KR20180024974A - Method for controlling water purifying apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the embodiment of the present invention, provided is a method for controlling a water purifier, which comprises the following steps: starting the driving of a compressor and firstly sensing the cooling water temperature (T1); setting the firstly detected cooling water temperature (T1) to the control temperature (Tcon); extracting a maximum operating time (tmax) of the compressor corresponding to the control temperature (Tcon); detecting the cooling water temperature (Ta) again after a predetermined time (t1) has elapsed from a time point at which the compressor is turned on; and outputting an error signal the failure of the temperature sensor and stopping the driving of the compressor if it is determined that the cooling water temperature (Ta) is equal to the control temperature (Tcon). Since the maximum operation time of the compressor for cooling the cooling water is calculated depending on the cooling water temperature changing in real time, there is an advantage that the compressor can be operated efficiently.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a method for controlling a water purifier,

The present invention relates to a control method of a water purifier.

A water purifier is a device that filters harmful elements such as foreign substances and heavy metals contained in water by physical and / or chemical methods.

Prior art Patent Application No. 10-2011-0065979 (June 16, 2011) discloses the structure of a water purifier.

In the conventional water purifier disclosed in the prior art, that is, in the case of a direct water purifier, cooling water is stored in a tank, and a cold water pipe and an evaporator for cooling water are immersed in the cooling water.

Accordingly, when the refrigerant flows into the evaporator for generating cold water, the temperature of the cooling water around the evaporator is lowered. The stirrer is operated to promote the heat exchange between the cooling water and the cold water flowing along the cold water pipe. When the stirrer is operated, the temperature of the cooling water is uniformly maintained, and heat exchange between the cooling water and the cold water flowing along the cold water pipe is promoted.

On the other hand, the conventional water purifier senses the temperature of the cooling water using a temperature sensor mounted inside the cooling water tank, and controls the operation (On / Off) of the compressor according to the sensed temperature of the cooling water. That is, if the sensed coolant temperature is lower than the set temperature, the compressor is turned off. If the sensed coolant temperature is higher than the set temperature, the compressor is turned on to maintain the temperature of the coolant stored in the coolant tank at a predetermined temperature.

However, when a failure of the temperature sensor occurs due to moisture infiltration or the like, the compressor can be continuously operated without being turned off. In this case, the amount of ice generated around the evaporator becomes excessively large, so that the load of the evaporator is reduced, and the temperature of the refrigerant flowing into the compressor gradually decreases. When the inlet-side temperature of the compressor approaches the inlet-side temperature of the evaporator, liquid refrigerant flows into the compressor, resulting in a failure of the compressor.

Further, excessive ice generated around the evaporator generates ice noise, and there arises a problem such as condensation on the surface of the heat insulating material of the cooling water tank due to a sudden drop of the cooling water temperature.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been proposed in order to solve the above problems.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control method for a water purifier according to the present invention, wherein a coolant temperature is sensed for the first time when a compressor starts to be driven, and then a coolant temperature is sensed again when a preset time has elapsed. When the temperature of the first detected cooling water is compared with the temperature of the cooling water sensed after the lapse of the set time, if the two cooling water temperatures are equal to each other, an error signal indicating the failure of the temperature sensor is outputted and the driving of the compressor may be stopped.

According to the control method of the water purifier according to the embodiment of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

First, since the maximum operation time of the compressor for cooling the cooling water is calculated according to the cooling water temperature changing in real time, there is an advantage that the compressor can be operated efficiently.

Secondly, since the compressor is not operated more than necessary, the overcooling of the cooling water is prevented, so that the noise of the freezing due to the overcooling of the cooling water is eliminated and unnecessary operation of the compressor is prevented.

Third, when a failure occurs in the temperature sensor for sensing the coolant temperature or when a leakage of refrigerant flowing along the compressor occurs, a warning signal is output to stop the compressor, thereby improving stability.

1 is a perspective view of a water purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is an exploded perspective view of a cold water generating unit of a water purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a cold water generating unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a water purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a water purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1 is a perspective view of a water purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, the water purifier 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention is a direct water-type cold / hot water purifier for purifying water supplied directly from an external water source, and then cooling or heating the purified water to be taken out. The water purifier 10 is formed by combining a plurality of panels. Herein, a direct water type water purifier refers to a water purifier in which purified water is extracted at the time of user's water extract operation without a water tank in which purified water is stored.

In detail, the water purifier 10 includes a front panel 11 forming a front surface, a side panel 12 forming both side surfaces, an upper panel 13 forming an upper surface, And a base panel that forms a bottom surface appearance, and may have a substantially hexahedral shape as a whole. In addition, a plurality of components for purification are mounted in the inner space formed by joining the panels.

The front panel 11 is provided with an operation display unit 14 for displaying an operation state of the water purifier 10 while a user inputs an operation command for the water purifier 10.

The operation display unit 14 is provided in the form of a plurality of buttons or a touch screen so that light can be irradiated to each button. That is, when the user presses or touches the button of the operation display unit 14, the selected button is illuminated with light to easily recognize whether or not the button is selected, and the function of the display unit is simultaneously performed.

The operation display unit 14 is provided with a button for selecting the kind of water to be taken, that is, a button for selecting cold water, hot water or purified water (hot water), a button for continuous water withdrawal, And a display unit for displaying the temperature of the cold water.

Of course, the operation display unit 14 may further include a button for performing an additional function, and some buttons may be omitted.

Below the operation display unit 14, a water chute 15 that can be operated by the user to dispense purified water is provided. The water chute 15 is provided so that the user can operate the water chute 15 to take out the purified water. The water chute 15 has a function of opening and closing the water outlet of the water to allow the user to take out the purified water, so that it can be expressed by an opening / closing device or an opening / closing nozzle.

The water chute 15 is configured to be capable of leaving purified water, cold water, or hot water according to the function of the water purifier 10 by the user's operation. The water chute 15 is disposed below the water chute 15, A tray for receiving water falling from the water chute 15 is provided at the lower end of the front surface of the panel 11.

The tray is in the form of a hexahedron having a certain degree of internal space, and the upper surface thereof is provided with a cover in the form of a grill for filtering out foreign matter. The tray can be moved forward of the front panel 11, and the user can take a water bottle having a height or a purified water in a wide container.

The tray further includes a buoy for checking the level of water contained in the inner space. By checking the buoy, the user can recognize the time when the water contained in the tray is emptied, thereby improving the ease of use .

A plurality of components including a refrigerant cycle for cooling water and a cold water generating unit for generating cold water are accommodated in the inside of the panels forming the external shape of the water purifier 10.

In detail, the water purifier 10 includes a compressor for compressing the refrigerant into a gaseous refrigerant of high temperature and high pressure, a condenser for condensing the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to high temperature and high pressure liquid refrigerant, and a condensing fan for exchanging heat with the condenser Some or all.

In addition, the water purifier 10 may further include a filter assembly for filtering foreign substances contained in water supplied from the water supply source. The filter assembly may include one or both of a pre-carbon filter and an ultrafiltration filter.

The purifier 10 further includes an evaporator (to be described later) through which the refrigerant discharged from the condenser is expanded into a low-temperature low-pressure two-phase refrigerant and a low-temperature low-pressure two-phase refrigerant passing through the expansion .

The water purifier 10 may further include a cold water generating unit (described later) including the evaporator and a cold water pipe (to be described later) through which cold water flows.

In addition, the water purifier 10 may further include a hot water heater for heating the water to be supplied to a predetermined temperature.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a cold water generating unit of a water purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a cold water generating unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 and 3, a cold water generating unit 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a cooling water tank 21 filled with cooling water, a cooling water tank 21 accommodating the cooling water tank 21, A drain valve (not shown) communicating with the inner space of the cooling water tank 21 through the heat insulating case, and a drain valve (not shown) inside the cooling water tank 21 A partition member 23 accommodated in the cooling water tank 21 in a state of being placed on the upper side of the cold water pipe 22 and an evaporator 24 seated on the partition member 23, A stirring motor support portion 26 located at the upper end of the cooling water tank 21 and having a function of a lid for sealing the cooling water tank 21 by engaging with the cooling water tank 21, , And the rotation axis extends downward A stirrer 25 accommodated in the cooling water tank 21 and connected to the rotating shaft of the stirring motor 27 and a tank cover (not shown) covering the upper surface opening of the cooling water tank 21, ). ≪ / RTI >

Specifically, the drain valve is inserted through the heat insulating case and the cooling water tank 21, and is inserted through a side surface of the heat insulating case corresponding to a point adjacent to the bottom of the cooling water tank 21. When the drain valve is opened, the cooling water stored in the cooling water tank 21 may be discharged to the outside of the water purifier.

As shown in the figure, the cold water pipe 22 has a multi-winding shape in the horizontal direction of the cooling water tank 21.

In detail, the cold water pipe 22 may be doubly wound in a spiral shape to form a cylindrical space therein. At this time, the pipes adjacent to each other in the vertical direction of the cold water pipe 22 may be formed to be in contact with each other or spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance, and the adjacent pipes in the left and right direction may be formed to be in contact with each other or spaced apart from each other.

The inlet end 221 and the outlet end 222 of the cold water pipe 22 may extend perpendicularly to the stirring motor support part 26. The inlet end 221 and the outlet end 222 are bent and extended upward from the upper side of the cold water pipe 22 in the direction of the stirring motor support portion because the cold water pipe 22 is doubly wound. If the cold water pipe 22 is wound in an odd number (triple or quintuple), the inlet end 221 and the outlet end 222 should be positioned at the upper side and the lower side, respectively. In this case, the supporting structure of the cold water pipe 22 may be complicated or difficult to support. Therefore, it is preferable that the cold water pipe 22 is overlapped (double or quadruple) in an even number.

The inlet end 221 of the cold water pipe 22 is connected to a flow path connected to a water supply source and the outlet end 222 may be connected to a flow path connected to a water outlet of the water chute 15.

The partition member 23 is disposed on the upper side of the cold water pipe 22 so that the internal space of the cooling water tank 21 is divided into a first space in which the evaporator 24 is accommodated, The second space can be partitioned into a second space in which it is accommodated. Therefore, the ice formed in the first space can not move to the second space.

In addition, the evaporator 24 can be seated inside the partition member 23. The evaporator (24) is connected to the outlet end of the expansion valve connected to the outlet end of the condenser. The refrigerant flowing along the refrigerant pipe forming the evaporator 24 is heat-exchanged with the cooling water stored in the cooling water tank 21 to cool the cooling water. The cooling water is heat-exchanged with the purified water flowing along the cold water pipe 22 to cool the purified water to a predetermined temperature.

In detail, the partition member 23 includes a bottom portion 231 horizontally placed in the cooling water tank 21, a first extension portion 234 extending upward from the inside of the bottom portion 231, And may include a plurality of partition walls 238 extending upward from the bottom portion 231 for partitioning the first space into a plurality of spaces. The partition member 23 may be fixedly coupled to the inner circumferential surface of the cooling water tank 21 or may be simply mounted on the upper end of the cold water pipe 22.

The first extension portion 234 includes a plurality of first vertical ribs 232 extending upward from the edge of the through hole and a plurality of first vertical ribs 232 each having a circular band shape connecting end portions of the plurality of first vertical ribs 232 And may include a first upper rib 233.

The plurality of first vertical ribs 232 are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the circumferential direction of the through hole. The first vertical ribs 232 may include not only ribs extending vertically from the horizontal plane but also ribs extending obliquely and linearly from the horizontal plane.

A cylindrical or conical space may be defined by the plurality of first vertical ribs 232 and the first upper ribs 233, and the space may be defined as an agitator through hole. That is, the agitator 25 may be located in the second space of the cooling water tank 21 through the agitator through hole. Here, the space formed inside the first extension portion 234, that is, the agitator through hole may be defined as a third space.

The plurality of partition walls 238 are arranged to partition the first space into a plurality of spaces. The plurality of partition walls 238 are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the circumferential direction of the through hole. The partition wall 238 may be formed in a plate shape and may have a seating groove 238a through which the evaporator 24 can be seated. That is, the refrigerant pipe constituting the evaporator 24 may be wound in a spiral shape a plurality of times along the seating groove 238a formed in each of the plurality of partition walls 238. [ At this time, the width of the seating groove 238a may be equal to or slightly larger than the outer diameter of the refrigerant pipe constituting the evaporator 24. Accordingly, the first space may be partitioned into a plurality of spaces by the first vertical rib 232, the inner wall surfaces of the partition wall 238, and the cooling water tank 21. Accordingly, the ice formed in the first space in which the evaporator 24 is accommodated is moved only in a partitioned space in the first space, and can not move to another partitioned space in the first space.

The partition member 23 may further include a second extension portion 237 extending upward from the outside of the bottom portion 231.

The second extension portion 237 includes a plurality of second vertical ribs 235 extending upward from the edge of the bottom portion 231 and a plurality of second vertical ribs 235 extending upward from the edge of the bottom portion 231, 2 upper ribs 236 as shown in FIG.

The second upper ribs 236 are formed to fit inside the cooling water tank 21. That is, the outer edge of the second upper rib 236 can be in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cooling water tank 21.

The plurality of second vertical ribs 235 are spaced apart from the upper surface of the bottom portion 231 corresponding to the edge of the bottom portion 231 by a predetermined distance. The plurality of second vertical ribs 235 are arranged to surround the plurality of partition walls 238 and a part of the plurality of second vertical ribs 235 may be connected to the end of the partition wall 238 have. That is, the partition 238 may be considered to lie between the first vertical rib 232 and the second vertical rib 235. In this case, the first space may be partitioned into a plurality of spaces by the first vertical ribs 232, the partition walls 238, and the second vertical ribs 235. Therefore, the ice formed in the first space in which the evaporator 24 is accommodated can be moved only in a partitioned space in the first space, and can not move to another partitioned space in the first space. Particularly, since the ice from the evaporator 24 does not hit the wall surface of the cooling water tank 21, no impact noise is generated and the cooling water tank 21 is prevented from being damaged.

A cold water pipe seat 239 may be formed on the bottom of the bottom 231. The cold water pipe mounting part 239 is formed to protrude from the bottom surface of the bottom part 231 and is formed in a stepped shape so that the step surface is rounded to a curvature corresponding to the outer diameter of the cold water pipe 22 . Then, the pipe forming the upper end of the cold water pipe 22 may be seated in the cold water pipe seat 239.

On the other hand, the stirring motor support portion 26 can be placed on the upper side of the partition member 23. The stirring motor support part 26 may be coupled with the cooling water tank 21 at the upper end of the cooling water tank 21 to cover the upper surface of the first space. That is, the first space is defined between the stirring motor support portion 26 and the partition member 23, and the second space is defined between the partition member 23 and the bottom portion of the cooling water tank 21 .

A cooling water inflow port 261 may be formed on one side of the stirring motor support portion 26. The cooling water inflow port 261 is connected to a flow path connected to a water supply source or connected to a purified flow path through the filter assembly so that cooling water is supplied to the cooling water tank 21 to be filled. An evaporator connector 241 may be formed on the other side of the stirring motor support portion 26. The evaporator connector 241 may be connected to an inlet end of the evaporator 24.

In addition, the stirring motor support portion 26 includes a temperature sensor 28 for sensing the temperature of the cooling water stored in the cooling water tank 21.

In detail, the temperature sensor 28 is arranged to penetrate the bottom surface of the stirring motor support portion 26. The temperature sensor 28 may be formed in a rod shape and extends downward from a bottom surface of the stirring motor support portion 26. That is, the temperature sensor 28 may extend from the bottom surface of the stirring motor support portion 26 to some point of the cooling water level to be filled in the cooling water tank 21. In one example, the temperature sensor 28 may extend from the bottom surface of the agitation motor support 26 proximate the evaporator 24. Therefore, the temperature sensor 28 can detect the temperature of the cooling water cooled by the evaporator 24 more accurately.

The temperature sensor 28 can sense the cooling water temperature at specific time intervals under the control of the controller of the water purifier 10. The detected coolant temperature is provided to the control unit. The control unit may turn off the compressor based on the coolant temperature sensed through the temperature sensor 28 or may output an error signal indicating the failure of the temperature sensor 28. [ The control method of the control unit will be described later.

The stirring motor 27 is mounted on a stirring motor mounting portion formed at an inner center of the stirring motor supporting portion 26. The stirring motor 27 is disposed such that the rotating shaft thereof is directed downward so that the stirrer 25 can be coupled to the lower side of the stirring motor 27. At this time, the stirring motor 27 may be mounted to the stirring motor mounting portion while being coupled to the flexible stirring motor fixing member.

The agitator 25 can be rotated by the stirring motor 27 and extends downward to be locked by the cooling water. The stirrer 25 may be located at an intermediate point of the second space, but is not limited thereto. When the stirrer 25 rotates, the cooling water is mixed while being freely moved between the first space and the second space. As a result, the temperature of the cooling water cooled by the evaporator (24) is kept uniform at all points inside the cooling water tank (21). The agitator 25 may be a blade or an impeller shape extending in the radial direction from the rotary shaft as shown in FIG.

Meanwhile, the inner space of the cooling water tank 21 is partitioned into a first space and a second space by the partition member 23, and the first extended portion 234 inside the first space defines a third space A space can be formed. The first space excluding the third space may be partitioned into a plurality of spaces by the plurality of partitions 238.

Specifically, the first space may be formed above the bottom portion 231 of the partition member 23, and the second space may be formed below the bottom portion 231. The first space is divided into a plurality of spaces by the first extension part 234, the partition wall 238, and the second extension part 237.

The cold water pipe 22 is disposed on the lowermost side of the cooling water tank 21 and the partition member 23 is seated on the upper end of the cold water pipe 22. At this time, the partition member 23 can be fixed to the inside of the cooling water tank 21 by the outer peripheral surface of the second upper rib 236 being in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cooling water tank 21. A cold water pipe mounting part 239 on which the cold water pipe 22 is mounted may be formed on the bottom surface of the bottom part 231 of the partition member 23.

The refrigerant pipe of the evaporator 24 is inserted into the seating groove 238a of the partition wall 238 formed on the inner side of the partition member 23, that is, the bottom portion 231 of the partition member 23, The cold can be seated in the form.

When the stirrer 25 is rotated, the cooling water stored in the cooling water tank 21 is mixed and irregularly moved into the first space and the second space, thereby uniformizing the internal temperature of the cooling water tank 33.

Then, the ice formed in the first space is cooled by the stirring motion of the stirrer 25 to cool the cooling water in the first space. The ice formed in the first space is isolated from the first space by the partition member 23 and can not move to the second space. Particularly, since the first space is partitioned into a plurality of spaces by the partition 238 of the partition member 23, the ice formed in each of the partitioned spaces is isolated inside the partition space. That is, the ice formed in each of the partitioned spaces can not freely move even in the first space, and the flow is limited by the partition 238. In other words, it can be seen that the partition wall 238 blocks the movement (rotation) of the ice due to the clockwise or counterclockwise water current generated by the stirring motion of the stirrer 25. Therefore, the ice does not collide with the stirrer 25 or the cold water pipe 22, and the ice is prevented from entering the evaporator 24 or the inner wall surface of the cooling water tank 21 installed in the first space The phenomenon that the noise is generated due to the collision can be blocked.

Hereinafter, a control method for preventing cooling water overcooling of a water purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a water purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The control method of the water purifier described below can be performed by the control unit of the water purifier. The control unit senses the temperature of the cooling water through the temperature sensor.

4, in step S101, the compressor of the water purifier 10 is turned on, and the temperature of the cooling water stored in the cooling water tank 21 is first detected. For example, if the cooling water overcurling prevention function of the water purifier 10 is selected while the water purifier 10 is powered on or the water purifier 10 is turned on, the power of the compressor is turned on, Can be detected for the first time.

In step S103, the water purifier 10 sets the first sensed cooling water temperature T1 to the control temperature Tcon. Here, the control temperature Tcon can be understood as a reference temperature for calculating a maximum operation time tmax of the compressor, which will be described later. If the maximum operating time tmax of the compressor is set to an arbitrary value, the compressor operates over a required time and the temperature of the cooling water excessively decreases, resulting in occurrence of supercooling of the cooling water. Therefore, the optimum operating time of the compressor according to the cooling water temperature is calculated.

In step S105, the water purifier 10 determines whether or not the cold water extraction valve is opened. That is, the water purifier 10 determines whether the user selects a cold water extraction button and receives a predetermined amount of cold water.

If it is determined that the cold water extraction valve is opened, the water purifier 10 again detects the cooling water temperature and resets the sensed cooling water temperature T2 to the control temperature Tcon in step S107. The reason why the coolant temperature T2 is sensed again is that when the cold water take-out valve is opened and cold water flowing through the cold water pipe 22 is taken out, purified water is supplied to the cold water pipe 22 This is because the temperature of the cooling water can be increased in the process of cooling the supplied purified water. That is, since the temperature of the cooling water can be changed (decreased) as the cold water extraction valve is opened, the cooling water temperature is detected again.

In step S109, the water purifier 10 extracts the maximum operation time tmax of the compressor corresponding to the control temperature Tcon. For example, when the control temperature Tcon is 30 ° C or more, the maximum operating time Tmax of the compressor can be set to 200 minutes. Further, when the control temperature Tcon is 20 ° C or more and less than 30 ° C, the maximum operation time Tmax of the compressor can be set to 150 minutes. And when the control temperature Tcon is equal to or higher than 1 DEG C and less than 10 DEG C, the maximum operation time Tmax of the compressor is set to 100 minutes, The maximum operating time Tmax of the compressor is set to 60 minutes. When the control temperature Tcon is less than 1 ° C, the maximum operating time Tmax of the compressor can be set to 35 minutes.

However, the maximum operation time Tmax of the compressor according to the control temperature Tcon is not limited to the above values, and the range of the control temperature Tcon and the maximum operation time Tmax of the compressor can be variously set have.

Thereafter, in step S111, the water purifier 10 determines whether the set time t1 has been reached. When the set time has been reached, the water purifier 10 senses the coolant temperature Ta at a point of time when the water purifier 10 reaches the set time t1 in step S113. That is, the water purifier 10 senses the coolant temperature Ta when the set time t1 is reached during operation of the compressor.

In step S115, the water purifier 10 determines whether the difference between the control temperature Tcon and the cooling water temperature Ta is greater than zero. That is, the water purifier 10 determines how much the cooling water temperature Ta detected at the time when the preset time t1 has arrived is changed from the previously detected cooling water temperature T1 or T2.

The reason why the temperature of the coolant is changed is to determine whether the temperature sensor for detecting the coolant temperature is defective or to determine whether refrigerant leakage occurs in the coolant pipe connected to the compressor. Therefore, if the change amount of the coolant temperature Ta at the time when the set time t1 is reached is larger than 0, that is, if there is a change amount of the coolant temperature Ta, the temperature sensor operates normally and refrigerant leakage occurs in the coolant pipe It is judged that a failure occurs in the temperature sensor or a refrigerant leak has occurred in the refrigerant pipe if the variation amount of the cooling water temperature Ta is 0, that is, if there is no change in the cooling water temperature Ta . Therefore, it is possible to determine whether the temperature sensor or the refrigerant pipe is defective by determining the amount of change in the cooling water temperature Ta. Here, the set time t1 may be 15 minutes, but it is not limited thereto, and it is a matter of course that the set time t1 is set to various times.

If the change amount of the cooling water temperature Ta is greater than 0, the water purifier 10 determines whether the cooling water temperature Ta is lower than the set temperature Ts in step S117.

If the cooling water temperature Ta is lower than the set temperature Ts, the water purifier 10 turns off the compressor in step S119. That is, when the cooling water temperature Ta falls below the proper temperature, the compressor is turned off so that the cooling water temperature Ta is not further lowered. The set temperature Ts may be -1 deg. C, but is not limited thereto.

Conversely, if the coolant temperature Ta is higher than the set temperature Ts, the purifier 10 determines whether the operation time of the compressor exceeds the maximum operation time tmax in step S121.

If the operation time of the compressor exceeds the maximum operation time tmax, the water purifier 10 turns off the compressor (step S119). If the operation time of the compressor does not exceed the maximum operation time tmax , The water purifier 10 returns to step S105 and determines again whether or not the cold water extraction valve is opened.

That is, the water purifier 10 can turn off the compressor when the coolant temperature Ta is lower than the set temperature Ts or when the operation time of the compressor exceeds the maximum operation time tmax. If the cooling water temperature Ta is higher than the set temperature Ts or the operation time of the compressor does not exceed the maximum operation time tmax, the water purifier 10 performs step S105 again, (Tcon) is reset, and the maximum operating time (tmax) of the compressor corresponding to the reset control temperature (Tcon) can be calculated again.

On the other hand, when the temperature sensor normally operates, the cooling water temperature Ta generally changes (decreases) at least slightly. However, a change in the cooling water temperature Ta may not occur even though the temperature sensor operates normally. Therefore, according to the present invention, the number of attempts (n) for judging the amount of change in the cooling water temperature (Ta) without immediately turning off the compressor when there is no change in the cooling water temperature (Ta) N) of the cooling water temperature Ta (step S123 and step S125).

On the other hand, if the number of times of the determination attempt n reaches the set number N, the water purifier 10 determines that the temperature sensor is defective in step S127 and outputs an error signal indicating the failure of the temperature sensor , The compressor is turned off.

In the present invention, the variation amount of the cooling water temperature Ta is determined until the number of attempts n to determine the variation amount of the cooling water temperature Ta reaches the set number of times N. However, It is possible to output the error signal and turn off the compressor when the variation amount of the cooling water temperature Ta becomes 0 without repeatedly determining the change amount of the temperature Ta.

According to the configuration of the present invention, since the maximum operation time of the compressor for cooling the cooling water is calculated according to the temperature of the cooling water changing in real time, there is an advantage that the compressor can be operated efficiently.

Also, since the overcooling phenomenon of the cooling water generated when the compressor is continuously operated without being turned off is prevented, it is possible to prevent the freezing noise and the breakdown of the compressor due to the overcooling of the cooling water.

In addition, when the temperature sensor detects an abnormality in the temperature sensor due to moisture infiltration or the like, and refrigerant leakage occurs in the refrigerant pipe, the operation of the compressor is stopped by recognizing the refrigerant leakage, thereby preventing unnecessary operation of the compressor and improving stability have.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. .

Claims (8)

A control method for a water purifier including an agitator, an evaporator, a cold water pipe, a temperature sensor, a compressor, and a control unit,
The driving of the compressor is started and the cooling water temperature T1 is first sensed;
Wherein the first detected coolant temperature (T1) is set to a control temperature (Tcon);
Extracting a maximum operating time (tmax) of the compressor corresponding to the control temperature (Tcon);
The temperature of the cooling water (Ta) is detected again after the preset time (t1) has elapsed from the turning on of the compressor; And
And outputting an error signal indicating a failure of the temperature sensor when the cooling water temperature Ta is equal to the control temperature Tcon and stopping the operation of the compressor. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein when the cooling water temperature Ta is equal to the control temperature Tcon, the step of again sensing the cooling water temperature Ta at the time point of the elapse of the set time t1 is repeatedly performed a predetermined number of times. Way. 3. The method of claim 2,
The error signal is output when the coolant temperature Ta is determined to be equal to the control temperature Tcon until the number n of coolant temperature sensing times reaches the set number N, And a control unit for controlling the water purifier. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising the step of determining whether the cold water take-off valve is opened after the first detected coolant temperature (T1) is set to the control temperature (Tcon)
When the cold water take-out valve is determined to be opened, the coolant temperature is detected again;
And the re-sensed cooling water temperature (T2) is reset to the control temperature (Tcon). 5. The method of claim 4,
Further comprising the step of determining whether the coolant temperature (Ta) is lower than the set temperature (Ts) when the coolant temperature (Ta) is not equal to the control temperature (Tcon)
And when the cooling water temperature (Ta) is lower than the preset temperature (Ts), the compressor is turned off. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein it is determined whether the operation time of the compressor exceeds the maximum operation time (tmax) if it is determined that the cooling water temperature (Ta) is equal to or higher than the set temperature (Ts). The method according to claim 6,
If it is determined that the operation time of the compressor exceeds the maximum operation time (tmax), the driving of the compressor is stopped,
Wherein the step of determining whether the cold water extraction valve is opened is repeatedly performed if it is determined that the maximum operation time tmax is not exceeded. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the set temperature (Ts) is -1 [deg.] C.

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