water pipe at the front end of the integral cock valve; And stopping the supply of steam to the cooling water pipe, and supplying steam to the outside through the purified water coke.

It is preferable that the sterilization of the purified water pipe and the sterilization of the purified water coke are sequentially carried out.

It is preferable that the time required for the sterilization of the purified water pipe is greater than the time required for the sterilization of the purified water coke.

Further comprising a cold water pipe provided at the rear end of the steam piping joined to the purified water pipe and extending to a coke valve (cold water coke valve) for discharging cold water generated by cooling purified water bypassed from the purified water pipe The sterilization step may include a cold water pipe sterilization step of supplying the steam to the cooling water pipe branched from the cold water pipe at the front end of the cold water coke valve.

Sterilization step of blocking steam from being supplied to the cooling water pipe and supplying steam to the outside through the purified water coke.

Further comprising a hot water pipe extending from a rear end of the heating device to the coke valve (hot water coke valve) branched from the steam pipe and discharging hot water generated in the heating device, The steam valve provided in the steam pipe is preferably closed.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a control method of a water purifier for providing an outbound mode and a steam sterilization mode in which at least one of outflow of purified water, cold water, and hot water is performed, Receiving a sterilization mode through a predetermined condition; When the sterilization mode is input, a sterilization step of sterilizing by steam is performed, and the sterilization step is a step of sterilization of purified water by supplying steam to the purified water pipe provided to allow the purified water to flow out; A coke sterilizing step of supplying steam through the purified water pipe with a single coke through which the purified water, cold water and hot water are selectively discharged; And a cold water pipe sterilizing step of supplying steam to the cold water pipe provided to allow the cold water to flow out.

In the sterilization step, it is preferable that the steam flows forward in the purified water pipe, the single cock and the cold water pipe.

Preferably, the sterilization of the purified water pipe, the sterilization of the coke, and the sterilization of the cold water pipe are sequentially performed.

When the sterilization mode is input, a steam generating step of generating steam through a heating device that generates hot water is performed, and a cooling water drain step of draining the cooling water accommodated in the cold water tank that generates cold water is performed.

Preferably, the cooling water drain step has a time interval during which the steam generating step is simultaneously performed.

Preferably, the cooling water drain step has a time period that is performed simultaneously with the sterilization step.

When the sterilization step is completed, cooling water is supplied to the cold water tank through the purified water pipe and the cold water pipe to cool the purified water pipe and the cold water pipe.

When the cooling step is completed, it is preferable that the sterilization mode is ended and automatically switched to the outgoing mode.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a control method of a water purifier for providing an outbound mode and a steam sterilization mode in which at least one of outflow of purified water, cold water, and hot water is performed, Receiving a sterilization mode through a predetermined condition; When the sterilization mode is input, a sterilization step is performed to sterilize the steam through the steam sterilization step. The sterilization step includes a sterilization step of supplying steam to the cold water pipe through the purified water pipe; And a coke sterilizing step of supplying steam to the coke through which the at least one of the purified water, cold water and hot water is discharged through the purified water pipe or the cold water pipe.

In the sterilization step, the steam flows in the forward direction from the purified water pipe, the cock, and the cold water pipe.

When the sterilization mode is input, a steam generating step of generating steam through a heating device that generates hot water is performed, and a cooling water drain step of draining the cooling water accommodated in the cold water tank that generates cold water is performed.

Preferably, the cooling water drain step has a time interval during which the steam generating step is simultaneously performed.

When the sterilization step is completed, cooling water is supplied to the cold water tank through the purified water pipe and the cold water pipe to cool the purified water pipe and the cold water pipe.

It is to be understood that the above-described embodiments are capable of being embodied in all of the features as long as they are not contradictory or exclusive of each other.

It is possible to provide a drinking water supply device, particularly a water purifier and a control method thereof, which sterilize the inside of the pipe through steam and sterilize the inside of the cock through the embodiments of the present invention.

It is possible to provide a water purifier and its control method in which reliability and durability are improved by preventing the malfunction of various valves by allowing steam to flow in the forward direction in the piping through the embodiments of the present invention.

It is possible to provide a water purifier and its control method capable of preventing safety accidents and minimizing the amount of time and amount of discharge of the high temperature steam from the sterilizing mode to the outside through the embodiment of the present invention.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a water purifier that can discharge a small amount of high temperature steam through a coke for a relatively short period of time to provide coke sterilization and visible steam sterilization to a user. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a water purifier with improved user satisfaction and improved stability and a control method thereof.

It is possible to provide a water purifier and a control method thereof that can prevent steam from being discharged through the coke in a sterilization mode through steam sterilization through the embodiments of the present invention.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a water purifier capable of preventing hot water or steam from being discharged to the outside through a drain pipe. In addition, it is possible to provide a water purifier capable of sterilizing steam to a cold water tank in which cooling water is stored, and a control method thereof.

It is possible to provide a water purifier and a control method thereof capable of performing a rapid sterilization mode and reducing the time required for the sterilization mode through the embodiments of the present invention.

It is possible to provide a water purifier and its control method which are very convenient because the water purifier can be performed in an outgoing mode immediately after the sterilization mode is completed.

1 is an external perspective view of a conventional or purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a piping diagram of a water purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 3 is a partial view of another embodiment of the water valve position; And
4 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a water purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a drinking water supply apparatus, particularly, a water purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The outline of the water purifier may be similar to or the same as the water purifier shown in FIG. 1, but the piping configuration may be different, as described later.

Basically, the drinking water supply device according to the present embodiment can provide a drinking water supply device capable of filtering the raw water to generate an integer, and to allow the generated purified water to flow out through the cock. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the drinking water supply device may be referred to as a water purifier. In addition, since the piping structure is described, the rear end and the front end may refer to the upstream side and the downstream side, respectively, with respect to the forward flow direction of the fluid.

As shown in FIG. 2, the raw water flowing into the water purifier 10 through the external water supply source 20 can be converted into an integer through the filter 30. The configuration of the filter 30 may be variously modified, and the filter 30 may be configured by a plurality of single filters. In FIG. 2, three single filters are connected in series to form the filter 30. However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

Specifically, the filter 30 may include a pre-carbon filter 31, a UF filter 32, and a post-carbon filter 32. Of course, other types of filters may be added in some cases.

A constant flow valve 21 may be provided between the external water supply source 20 and the filter 30. The amount of raw water (flow rate) can be supplied to the filter 30 stably even if the water pressure of the external water supply source 20 is varied through the constant flow valve 21.

The purified water generated by the raw water can be discharged to the outside through the purified water pipe 40, the purified water supply valve 42 and the cock 15. For this outflow, the operation of the lever 16 shown in Fig. 1 is required, and the purified water supply valve 42 is opened due to the operation of the lever 16 so that the outflow can be performed.

Here, the purified water pipe 40 can always be opened when malfunction of the purified water supply valve 42 occurs. That is, when the malfunction of the purified water supply valve 42 occurs due to the pressure of the raw water supplied through the external water supply source 20, the purified water can be continuously flown out through the cock 15. Therefore, in order to ensure the stability of the system, it is preferable that a purified water valve 41 is provided between the rear end of the filter 30 and the front end of the purified water supply valve 42.

The water purifying valve 41 is basically opened to allow the water to flow through the cock 15. However, as will be described later, the water purifying valve 41 may not always be opened for the outflow through the cock 15. Therefore, it is preferable that the water purifying valve 41 is opened for the outflow or generation of hot water or cold water. This is because it is basically desirable to generate cold or hot water through an integer.

The cock valve 17 shown in Fig. 2 may be omitted for the water exit only. That is, the purified water supply valve 42 itself may be an integral cock valve, that is, a valve for leaving the purified water. In this case, when the purified water supply valve 42 is opened, purified water can be discharged to the outside through the cock 15. Accordingly, the purified water pipe can be formed up to the cork valve 42 or 15 that discharges the purified water from the rear end of the filter 30.

According to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a water purifier capable of sterilizing the purified water pipe 40 by supplying steam through the purified water pipe 40. More specifically, it is possible to provide a water purifier capable of sterilizing even the cock 15 from which the purified water comes out.

The purified water pipe 40 and the coke 15 may be structured such that fluid flows therein. Thus, sterilization of the interior may be more important than outside these configurations. This is because the drinking water that people drink in these structures flows.

In this embodiment, it is possible to propose sterilizing the purified water pipe 40 and the cock 15 by using steam. That is, it is possible to provide a water purifier capable of sterilizing steam through high temperatures by flowing steam inside the structures. The steam may be higher than the pressure for supplying the drinking water, and it is possible to remove and sterilize contaminants or germs attached to the inside of the flow path through the flow pressure.

On the other hand, it is possible to generate steam by heating raw water. That is, the steam may be generated by not passing through the filter 30, or by heating the water passing through some of the filters. Such steam can be used to sterilize the purified water pipe 40 and the cock 15.

However, in general, in the installation environment of the water purifier, external steam is hardly supplied to the inside. Therefore, it is preferable that the water purifier itself generates steam. In this case, the steam generation may be necessary only for sterilization.

As shown in Fig. 2, in this embodiment, a water purifier including a heating device 75 for generating steam can be provided. The heating device 75 may generate steam using raw water or purified water.

The heating device 75 includes a heater 77. The raw water or purified water may be heated through the heater 77 to generate steam.

When the raw water is heated, a lot of foreign matter, water or scale may be generated. Such a scale or the like can lower the performance of the heater 77. Further, as described later, the steam may be used to sterilize the purified water pipe 40 or the cock 15. Therefore, it is more preferable to generate steam by using purified water rather than generating steam by using raw water. This is because, when integers are used, the occurrence of scales and the like can be reduced, and the sanitary property and user reliability can be further improved.

For this reason, it is preferable that the inlet 78 of the heating device 78 receives the purified water through the purified water pipe 40. For this purpose, a branched water pipe 70 branched from the purified water pipe 40 may be provided, and the branched water pipe 70 may include a heating device 75.

As described later, the branched purified water pipe 70 may be a configuration for generating steam and a configuration for generating hot water. In the case of the former, the branch purified water pipe 70 may be referred to as a steam pipe 70. In the latter case, the branched purified water pipe 70 can be regarded as a part of the hot water pipe 60. Here, since the hot water is drinking water, the hot water is preferably generated by heating the purified water. This means that steam or hot water can be generated through the heating device 78, which means that the heating device 78 can always be supplied with purified water.

In order to generate steam and sterilize the purified water pipe 40, branch or bypassed purified water is introduced into the heating device 75 through the branched water pipe 70. A branch valve (71) may be provided for opening and closing the branch purified water pipe (70). When the branch valve (71) is opened, the filtered purified water flows into the heating device (75) through the branch purification pipe (70).

The purified water introduced into the heating device 75 is heated and converted into steam, and the steam can be supplied to the purified water pipe 40. In other words, the purified water supplied to the heating device 75 through the A-branch point of the purified water pipe 40 is converted into steam in the heating device and flows into the purified water pipe 40 through the point B in the purified water pipe 40 . Therefore, it is preferable that the B-point is provided at the rear end of the A-minute point based on the forward flow of the purified water pipe 40. [ In addition, by setting the point B as the maximum point near the point A, it is possible to maximize the length of the purified water pipe 40 sterilized by steam.

Sterilization of the purified water pipe 40 through steam is not always performed. This is because, in the basic heading mode, the purified water must flow through the purified water pipe 40. Therefore, it is preferable that steam is supplied to the purified water pipe 40 in the sterilization mode other than the outgoing mode. In other words, it is preferable to provide a steam valve 72 for supplying steam to the purified water pipe 40 in the sterilization mode. The steam valve 72 may be provided at the rear end of the heating device 75 and may be controlled to be always closed in the outflow mode.

As shown in Fig. 2, in the sterilization mode, the branch valve 71 is opened and the steam valve 72 is also opened for generating steam. Of course, in this case, the water valve 41 is preferably closed.

As the heating device 75 is driven, the heating device converts the purified water into steam and the pressure rises. Due to this pressure, the steam flows into the purified water pipe 40 through the steam valve 72 and the branch point B. At this time, the purified water in the purified water pipe 40 is gradually flowed toward the cock 15 by the steam supply pressure.

The purified water in the purified water pipe 40 can be discharged to the outside through the coke 15, and then only the steam flows into the purified water pipe 40. Likewise, the steam can be continuously discharged to the outside through the cock 15 while flowing to the purified water pipe 40. Therefore, due to the steam flowing through the purified water pipe 40, contaminants and adhesive bacteria in the purified water pipe can be removed, and sterilization due to high temperature becomes possible. Further, since steam can be discharged through the cock 15, it is possible to remove contaminants inside the cock 15, remove germs, and sterilize the inside of the cock 15.

However, it is undesirable that all of the purified water in the purified water pipe 40 goes out through the cock 15. This is because it is not desirable for the user to receive the purified water exiting through the cock 15 in the sterilization mode through the container. In addition, since steam can be discharged through the cock 15, it is not preferable for the user to wait around the cock 15.

Therefore, in many cases in the sterilization mode, it is desirable to prevent water or steam from being discharged through the cock 15. Of course, it would be preferable to discharge steam only through the cock 15 for a certain period of time or at a certain frequency in order to sterilize the cock 15.

To this end, according to the present embodiment, there may be provided a pipe 80 for guiding the purified water flowing in the purified water pipe 40 and the steam to flow into the water purifier, not the coke. The piping 80 may be a cooling water piping 80 as described below and through this piping the purified water and steam in the purified water piping 40 can be bypassed into the water purifier rather than into the cock 15.

Specifically, the pipe 80 may be provided at a distal end of the cock 15. Accordingly, in the sterilization mode, steam and steam in the purified water pipe 40 can be sequentially introduced into the water purifier through the pipe 80 at the front end of the coke 15 as the steam is supplied to the purified water pipe 40. Therefore, sterilization of the purified water pipe 40 can be performed by supplying steam to the purified water pipe 40 during the set time or supplying steam to the purified water pipe 40 during the set amount. In addition, the coke 15 sterilization can be performed by allowing steam to be discharged through the cock 15 for a relatively short period of time.

It is preferable that sterilization of the cock 15 is performed after all of the purified water existing in the purified water pipe 40 is discharged into the pipe 80. In addition, it is preferable that sterilization of the coke 15 is not performed at the initial stage in which steam is supplied to the purified water pipe. In other words, it is preferable that the steam is discharged through the cock 15 after the steam sterilization in the purified water pipe 40 proceeds to some extent or ends. This is because, at the beginning of steam generation, steam and boiling purified water can be introduced into the purified water pipe 40 through the heating device.

It is possible to prevent the safety accident such as the burning of the steam by discharging only the steam and not the purified water or hot water from the cock 15 through the coke sterilization point and shortening the steam discharge time relatively. Of course, it is also possible to inform the user that the steam is discharged from the cock 15 immediately before the steam discharge or in the sterilization mode.

According to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a water purifier that can prevent the steam mixed with hot water from being discharged from the coke through the positional relationship of not only the coke sterilization timing but also the valve or the like. Concretely, hot water can be prevented from flowing into the purified water pipe 70 through the positional relationship between the branch point A of the branch water purifying pipe 70 or the steam pipe 70 and the water purifying valve 41. That is, hot water can be prevented from flowing into the purified water pipe 70 in the sterilization mode.

The water purifying valve 41 may be basically configured to supply purified water to the entire water purifier. That is, it may be a constitution for selectively opening and closing the purified water pipe 40. The branch valve 71 may be configured to selectively supply the purified water to the heating device 75. For this reason, the positional relationship between the position above the branch point A and the water valve 41 may not be important. In other words, as shown in Fig. 2, the water valve 41 may be located at the end of the branch point A, and the water valve 41 may be located at the upstream end of the branch point A, as shown in Fig. 3 .

However, the pressure when the heating device 75 generates hot water and the pressure when generating the steam are different. This is because heated water is heated only to the point below the boiling point of water, but it is heated to the boiling point of water to generate steam. That is, the pressure is relatively increased due to steam generation.

3, when the steam is generated in the heating device 75, the internal pressure of the heating device 75 is raised, and the steam is supplied to the purified pipe 40 through the discharge port 79 of the heating device ≪ / RTI > At this time, hot water in the heating device immediately before being converted into steam can flow back through the inlet port 78 of the heating device 75 and flow into the purified pipe through the branch valve 71.

That is, there may occur a problem that the steam introduced from the branch point B and the hot water introduced from the branch point A are mixed in the purified water pipe 40. [ This means that the hot water can be discharged from the cock 15 during the sterilization of the coke. This problem is caused because the branch valve 71 can be opened due to the back pressure of the branch water purifying pipe 70 or the steam pipe 70.

3, the water purification valve 41 is closed, so that the pressure in the purified water pipe 40, particularly the branch point A (that is, the front end of the branch valve 71) is lower than the pressure at the rear end of the branch valve 71 ≪ / RTI > The branch valve 71 may be constituted by a solenoid valve, and due to the characteristics of such a solenoid valve, the valve can be opened by itself by the back pressure in the closed state. Specifically, the branch valve 71 can be switched to a normally closed state, that is, to a basic closed state and to an open state upon driving. However, in the normally closed state, the valve is opened by itself due to the back pressure, and the hot water flows backward to the branching water pipe 70 or the steam pipe 70 and flows into the purified water pipe 40 through the branch valve 71 and the branch point A A possibility may arise.

In order to solve this problem, it is preferable to dispose the water purification valve 41 at the rear end of the branch point A, unlike the case shown in Fig. The position of this water valve 41 is shown in Fig.

In this case, the pressure at the front end of the branch valve 71 is relatively high due to the external water pressure. On the other hand, the pressure at the rear end of the branch valve 71 is relatively small even if it is the steam generating pressure. Therefore, since the back pressure is not generated in the branch valve 71 in the normally closed state, the back flow of the hot water can be prevented. That is, the steam pipe 71 is bypassed from the rear end of the filter 30 and from the front end of the water purification valve 41, thereby preventing hot water from flowing into the purified water pipe 40. In other words, by positioning the position of the branching point A at the front end of the filter 30 and the water valve 41, it is possible to prevent the reverse flow in the steam pipe 71.

Thus, the steam line 70 can allow water or steam to flow in the forward direction, i.e., the forward flow direction, with respect to the purified water pipe 40. In addition, when the steam is supplied, only the steam, which is not purified water or hot water, flows through the purified water pipe 40. Through the connection between the purified water pipe 40 and the steam pipe 70, the forward flow of the steam is enabled, thereby enabling sterilization of the water pipe 40 and the cock 15 more effectively and stably. In addition, it is possible to prevent occurrence of reverse pressure through the forward flow, thereby preventing backflow from occurring in the valves. This means ensuring the reliability of valves, preventing malfunctions, and improving durability.

As described above, the water purifier can basically be an apparatus for generating and supplying an integer. However, it may be provided to supply cold water or hot water as well as an integer for user satisfaction. Such cold water or hot water can basically be generated using the above constants. That is, the cold water or the hot water may be an integer, and may additionally be an integer which is cooled or heated.

On the other hand, the water purifier may be a device for supplying cold water or hot water by using purified water. In this case, it is possible to omit piping configurations at the downstream end of the branch point C in the purified water pipe 40. [ In other words, it is possible to omit the piping configurations at the downstream end of the branch point C including the purified water supply valve 42. In this case, sterilization of the purified water pipe 40 may mean disinfection of the purified water pipe 40 before the minute point C, and may mean sterilization of the cold water pipe 50 described later after the minute point C .

As shown in FIG. 2, according to the embodiment of the present invention, a water purifier capable of supplying cold water can be provided. That is, it is possible to provide a water purifier capable of generating cold water by cooling the purified water and capable of leaving the cold water.

In order to generate cold water through the purified water, a cold water pipe 50 may be provided, and the cold water pipe 50 may be connected to the purified water pipe 40.

The cold water pipe (50) may be branched from the purified water pipe (40). At this time, the cold water pipe (50) may be branched from the branch point (C) of the purified water pipe (40). That is, purified water bypassed from the purified water pipe 40 can be converted into cold water while flowing through the cold water pipe 50. The cold water pipe 50 may be provided up to a coke valve for discharging cold water. The cock valve may be a cold water supply valve 52, and a separate cock valve 17 may be provided in addition to the cold water supply valve 52.

The purified water bypassed from the purified water pipe 40 can be converted into cold water while passing through the cooling channel 51 in detail. Therefore, the cold water pipe 50 may include the cooling passage 51.

The cooling passage 51 may be provided inside the cold water tank 55. The chiller (not shown) is provided in the cold water tank 55 to cool the inside of the cold water tank, and the cooling passage 51 inside the chilled water tank is cooled by the chiller. Therefore, the constant in the cooling passage 51 is converted to cold water.

On the other hand, in order to prevent freezing of the cooling passage 51 due to abrupt cooling, cooling water may be provided in the cold water tank. Therefore, a large part of the cooling passage 61 is locked in the cold water tank filled with the cooling water.

A cooling water pipe 80 for supplying cooling water to the inside of the cold water tank may be provided. Through the cooling water pipe 80, cold water or purified water can be supplied as cooling water to the cold water tank. Basically, an integer can be supplied to the cold water tank as the cooling water. The cooling water pipe 80 and the cold water tank 55 can perform a function of supplying sterilization steam into the water purifier without being discharged to the outside through the cock 15.

In the water intake mode, when the user presses the lever in order to exit the cold water, cold water is discharged from the cock 15. For this cold water outflow, the water purification valve (41) and the cold water supply valve (52) are opened, through which cold water is discharged. Accordingly, the cold water supply valve 52 performs a function of selectively opening and closing the cold water pipe 50. As described below, a single cock valve 17 may be provided to supply at least two of cold water, hot water and purified water through the single cock 15. In this case, the single coke valve 17 operates to open the cock 15 for the cold water outflow.

In the sterilization mode, the cold water line 50 can be sterilized by steam. This method may be similar or identical to sterilization of the purified water line 40 described above.

In order to sterilize the cold water pipe 50, the cold water supply valve 52 is opened, and the steam is introduced into the cold water pipe 50 through the purified pipe 40 and the branch point C via the steam pipe 70. Likewise, when steam is supplied, purified water and cold water flow first in the cold water pipe 50, and when purified water and cold water pass all through the cold water pipe 50, the steam will fill the cold water pipe 50 and flow. Therefore, the cold water pipe 50 including the cooling passage 61 can be sterilized through the high-temperature steam.

As described above, in the case of a water purifier in which both cold water and purified water flow out, the order of disinfection of the cold water line 50 and disinfection of the purified water line 40 may be different. Of course, in the case of a water purifier without water purification, some purified water pipe 40 can be sterilized by sterilizing the cold water pipe 50.

Here, the cold water pipe 50 is preferably provided at a rear end of the steam pipe 70 in order to receive steam. In other words, it is preferable that the branch point C at which the cold water pipe 50 is branched from the purified water pipe 40 is located at the branch point A where the branched water pipe 70 or the steam pipe 70 branches off, .

Therefore, the steam in the steam pipe 70 flows through the purified pipe 40 through the junction B, and then flows into the cold water pipe 50 through the branch point C. The steam is flowed along the cold water pipe 50 to sterilize the inside of the cold water pipe 50. If necessary, steam can be discharged to the cock 15 to sterilize the coke discharged from the cold water.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment in which cold water and purified water are discharged through a single cock 15. To this end, a single cock valve 17 may be provided at the rear end of the purified water supply valve 42 and the cold water supply valve 42. In this case, the single coke valve performs two functions as an integral coke valve and a cold water coke valve.

The single cock valve 17 may be connected to the distribution pipe 90. The distribution pipe 90 may be connected to the purified water pipe 40 and the cold water pipe 50, respectively. A cold water supply valve (52) and a purified water supply valve (42) may be provided at the front end of the distribution pipe (90). A single cock valve 17 may be provided at the rear end of the distribution pipe 90.

More specifically, the distribution pipe 90 may be connected to at least one of the purified water pipe 40, the cold water pipe 50, and the hot water pipe 60. Water exiting through these pipes can be introduced into the distribution pipe 90.

The distribution pipe 90 may be connected to the cooling water pipe 80 and the cock 15. Accordingly, the distribution pipe 90 may have a plurality of inlet ports and at least one outlet port, and each of the inlet port and the outlet port may be connected to the valve. To this end, the distribution line 90 may comprise a single body assembly having a plurality of inlets and at least one outlet.

Therefore, cold water or purified water can be supplied to the distribution pipe 90, and cold water or purified water can be selectively supplied when the cock 15 is opened through the single coke valve 17. [ For example, when the purified water supply valve 42 is opened and the single coke valve 17 is opened, the purified water can be supplied through the single coke. Further, when the cold water supply valve 52 is opened and the single cock valve 17 is opened, cold water can be supplied through the single cock 15.

A cooling water pipe 80 may be provided between the front end of the cock 15 and the rear end of the distribution pipe 90. Basically, the cooling water pipe 80 may be configured to supply purified water from the purified water pipe 40 to the cold water tank 55. Of course, it is also possible to supply cold water through the cold water pipe 50 to the cold water tank 55 as cooling water. That is, the purified water or the cold water may be supplied to the cold water tank 55 before the water or cold water is discharged to the cock 15.

The cooling water pipe 80 may be provided with a cooling water valve (not shown) for selectively opening and closing the cooling water pipe 80. Such a coolant valve (not shown) may be provided in the coolant pipe 80, and the single cock valve 17 may be separately provided. In this case, the cooling water pipe 80 may be branched at the rear end of the distribution pipe 90 and at the front end of the single coke valve 17.

However, the single coke valve 17 may be implemented as a three-way valve. That is, it may be implemented as a three-way valve for selectively opening the cock 15 or opening the cooling water pipe 80.

The three-way valve closes the normal coke 15 and the cooling water pipe 80 and can selectively open the cock 15 and the cooling water pipe 80 by driving.

In the heading mode, the outflow through the cock 15 can be performed by opening the cock 15 for three-way valve for heading. In order to supply the cooling water, the three-way valve opens the cooling water pipe 80 and the cooling water can be supplied to the cold water tank through the cooling water pipe.

On the other hand, the cooling water pipe 80 can be opened in the sterilization mode. That is, it can be opened when sterilizing the cold water pipe 50 and / or the purified water pipe 40 through the steam.

When the steam is supplied to the cold water pipe 50 and / or the purified water pipe 40, the existing cold water and the purified water flow into the cold water tank 55 through the cooling water pipe 80. Thereafter, the steam also flows into the cold water tank 55 through the cooling water pipe 80. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent cold water, purified water, and steam from being discharged through the cock 15 when sterilizing the steam. Of course, it may be possible for steam to be discharged through the cock 15 as needed for sterilization of the cock 15.

Therefore, the cooling water pipe 80 is opened through the coke valve 15, which is realized by the cooling water valve or the three-way valve, which is not shown in the sterilization mode, so that the high temperature steam can be prevented from being discharged directly to the outside of the water purifier. Of course, it may be desirable to have a relatively short time and a relatively small amount of steam to be discharged into the cock 15 for sterilization of the cock 15. This relative cork 15 sterilization can be said to be possible due to the ability to bypass steam to the cooling water line 80, as described above.

In this embodiment, it is possible to provide a water purifier capable of generating hot water using an integer and supplying hot water. A heating device 75 for generating such hot water may be provided. Meanwhile, the heating device 75 may be a heating device 75 for generating steam, as described above. Therefore, it is possible to selectively generate steam or hot water by operating the heater 77 differently.

That is, in the general heading mode, the heating device 75 is used as a device for producing hot water, and in the sterilization mode, the heating device 75 can be used as a device for generating steam. Therefore, the pipe through which the purified water flows into the heating device 75 may be the same.

However, the pipe through which the steam is supplied through the heating device 75 and the pipe through which the hot water is supplied may be different from each other.

The hot water is supplied to the hot water pipe 60 and the steam is supplied to the purified water pipe 40 through the steam valve 72 as shown in FIG. ). ≪ / RTI >

Therefore, it can be said that the branch point A, the heating device 75 and the confluence point C can be referred to as a steam pipe 70, and the hot water pipe 60 is branched from the steam pipe 70 at the rear end of the heating device 75 . In another aspect, the hot water pipe 60 can be referred to as a branch point A, a heating device 75 and a hot water coke valve 62 or 15. A steam pipe at the rear end of the heating device 75 can be referred to as a hot water pipe 60, As shown in Fig.

In the general heading mode, the steam valve 72 is closed, and the hot water generated in the heating device 75 can be taken out through the hot water pipe 60. In the sterilization mode, the steam valve 72 is opened, and steam generated in the heating device 75 is supplied to the purified water pipe 40 to sterilize the purified water pipe 40 and / or the cold water pipe 50 . Of course, even the cock 15 can be sterilized.

In this embodiment, it is possible to provide a water purifier in which purified water, hot water and cold water can be selectively discharged through the single coke 15. Accordingly, the distribution pipe 90 may be provided as described above, and the distribution pipe 90 may be connected to the hot water pipe 60 as well. Therefore, any one of the purified water, hot water, and cold water flowing into the distribution pipe 90 can be discharged to the outside due to the opening of the single coke 15 through the single coke valve 17.

As described above, only the purified water can be supplied through the water purifier according to the present embodiment, and a water purifier capable of sterilizing the purified water pipe 40 and the coke 15 can be provided. However, in this case, since the cooling water pipe 80 should be omitted, the amount of steam discharged through the cock 15 can be increased.

Through the water purifier according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a water purifier supplied only with cold water and hot water. In this case, among the purified water pipes 40 shown in FIG. 2, it can be realized by omitting the piping from the branch point C to the distribution pipe 90. In the case of such a water purifier, it is also possible to sterilize part of the purified water pipe 40 and the cold water pipe 50 through steam, and to allow the steam to be bypassed to the cooling water pipe 80.

The water purifier according to the present embodiment may be provided with a water purifier supplied only with cold water and purified water. In this case, it can be realized by omitting only the hot water pipe 60 shown in Fig. That is, it can be implemented by omitting only the hot water pipe 60 from the rear end of the heating device 75 to the distribution pipe 90. In the case of such a water purifier, the purified water pipe 40 and the cold water pipe 50 can be sterilized through steam as well. Then, the steam can be bypassed to the cooling water pipe (80).

As shown in FIG. 2, a water purifier capable of selectively supplying cold water, hot water, and purified water through the water purifier according to the present embodiment can be provided. In this case, it is possible to generate steam and hot water through the single heating device 75, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost. In addition, due to the addition of the piping and the steam valve 72 connecting the purified water pipe 40 from the heating device 75, the inside of the cold water pipe 50, the purified water pipe 40 and the inside of the cock 15 can be sterilized by steam .

On the other hand, it is also possible to sterilize the hot water pipe 60 with steam by causing the steam to flow to the hot water pipe 60 in the same manner. However, since the hot water flowing through the hot water pipe 60 is basically high temperature, the necessity of sterilizing the hot water pipe 60 is relatively small.

It can take a lot of time to generate steam and sterilize each piping with steam. Therefore, sterilization of the hot water piping 60 can be omitted in consideration of the time and the necessity of sterilization.

As described above, the steam for sterilization can be introduced into the cold water tank 55 through the cooling water pipe 80. Therefore, it is preferable to discharge the cooling water in the cold water tank 55 beforehand in the sterilization mode. A drain pipe 85 for discharging the cooling water may be provided, and a drain valve 86 may be provided for the selective drain. In addition, the cold water tank 55 may be provided with a supercharging water discharge pipe 87 for discharging the supercharged cold water tank to the drain pipe 85.

When all of the cooling water is discharged or a large amount of cooling water is discharged in the sterilization mode, steam can be introduced into the cold water tank 55 through the cooling water pipe 80. Cooling water is not for drinking. That is, the fluid flowing through the inside of the cold water tank 55 and the inside of the cooling water pipe 80 is not for drinking.

However, sterilization may be necessary since bacterial propagation or contaminants may accumulate within these configurations.

In the present embodiment, steam is supplied into the cold water tank through the cooling water pipe 80. That is, steam can be supplied into the cold water tank 55 through which the cooling water is discharged. Sterilization of the inside of the cooling water pipe 80 and the inside of the cold water tank 55 may be possible through such steam.

The inside of the cold water tank 55 is very cold. Of course, some of the cooling water in the cold water tank may freeze. Accordingly, the supplied steam can be cooled in the cold water tank, and then discharged to the outside through the drain pipe 85. [ This means that hot steam or hot water can be prevented from being discharged to the outside through the drain pipe (85).

In addition, it means that the inside of the cold water tank 55 and the outside of the cooling coil 51 can be sterilized through steam.

Meanwhile, the drain pipe 85 may be connected to a safety pipe 88 branched from the hot water pipe 60. The safety pipe 88 may be provided with a safety valve 89 or a relief valve. When overpressure is generated due to the heating device 75, the safety valve 89 is opened to overpressure.

The heating device 75 can be controlled in operation through a temperature sensor 76. That is, the driving of the heater 77 can be controlled based on the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor 76. [ Of course, the heater 77 for generating steam and generating hot water can be controlled differently.

For example, when the predetermined temperature (for example, 85 degrees Celsius) is reached for generating hot water, the driving of the heater 77 may be stopped. In order to generate steam, the heater 77 may be stopped when the predetermined temperature (for example, 140 degrees Celsius) is reached.

Basically, the inside of the heating device 75 is filled with an integer. This is because the heating device 75 is also a part of the pipe subjected to water pressure. Therefore, it is preferable that the inlet 78 and the outlet 79 of the heating device are located at the lower portion and the upper portion, respectively, in order to prevent air from getting inside the heating device 75.

Such a position of the discharge port 79 prevents boiling hot water from flowing into the purified water pipe 40 through the steam valve 72 to some extent.

On the other hand, in order to reduce the time required for steam sterilization, it is preferable that the steam generation is performed quickly. To this end, the output of the heater 77 is preferably variable.

That is, it is preferable that the output of the heater 77 for generating steam is higher than the output of the heater 77 for generating hot water. This control can be performed controllably through the triac. That is, it is possible to output different outputs through the triac to the same heater.

The above-described water purifier may be a water purifier for leaving only hot water and purified water. In this case, the cold water tank 55 and the cold water pipe 50 may be omitted. Therefore, the cooling water pipe 80 may be the drain pipe 85 itself, or may be a pipe connected to the drain pipe 85. Therefore, purified water, hot water, and steam discharged from the steam sterilization may be drained to the outside through the cooling water pipe 80. Of course, the cold water tank 55 may not be configured for forming cold water, but may be switched to a configuration for storing the purified water, hot water, or steam for a certain period of time. Accordingly, it may be possible to control the steam generated due to steam sterilization to be drained to the outside after being stored for a certain period of time.

As described above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a water purifier that receives raw water through an external water source and converts the purified water into purified water. It is possible to provide the water purifier which can take out the purified water as it is or can convert it to hot water or cold water to get out. In addition, a water purifier capable of sterilizing various internal pipes by using steam can be provided. Therefore, such a water purifier can be called a direct water purifier. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not necessarily limited to this. This is because a hot water pipe or a cold water pipe can be provided through a hot water tank or a cold water tank that generates hot water or cold water, and sterilization can be performed by supplying steam to the hot water pipe or the cold water pipe. Therefore, the technical idea of the present invention can be applied to a low water type purifier.

Meanwhile, the operation of the various valves and the heating device 75 may be performed through control of a control unit (not shown). The control unit may control the operation of the water purifier based on an outflow mode via the user interface 14 (see FIG. 1). In addition, the operation of the water purifier can be controlled so that the sterilization mode is performed through the user's selection through the user interface or predetermined conditions.

For example, when the user selects the sterilization mode through the user interface, the control unit generates steam through the heating device 75, opens the steam valve 71 to supply steam to the purified water pipe or the cold water pipe , The sterilization mode can be controlled to be performed. Of course, the control unit may selectively control various valves in the sterilization mode to control the flow of the desired fluid in the various pipes.

Hereinafter, a control method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG.

First, when the power of the water purifier is applied, the user can enter the outgoing mode. In the heading mode, at least one of an integer, cold water, and hot water can be dispensed.

The user may press the sterilization mode button (not shown), or the control unit may determine whether the sterilization mode condition is satisfied, and enter the sterilization mode. That is, the control unit receives the sterilization mode. In other words, a step of receiving the sterilization mode through the operation of the user or predetermined conditions is performed. The predetermined condition may be an accumulation time of the heading mode execution, a cumulative number of headings, or a cumulative amount of heading. When these predetermined conditions are satisfied, it is also possible to automatically input the sterilization mode.

When the sterilization mode is input, the sterilization mode can be performed. As described above, the sterilization mode is to sterilize the inside of the piping or the coke using the high-temperature steam. Therefore, in this sterilization mode, general heading is not possible. Therefore, it is necessary to inform the user that the sterilization mode is performed.

To this end, it is desirable to inform the user that the sterilization mode is entered via a lamp, buzzer, or voice message before entering the sterilization mode. The user can be informed that the sterilization mode is being performed by turning on the steam sterilization lamp not shown, and conversely, the steam sterilization lamp can be increased in the outgoing mode.

The sterilization mode can be started through steam preparation (S10). That is, the sterilization mode can be started by generating steam through the heating device 75. It takes some time to generate steam by heating raw water or purified water. Therefore, at this time, it is preferable that the output of the heating device 75 is higher than that of hot water.

In the steam preparation step S10, the steam valve 72 may be controlled to be opened.

On the other hand, the sterilization mode can be started by making the cooling water in the cold water tank 55 drain (S90). That is, the sterilization mode can be performed while providing a space for accommodating fresh water, cold water or steam in the cold water tank 55. This cooling water drain (S90) may also take some time. The drain valve 86 may be controlled to be opened for the coolant drain S90.

Therefore, it is preferable that the sterilization mode is performed simultaneously with the steam preparation S10 and the cooling water drain S90, or with a time difference. That is, it is preferable that the steam preparation S10 and the cooling water drain S90 are performed simultaneously.

The steam valve 72 and the drain valve 86 described above may be performed before the steam preparation (S10). That is, when the sterilization mode is entered, the valves may be opened first, and steam preparation (S10) may be performed.

In the steam preparation step (S10), the purified water supply valve 42 may be controlled to be opened. Of course, the cock valve S17 can still be controlled to close the cock 15.

When the steam preparation (S10) is completed, sterilization steps (S20 to S60) for sterilizing the steam are performed.

The sterilization step may include a purified water sterilization step S30 for sterilizing the purified water pipe 40 or the purified water flow path. That is, the steam is supplied into the purified water pipe 40 to heat the inside of the purified water pipe (S20), and the purified water sterilization step (S30) in which the purified water is sterilized due to the high temperature by continuously supplying steam can be performed have.

In the step of heating the purified water pipe (S20), the purified water in the purified water pipe may be supplied to the cold water tank 55 through the expanded steam or heated water. That is, it is a process of replacing the constant of the purified water pipe with steam. In other words, the steam is initially heated and the steam flows along the inside of the purified water pipe over time. Therefore, at this time, the inside of the purified water pipe can be continuously heated. All of the purified water is replaced with steam and the steam is continuously supplied to the purified water pipe 40, so that the inside of the purified water pipe can be cleaned and sterilized (S30) due to the high temperature of the steam and the flow of the steam.

The sterilization (S30) of the purified water pipe may be performed for a predetermined time. For example, it can be performed for about 30 seconds. When the purified water pipe sterilization (S30) is performed for a preset time, the coke sterilization (S40) can be performed. The cock valve 17 can be controlled to repeat the opening and closing of the cock 15 for the coke sterilization (S40). That is, it can be controlled so as to repeat opening and closing of the cock 15 by the set number of times.

For example, the cock valve 15 may repeat the cock opening for one second and the cock closing (i.e., cooling water piping opening) for five seconds. Here, the coke closure means sterilization of purified water pipes, and the steam is discharged to the outside through the cock 15 due to the opening of the coke. Therefore, cleaning and sterilization of the inside of the cock 15 can be performed due to the high temperature of the steam and the flowability of the steam.

Here, it is preferable that the opening of the cork is performed only for a relatively short time. This is because, if the amount of steam discharged through the cock is large, a residue may be generated outside the water purifier.

When steam sterilization (S30) and coke sterilization (S40) are completed, steam can be supplied to the cold water pipe (50). That is, the water supply valve 42 is closed and the cold water supply valve 52 is opened. The steam pushes the cold water in the cold water pipe 50 to heat the inside of the cold water pipe 50 (S50). When the cold water in the cold water pipe is replaced with steam, cleaning and sterilization (S60) of the inside of the cold water pipe 50 can be performed through the high temperature steam and the flowability of the steam. The time required for the sterilization (S60) of the cold water pipe (50) may be set to the same time as the sterilization of the purified water pipe (S40).

Thus, sterilization can be performed in the order of purified water, coke and cold water.

When the sterilization step is finished, step (S70) of supplying purified water to the heating device can be performed. That is, since the constant for generating the hot water has been exhausted to the steam, the step of supplementing the constant (S70) may be performed again. For this purpose, the branch valve 71 is opened and the hot water supply valve 62 can be opened. Here, it is preferable that the purified water to be supplemented is prevented from being discharged to the cock 15 through the hot water pipe 60. This is because the temperature of the purified water may be very high through the heated heating device.

Thus, at this time, the cock valve 17 closes the cock 15 and the drain valve 86 can be controlled to open.

It is preferable that the step (S80) of cooling the inside of the heated pipes is performed when the step (S70) of replenishing the purified water with the heating device (75) is completed. That is, it is preferable to cool the heated cold water pipe 50 and the purified water pipe 40.

To this end, the cold water supply valve 52 may be opened to allow the purified water to be supplied to the cold water pipe 50. Further, the purified water supply valve 42 may be opened to allow the purified water to be supplied to the purified water pipe 40. Of course, in this cooling step, it is preferable to let the purified water flow in the cold water pipe 50 first, and then let the purified water flow in the purified water pipe 40. This is to ensure sufficient time for cold water generation for future watering mode.

In this piping cooling step, purified water flowing into the cold water pipe 50 and the purified water pipe 40 is supplied into the cold water tank 55 through the cooling water pipe 80. At this time, it is preferable that the drain valve 86 is controlled to be closed. This is because this purified water supply may mean the step S95 of supplying the cooling water. Therefore, the amount of purified water to be drained can be minimized.

By completing the pipe cooling step (S80) and the coolant water supply or replenishment step (S95), the sterilization mode can be all terminated. When the sterilization mode is finished, the control unit preferably controls to automatically switch to the water intake mode.

On the other hand, the cooling water drain (S90) is required for sterilizing the cold water tank and the like. Therefore, it is preferable that the cooling water drain (S90) is continuously performed from the initial stage to the middle stage of the sterilization step. For example, it is preferable that the coolant drain (S90) be performed until the sterilization (S30) or the sterilization (S40) of the purified water pipe is performed. Therefore, most of the cooling water can be drained from the cold water tank through the cooling water drain (S90).

Thereafter, hot water, purified water, or steam flowing into the cold water tank may not be drained because it can be used as cooling water in the future. Of course, it is preferable that the insufficient cooling water is added (S95) before the sterilization mode is completed.

As described above, it is preferable that the purified water pipe 40, the coke 15, and the cold water pipe 50 are sequentially executed. The reason is as follows.

By first sterilizing the purified water pipe 40, the cooling water drain and the purified water pipe sterilization can be performed simultaneously. Therefore, the time required for sterilization can be shortened. If the cold water pipe is first sterilized, sterilization can not be performed until the drain of the cooling water is completed. This is because the steam that flows into the cold water pipe in the state where the cooling water is not drained easily condenses because of the cooling water. This is because, in general, the cooling water can be controlled at 5 degrees Celsius, which is very low in temperature. When such cooling water is present, particularly, the steam flowing into the cooling passage 51 easily condenses to lose fluidity and high-temperature characteristics.

Therefore, it is preferable to sterilize the purified water pipe 40 before the cold water pipe 50.

On the other hand, when sterilization of the cock 15 is given priority, there is a fear that the high temperature water and a large amount of condensed water are discharged to the outside through the cock 15 through the heating device 75. Therefore, sterilization of the cock 15 is preferably performed after sterilization of the purified water pipe 40 or the cold water pipe 50.

On the other hand, it is preferable that the sterilization of the cock 15 is carried out after sterilization of the water pipe, not after sterilization of the cold water pipe. This is because the length of the purified water pipe is shorter than that of the cold water pipe, so that the amount of condensed water discharged to the outside of the cock 15 can be minimized.

Therefore, it is highly desirable that the sterilization is performed in the order of the purified water pipe 40, the coke 15, and the cold water pipe 50. Through this, it is possible to shorten the sterilization mode execution time. In the sterilization step of the purified water pipe and the coke, the cold water pipe, particularly the cooling channel, can be preheated by steam beforehand, so that the time required for sterilizing the cold water pipe can be shortened.

The control method described above can be regarded as a control method in the embodiment in which purified water and cold water flow out through the purified water pipe 40 and the cold water pipe 50. [ However, a control method of a water purifier in which hot water and cold water are allowed to flow out of the water can be provided.

In this case, the purified water pipe 40 may be a part of the cold water pipe 50, and the cold water pipe sterilization step may be performed through one cold water pipe sterilization step. In this case, the purified water pipe 40 and the cold water pipe 50 between the confluence point B and the branch point C can be sterilized through the cold water pipe sterilization step S60, and then the cork sterilization step S40 can be performed .

On the other hand, in the case of a water purifier to which only purified water is dispensed, the sterilization step of the cold water pipe may be omitted. Of course, in the case of a water purifier that only water and hot water can flow out, the cold water pipe sterilization step may be omitted.

In this case, the sterilization mode can be ended through the purified water pipe and the coke sterilization step. In addition, the cooling water drain step and the cooling water replenishing step may be omitted. This is because the cooling bath can be omitted when there is no cold water outflow.

In this case, the steam flowing through the purified water pipe can be controlled to be drained to the outside through the cooling water pipe 80.

Hereinafter, differences between the basic control elements of the outgoing mode and the sterilization mode will be described.

As described above, it is preferable that the outgoing in the sterilization mode is controlled not to be possible. In other words, it is preferable that the lever is controlled so as not to be operable or the control operation is not carried out even if the lever is operated.

In the heading mode, the water level of the cooling water in the cold water tank can be controlled, and the cooling water can be controlled at a predetermined temperature, for example, 5 degrees Celsius. However, in the sterilization mode, it is preferable that the cooling water temperature is not controlled and the water level control is not performed. That is, it is preferable that the driving of the chiller is stopped in the sterilization mode. However, even before the sterilization mode is completed, it is preferable that the water level control is performed again at the time of recharging the cooling water (S95).

On the other hand, the heater 77 of the heating device 75 can be controlled to have a relatively low output, for example, a 350W output through triac control in an outgoing mode. And, in the sterilization mode, the heater 77 can be controlled to have a maximum output, for example, 900 W output.

10: Water purifier 15: Cork
20: External water supply 30: Filter
40: purified water pipe 50: cold water pipe
60: Hot water piping 70: Steam piping (branch piping)
75: Heating device 80: Cooling water piping
90: Distribution piping

Claims (20)

A method for controlling a water purifier including a purified water pipe extending from a rear end of a filter to a cork valve (purified water coke valve) for discharging the purified water,
Receiving a sterilization mode through operation of a user or predetermined conditions; And
Wherein the sterilization mode is a mode in which steam is generated through a heating device and the steam bypasses purified water in the purified water pipe and flows through the steam pipe in the forward direction through the purified water pipe, And a sterilization step of sterilizing the water. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the sterilizing step comprises:
A steam sterilization step of supplying the steam to the cooling water pipe branching from the purified water pipe at the front end of the constant water coke valve; And
And a steam sterilizing step of sterilizing the purified water by supplying the steam to the outside through the purified water coke. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the sterilization of the purified water pipe and the sterilization of the purified water coke are sequentially performed. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the time required for the sterilization of the purified water pipe is greater than the time required for the sterilization of the purified water coke. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a cold water pipe provided at the rear end of the steam piping joined to the purified water pipe and extending to a coke valve (cold water coke valve) for discharging cold water generated by cooling purified water bypassed from the purified water pipe In addition,
Wherein the sterilizing step comprises:
And a cold water pipe sterilizing step of supplying the steam to the cooling water pipe branched from the cold water pipe at a front end of the cold water coke valve. 6. The method of claim 5,
And a steam sterilizing step of sterilizing the purified water by supplying the steam to the outside through the purified water coke. 7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
And a hot water pipe branched from the steam pipe at a rear end of the heating device to a cork valve (hot water coke valve) for discharging hot water generated in the heating device,
Wherein the steam valve provided in the steam pipe is closed until the sterilization mode is input. A method of controlling a water purifier for providing an outbound mode and a steam sterilization mode in which at least one of water, cold water, and hot water is carried out,
Receiving a sterilization mode through operation of a user or predetermined conditions; And
When the sterilization mode is input, a sterilization step of sterilizing by steam is performed,
Wherein the sterilizing step comprises:
A steam sterilization step of supplying steam to the purified water pipe provided to allow the purified water to flow out;
A coke sterilizing step of supplying steam through the purified water pipe with a single coke through which the purified water, cold water and hot water are selectively discharged; And
And a cold water pipe sterilizing step of supplying steam to the cold water pipe provided to allow the cold water to flow out. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein in the sterilization step, the steam flows in the forward direction in the purified water pipe, the single cock, and the cold water pipe. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the sterilization of the purified water pipe, the sterilization of the coke, and the sterilization of the cold water pipe are sequentially performed. 11. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10,
A steam generating step for generating steam through a heating device for generating hot water is performed and a cooling water drain step for draining cooling water accommodated in a cold water tank for generating cold water is performed, Way. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the cooling water drain step has a time interval in which the steam generating step is simultaneously performed. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the cooling water drain step has a time period that is performed simultaneously with the sterilization step. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the cooling water is supplied to the cold water tank through the purified water pipe and the cold water pipe to cool the purified water pipe and the cold water pipe when the sterilization step is completed. 15. The method of claim 14,
And when the cooling step is completed, the sterilization mode is terminated and automatically switched to the outbound mode. A method of controlling a water purifier for providing an outbound mode and a steam sterilization mode in which at least one of water, cold water, and hot water is carried out,
Receiving a sterilization mode through operation of a user or predetermined conditions; And
When the sterilization mode is input, a sterilization step of sterilizing by steam is performed,
Wherein the sterilizing step comprises:
A piping sterilization step of supplying steam to the cold water pipe through the purified water pipe; And
And a coke sterilizing step of supplying steam through the purified water pipe or the cold water pipe to the cock where at least one of the purified water, cold water and hot water is discharged. 17. The method of claim 16,
Wherein in the sterilization step, the steam flows in the forward direction in the purified water pipe, the single cock, and the cold water pipe. 17. The method of claim 16,
A steam generating step for generating steam through a heating device for generating hot water is performed and a cooling water drain step for draining cooling water accommodated in a cold water tank for generating cold water is performed, Way. 19. The method of claim 18,
Wherein the cooling water drain step has a time interval in which the steam generating step is simultaneously performed. 19. The method of claim 18,
Wherein the cooling water is supplied to the cold water tank through the purified water pipe and the cold water pipe to cool the purified water pipe and the cold water pipe when the sterilization step is completed.

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