Water Purifier

Abstract

A water purifier capable of stably discharging residual water from a water intake unit is provided. The water purifier (100) may include: a filtering unit (110) having a reverse osmosis membrane filter (113) for filtering inflowing water; a water intake unit (160) for providing purified water filtered by the filtering unit (110) to a user; and a residual water discharge unit (150) for discharging residual water remaining in the water intake unit (160) through the reverse osmosis membrane filter (113) by utilizing the osmosis phenomenon of the reverse osmosis membrane filter (113) after the water intake through the water intake unit (160) is completed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a water purifier including a reverse osmosis membrane filter, and more particularly, to a reverse osmosis type water purifier capable of discharging residual water remaining in a water intake unit. Background Art

[0002] A water purifier is a device that filters inflowing water using one or more filters and discharges the filtered water to the outside to provide drinking water to users.

[0003] This water purifier provides purified water to a user through a water intake unit made of a cock or a faucet, etc.

[0004] However, in conventional water purifiers, when water is taken in and a water intake valve of a water intake unit composed of a stopcock or a faucet is closed, residual water is generated in the water intake unit. Since the residual water remaining between the water intake valve and the water intake unit is exposed to the outside space, it becomes a major cause of contamination such as moss, scale, and bacteria inside the water intake unit.

[0005] The contaminated residual water not only contaminates the interior of the water intake unit, but is also taken out together with newly supplied clean water when the water intake unit is opened, so there is a problem that the clean water provided to the user contains the contaminated residual water.

[0006] In order to remove the residual water, a technology has been proposed in which a drain valve is installed on a drain flow path connected to a water intake unit and a water intake valve, and after water intake is completed, the water intake valve and the drain valve are opened to discharge the residual water through the drain flow path.

[0007] However, in the prior art, the residual water cannot be discharged smoothly due to the flow resistance caused by the drainage flow path and the check valve installed therein. In particular, when the length of the drainage flow path is long, that is, when the length from the connection part on the water intake unit side to the final discharge port is long, it is almost impossible to discharge the residual water.

[0008] Prior art literature

[0009] Patent Literature

[0010] Patent Document 1: KR2015-0104377A

[0011] Patent Document 2: KR2016-0142478A Summary of the invention

[0012] Technical issues

[0013] The present invention is proposed to solve at least some of the problems in the above-mentioned prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a water purifier capable of stably performing residual water discharge of a water intake unit.

[0014] In addition, as another aspect of the present invention, an object of the present invention is to provide a water purifier that can switch the flow path through a valve when water intake is completed and naturally discharge the residual water in the water intake unit without providing additional power.

[0015] Problem Solution

[0016] As one aspect of achieving the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides a water purifier, which includes: a filtration unit, which is equipped with a reverse osmosis membrane filter for filtering incoming water; a water intake unit, which is used to provide purified water filtered by the filtration unit to a user; and a residual water discharge unit, which utilizes the osmosis phenomenon of the reverse osmosis membrane filter to discharge the residual water remaining in the water intake unit through the reverse osmosis membrane filter after the water intake through the water intake unit is completed.

[0017] In addition, the rear end of the reverse osmosis membrane filter is connected to a clean water discharge flow path and a drainage flow path, the clean water discharge flow path is used to discharge clean water filtered by the reverse osmosis membrane filter, and the drainage flow path is used to discharge concentrated water that has not been filtered by the reverse osmosis membrane filter. The residual water discharge unit has a residual water discharge flow path connecting the water intake unit and the clean water discharge flow path. The residual water of the water intake unit flows through the residual water discharge flow path and the clean water discharge flow path through the osmosis phenomenon of the reverse osmosis membrane filter and flows into the reverse osmosis membrane filter, and then is discharged through the drainage flow path.

[0018] Furthermore, the water intake unit is connected to a water intake valve for taking clean water, and the residual water discharge flow path may be configured to connect the water intake valve and the clean water discharge flow path.

[0019] In addition, the water intake valve may be configured to perform an operation of communicating the water intake unit with the residual water discharge flow path when discharging the residual water.

[0020] In addition, the residual water discharge unit may further include a residual water discharge valve installed on the residual water discharge flow path and opened during a residual water discharge operation.

[0021] In this case, in order to discharge the residual water, the residual water discharge valve may be configured to be opened at a preset operation time, or may be opened after a preset waiting time has passed after the water intake of the water intake unit is completed.

[0022] In addition, the residual water discharge unit may further include a check valve installed on the residual water discharge flow path to prevent water from flowing back from the clean water discharge flow path toward the water intake unit.

[0023] In addition, the drainage flow path includes: a concentrated water flow path for discharging concentrated water that has not been filtered by the reverse osmosis membrane filter, and a flushing flow path for flushing the reverse osmosis membrane filter; a flushing valve may be installed on the flushing flow path, and the flushing valve is used to open the flushing flow path when flushing the reverse osmosis membrane filter. In this case, the flushing valve may be configured to open when discharging residual water.

[0024] As another aspect of achieving the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides a water purifier, which includes: a filtering unit, which is equipped with a reverse osmosis membrane filter for filtering inflowing water; a water intake unit, which is used to provide the purified water filtered by the filtering unit to the user; and a residual water discharge unit, which utilizes the osmosis phenomenon of the reverse osmosis membrane filter to discharge the residual water remaining in the water intake unit through the reverse osmosis membrane filter after the water intake through the water intake unit is completed, and the rear end of the reverse osmosis membrane filter is connected to a purified water discharge flow path and a drainage flow path, the purified water discharge flow path is used to discharge the purified water filtered by the reverse osmosis membrane filter, and the drainage flow path is used to discharge the purified water filtered by the reverse osmosis membrane filter. In order to discharge concentrated water that has not been filtered by the reverse osmosis membrane filter, the residual water discharge unit is provided with a residual water discharge path for connecting the water intake unit and the clean water discharge path. The residual water of the water intake unit flows through the residual water discharge path and the clean water discharge path through the osmosis phenomenon of the reverse osmosis membrane filter, and then flows into the reverse osmosis membrane filter, and is then discharged through the drainage path. The water intake unit is connected to a water intake valve for taking clean water, and the residual water discharge path connects the water intake valve and the clean water discharge path. The water intake valve is configured to perform the operation of connecting the water intake unit with the residual water discharge path when discharging residual water.

[0025] As another aspect of achieving the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides a water purifier, comprising: a filtering unit, the filtering unit comprising: a reverse osmosis membrane filter, for filtering inflowing water, a clean water discharge flow path and a drainage flow path connected to the rear end of the reverse osmosis membrane filter, the clean water discharge flow path being used to discharge clean water filtered by the reverse osmosis membrane filter, and the drainage flow path being used to discharge concentrated water not filtered by the reverse osmosis membrane filter; and a post-treatment filter, the clean water filtered by the reverse osmosis membrane filter is supplied to the post-treatment filter through the clean water discharge flow path, a check valve is provided in the flow path between the reverse osmosis membrane filter and the post-treatment filter, the check valve being used to prevent water from flowing back to the reverse osmosis membrane filter; a water intake unit, for providing the clean water filtered by the filtering unit to a user; a clean water flow path, for supplying the clean water filtered by the post-treatment filter to the water intake unit, and a residual water discharge unit, after the water intake through the water intake unit is completed, using the reverse osmosis filter to discharge the residual water. The osmosis phenomenon of the membrane filter causes the residual water remaining in the water intake unit to be discharged through the reverse osmosis membrane filter. The residual water discharge unit is provided with a residual water discharge path for connecting the water intake unit and the clean water discharge path through a first connection port, a water intake valve connected to the clean water path through a second connection port, the water intake valve is connected to the water intake unit and to the residual water discharge path, and a control unit is configured to control the water intake valve to perform the following operations: when taking clean water, connecting the clean water path and the water intake unit and blocking the connection between the residual water discharge path and the water intake unit; and when the clean water is finished, blocking the connection between the clean water path and the water intake unit and connecting the residual water discharge path and the water intake unit, so that the residual water in the water intake unit flows through the residual water discharge path and the clean water discharge path into the reverse osmosis membrane filter through the osmosis phenomenon of the reverse osmosis membrane filter, and then is discharged through the drainage path.

[0026] As another aspect of achieving the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a water purifier, comprising: a filtering unit, the filtering unit comprising: a reverse osmosis membrane filter, for filtering inflowing water, a clean water discharge flow path and a drainage flow path connected to the rear end of the reverse osmosis membrane filter, the clean water discharge flow path for discharging clean water filtered by the reverse osmosis membrane filter, and the drainage flow path for discharging concentrated water not filtered by the reverse osmosis membrane filter; and a post-processing filter, the clean water filtered by the reverse osmosis membrane filter is supplied to the post-processing filter through the clean water discharge flow path, a check valve is provided in the flow path between the reverse osmosis membrane filter and the post-processing filter, the check valve is used to prevent water from flowing back to the reverse osmosis membrane filter; a water intake unit, for providing the clean water filtered by the filtering unit to a user; a clean water flow path, for supplying the clean water filtered by the post-processing filter to the water intake unit, and a residual water discharge unit, after the water intake through the water intake unit is completed, using the osmosis phenomenon of the reverse osmosis membrane filter to allow the residual water remaining in the water intake unit to pass through the reverse osmosis membrane filter. Filter discharge, the residual water discharge unit is provided with a residual water discharge path for connecting the water intake unit and the clean water discharge path through a first connection port, the residual water discharge unit also includes a residual water discharge valve, the residual water discharge valve is installed on the residual water discharge path and is opened during the residual water discharge operation, a water intake valve is connected to the clean water path through a second connection port, the water intake valve is connected to the water intake unit and to the residual water discharge path, and a control unit is configured to control the water intake valve to perform the following operations: when taking clean water, connecting the clean water path and the water intake unit and blocking the connection between the residual water discharge path and the water intake unit; and when the clean water is finished, blocking the connection between the clean water path and the water intake unit and connecting the residual water discharge path and the water intake unit, so that when the residual water discharge valve is opened, the residual water of the water intake unit flows through the osmosis phenomenon of the reverse osmosis membrane filter through the residual water discharge path and the clean water discharge path into the reverse osmosis membrane filter, and then discharged through the drainage path.

[0027] As another aspect of achieving the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides a water purifier, comprising: a filtering unit, the filtering unit comprising: a reverse osmosis membrane filter, for filtering the inflowing water, a clean water discharge flow path and a drainage flow path connected to the rear end of the reverse osmosis membrane filter, the clean water discharge flow path being used to discharge the clean water filtered by the reverse osmosis membrane filter, and the drainage flow path being used to discharge the concentrated water not filtered by the reverse osmosis membrane filter; and a post-treatment filter, the clean water filtered by the reverse osmosis membrane filter being supplied to the post-treatment filter through the clean water discharge flow path, and the reverse osmosis membrane filter being used to discharge the concentrated water. A check valve is provided in the flow path between the filter and the post-treatment filter, and the check valve is used to prevent water from flowing back to the reverse osmosis membrane filter; a water intake unit is used to provide the purified water filtered by the filter unit to the user; a purified water flow path supplies the purified water filtered by the post-treatment filter to the water intake unit, and a residual water discharge unit utilizes the osmosis phenomenon of the reverse osmosis membrane filter to discharge the residual water remaining in the water intake unit through the reverse osmosis membrane filter after the water intake through the water intake unit is completed, and the residual water discharge unit has a function of connecting to the reverse osmosis membrane filter through the first connection port The water intake unit and the residual water discharge flow path of the clean water discharge flow path, the residual water discharge unit also includes a residual water discharge valve, the residual water discharge valve is installed on the residual water discharge flow path and is opened during the residual water discharge operation, the water intake valve is connected to the clean water flow path through the second connection port, the water intake valve is connected to the water intake unit and to the residual water discharge flow path, and a control unit is configured to control the water intake valve to perform the following operations: when taking clean water, connect the clean water flow path and the water intake unit and block the residual water discharge flow path and the water intake unit and when the clean water intake is finished, the connection between the clean water flow path and the water intake unit is blocked and the residual water discharge flow path and the water intake unit are connected, so that when the residual water discharge valve is opened, the residual water of the water intake unit flows through the residual water discharge flow path and the clean water discharge flow path through the osmosis phenomenon of the reverse osmosis membrane filter, and then flows into the reverse osmosis membrane filter, and then is discharged through the drainage flow path, and the drainage flow path includes: a concentrated water flow path for discharging concentrated water that has not been filtered by the reverse osmosis membrane filter, and a flushing flow path for flushing the reverse osmosis membrane filter.

[0028] Effects of the Invention

[0029] According to one embodiment of the present invention having the above structure, it is possible to obtain an effect of stably draining the residual water of the water intake unit by utilizing the osmosis phenomenon of the reverse osmosis membrane filter.

[0030] Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the present invention, since the osmosis phenomenon of the reverse osmosis membrane filter is utilized, the flow path can be switched by a valve at the end of water intake and the residual water in the water intake unit can be naturally discharged without providing additional power. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of a water pipe arrangement of a water purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 2 It is shown Figure 1 The water pipe layout diagram of the water purifier when taking purified water is shown.

[0033] Figure 3 It is shown in Figure 1 The water pipe layout diagram of the water flow when the residual water in the water intake unit is discharged in the water purifier shown.

[0034] Figure 4 It is a water pipe layout diagram of a water purifier according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 5 It is shown Figure 4 The water pipe layout diagram of the water purifier when taking purified water is shown.

[0036] Figure 6 It is shown in Figure 4 The water pipe layout diagram of the water flow when the residual water in the water intake unit is discharged in the water purifier shown.

[0037] Description of Reference Numerals

[0038] 100: Water purifier 110: Filtration unit

[0039] 111: Pretreatment filter 113: Reverse osmosis membrane filter

[0040] 115: Post-treatment filter 120: Pressurization unit

[0041] 130: cold water generating unit 140: hot water generating unit

[0042] 150: Residual water discharge unit 151: Residual water discharge flow path

[0043] 155: Residual water discharge valve 157: Check valve

[0044] 160: Water intake unit CP1, CP2: connection port

[0045] FS1, FS2: Flow sensor L1: First flow path

[0046] L2: Second flow path L3: Third flow path (clean water discharge flow path)

[0047] L4: fourth flow path L5: fifth flow path

[0048] L6: Clean water flow path L7: Cold water flow path

[0049] L8: hot water flow path L9: water intake flow path

[0050] LD: Drainage channel LF: Flush channel

[0051] LL: Concentrated water flow path M: Flow path branch unit

[0052] MB: Reverse osmosis membrane S1: Filtration side

[0053] S2: Non-filter side V1: Supply valve

[0054] V2: Clean water supply valve V3: Cold water supply valve

[0055] V4: Hot water supply valve V5: Water intake valve

[0056] VC1, VC2: Check valve VF: Flush valve

[0057] VL: Resistance Valve VR: Resistance Valve

[0058] VR1: Regulator VR2: Pressure reducing valve

[0059] VT: Shut-off valve DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0060] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, embodiments of the present invention may be modified into various other forms, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. In addition, embodiments of the present invention are provided to more fully describe the present invention to those skilled in the art. For a clearer description, the shapes and sizes of the elements in the accompanying drawings may be exaggerated.

[0061] Furthermore, in this specification, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, a singular expression includes a plural expression, and the same reference numerals refer to the same element or corresponding elements throughout the specification.

[0062] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0063] Figure 1 is a water pipe layout diagram of a water purifier 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 It is shown Figure 1 The water pipe layout diagram of the water purifier 100 when taking purified water, and Figure 3 It is shown in Figure 1The water pipe layout diagram of the water flow when the residual water of the water intake unit 160 is discharged in the water purifier 100 shown. Figure 4 is a water pipe arrangement diagram of a water purifier 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 It is shown Figure 4 The water pipe layout diagram of the water purifier 100 when taking purified water, and Figure 6 It is shown in Figure 4 The water pipe layout diagram of the water flow when the residual water in the water intake unit 160 is discharged in the water purifier 100 is shown.

[0064] Reference Figures 1 to 6 According to an embodiment of the present invention, a water purifier 100 may include a filtering unit 110, a water intake unit 160 and a residual water discharge unit 150, and further, may include a pressurizing unit 120, a cold water generating unit 130, a hot water generating unit 140 and a plurality of flow paths and valves connected to these components.

[0065] First, the filtering unit 110 includes at least one filter for filtering inflowing water to generate clean water, and the at least one filter includes a reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 .

[0066] As an example, Figures 1 to 6 As shown, the filtration unit 110 may be composed of three filters, including a pre-treatment filter 111 , a reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 , and a post-treatment filter 115 .

[0067] In this case, as an example, the pre-processing filter 111 may be composed of a composite filter composed of a sediment filter and a pre-activated carbon filter, and as an example, the post-processing filter 115 may be composed of a post-activated carbon filter. However, the type and number of filters constituting the pre-processing filter 111 and the post-processing filter 115 are not limited thereto.

[0068] In addition, if Figures 1 to 6 As shown, the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 filters water flowing in through the pretreatment filter 111. A reverse osmosis membrane MB composed of a semipermeable membrane is disposed inside the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113, so that the internal space of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 can be divided into a filtering side S1 and a non-filtering side S2.

[0069] The reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 is a filter that purifies water by utilizing a reverse osmosis phenomenon (a phenomenon opposite to the osmosis phenomenon) in which water moves from a high-concentration non-filtered side S2 to a low-concentration filtered side S1 by applying a pressure equal to or greater than the osmotic pressure to the reverse osmosis membrane MB.

[0070] That is, the water flowing into the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 is filtered while moving from the non-filtered side S2 to the filtered side S1, and the clean water flowing through the reverse osmosis membrane MB is contained in the filtered side S1, while the water with a high concentration of foreign matter (concentrated water) that has not flowed through the reverse osmosis membrane MB is contained in the non-filtered side S2. In addition, the filtered side S1 of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 is connected to the clean water discharge flow path (third flow path) L3 for discharging the clean water filtered from the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113, and the non-filtered side S2 of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 is connected to the drainage flow path LD for discharging the concentrated water that has not been filtered by the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113. The drainage flow path LD will be described later.

[0071] In addition, the number and type of filters provided in the filter unit 110 are not limited to the above description. As an example, an antibacterial filter or various functional filters may also be added.

[0072] On the other hand, Figures 1 to 6 As shown, a plurality of flow paths for filtering water and installing various components are formed inside the water purifier 100 including the filter unit 110 .

[0073] For example, raw water is supplied to the pre-processing filter 111 through the first flow path L1, and purified water filtered by the pre-processing filter 111 is supplied to the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 through the second flow path L2 via the pressurizing unit 120. In this case, a regulator VR1 for adjusting the raw water to a predetermined pressure may be provided on the first flow path L1.

[0074] In addition, a supply valve V1 that can be opened and closed can be provided to supply water to the filter unit 110 or cut off the water supply. This supply valve V1 can be provided at the front end of the pressurizing unit 120, for example, can be installed in the second flow path L2.

[0075] On the other hand, since sufficient filtration may not be achieved in the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 only by the pressure of the raw water, a pressurizing unit 120 may be provided to pressurize the water supplied to the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113. That is, the pressurizing unit 120 is driven when the purified water is generated to supply water with a pressure sufficient to achieve the reverse osmosis phenomenon to the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113.

[0076] As an example, such a pressurizing unit 120 may be installed on the second flow path L2, which is located between the rear end of the pretreatment filter 111 and the front end of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113, but its position is not limited as long as it is a flow path located at the front end of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113. In addition, the pressurizing unit 120 may be composed of, for example, a pump.

[0077] In addition, a shut-off valve VT may be provided on the flow path at the front end of the pressurizing unit 120. Such a shut-off valve VT may be a normally open valve that is opened when not in operation and closed during operation. For example, the shut-off valve VT may be opened when not powered on and closed when powered on. Therefore, in a normal state where it is not in operation due to not being powered on, the shut-off valve VT may be in an open state. In addition, in the event of an accident such as a power outage or a failure of the pressurizing unit 120, power may be supplied to the shut-off valve VT by an emergency power supply (not shown) or the like, so that the shut-off valve VT is operated, thereby closing the shut-off valve VT. Therefore, in the event of an accident or failure, the shut-off valve VT may prevent water from the water supply source from flowing into the filter unit 110.

[0078] In addition, the clean water filtered by the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 is supplied to the post-processing filter 115 through the clean water discharge flow path (third flow path) L3 and the fourth flow path L4. At this time, in the flow path between the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 and the post-processing filter 115, a pressure reducing valve VR2 for reducing the pressure of the flowing water to a certain extent and a check valve VC1 for preventing the water from flowing back to the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 side may be provided.

[0079] In addition, the concentrated water (domestic water) that has not passed through the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 is discharged through the drainage flow path LD.

[0080] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the drainage flow path LD may be configured to include a concentrated water flow path LL, which is used to discharge concentrated water that has not been filtered by the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113. At this time, a resistance valve VL may be provided on the concentrated water flow path LL, and the resistance valve VL is used to limit the amount or proportion of concentrated water discharged through the concentrated water flow path LL (the proportion of water discharged as clean water and water discharged as concentrated water in the water flowing into the reverse osmosis membrane filter). That is, a filtering pressure is formed in the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 through the small flow path diameter of the resistance valve VL, whereby a portion of the water can be filtered through the reverse osmosis membrane MB, and the remaining water can be discharged as concentrated water.

[0081] Or differently, Figures 4 to 6 As shown, the drainage flow path LD not only includes a concentrated water flow path LL for discharging concentrated water that has not been filtered by the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113, but can also include a flushing flow path LF, and the flushing flow path LF is mainly used to supply water to the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 in the opposite direction to that when purifying water, thereby flushing (cleaning) the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113.

[0082] The flushing flow path LF is composed of a flow path branched between the rear end of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 and the front end of the resistance valve VL, and a flushing valve VF for opening and closing the flushing flow path LF can be installed on the flushing flow path LF. In addition, a resistance valve VR can also be installed on the flushing flow path LF to limit the amount or proportion of water discharged through the flushing flow path LF.

[0083] In order to facilitate drainage through the drainage flow path LD, such a flushing valve VF may be configured to be opened by a control unit (not shown) when the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 is flushed. As described above, when the flushing valve VF is opened (refer to Figure 6 ), since the concentrated water flow path LL and the flushing flow path LF are both in an open state, the total drainage volume flowing through the drainage flow path LD can be increased.

[0084] In addition, the flush valve VF may be opened to prevent an excessive load from being applied to the pressurizing unit 120. For example, as described below, when the hot water generating unit 140 is configured as an instantaneous heating device and water flows through the internal flow path of the instantaneous heating device to be heated and hot water is taken, the flow rate will be less than when clean water is taken or when cold water is taken. In view of this, the flush valve VF may be opened when hot water is taken to prevent the pressurizing unit 120 from being overloaded. In addition, as described below, when the residual water of the water taking unit 160 is discharged, the flush valve VF may also be opened to discharge the residual water smoothly (refer to Figure 6 ).

[0085] In addition, a check valve VC2 for preventing water from flowing back toward the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 may be provided at the end of the drainage flow path LD.

[0086] In addition, after the clean water filtered by the post-processing filter 115 flows through the fifth flow path L5 and is supplied to the flow path branch unit M, it is respectively supplied to the clean water flow path L6, the cold water flow path L7, and the hot water flow path L8 from the flow path branch unit M. In this case, a flow sensor FS1 may be installed on the fifth flow path L5 to detect the flow rate of water supplied to the flow path branch unit M.

[0087] A clean water supply valve V2 is provided on the clean water flow path L6, and when taking clean water at room temperature, the clean water supply valve V2 is opened. In addition, a cold water supply valve V3 and a cold water generating unit 130 are provided on the cold water flow path L7, and when taking cold water, the cold water supply valve V3 is opened. In addition, a hot water supply valve V4 and a hot water generating unit 140 are provided on the hot water flow path L8, and when taking hot water, the hot water supply valve V4 is opened.

[0088] In addition, the normal temperature purified water supplied from the purified water flow path L6, the cold water supplied from the cold water flow path L7, and the hot water supplied from the hot water flow path L8 flow into the water intake flow path L9 by opening the water intake valve V5, and are provided to the user through the water intake unit 160. The water intake unit 160 as described above is used to provide the purified water filtered by the filter unit 110 to the user, and it can be composed of a stopcock or a faucet. In addition, the purified water flow path L6, the cold water flow path L7, and the hot water flow path L8 can be connected to the water intake valve V5 through the connection port CP2.

[0089] On the other hand, the cold water generating unit 130 provided on the cold water flow path L7 may be constituted by an ice thermal storage type cold water generating unit, in which the clean water filtered by the filter unit 110 exchanges heat with the ice stored water in the ice thermal storage tank when flowing through the cold water pipe inside the ice thermal storage tank to generate cold water. However, the cold water generating unit 130 is not limited thereto, and may be configured as a water storage type cold water generating device that directly cools the water contained in the cold water tank through a cooling device.

[0090] In addition, the hot water generating unit 140 provided on the hot water flow path L8 may be configured as an instantaneous heating device that provides hot water to the user by heating the purified water flowing through the flow path. In this case, in order to control the heating capacity of the hot water generating unit 140, a flow sensor FS2 for measuring the amount of water flowing into the hot water generating unit 140 may be provided on the hot water flow path L8. However, the hot water generating unit 140 provided on the hot water flow path L8 is not limited to the instantaneous heating device described above, and a hot water storage tank having a heating device may also be used.

[0091] Finally, after the water intake by the water intake unit 160 is completed, the residual water discharge unit 150 utilizes the osmosis phenomenon of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 to discharge the residual water remaining in the water intake unit 160 through the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 .

[0092] This residual water discharge unit 150 may include a residual water discharge flow path 151 connecting the water intake unit 160 and the clean water discharge flow path (third flow path) L3, whereby the residual water in the water intake unit 160 may flow into the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 through the residual water discharge flow path 151 and the clean water discharge flow path L3 through the osmosis phenomenon of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113, and then be discharged through the drainage flow path LD.

[0093] Specifically, in the process of taking water through the water intake unit 160, the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 undergoes reverse osmosis due to the pressure of the pressurizing unit 120, which causes water to move from the non-filtered side S2 to the filtered side S1 through the reverse osmosis membrane MB. However, foreign matter will remain on the non-filtered side S2 and become concentrated water. Therefore, the concentration of foreign matter (solute) on the non-filtered side S2 is higher than that on the filtered side S1.

[0094] However, when water is taken in by the water intake unit 160, the pressure artificially applied to the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 is removed because the pressurizing unit 120 stops operating, thereby generating an osmosis phenomenon in the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113. That is, since the foreign matter (solute) concentration on the non-filter side S2 is higher than the foreign matter concentration on the filter side S1, water moves from the filter side S1 with a low concentration to the non-filter side S2 with a high concentration, thereby generating a suction force from the filter side S1 to the non-filter side S2. As described above, the suction force generated by the osmosis phenomenon is sufficient to discharge the residual water remaining in the water intake unit 160 through the drainage flow path LD.

[0095] In addition, since the residual water discharge flow path 151 is connected to the clean water discharge flow path (third flow path) L3 through the connecting port CP1, and since the residual water discharge flow path 151 is connected to the water intake unit 160, the residual water of the water intake unit 160 flows into the filtration side S1 of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 through the residual water discharge flow path 151 and the clean water discharge flow path L3, and the water on the filtration side S1 moves to the non-filtration side S2 through the osmosis phenomenon and is discharged to the drainage flow path LD.

[0096] In addition, as described above, the water intake unit 160 is provided with a water intake valve V5 for taking clean water, and the residual water discharge flow path 151 can be connected to the water intake unit 160 through the water intake valve V5. Therefore, the water intake valve V5 can be operated by a control unit (not shown) so that the water intake unit 160 and the residual water discharge flow path 151 are connected to each other when the residual water is discharged.

[0097] on the other hand, Figures 1 to 6 The structure in which a water intake valve V5 is provided is shown, but the water intake valve V5 provided in the water purifier 100 according to the present invention may also have a composite structure formed by combining a plurality of unit valves, so as to realize the communication function between the water intake unit 160 and the residual water discharge flow path 151 while performing the water intake function. For example, the water intake valve V5 may be composed of a flow path switching valve and a normally open (Normal Open) valve for taking purified water, or may be composed by combining an opening and closing valve and a flow path switching valve. As described above, the number of unit valves or the specific structure of the water intake valve V5 of the water purifier 100 according to the present invention is not limited, and various changes may be made, as long as the water intake function through the above-mentioned water intake unit 160 and the communication function between the water intake unit 160 and the residual water discharge flow path 151 can be performed.

[0098] In addition, the residual water discharge unit 160 may further include a residual water discharge valve 155 installed on the residual water discharge flow path 151 and opened at the time of residual water discharge operation. When the residual water discharge valve 155 is opened, residual water can move through the residual water discharge flow path 151, so the permeation phenomenon of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 can be controlled by controlling the opening and closing of the residual water discharge valve 155.

[0099] Specifically, after the water intake of the water intake unit 160 is finished, the water intake unit 160 is connected to the residual water discharge flow path 151 through the water intake valve V5, and when the residual water discharge valve 155 is opened, the residual water of the water intake unit 160 can be discharged through the drainage flow path LD by the osmosis phenomenon of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113. At this time, after the residual water discharge of the water intake unit 160 is finished, if the residual water discharge valve 155 is always maintained in an open state, external pollutants may flow into the residual water discharge flow path 151 and the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 through the water intake unit 160. Therefore, the residual water discharge valve 155 can be controlled by the control unit so that it is opened only during a preset operation time to discharge the residual water. In this case, the operation time can be set to a time sufficient for the residual water discharge of the water intake unit 160.

[0100] On the other hand, after the water intake unit 160 finishes taking water, there is a case where the water intake unit 160 is reused immediately or within a predetermined time. Therefore, when the water intake unit 160 is reused or frequently used, the residual water remains in the water intake unit 160 for a short time, so the possibility of being contaminated is low, so the residual water can be discharged through the residual water discharge unit 150 after the water intake unit 160 finishes taking water and a predetermined time has passed. To this end, the control unit (not shown) can control the opening and closing of the residual water discharge valve 155 so that the residual water discharge valve 155 is opened after the water intake unit 160 finishes taking water and a preset waiting time has passed.

[0101] In addition, the residual water discharge unit 160 may further include a check valve 157 installed on the residual water discharge flow path 151 to prevent water from flowing back from the clean water discharge flow path L3 toward the water intake unit 160. When taking clean water, the check valve 157 as described above can prevent the clean water discharged from the reverse osmosis membrane filter 133 from moving to the water intake unit 160 through the residual water discharge flow path 151.

[0102] On the other hand, as mentioned above, Figures 4 to 6In the illustrated embodiment, the drainage flow path LD includes not only a concentrated water flow path LL for discharging concentrated water that has not been filtered by the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113, but also a flushing flow path LF, on which a flushing valve VF is provided for flushing the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113. In this case, in order to facilitate the discharge of residual water in the water intake unit 160, the flushing valve VF may be opened when the residual water is discharged, so that the residual water is discharged through the concentrated water flow path LL and the flushing flow path LF.

[0103] Next, we will refer to Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 The water flow in each operating state of the water purifier 100 is described.

[0104] First, refer to Figure 2 and Figure 5 Explain the flow of water when taking clean water, cold water and hot water.

[0105] When a signal for taking clean water at room temperature is input, the control unit (not shown) opens the supply valve V1, the clean water supply valve V2 and the water intake valve V5, closes the cold water supply valve V3, the hot water supply valve V4 and the residual water discharge valve 155, and drives the pressurizing unit 120. In addition, the shut-off valve VT remains in an open state. Therefore, the raw water flowing into the first flow path L1 flows through the pre-treatment filter 111 and the pressurizing unit 120, and flows into the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 in a pressurized state. The clean water flowing through the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 can be further filtered by flowing into the post-treatment filter 115 through the third flow path L3 and the fourth flow path L4, and then passes through the clean water flow path L6 and the water intake valve V5 and is provided to the user through the water intake unit 160.

[0106] In addition, when a cold water intake signal is input, the control unit (not shown) opens the supply valve V1, the cold water supply valve V3, and the water intake valve V5, closes the clean water supply valve V2, the hot water supply valve V4, and the residual water discharge valve 155, and drives the pressurizing unit 120. In addition, the shut-off valve VT remains in an open state. Therefore, the raw water flowing into the first flow path L1 flows through the pre-treatment filter 111 and the pressurizing unit 120, and flows into the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 in a pressurized state. The clean water flowing through the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 can flow into the post-treatment filter 115 through the third flow path L3 and the fourth flow path L4 and be further filtered, and then flows into the cold water generation unit 130 through the cold water flow path L7 and flows through the water intake valve V5 after being cooled and is provided to the user through the water intake unit 160.

[0107] In addition, when a hot water extraction signal is input, the control unit (not shown) opens the supply valve V1, the hot water supply valve V4, and the water extraction valve V5, closes the purified water supply valve V2, the cold water supply valve V3, and the residual water discharge valve 155, and drives the pressurizing unit 120. In addition, the shut-off valve VT remains in an open state. Therefore, the raw water flowing into the first flow path L1 flows through the pre-treatment filter 111 and the pressurizing unit 120, and flows into the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 in a pressurized state. The purified water flowing through the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 can flow into the post-treatment filter 115 through the third flow path L3 and the fourth flow path L4 and be further filtered, and then flows into the hot water generation unit 140 through the hot water flow path L8 and flows through the water extraction valve V5 after being heated and is provided to the user through the water extraction unit 160.

[0108] In addition, at each time of taking in room temperature purified water, cold water and hot water, the concentrated water that fails to pass through the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 passes through Figure 2 and Figure 5 The concentrated water of the drainage flow path LD shown in the figure is discharged through the flow path LL. At this time, the flushing flow path LF is also included. Figure 5 In the embodiment shown, the flushing valve VF can be closed so that the concentrated water is discharged only through the concentrated water flow path LL, but the flushing valve VF can also be opened so that the concentrated water that has not passed through the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 flows through the concentrated water flow path LL of the drainage flow path LD and the flushing flow path LF and is discharged.

[0109] In addition, when each intake of purified water, cold water, and hot water is completed, the control unit closes valves such as the supply valve V1 to cut off the raw water supply and stops driving of the pressurizing unit 120 .

[0110] Next, we will refer to Figure 3 and Figure 6 The water flow when the residual water in the water intake unit 160 is discharged will be described.

[0111] The control unit (not shown) can be configured to control the opening and closing of the valve so that after the water intake unit 160 has finished taking water, the residual water can be discharged automatically under preset conditions or through the user's residual water discharge signal input, wherein the preset condition is after a preset waiting time.

[0112] In this case, the control unit keeps the supply valve V1, the clean water supply valve V2, the cold water supply valve V3 and the hot water supply valve V4 in a closed state, keeps the pressurizing unit 120 in a stopped state, and switches the flow path so that the water intake unit 160 and the residual water discharge flow path 151 are connected through the water intake valve V5, and keeps the residual water discharge valve 155 in an open state.

[0113] Since the flow path between the water intake unit 160 and the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 is in an open state, the residual water remaining in the water intake unit 160 flows through the residual water discharge path 151 and the clean water discharge path L3 into the filtration side S1 of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113 with the help of the suction force toward the non-filtration side S2 due to the osmosis phenomenon through the reverse osmosis membrane filter 113, and then the water on the filtration side S1 can flow to the non-filtration side S2 through the reverse osmosis membrane MB and be discharged through the drainage path LD.

[0114] In this case, Figure 3 In the illustrated embodiment, since the drainage flow path LD includes only the concentrated water flow path LL, the water on the non-filter side S2 is discharged through the concentrated water flow path LL.

[0115] On the other hand, in the case of a flushing flow path LF Figure 6 In the embodiment shown, the flush valve VF can be opened to allow the water flowing into the non-filtered side S2 to flow through the concentrated water flow path LL ( Figure 6 Arrow ② in the figure) and flushing flow path LF( Figure 6 However, in Figure 6 In the embodiment shown, the flushing valve VF can also be cut off. In this case, the water flowing into the non-filtered side S2 can only flow through the concentrated water flow path LL ( Figure 4 Emission is indicated by the arrow ② in the figure.

[0116] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail above, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and it is obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention described in the claims.

Claims

1. A water purifier, wherein: include: A filter unit, the filter unit comprising: a reverse osmosis membrane filter for filtering inflowing water, wherein a clean water discharge flow path and a drainage flow path are connected to the rear end of the reverse osmosis membrane filter, wherein the clean water discharge flow path is used to discharge clean water filtered by the reverse osmosis membrane filter, and the drainage flow path is used to discharge concentrated water not filtered by the reverse osmosis membrane filter; and a post-processing filter, to which the clean water filtered by the reverse osmosis membrane filter is supplied through the clean water discharge flow path, and a check valve is provided in the flow path between the reverse osmosis membrane filter and the post-processing filter, the check valve being used to prevent water from flowing back to the reverse osmosis membrane filter; A water intake unit, used to provide the purified water filtered by the filtering unit to the user; a purified water flow path for supplying purified water filtered by the post-processing filter to the water intake unit, a residual water discharge unit, which, after the water intake through the water intake unit is finished, utilizes the osmosis phenomenon of the reverse osmosis membrane filter to discharge the residual water remaining in the water intake unit through the reverse osmosis membrane filter, the residual water discharge unit is provided with a residual water discharge flow path for connecting the water intake unit and the clean water discharge flow path through a first connection port, the residual water discharge unit also includes a residual water discharge valve, the residual water discharge valve is installed on the residual water discharge flow path and is opened during the residual water discharge operation, a water intake valve, connected to the clean water flow path through a second connection port, the water intake valve is connected to the water intake unit and to the residual water discharge flow path, and A control unit is configured to control the water intake valve to perform the following operations: When taking clean water, connecting the clean water flow path and the water intake unit and blocking the communication between the residual water discharge flow path and the water intake unit; and When the clean water is taken out, the connection between the clean water flow path and the water intake unit is blocked and the residual water discharge flow path and the water intake unit are connected, so that when the residual water discharge valve is opened, the residual water in the water intake unit flows through the residual water discharge flow path and the clean water discharge flow path through the osmosis phenomenon of the reverse osmosis membrane filter, and then flows into the reverse osmosis membrane filter, and then is discharged through the drainage flow path. The drainage flow path comprises: a concentrated water flow path for discharging concentrated water that has not been filtered by the reverse osmosis membrane filter, and The flushing flow path is used for flushing the reverse osmosis membrane filter.

2. The water purifier according to claim 1, wherein: The residual water discharge valve is configured to open at a preset operation time in order to discharge the residual water.

3. The water purifier according to claim 2, wherein: The residual water discharge valve is configured to be opened after a preset waiting time has passed after the water intake unit has finished intake water.

4. The water purifier according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The residual water discharge unit further includes a check valve installed on the residual water discharge flow path to prevent water from flowing back from the clean water discharge flow path toward the water intake unit.

5. The water purifier according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: A flushing valve is installed on the flushing flow path, and the flushing valve is used to open the flushing flow path when flushing the reverse osmosis membrane filter.

6. The water purifier according to claim 5, wherein: The flush valve is configured to be opened when residual water is discharged.

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