TWI704269B - Electrolyzed water generating device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an electrolyzed water generating device, which can grasp the water flow rate of a used water purification tank even when the electrolyzed water generating device is used in a power-off state. The device main body (4) for holding the clean water tank (3) in a replaceable manner includes: a power storage unit (25) that is charged from the power supply unit (22); the power storage unit (25) is used as a power source and can measure the power cut The flow meter (31) of the water flow rate of the flowing water path (8) in the off state; and the sub-control section (31) that stores the water flow rate in the power off state measured by the flow meter (31) in the storage section (26M) 26).

Description

Electrolyzed water generator

The present invention relates to an electrolyzed water generator that electrolyzes water to generate electrolyzed water.

The following Patent Document 1 proposes that in an electrolyzed water generating device, an IC tag (wireless tag) is mounted on a water purification tank, and a reader/writer that reads data from the IC tag is mounted on the device body. In the proposed device, by comparing the data read from the IC tag with the data in the list of usable water purification tanks pre-stored in the main body of the device, it is possible to identify whether the water purification tank is genuine or not, and to prevent the use of counterfeit products. .

On the other hand, in the electrolyzed water generating device, it is necessary to replace the purified water tank in accordance with the cumulative flow rate of purified water and the like.

Therefore, the inventors proposed as follows. The cumulative water flow data of the clean water tank is recorded in the IC tag, and the flow meter is used to measure the flow of water purified by the clean water tank every time it is used. Then, at the end of use, it communicates with the IC tag via the reader/writer, and updates the accumulated water flow data of the IC tag based on the used water flow. As a result, the user can be accurately notified of the replacement time of the clean water tank.

However, according to users, in order to reduce standby power, the following usage methods may be adopted. That is, it is usually set to a power-off state (a state where the power supply from a commercial power source is blocked) in which the plug of the electrolyzed water generator is unplugged from the socket. In addition, when purifying water, it is used in the power-off state, and only when electrolyzed water is produced, the plug is connected to the socket and used.

In this method of use, it is impossible to know the water flow rate of the clean water tank in the power-off state. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to accumulate the correct water flow, and it is impossible to accurately notify the user of the replacement time of the clean water tank. [Prior Art Document] [Patent Document]

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-016643

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] The problem of the present invention is to provide an electrolyzed water generator that can measure and record the water flow of a used water purification tank in a power-off state, and can perform a measurement of the water flow in the water purification tank. The right accumulation. [Means used to solve the problem]

The present invention provides an electrolyzed water generating device, including a clean water tank that purifies water from a water supply source, and an apparatus main body that can replace the clean water tank, and the apparatus main body includes an electrolysis unit, which The water from the clean water tank is electrolyzed to produce electrolyzed water; a power supply unit, which is connected to a commercial power source and supplies power to each part of the device including the electrolysis unit; a control unit, which controls each part of the device; and flowing water A path connecting at least the water supply source, the water purification tank, and the electrolysis unit, and the electrolysis water generation device is characterized in that the device main body includes: a power storage unit that is charged from the power supply unit; A meter, which uses the power of the power storage unit as a power source, and can measure the water flow rate of the water flowing in the water flow path in the power-off state where the power supply from the commercial power source is blocked; and a sub-control A section that uses the electric power of the power storage section as a power source, and stores the water flow rate measured by the flow meter in a storage section in the power-off state.

In the electrolyzed water generating device of the present invention, it is preferable that the clean water tank is provided with a wireless tag, and the wireless tag stores information including cumulative water flow data of the water purified by the clean water tank, and the device main body Equipped with a communication unit, the communication unit can communicate with the wireless tag, and can read and rewrite the information of the wireless tag.

In the electrolyzed water generating device of the present invention, it is preferable that when recovering from the power-off state, the main control unit communicates with the wireless tag via the communication unit based on the information stored in the storage unit The water flow in the power-off state is overwritten by the accumulated water flow data of the wireless tag.

In the electrolyzed water generating device of the present invention, it is preferable that when recovering from the power-off state, the main control unit confirms whether the clean water tank is the same as the clean water tank before the power-off state, When the clean water tank is the same as the clean water tank before the power-off state, the accumulated water flow data of the wireless tag is rewritten based on the water flow in the power-off state stored in the storage unit.

In the electrolyzed water generating device of the present invention, the sub-control unit may use the electric power of the power storage unit as a power source, and when the water flowing in the water flow path stops in the power-off state, it may pass through the communication unit Communicating with the wireless tag, and rewriting the cumulative water flow data of the wireless tag based on the water flow in the power-off state stored in the storage unit. [Invention Effect]

As described above, the present invention includes a power storage unit, a flow meter, and a sub-control unit. The power storage unit can function as a power source in a power-off state where the power supply from the commercial power source is blocked. In addition, the flow meter and the sub-control unit function under the power of the power storage unit, and can measure the water flow rate in a power-off state and store the water flow rate in the storage unit.

Therefore, even when the electrolyzed water generator is used in the power-off state, the water flow rate of the used clean water tank can be grasped, and the accurate accumulation of the water flow rate in the clean water tank can be grasped.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 1, the electrolyzed water production device 1 of the present embodiment includes a clean water tank 3 that purifies water from a water supply source 2 (for example, tap water), and an apparatus main body 4 that replaces the clean water tank 3. In addition, the device main body 4 includes: an electrolysis unit 5 that electrolyzes water from the water purification tank 3 to generate electrolyzed water; a power supply unit 22 that is connected to a commercial power source 20 and supplies power to each part of the device; and controls each part of the device The main control unit 7; and the flow path 8 through which the water from the water supply source 2 flows.

The flow path 8 includes: a first flow path portion 8A connecting the water supply source 2 and the clean water tank 3; a second flow path portion 8B connecting the clean water tank 3 and the electrolysis section 5; and connecting the electrolysis section 5 and The third flow path part 8C between the outlets 9. In addition, the above-mentioned extraction port 9 is composed of a port 9A for extracting necessary electrolyzed water, and a drain port 9B for draining unnecessary electrolyzed water.

The second flow path portion 8B is composed of a main flow path portion 8B1 on the upstream side, and a first branch path portion 8Ba and a second branch path portion 8Bb on the downstream side that branch from the main flow path portion 8B1 into two flow paths. In this example, the first branch circuit portion 8Ba is connected to the first electrode chamber H1 in the electrolysis unit 5, and the second branch circuit portion 8Bb is connected to the second electrode chamber H2 in the electrolysis unit 5.

The third flow path portion 8C is composed of a take-out flow path portion 8Ca extending from the first electrode chamber H1 to the mouth portion 9A, and a drainage flow path portion 8Cb extending from the second electrode chamber H2 to the mouth portion 9B.

In this example, a faucet 30 capable of opening and closing the flowing water path 8 by manual operation is arranged at the upstream end of the flowing water path 8. In addition, a flow meter 31 capable of measuring the passage of water in the flowing water path 8 and the flow rate of the passing water is arranged on the main flow passage portion 8B1.

A wireless tag 11 is arranged on the clean water tank 3. The wireless tag 11 is a storage medium also called an electronic tag, an IC tag, an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag, etc., and can read and write information wirelessly at a short distance. The wireless tag 11 stores information including accumulated water flow data of the water purified by the water purification tank 3 described above. As the above-mentioned information, in addition to the cumulative water flow data, for example, identification information (such as ID number, etc.) for identifying the clean water tank 3, and information related to the specifications of the clean water tank 3 (such as expiration date, clean water Information such as the recommended upper limit of the water flow in the tank 3 and the recommended upper limit of the use time).

The wireless tag 11 performs wireless communication with the communication unit 23 installed in the device main body 4 to read and write the information. As the communication unit 23, for example, an RFID reader/writer or the like can be preferably used.

The electrolysis unit 5 includes an electrolytic cell 15; first and second electrodes 16 and 17 arranged to face each other in the electrolytic cell 15; and a diaphragm 18 arranged between the first and second electrodes 16 and 17. The diaphragm 18 divides the space in the electrolytic cell 15 into a first electrode chamber H1 on the side of the first electrode 16 and a second electrode chamber H2 on the side of the second electrode 17. Water is supplied to the first electrode chamber H1 from the first branch path portion 8Ba, and water is supplied to the second electrode chamber H2 from the second branch path portion 8Bb.

Furthermore, by applying a DC voltage between the first and second electrodes 16 and 17, the water in the electrolytic cell 15 is electrolyzed. The above-mentioned separator 18 can pass ions generated by electrolysis. As a result, acidic water is generated in the electrode chamber on the anode side, and hydrogen-rich water is generated in the electrode chamber on the cathode side. In addition, the polarity and current value of the DC voltage applied to the first and second electrodes 16 and 17 are controlled by the main control unit 7.

In this example, the second branch path portion 8Bb is provided with a throttle valve 32 to adjust the water supply amount to the second electrode chamber H2 to be lower than the water supply amount to the first electrode chamber H1. As a result, the amount of unnecessary electrolyzed water produced in the electrolyzed water (acidic water, hydrogen-rich water) can be suppressed to an extremely low level.

Next, as shown in the block diagram of the power supply system in FIG. 2, the apparatus main body 4 includes a power supply unit 22 connected to a commercial power supply 20 via a plug 21. The power supply unit 22 is respectively connected to the electrolysis unit 5, the main control unit 7, the communication unit 23, the measurement unit 24, etc., and the power from the commercial power supply 20 is converted into voltages corresponding to the respective units and supplied.

In addition, the measurement unit 24 includes the flow meter 31 described above. The measurement unit 24 is not particularly specified, but may include, for example, a temperature sensor that measures the temperature of the electrolytic cell 15, an ammeter that measures the current flowing between the electrodes 16, 17, and measures the electrolysis through the extraction flow path portion 8Ca. PH sensor for the pH of water, etc.

The main control unit 7 is, for example, a CPU, and controls various parts of the apparatus including the electrolysis unit 5. In this example, the electrolysis unit 5, the power supply unit 22, the communication unit 23, and the measurement unit 24 are controlled by the main control unit 7.

An example of control by the above-mentioned main control unit 7 is shown. In the ON state of the main switch SW, the user inputs a signal of a desired operation mode to the main control unit 7 from an operation panel (not shown). In addition, by the user's manual operation of the faucet 30, the water from the water supply source 2 is sent to the electrolytic tank 15 through the flowing water path 8. At this time, the above-mentioned flow meter 31 detects the passage of water. In addition, based on the detection signal, the main control unit 7 instructs the power supply unit 22 to apply a voltage between the first and second electrodes 16 and 17. In this way, electrolyzed water is produced.

In addition, the main control unit 7 includes a storage unit 7M. The data of the water flow rate sent from the flow meter 31 is received and stored in the storage unit 7M. In this example, when the main switch SW is in the on state, multiple times of electrolyzed water production and/or water purification are performed, the main control unit 7 uses the arithmetic function to sum up the multiple times of water flow Stored in the storage unit 7M. In addition, it is also possible to store each of the water passage amounts in the storage unit 7M without adding up the amount of water passing in the plural times.

Then, when the main switch SW is turned off, the main control unit 7 operates the communication unit 23. The communication unit 23 communicates with the above-mentioned wireless tag 11, reads the information of the wireless tag 11, and rewrites it. Specifically, the main control unit 7 reads the accumulated water flow data in the wireless tag 11 through the communication unit 23, and adds it to the data of the water flow stored in the storage unit 7M, thereby obtaining updated accumulated water flow data . Then, the updated cumulative water flow data is transmitted from the communication unit 23, and the cumulative water flow data of the wireless tag 11 is rewritten. In addition, the communication with the wireless tag 11, that is, the update of the accumulated water flow data may also be performed every time the water flow ends.

Next, the device main body 4 described above further includes a power storage unit 25 and a sub-control unit 26 in order to measure and record the water flow rate of the water purification tank 3 used in the power-off state. The power-off state refers to a state in which the power supply from the commercial power source 20 is blocked. For example, the state in which the above-mentioned plug 21 is unplugged from the socket as the commercial power source 20 and the state of a power failure correspond to this.

The power storage unit 25 is connected to the power supply unit 22 and is set in a power-off state to be charged from the power supply unit 22. As the power storage unit 25, a known capacitor or the like can be used. However, it is more preferable to use a secondary battery with a long life and a short charging time.

The power storage unit 25 supplies electric power to the above-mentioned flow meter 31 in the power-off state. That is, in this example, the flow meter 31 makes the power storage unit 25 function as a power source in the above-mentioned power-off state, and makes the power supply unit 22 function as a power source in the power-on state. In addition, a flow meter that makes the power storage unit 25 function as a power source and a flow meter that makes the power supply unit 22 function as a power source may be separately provided.

The sub-control unit 26 makes the electric power of the power storage unit 25 function as a power source, and stores the water flow in the power-off state measured by the flow meter 31 in the storage unit 26M. The sub-control unit 26 may be integrated into the main control unit 7 described above. In other words, a part or all of the main control unit 7 may constitute the sub-control unit 26, and in this case, the part that can function by the electric power of the power storage unit 25 becomes the sub-control unit 26. In addition, the storage unit 26M may be incorporated in the storage unit 7M.

Here, when the electric storage capacity of the electric storage unit 25 is insufficient, it is difficult to make the communication unit 23 function further.

Therefore, in this example, when recovering from the power-off state, the main control unit 7 checks the storage unit 26M. Then, when the data of the water flow in the power-off state is stored in the storage unit 26M, the accumulated water flow data of the wireless tag 11 is updated based on the data of the water flow in the storage unit 26M. Specifically, the main control unit 7 reads the accumulated water flow data in the wireless tag 11 through the communication unit 23, and adds it to the data of the water flow in the power-off state stored in the storage unit 26M. This calculates and updates the cumulative water flow data. Then, the updated cumulative water flow data is transmitted from the communication unit 23, and the cumulative water flow data of the wireless tag 11 is rewritten.

In addition, it is preferable that when recovering from the power-off state, the main control unit 7 confirms whether the currently installed water purification tank 3 is the same as the water purification tank 3 before the power-off state. The confirmation of whether the currently installed clean water tank 3 is the same as the clean water tank 3 before the power-off state can be performed by controlling in the following manner. For example, when the power is on and the main switch SW is on, the main control unit 7 is controlled by reading the wireless tag 11 of the currently installed water purification tank 3 and recording the identification information in the storage unit 7M. In this case, when the power is turned off, the storage unit 7M records the identification information of the clean water tank 3 installed before the power off.

Therefore, when recovering from the power-off state, the wireless tag 11 of the currently installed clean water tank 3 is read, and the identification information is compared with the identification information pre-recorded in the storage unit 7M. Thus, Check whether the currently installed clean water tank 3 is the same as the clean water tank 3 before the power is cut off. Then, only when it is confirmed that they are the same, the accumulated water flow data of the wireless tag 11 is rewritten based on the data of the water flow in the power-off state stored in the storage unit 26M.

In addition, when the electric storage capacity realized by the electric storage unit 25 is sufficient, in addition to the sub-control unit 26 and the flow meter 31, the communication unit 23 can be made to function. Therefore, when the water flowing in the water flow path 8 stops in the power-off state, that is, when the purification of the water is completed, it can communicate with the wireless tag 11 via the communication unit 23 based on the power-off state stored in the storage unit 26M. The data of the water flow rate is overwritten by the cumulative water flow rate data of the wireless tag 11.

In the above, the particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail, but the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment, and can be modified into various embodiments.

1‧‧‧Electrolyzed water generator 2‧‧‧Water supply source 3‧‧‧Clean water tank 4‧‧‧Device main body 5‧‧‧Electrolysis unit7‧‧‧Main control unit8‧‧‧Flow path 11‧‧‧ Wireless tag 20‧‧‧Commercial power supply 22‧‧‧Power supply unit 23‧‧‧Communication unit 24‧‧‧Measurement unit 25‧‧‧Power storage unit 26‧‧‧Sub-control unit 26M‧‧‧Storage unit 31‧‧‧Flow rate meter

Fig. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of an embodiment of the electrolyzed water generator of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a block diagram of the power supply system of Fig. 1.

3‧‧‧Clean water tank

4‧‧‧Device body

5‧‧‧Electrolysis Department

7‧‧‧Main Control Department

7M‧‧‧Storage section

11‧‧‧Wireless tag

20‧‧‧Commercial power supply

22‧‧‧Power Department

21‧‧‧Plug

23‧‧‧Ministry of Communications

24‧‧‧Measurement Department

25‧‧‧Power Storage Department

26‧‧‧Deputy Control Department

26M‧‧‧Storage section

31‧‧‧Flowmeter

Claims (3)

An electrolyzed water generating device includes a clean water tank that purifies water from a water supply source, and an apparatus main body that can replace the clean water tank. The apparatus main body is provided with an electrolysis unit that removes water from the clean water tank. The water in the water tank is electrolyzed to produce electrolyzed water; a power supply unit which is connected to a commercial power supply and supplies power to each part of the device including the electrolysis unit; a main control unit which controls each part of the device; and a water flow path, which at least The water supply source, the clean water tank, and the electrolysis unit are connected, and the electrolysis water generation device is characterized in that the device main body includes: a power storage unit that is charged from the power supply unit; In the power-off state where the power supply from the commercial power source is blocked, the power of the power storage unit is used as a power source to measure the water flow rate of the water flowing in the water flow path; and a sub-control unit, In the power-off state, the electric power of the power storage unit is used as a power source, and the water flow rate measured by the flow meter is stored in the storage unit; the clean water tank is provided with a wireless tag, and the storage includes the clean water Information of the accumulated water flow data of the water purified by the tank; and the device body is further provided with a communication unit that can communicate with the wireless tag and can read and rewrite the information of the wireless tag; When the shutdown state is restored, the main control unit communicates with the wireless tag via the communication unit, and rewrites the wireless tag based on the water flow in the power-off state stored in the storage unit The cumulative water flow data. The electrolyzed water generating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: When recovering from the power-off state, the main control unit confirms whether the clean water tank is the same as the clean water tank before the power-off state, and when the clean water tank is in the power-off state When the previous clean water tank is the same, the accumulated water flow data of the wireless tag is rewritten based on the water flow in the power-off state stored in the storage unit. The electrolyzed water generating device according to claim 1, wherein the sub-control unit communicates with the wireless tag via the communication unit when the water flowing in the water flow path stops in the power-off state Communicating, and rewrite the cumulative water flow data of the wireless tag based on the water flow in the power-off state stored in the storage unit.

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