KR20230086342A - Apparatus for hot water provision - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for providing hot water. Specifically, according to one embodiment of the present invention, provided is the device for providing hot water, comprising: a heating device that heats purified water to provide hot water; a water outlet part for discharging the purified water and the hot water to the outside; a flow path part providing a passage for the purified water and the hot water to flow; a valve part that is selectively opened and closed to regulate the flow of the purified water and the hot water within the flow path part; and a control device that controls the heating device and the valve part, thereby capable of minimizing scale occurring inside the device for providing hot water.

Description

Hot water providing device {APPARATUS FOR HOT WATER PROVISION}

The present invention relates to a hot water providing device.

The hot water providing device may generate high-temperature water by heating the introduced water. For example, the hot water supply device includes a gas water heater that heats water using gas, and an electric water heater that heats water using electricity. A product provided with such a water heater is, for example, a water purifier.

In general, a water purifier is a device that receives water from a water supply source such as a tap water, filters it into purified water, and provides purified water to a user. Such purified water may be immediately provided to the user, but may be provided as cold water after being cooled to a certain temperature or less, or as hot water heated to a certain temperature or more. In addition, the water purifier includes a plurality of passages through which purified water, cold water, and hot water respectively flow in order to provide purified water, cold water, and hot water to the user.

In addition, recently, development of a water purifier capable of instantaneously heating water using a heater to generate high-temperature water has been actively pursued. Such a water purifier can instantaneously heat introduced purified water and maintain the temperature of the heated water.

In this regard, Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2020-0013927 of the present applicant "Hot water supply device and water purifier using the same" (Patent Document 1) discloses a water purifier that heats water so that the temperature of water becomes high temperature water at a predetermined temperature or higher.

However, when hot water stays in the water purifier as in the water purifier of Patent Document 1, there is a problem in that scale, to which heavy metals or foreign substances contained in the water are adhered, is formed inside the water purifier. Factors in which scale is formed include scale-inducing substances (Ca, Na, HCO _{3 ,} SO ₄ , etc.), pH, water temperature, and the like. In particular, water temperature is a major factor in scale formation. For example, when the temperature of water rises from room temperature (eg, 25° C.) to a high temperature (eg, 80° C.) that is relatively higher than room temperature, the amount of scale generation rapidly increases. For this reason, the water purifier of Patent Document 1 has a problem in that the scale that has not been removed is dissolved or mixed with the water consumed by the user.

Therefore, there is an increasing need for a hot water providing device equipped with means capable of reducing the temperature of stagnant water inside the hot water providing device to minimize the amount of scale generated and removing scale formed inside the hot water providing device.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2020-0013927 (2020. 02. 10 application published)

An embodiment of the present invention has been invented in view of the above background, and an object of the present invention is to provide a hot water providing device capable of minimizing the scale generated inside the hot water providing device.

In addition, it is intended to provide a hot water providing device capable of efficiently removing scale generated inside the hot water providing device.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a heating device for heating purified water to provide hot water; a water outlet for dispensing the purified water and the hot water to the outside; a flow path part providing a passage through which the purified water and the hot water flow; a valve unit that is selectively opened and closed to control the flow of the purified water and the hot water in the flow path unit; and a control device for controlling the heating device and the valve unit, wherein the flow path unit includes: a hot water outlet flow path providing a passage through which the hot water supplied from the heating device flows to the water outlet unit; and a drain passage branched from the hot water outlet passage to discharge the hot water to the outside, wherein the control device includes a hot water outlet mode in which the hot water is discharged to the outside via the water outlet, and the hot water flows through the outlet. The opening and closing of the valve part is controlled to be placed in one of the drain modes in which water is discharged to the outside through the drain passage without passing through the drain passage, and while the drain mode is performed, the hot water is discharged while the operation of the heating device is stopped. A hot water providing device may be provided that controls the heating device and the valve unit to be discharged from the heating device.

In addition, a sensor capable of measuring at least one of a temperature of the heating device and a temperature of hot water in the heating device is further included, and the control device is configured to detect when a predetermined time has elapsed since the hot water dispensing mode was terminated. An apparatus for providing hot water may be provided that performs the drain mode and controls the valve unit to stop the drain mode when the temperature measured by the sensor is less than or equal to a preset threshold temperature.

In addition, the flow path part further includes a purified water inflow passage providing a passage for the purified water to flow to the heating device, and the purified water inlet valve module that the valve part is selectively opened and closed to control the flow of the purified water in the purified water inflow passage. wherein the control device controls the purified water inlet valve module so that the purified water at a greater flow rate flows to the heating device in the drain mode than in the hot water dispensing mode.

In addition, a hot water providing device may be provided in which the control device performs the drain mode at predetermined intervals when not in the hot water dispensing mode, and performs the drain mode for a predetermined time at each cycle.

The hot water providing device according to an embodiment of the present invention has an effect of minimizing scale generated inside the hot water providing device.

In addition, the hot water providing device according to an embodiment of the present invention has an effect of efficiently removing scale generated inside the hot water providing device.

1 is a conceptual diagram schematically illustrating an apparatus for providing hot water according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a block diagram showing a hot water providing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a conceptual diagram schematically illustrating the flow of water when the hot water providing device according to an embodiment of the present invention is in a hot water dispensing mode.
4 is a conceptual diagram schematically illustrating a flow of water when the hot water providing device according to an embodiment of the present invention is in a drain mode.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments for implementing the technical idea of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

In addition, in the description of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known configuration or function may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

In addition, when a component is referred to as being 'connected', 'flowed', 'discharged', or 'heated' to another component, it may be directly connected to, flowed, discharged, or heated to the other component, but other components in the middle It should be understood that elements may be present.

Terms used in this specification are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In addition, terms including ordinal numbers, such as first and second, may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another.

As used herein, the meaning of "comprising" specifies specific characteristics, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, and other specific characteristics, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, elements, and/or groups. does not exclude the presence or addition of

In addition, in this specification, expressions such as upper, lower, and upper surfaces are described based on the drawings, and it is made clear in advance that they may be differently expressed when the direction of the object is changed.

Hereinafter, a specific configuration of the hot water providing device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the hot water providing device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention can provide clean water to users by filtering water supplied from the outside. For example, the hot water providing device 1 may receive water from a water supply source (not shown) such as tap water, and may filter the supplied water as clean water. The hot water providing device 1 may be a gas water heater that heats water using gas, an electric water heater that heats water using electricity, and a water purifier. However, the hot water providing device 1 is not limited to a water purifier, and may be provided with any device requiring instant hot water such as an espresso machine.

The hot water providing device 1 includes a frame (not shown), a filter unit 100, a heating device 200, a water outlet unit 300, a flow path unit 400, a valve unit 500, a sensor 600, and a control unit. Device 700 may be included.

Meanwhile, water introduced into the hot water supply device 1 from the outside may be classified into raw water, purified water, and hot water. Hereinafter, among the water introduced into the hot water providing device 1 from the outside, water that has not passed through the filter unit 100 is defined as raw water, and water that has been filtered through the filter unit 100 is defined as purified water. In addition, among the water filtered by the filter unit 100, water heated to a predetermined temperature or higher in the heating device 200 is defined as hot water.

The frame may provide a space in which the filter unit 100, the heating device 200, the water outlet unit 300, the flow path unit 400, the valve unit 500, the sensor 600, and the controller 700 are accommodated. there is. The filter unit 100 may filter the raw water introduced into the hot water providing device 1 into purified water. Raw water passing through a raw water intake passage 410 to be described later may flow into the filter unit 100, and purified water filtered by the filter unit 100 may flow into the purified water intake passage 420. In addition, one or more filter units 100 may be provided, and may be provided to the frame to be replaceable. For example, one or more filter units 100 may be disposed on the rear side of the hot water providing device 1 .

The heating device 200 may provide hot water by heating purified water. This heating device 200 may include a hot water receptor 210 and a heater 220. The hot water receiver 210 may provide a space for receiving purified water introduced from the purified water intake passage 420 . The hot water receptor 210 may be, for example, a water storage tank in which incoming purified water is gradually filled.

However, the spirit of the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto, and the hot water receptor 210 may be configured as a direct water type providing a path for purified water to flow. For example, the hot water receptor 210 may be provided with a plurality of barrier ribs arranged to be offset from each other to provide a flow path through which purified water flows while being heated by the heater 220 . While flowing along the passage provided by the hot water receptor 210, the flow direction of purified water may be changed multiple times by a plurality of partition walls. As another example, the hot water receptor 210 may have a pipe shape in which water pre-entered into the hot water receptor 210 may be discharged. The hot water receptor 210 may include an inlet 211 and an outlet 212 .

Purified water may flow into the inlet 211 . This inlet 211 may communicate with the purified water intake passage 420 . This inlet 211 may be disposed lower than the raw import water passage 410 . Hot water may be discharged from the outlet 212 . The outlet 212 may communicate with the inlet 211 and the hot water outlet 440 to be described later. Also, the outlet 212 may be disposed above the inlet 211 .

The heater 220 may heat purified water accommodated in the hot water container 210 . The heater 220 may include, for example, at least one of a sheath heater and a surface heating heater having a plurality of heating plates. In addition, the sheath heater and the surface heating heater may independently heat purified water accommodated in the hot water receptor 210 . This heater 220 may be disposed inside the hot water container 210 .

The water outlet 300 may discharge one or more of purified water and hot water to the outside. For example, the water outlet unit 300 may discharge purified water supplied from the purified water outlet passage 430 to be described later to the outside. In addition, the water outlet unit 300 may discharge hot water supplied from the hot water outlet flow path 440 to be described later to the outside.

The flow path part 400 may provide a passage through which purified water and hot water flow. The flow path part 400 may communicate with the filter part 100 , the heating device 200 and the water outlet part 300 . The flow path unit 400 may include a raw water intake flow path 410, a purified water intake flow path 420, a purified water output flow path 430, a hot water output flow path 440, and a drain flow path 450.

The raw water intake passage 410 may provide a passage through which raw water introduced from the outside flows. The raw water flowing into the raw water intake passage 410 may be connected to the filter unit 100 . The purified water intake passage 420 may provide a passage through which purified water flows into the hot water receptor 210 . In addition, purified water filtered by the filter unit 100 may be introduced into the purified water intake passage 420 and may guide the introduced purified water to the hot water receiver 210 . The purified water intake passage 420 may communicate with the inlet 211 of the hot water receptor 210 .

The purified water outlet passage 430 may provide a passage through which purified water flows. Purified water filtered by the filter unit 100 may flow into the purified water outlet channel 430 and guide the filtered purified water to the water outlet unit 300 .

The hot water outlet passage 440 may provide a passage through which hot water supplied from the heating device 200 flows to the water outlet 300 . Clean water heated by the heating device 200 may be introduced into the hot water outlet channel 440 and may guide the introduced hot water to one or more of the water outlet 300 and the drain channel 450 . The hot water outlet passage 440 may communicate with the outlet 212 of the hot water receptor 210 .

The drain passage 450 may provide a passage through which hot water is discharged to the outside. The drain passage 450 may be branched from the hot water outlet passage 440 . The drain passage 450 may be disposed between the hot water outlet passage 440 and the water outlet 300 .

The valve unit 500 may be selectively opened and closed to control the flow of one or more of purified water and hot water in the flow path unit 400 . The valve unit 500 may include a first valve module 510 , a second valve module 520 and a third valve module 530 .

The first valve module 510 may be selectively opened and closed to control the flow of purified water in the purified water inlet and water passage 420 . For example, the first valve module 510 may adjust the flow rate of purified water flowing into the hot water receptor 210 . The first valve module 510 may be, for example, a flow control valve. The first valve module 510 may be disposed in the purified water intake passage 420 between the second valve module 520 and the inlet 211 . For example, the first valve module 510 may be disposed above the inlet 211 . This first valve module 510 may be referred to as a 'purified water inlet valve module' in this specification.

The second valve module 520 may be selectively opened and closed to guide the flow of purified water to one of the purified water inlet and outlet 420 and the purified water outlet 430 and block the flow of purified water to the other one. For example, the second valve module 520 guides the purified water filtered by the filter unit 100 to the purified water intake flow path 420 and blocks the flow to the purified water output flow path 430. can When the second valve module 520 is placed in the purified water intake state, the raw water intake flow path 410, the purified water intake flow path 420, the inlet 211, the outlet 212, and the hot water output flow path 440 are can communicate with each other.

In addition, the second valve module 520 guides the purified water filtered by the filter unit 100 to the purified water outlet flow path 430 and blocks the flow to the purified water inlet flow channel 420. . When the second valve module 520 is placed in a state where purified water is allowed, the raw water intake flow path 410, the purified water output flow path 430, the inlet 211, the discharge port 212, and the hot water output flow path 440 can communicate with each other.

The third valve module 530 may be selectively opened and closed to guide the flow of hot water to one of the water outlet 300 and the drain passage 450 and block the flow of hot water to the other one. For example, the third valve module 530 may be placed in a hot water dispensing state in which hot water heated by the heating device 200 is guided to the water outlet 300 and the flow to the drain passage 450 is blocked. When the third valve module 530 is placed in a hot water dispensing state, the hot water dispensing passage 440 may communicate with the water outlet 300 .

In addition, the third valve module 530 may be placed in a drain permitting state in which hot water heated by the heating device 200 is guided to the drain passage 450 and flow to the water outlet 300 is blocked. When the third valve module 530 is in a drain permitting state, the hot water outlet passage 440 may communicate with the drain passage 450 .

The sensor 600 may be a temperature sensor capable of measuring one or more of the temperature of the heater 220 and the temperature of hot water in the hot water receptor 210 .

Further referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 , the controller 700 may control at least one of the heater 220 and the valve unit 500 based on the temperature measured by the sensor 600 . The controller 700 may control opening and closing of the valve unit 500 to perform one of the hot water dispensing mode and the drain mode. The hot water outlet mode may be a mode in which hot water discharged from the hot water container 210 is discharged to the outside through the water outlet 300 . For example, when the hot water dispensing mode is performed, the control device 700 determines that the first valve module 510 is open, the second valve module 520 is in a purified water intake state, and the third valve module ( 530) may control the opening and closing of the valve unit 500 so as to be placed in a hot water dispensing state.

Also, the drain mode may be a mode in which hot water discharged from the hot water container 210 is discharged to the outside through the drain passage 450 without passing through the water outlet 300 . For example, when the drain mode is performed, the control device 700 sets the second valve module 520 to allow purified water output and the third valve module 530 to place the drain permission state on the valve unit ( 500) can be controlled.

The controller 700 may control the heater 220 and the valve unit 500 so that hot water is discharged from the hot water container 210 while the operation of the heater 220 is stopped while the drain mode is performed. In addition, the control device 700 may perform the drain mode when a predetermined time elapses from the time when the temperature extraction mode ends. In other words, whenever the user uses hot water, the drain mode may be performed after the user uses hot water.

The controller 700 may control the valve unit 500 so that the drain mode is stopped when the temperature measured by the sensor 600 is less than or equal to a predetermined critical temperature. For example, the controller 700 compares the temperature measured by the sensor 600 with the threshold temperature at each preset check time, stops the drain mode when the measured temperature is less than the threshold temperature, and the measured temperature is the threshold temperature. If it exceeds, the drain mode can be continued until the measured temperature is below the critical temperature. The critical temperature may be, for example, any one of 25 °C to 40 °C, and the check time may be, for example, 2 seconds to 5 seconds.

In addition, the controller 700 may control the first valve module 510 so that purified water having a greater flow rate flows through the hot water receptor 210 in the drain mode than in the hot water outlet mode. For example, the controller 700 may fully open the first valve module 510 so that purified water flows through the hot water receptor 210 at a maximum flow rate in the drain mode.

In addition, when the control device 700 is not in the hot water dispensing mode, it may perform the drain mode every predetermined drain period. The control device 700 may perform the drain mode for a preset execution time for each drain cycle.

The controller 700 may calculate the drain cycle based on total dissolved solids (TDS), which is solids dissolved in raw water. For example, the control device 700 is configured once/day when the TDS is greater than 500 ppm, once/2 days when the TDS is greater than 300 ppm and less than 500 ppm, once/3 days when the TDS is greater than 100 ppm and less than 300 ppm, and TDS When it is 100ppm or less, the drain cycle can be calculated once/week.

Also, the control device 700 may calculate the drain cycle based on the amount of hot water used. For example, when calculating the drain cycle as 1 time/10L based on the amount of hot water used, the controller 700 may perform the drain mode during the morning of the next day after 7L or more of hot water is used.

However, the basis for calculating the drain cycle is not limited to TDS and hot water usage, and the drain cycle may be calculated based on one or more of raw water hardness and hot water temperature. Furthermore, the control device 700 may calculate the drain cycle based on a value obtained by combining the TDS, the amount of hot water used, the hardness of the raw water, and the temperature of the hot water. For example, the control device 700 may perform the drain mode for a preset time period at each preset drain cycle regardless of whether hot water is discharged to the outside. Such a drain cycle may be, for example, 1 time/day to 1 time/week (TDS cycle) or 1 time/2L to 1 time/10L (usage cycle), and the control device 700 determines the TDS cycle and usage amount. The drain mode may be performed based on the period that comes first among the periods.

For example, when the TDS cycle is once/day, the usage cycle is once/2L, and the hot water usage is 2L for 2 hours, the drain mode may be performed based on the usage period. As another example, when the TDS cycle is 1 time/day, the usage cycle is 1 time/2L, and the hot water usage for 1 day is 1L, the drain mode may be performed based on the TDS cycle. The execution time of the drain mode may be, for example, 1 minute to 3 minutes.

However, the concept of the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto, and the control device 700 may control the valve unit 500 to be placed in the purified water extraction mode. The purified water extraction mode may be a mode in which purified water passing through the filter unit 100 is discharged to the outside through the purified water extraction water passage 430 and the water extraction unit 300 sequentially. For example, the control device 700 may control the valve unit 500 so that the second valve module 520 is placed in the purified water extraction mode in the purified water extraction mode.

Such a control device 700 may be implemented by an arithmetic device including a microprocessor, and since the implementation method is obvious to those skilled in the art, further detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Hereinafter, operations and effects of the hot water providing device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The hot water providing device 1 may filter raw water supplied from the outside into purified water through the filter unit 100 . The purified water may flow into the inlet 211 of the hot water container 210 and be heated, and the heated hot water may be discharged through the outlet 212 of the hot water container 210 . In addition, such hot water may be stagnant in the hot water receptor 210 . Scale may be formed around the hot water receptor 210 and the hot water receptor 210 due to the stagnation of the hot water. In order to lower the possibility of scale formation, the temperature of hot water stagnant in the hot water receptor 210 is lowered, the flow rate of water flowing through the hot water receptor 210 is increased, or a periodic drain mode is required.

In order to lower the temperature of hot water stagnant in the hot water receptor 210, the controller 700 controls the heater 220 to discharge the hot water from the hot water receptor 210 while the operation of the heater 220 is stopped while the drain mode is performed. ) and the valve unit 500 can be controlled. As the operation of the heater 220 is stopped while the drain mode is performed, the temperature of the hot water discharged from the hot water receptor 210 is lowered, and accordingly, the possibility of scale forming inside the hot water providing device 1 This has a lowering effect.

In addition, in order to increase the flow rate of water flowing through the hot water receptor 210, the control device 700 allows a higher flow rate of purified water to flow through the hot water receptor 210 in the drain mode than in the hot water outlet mode. ) can be controlled. As such, when purified water having a higher flow rate flows through the hot water receptor 210 in the drain mode than in the hot water outlet mode, the scale formed inside the hot water providing device 1 has the effect of being efficiently removed by the purified water having a relatively fast flow rate. .

In addition, in order to perform the periodic drain mode, the control device 700 may perform the drain mode for a predetermined time at each predetermined period regardless of whether hot water is discharged to the outside. In this way, as the hot water providing device 1 periodically performs the drain mode, there is an effect of preventing scale from being accumulated inside the hot water providing device 1 and increasing in scale.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described as specific embodiments, this is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited thereto, and should be construed as having the widest scope according to the technical spirit disclosed herein. A person skilled in the art may implement a pattern of a shape not indicated by combining/substituting the disclosed embodiments, but this also does not deviate from the scope of the present invention. In addition, those skilled in the art can easily change or modify the disclosed embodiments based on this specification, and it is clear that such changes or modifications also fall within the scope of the present invention.

1: hot water supply device
100: filter unit 200: heating device
210: hot water receptor 211: inlet
212: discharge port 220: heater
300: outlet part 400: flow part
410: raw import flow 420: purified water import flow
430: purified water outlet flow path 440: hot water outlet flow path
450: drain flow path 500: valve unit
510: first valve module 520: second valve module
530: third valve module 600: sensor
700: control device

Claims (4)

A heating device that heats purified water to provide hot water;
a water outlet for dispensing the purified water and the hot water to the outside;
a flow path part providing a passage through which the purified water and the hot water flow;
a valve unit that is selectively opened and closed to control the flow of the purified water and the hot water in the flow path unit; and
Including a control device for controlling the heating device and the valve unit,
The flow path part,
a hot water outlet flow path providing a passage through which the hot water provided from the heating device flows to the water outlet; and
A drain passage branched from the hot water outlet passage to discharge the hot water to the outside;
The control device,
Control the opening and closing of the valve unit to be placed in any one of a hot water outlet mode in which the hot water is discharged to the outside through the water outlet and a drain mode in which the hot water is discharged to the outside through the drain passage without passing through the water outlet, and , Controlling the heating device and the valve unit so that the hot water is discharged from the heating device while the operation of the heating device is stopped while the drain mode is performed,
Hot water supply device. According to claim 1,
Further comprising a sensor capable of measuring at least one of the temperature of the heating device and the temperature of the hot water in the heating device,
The control device,
Controlling the valve unit to perform the drain mode when a preset time has elapsed from the point in time when the hot water dispensing mode ends, and to stop the drain mode when the temperature measured by the sensor is below a preset threshold temperature,
Hot water supply device. According to claim 1,
The flow path part further includes a purified water intake flow path providing a passage for the purified water to flow to the heating device,
The valve unit includes a purified water inlet valve module that is selectively opened and closed to control the flow of the purified water in the purified water inlet passage,
The control device,
Controlling the purified water inlet valve module so that the purified water at a higher flow rate flows to the heating device in the drain mode than in the hot water extraction mode.
Hot water supply device. According to claim 1,
The control device performs the drain mode for a predetermined period of time when not in the hot water dispensing mode, and performs the drain mode for a predetermined period of time at each period.
Hot water supply device.

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