Drinking water device and its working method

Abstract

This application relates to a drinking water device and its operating method. The drinking water device includes: a water purifier having a first inlet and a first outlet; a water dispenser having a second inlet, with the first outlet connected to the second inlet; and a water ejector having a second outlet, a third inlet, and an ejector end connected to each other. The second outlet is connected to the first inlet, the third inlet is connected to an inlet pipe, and the ejector end is connected to the second inlet end via a one-way valve. A negative pressure is generated at the ejector end to drive the one-way valve to open, thereby allowing purified water from the first outlet end to flow back to the first inlet end. This application diverts a portion of the purified water flow from the rear end of the water purifier back to the front end, solving the problem of frequent pressure changes at the rear end of the water purifier triggering a pressure switch and causing frequent starts of the water purifier due to the flow rate difference between the water dispenser and the water purifier.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of water purification technology, and in particular to a drinking water device and its working method. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, water dispensers used in conjunction with water purifiers generally have a much smaller flow rate than water purifiers due to the limitations of their heating power. This causes the water dispenser to first draw water away from the back end of the water purifier to reduce the pressure at the low-pressure switch before starting to purify water. Since the flow rate of the water purifier is much greater than that of the water dispenser, the pressure at the back end of the stagnant water purifier quickly rises to the high-pressure switch, causing the water purifier to stop operating. As the water dispenser continues to run, the pressure at the back end of the water purifier will quickly decrease and then restart.

[0003] This frequent pressure fluctuations at the back end of the water purifier trigger the pressure switch, causing the water purifier to start and stop frequently. When the water purifier starts and the pipeline pressure increases, it is easy for the pipe to burst and leak water. When the water purifier stops running and the pipeline pressure is low, the water purifier is at risk of dry burning. At the same time, frequent triggering of the pressure switch will reduce the service life of the water purifier and cause it to fail. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this application is to provide a drinking water device and its working method, which diverts the purified water flow from the rear end of the water purifier back to the front end of the water purifier, thereby solving the problem that the pressure at the rear end of the water purifier frequently changes due to the flow difference between the water purifier and the water purifier, causing the water purifier to start frequently.

[0005] Therefore, in a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a drinking water device, including: a water purifier having a first water inlet and a first water outlet; a water dispenser having a second water inlet, the first water outlet being connected to the second water inlet; and a water jet ejector having a second water outlet, a third water inlet, and an ejector end that are interconnected, the second water outlet being connected to the first water inlet, the third water inlet being connected to an inlet pipe, the ejector end being connected to the second water inlet end through a one-way valve, and a negative pressure being generated at the ejector end to drive the one-way valve to open, thereby allowing purified water from the first water outlet end to flow back to the first water inlet end.

[0006] In one embodiment, the third water inlet is connected to the second water outlet through a first pipe, the ejector end is connected to the first pipe, and an ejector nozzle is provided between the third water inlet and the junction of the first pipe and the ejector end. The inner diameter of the ejector nozzle decreases along the direction from the third water inlet toward the junction of the first pipe and the ejector end.

[0007] In one embodiment, along the direction from the junction of the first pipeline and the ejector end toward the first water inlet end, the first pipeline includes a first section, a second section, and a third section connected in sequence. The first section is connected to the ejector nozzle, the inner diameter of the first section decreases, the inner diameter of the second section remains unchanged, and the inner diameter of the third section increases.

[0008] In one embodiment, the ejector end is connected to the first pipeline via a second pipeline, and the inner diameter of the second pipeline remains unchanged.

[0009] In one embodiment, the ejector nozzle is provided with a purification device and / or a filtration device.

[0010] In one embodiment, the inner diameter of the ejector nozzle is 1 mm to 1.4 mm.

[0011] In one embodiment, the number of ejector nozzles is one or three.

[0012] In one embodiment, the one-way valve and the water jet injector are an integrated structure.

[0013] In one embodiment, the one-way valve is a constant pressure reducing valve.

[0014] Secondly, embodiments of this application also provide a method for operating a drinking water device, applicable to any of the drinking water devices described in the first aspect, the method comprising:

[0015] When the water dispenser is running, the purified water at the front end of the first water outlet of the water purifier is drawn out and transported to the second water inlet of the water dispenser, and the water pressure in the pipeline between the first water outlet and the second water inlet is reduced.

[0016] After the water pressure in the pipeline between the first outlet and the second inlet drops to the first pressure set by the low-pressure switch of the water purifier, the water purifier will start to purify water, and the water pressure in the pipeline between the first outlet and the second inlet will increase.

[0017] The negative pressure generated at the ejector end drives the one-way valve to open, so that the clean water at the first outlet end flows back to the first inlet end, and the water pressure in the pipeline between the first outlet end and the second inlet end decreases.

[0018] According to an embodiment of this application, a drinking water device and its working method are provided. By setting a water ejector between the water dispenser and the water purifier, when the water pressure in the pipeline between the first outlet of the water purifier and the second inlet of the water dispenser rises rapidly, a negative pressure is generated at the ejector end, thereby opening the one-way valve and diverting the purified water between the first outlet of the water purifier and the second inlet of the water dispenser back to the first inlet of the water purifier. Through the above setting, the water pressure in the pipeline between the first outlet of the water purifier and the second inlet of the water dispenser can be reduced in time, so that it cannot reach the second pressure set by the high-pressure switch of the water purifier. The water purifier will not stop running, solving the technical problem of frequent start-stop of the water purifier, thereby reducing the risk of pipe bursting and leakage or dry burning of the drinking water device, and improving its service life to prevent failure. Attached Figure Description

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort. In addition, in the drawings, the same parts use the same reference numerals, and the drawings are not drawn to scale.

[0020] Figure 1 This diagram illustrates a schematic of a drinking water device according to an embodiment of this application.

[0021] Figure 2 Based on Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a water jet;

[0022] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating the operation method of a drinking water device provided in an embodiment of this application is shown.

[0023] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0024] 1. Water purifier; 11. First water inlet; 12. First water outlet; 2. Water dispenser; 21. Second water inlet; 3. Water jet injector; 31. Second water outlet; 32. Third water inlet; 33. Injector end; 34. Injector nozzle; 4. One-way valve; 5. First pipeline; 51. First section; 52. Second section; 53. Third section; 6. Second pipeline; 7. Inlet pipe. Detailed Implementation

[0025] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0026] To address the technical problem of frequent start-stop cycles caused by pressure switches triggered by frequent pressure changes at the downstream end of a water purifier, existing technologies primarily employ the following two solutions: Solution 1: Most water dispensers connected to water purifiers on the market currently have a balance tank inside. The purified water produced by the water purifier is pre-stored in the balance tank for later heating. When the water level in the balance tank drops to a certain level, water is added; when the water level rises to a certain level, water replenishment stops. This balance tank buffers and stabilizes the downstream pressure of the water purifier, effectively alleviating the frequent start-stop problem caused by frequent pressure changes at the downstream end. Solution 2: A combination of a diversion valve and a pressure limiting valve is used to redirect a portion of the water flow from the downstream end of the water purifier back to the water outlet.

[0027] However, for Option 1, adding a balance tank inside the water dispenser would increase its size. In order to detect the water level in the balance tank and control the replenishment of water to the balance tank, corresponding auxiliary electronic components and circuits would be required. Furthermore, since the balance tank is always filled with water, the purified water inside is at risk of being contaminated. As for Option 2, the combination of a diversion valve and a pressure relief valve to achieve backflow requires many components and has a complex structure.

[0028] Figure 1 This diagram illustrates the principle of a drinking water device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0029] Therefore, please refer to Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment provides a drinking water device, including: a water purifier 1 having a first water inlet 11 and a first water outlet 12; a water dispenser 2 having a second water inlet 21, the first water outlet 12 being connected to the second water inlet 21; and a water jet injector 3 having a second water outlet 31, a third water inlet 32, and an ejector end 33 that are interconnected, the second water outlet 31 being connected to the first water inlet 11, the third water inlet 32 ​​being connected to a water inlet pipe 7, and the ejector end 33 being connected to the second water inlet 21 through a one-way valve 4, wherein a negative pressure is generated at the ejector end 33 to drive the one-way valve 4 to open, thereby allowing the purified water from the first water outlet 12 to flow back to the first water inlet 11.

[0030] On the one hand, by setting a water jet 3 between the water dispenser 2 and the water purifier 1, when the water pressure in the pipeline between the first water outlet 12 of the water purifier 1 and the second water inlet 21 of the water dispenser 2 rises rapidly, a negative pressure is generated at the ejector end 33, thereby causing the one-way valve 4 to open and divert the purified water between the first water outlet 12 of the water purifier 1 and the second water inlet 21 of the water dispenser 2 back to the first water inlet 11 of the water purifier 1. Through the above setting, the water pressure in the pipeline between the first water outlet 12 of the water purifier 1 and the second water inlet 21 of the water dispenser 2 in this embodiment of the application can be reduced in time, so that it cannot reach the second pressure set by the high pressure switch of the water purifier 1, and the water purifier 1 will not stop running. This solves the technical problem of frequent start-stop of the water purifier 1, thereby reducing the risk of water pipe bursting and leakage or dry burning of the water dispenser, and improving its service life to prevent failure.

[0031] On the other hand, compared with the above-mentioned Scheme 1, the embodiment of this application can remove the balance water tank in the water dispenser 2, reduce the overall volume of the water dispenser, thereby avoiding potential water source pollution in the balance water tank, and solving the user's concern about overnight water in the balance water tank; compared with the above-mentioned Scheme 2, the embodiment of this application only requires one water jet 3, requiring fewer parts and simpler connecting pipes.

[0032] Figure 2 Based on Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the water jet 3.

[0033] For details, please refer to Figure 2 As shown, the water jet ejector 3 is a Venturi tube structure. The water jet ejector 3 is based on the jet ejector principle. When tap water flows from the third inlet end 32 to the second outlet end 31, the tap water flow velocity is high between the third inlet end 32 and the second outlet end 31, which ejects the air around the tap water flow, causing the surrounding air to flow with the tap water flow. This creates a vacuum in the cavity connected to the ejector end 33, generating a negative pressure. When the negative pressure generated by the ejector end 33 is greater than the opening pressure of the one-way valve 4, it will pull the one-way valve 4 open from the rear end, making the first outlet end 12 and the ejector end 33 connected.

[0034] Furthermore, the third water inlet 32 ​​is connected to the second water outlet 31 via the first pipe 5, and the ejector end 33 is connected to the first pipe 5. An ejector nozzle 34 is provided between the third water inlet 32 ​​and the junction of the first pipe 5 and the ejector end 33. The inner diameter of the ejector nozzle 34 decreases along the direction from the third water inlet 32 ​​toward the junction of the first pipe 5 and the ejector end 33. By reducing the inner diameter of the ejector nozzle 34, the flow velocity of tap water between the third water inlet 32 ​​and the second water outlet 31 increases, thereby creating a negative pressure at the ejector end 33. This opens the one-way valve 4, allowing purified water from the first water outlet 12 of the water purifier 1 to flow back to the first water inlet 11 of the water purifier 1. This reduces the water pressure between the first water outlet 12 of the water purifier 1 and the second water inlet 21 of the water dispenser 2, preventing the water purifier 1 from starting frequently.

[0035] Furthermore, along the junction of the first pipe 5 and the ejector end 33 towards the first water inlet end 11, the first pipe 5 includes a first section 51, a second section 52, and a third section 53 connected in sequence. The inner diameter of the first section 51 decreases, the inner diameter of the second section 52 remains unchanged, and the inner diameter of the third section 53 increases. The first section 51 is connected to the ejector nozzle 34, and the third section 53 is connected to the second water outlet end 31, thus forming a trend where the inner diameters at both ends of the first pipe 5 decrease towards the middle, while the inner diameter of the second section 52 remains unchanged. This allows the tap water to be transported at a high speed and uniformly within the second section 52. At the beginning of entering the second section 52 and after leaving the second section 52, the transport speed of the tap water is reduced, ensuring that the tap water flows slowly and smoothly from the first section 51 into the second section 52 and slowly and smoothly out of the second section 52 to the third section 53, thereby increasing the transport rate and ensuring stable transport of the tap water within each of the first pipes 5.

[0036] Furthermore, the ejector end 33 is connected to the first pipe 5 via the second pipe 6, and the inner diameter of the second pipe 6 remains unchanged. The second pipe 6 is used to create negative pressure and connect the first water outlet 12 of the water purifier 1 with the ejector end 33, so that the inner diameter of the second pipe 6 remains consistent throughout, which facilitates the stable flow of purified water from the first water outlet 12 of the water purifier 1 into the ejector end 33.

[0037] As for the ejector nozzle 34, the ejector nozzle 34 has a purification device and / or a filtration device inside. The ejector nozzle 34 is filled with tap water introduced into the third water inlet 32 ​​by the water inlet pipe 7. Therefore, by setting a purification device and / or a filtration device inside the ejector nozzle 34, the tap water can be purified and filtered of impurities at the beginning of entering the water ejector 3, so that the quality of the purified water finally output by the water dispenser 2 is higher.

[0038] Furthermore, the inner diameter of the ejector nozzle 34 is 1mm to 1.4mm. When the inner diameter of the ejector nozzle 34 is less than 1mm, tap water can easily clog the ejector nozzle 34. In addition, due to the small inner diameter of the ejector nozzle 34, the tap water flow velocity at the rear end of the ejector nozzle 34 is high, generating a large negative pressure. When the negative pressure is too large, the backflow of purified water from the first outlet 12 of the water purifier 1 increases, which may reduce the normal water output of the water dispenser 2 and affect the user's drinking. When the inner diameter of the ejector nozzle 34 is greater than 1.4mm, the tap water flow velocity at the rear end of the ejector nozzle 34 decreases, resulting in a smaller negative pressure. This leads to a smaller backflow of purified water from the first outlet 12 of the water purifier 1, weakening the purified water backflow effect. Consequently, it may not be able to reduce the pressure between the first outlet 12 of the water purifier 1 and the second inlet 21 of the water dispenser 2, thus failing to improve the poor performance of the water purifier 1 due to frequent start-stop cycles. Therefore, when the inner diameter of the ejector nozzle 34 is 1mm to 1.4mm, it can ensure that the water dispenser 2 can output water normally and solve the problem of frequent start-stop of the water purifier 1.

[0039] In this embodiment, the number of ejector nozzles 34 is one or more. When the number of ejector nozzles 34 is three or more, the water flow rate of the water purifier 1 can be increased by increasing the number of ejector nozzles 34 of the water jet 3.

[0040] In some embodiments, the ejector nozzle 34 is a structural component made of plastic material. The ejector nozzle 34 is deformable and can be adapted to the first pipeline 5 with different internal strengths, which facilitates the installation and disassembly of the ejector nozzle 34.

[0041] In other embodiments, the one-way valve 4 and the water jet injector 3 are integrated into a single structure, which can be used as an accessory of the drinking water device to further reduce the number of parts and make the connection simple and easy to disassemble and assemble.

[0042] The one-way valve 4 is a constant pressure reducing valve. According to the ejector principle, the greater the flow velocity at the rear end of the ejector nozzle 34 of the water ejector 3, the greater the negative pressure generated. When the water dispenser 2 dispenses a large amount of water, the water intake of the water purifier 1 supplying water to the water dispenser 2 also increases accordingly. At this time, the flow velocity at the rear end of the ejector nozzle 34 is high, generating a large negative pressure. The constant pressure reducing valve ensures that the negative pressure at the ejector end 33 of the water ejector 3 reaches its set pressure value before the backflow can begin. Furthermore, the opening of the constant pressure reducing valve reduces the negative pressure loss, preventing a large amount of purified water from flowing back due to high negative pressure, which would affect the purified water output of the water dispenser 2. In addition to using a constant pressure reducing valve, a flow limiting valve can also be used.

[0043] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating the operation method of a drinking water device provided in an embodiment of this application is shown.

[0044] Please refer to Figure 3As shown, this embodiment also provides a method for operating a drinking water device, applied to the drinking water device, the method comprising:

[0045] S1. When the water dispenser 2 is running and dispensing water, the purified water at the front end of the first water outlet 12 of the water purifier 1 is drawn out from the first water outlet 12 of the water purifier 1 and transported to the second water inlet 21 of the water dispenser 2, and the water pressure in the pipeline between the first water outlet 12 and the second water inlet 21 is reduced.

[0046] S2. After the water pressure in the pipeline between the first water outlet 12 and the second water inlet 21 drops to the first pressure set by the low pressure switch of the water purifier 1, the water purifier 1 will start to purify water, and the water pressure in the pipeline between the first water outlet 12 and the second water inlet 21 will increase.

[0047] S3, negative pressure is generated at ejector end 33 to drive one-way valve 4 to open, so that the clean water at the first outlet end 12 flows back to the first inlet end 11, and the water pressure in the pipeline between the first outlet end 12 and the second inlet end 21 is reduced.

[0048] In step S1, a water pump is installed in the water purifier 1. The purified water before the first outlet 12 is drawn out by the water pump in the water purifier 1 through the first outlet 12 and delivered to the second inlet 21 of the water dispenser 2, thereby causing the water pressure in the pipeline between the first outlet 12 and the second inlet 21 to drop.

[0049] In step S2, when the water pressure in the pipeline between the first outlet 12 and the second inlet 21 drops to the first pressure set by the low-pressure switch of the water purifier 1, it indicates that there is not enough purified water in front of the first outlet 12. At this time, the water purifier 1 will start to purify water. The flow rate of the water dispenser 2 is much smaller than that of the water purifier 1 due to the limitation of heating power. As a result, the pipeline between the first outlet 12 and the second inlet 21 is filled with purified water, causing the water pressure in the pipeline between the first outlet 12 and the second inlet 21 to rise rapidly.

[0050] In step S3, since the purified water flowing out of the first outlet 12 of the water purifier 1 is purified tap water that comes in from its first inlet 11, tap water will flow into the water jet 3 through the inlet pipe 7. As the tap water flows from the third inlet 32 ​​of the water jet 3 to the second outlet 31, the inner diameter of the ejector nozzle 34 decreases, which will generate negative pressure at the ejector end 33. The negative pressure will drive the one-way valve 4 to open, drawing part of the purified water in the pipeline between the first outlet 12 and the second inlet 21 back into the water jet 3. The purified water then flows out from the second outlet 31 through the water jet 3 and re-enters the first inlet 11 of the water purifier 1. This reduces the increased water pressure in the pipeline between the first outlet 12 and the second inlet 21, preventing it from reaching the second pressure set by the high-pressure switch of the water purifier 1, thus causing the water purifier 1 to stop operating.

[0051] It should be noted that the terms "one embodiment," "embodiment," "exemplary embodiment," "some embodiments," etc., mentioned in the specification indicate that the described embodiment may include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes that specific feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Moreover, when a specific feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, implementing such a feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments, whether explicitly described or not, is within the knowledge scope of those skilled in the art.

[0052] It should be readily understood that the terms “on,” “above,” and “on top of” in this disclosure should be interpreted in the broadest possible sense, such that “on” means not only “directly on something” but also “on something” with an intermediate feature or layer therebetween, and that “above” or “on top of” means not only “on top of something” but also “on top of something” without an intermediate feature or layer therebetween (i.e., directly on something).

[0053] Furthermore, for ease of explanation, spatially relative terms such as "below," "below," "under," "above," and "above" may be used to describe the relationship of one element or feature relative to other elements or features as shown in the figures. Spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation other than those shown in the figures. The device may have other orientations (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptive terms used herein may be interpreted accordingly.

[0054] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0055] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A drinking water device, characterized in that The utility model relates to a water purifier, a water dispenser and a water jet device, and a working method thereof. The water purifier has a first water inlet end and a first water outlet end. The water dispenser has a second water inlet end, and the first water outlet end is communicated with the second water inlet end. The water jet device has a second water outlet end, a third water inlet end and an ejector end, which are communicated with each other. The second water outlet end is communicated with the first water inlet end.

2. The drinking water device according to claim 1, characterized in that The third water inlet end is communicated with the second water inlet end through a first pipeline.

3. The drinking water device according to claim 2, characterized in that The third water inlet end is communicated with the first pipeline and the ejector end.

4. A drinking water device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that The first pipeline includes a first section, a second section and a third section connected in sequence.

5. A drinking water device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that The first section is communicated with the ejector nozzle.

6. A drinking water device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that The inner diameter of the first section decreases.

7. A drinking water device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that The inner diameter of the second section remains unchanged.

8. The drinking water device of claim 1, wherein The inner diameter of the third section increases.

9. The drinking water device of claim 1, wherein The ejector end is communicated with the first pipeline through a second pipeline.

10. A method of operating a water drinking device, applied to the water drinking device according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The inner diameter of the second pipeline remains unchanged. The ejector nozzle is internally provided with a purifying device and / or a filtering device. The inner diameter of the ejector nozzle is 1mm-1.4mm. The number of the ejector nozzle is one or three. The one-way valve and the water jet device are integrated. The one-way valve is a constant pressure reducing valve. The working method includes: When the water dispenser operates to discharge water, the water at the front end of the first water outlet end of the water purifier is drawn out by the first water outlet end of the water purifier and delivered to the second water inlet end of the water dispenser. The water pressure in the pipeline between the first water outlet end and the second water inlet end decreases. When the water pressure in the pipeline between the first water outlet end and the second water inlet end decreases to the first pressure set by the low pressure switch of the water purifier, the water purifier starts to purify water. The water pressure in the pipeline between the first water outlet end and the second water inlet end increases. The water at the first water outlet end flows back to the first water inlet end. The water pressure in the pipeline between the first water outlet end and the second water inlet end decreases.

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