Water purifier and control method thereof

Abstract

The disclosed water purifier comprises a deionizing device for purifying water by using electric power, and a control unit electrically connected to the deionizing device. The deionization device includes a housing, a plurality of electrical filters disposed in each of a plurality of isolation chambers formed within the housing. The control unit is configured such that during a water purification operation, the plurality of electrofilters are operated by being divided into a plurality of adsorption electrofilters that adsorb ionic substances and at least one resting electrofilter that is in a standby state; the water purification operation is restarted or a regeneration operation for regeneration of the plurality of electric filters is executed according to whether a restart instruction of the water purification operation is input within a predetermined standby time from a termination time point of the water purification operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The disclosed invention relates to a household water purifier and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] A water purifier is a device that filters raw water supplied from the outside and provides drinking water to users. To this end, the water purifier includes components such as at least one filter for filtering raw water, multiple pipes for water flow, and valves for controlling the flow of water. The water purifier may include various deionization filters for purifying water. For example, the water purifier may include a capacitive deionization (CDI: Capacitive DeIonization) filter, an electrodeionization (EDI: Electro Deionization) filter, or a continuous electrodeionization (CEDI: Continuous Electro Deionization) filter. The deionization filter can purify water by adsorbing ionic substances contained in the water. However, the deionization filter has a limit on the adsorption capacity according to the electrostatic capacitance, and therefore requires periodic regeneration. For existing water purifiers including deionization filters, it is difficult to continuously discharge purified water, and when the deionization filter is being regenerated, the user cannot use the water purifier.

[0003] There is also a water purifier that regenerates one deionizing filter while the other deionizing filter is performing water purification. However, this water purifier uses only one of the two deionizing filters to perform water purification, so there is a performance loss of only half of the overall water purification performance. Summary of the invention

[0004] Technical Solution

[0005] The disclosed invention provides a water purifier and a control method thereof that can minimize the performance loss of a deionization device using a plurality of electric filters arranged in parallel and can provide purified water at any time.

[0006] Furthermore, the disclosed invention provides a water purifier and a control method thereof, in which a plurality of electric filters are arranged in a single housing in an isolated manner, thereby making it possible to miniaturize a filter assembly.

[0007] According to one embodiment, a water purifier includes a deionization device that uses electricity to purify water and a control unit electrically connected to the deionization device. The deionization device may include a housing, a plurality of partition walls that form a plurality of isolation chambers in the housing, and a plurality of electric filters respectively accommodated in the plurality of isolation chambers. The control unit may cause the plurality of electric filters to be divided into a plurality of adsorption electric filters that adsorb ionic substances and at least one static electric filter in a standby state for operation during the water purification operation. The control unit may restart the water purification operation or perform a regeneration operation for regenerating the plurality of electric filters, depending on whether a restart instruction of the water purification operation is input within a predetermined standby time from the termination time point of the water purification operation. The control unit may maintain a first number of the plurality of adsorption electric filters to be greater than a second number of the at least one static electric filter during the water purification operation.

[0008] According to one embodiment, a control method for a water purifier may include the following steps: during the water purification operation of the water purifier, a control unit is used to divide a plurality of electric filters arranged in each of a plurality of isolation chambers formed in a shell into a plurality of adsorption electric filters for adsorbing ionic substances and at least one static electric filter in a standby state for operation; the control unit is used to restart the water purification operation or perform a regeneration operation for regenerating the plurality of electric filters according to whether a restart instruction of the water purification operation is input within a predetermined standby time from the termination time point of the water purification operation; and the control unit is used to maintain a first number of the plurality of adsorption electric filters to be greater than a second number of the at least one static electric filter during the water purification operation.

[0009] The disclosed water purifier and control method thereof can minimize the performance loss of the deionization device by using a plurality of electric filters arranged in parallel, and can provide purified water at any time. Therefore, the use convenience of the water purifier can be improved.

[0010] Furthermore, the disclosed water purifier and control method thereof can miniaturize the filter assembly by arranging a plurality of electric filters in a housing in a manner of being isolated from each other, thereby also reducing the overall size of the water purifier. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing a control structure of a water purifier according to an embodiment.

[0012] Figure 2 The structure of a filter assembly according to an embodiment is shown.

[0013] Figure 3 A housing of a deionizing filter according to an embodiment is shown.

[0014] Figure 4 A partition wall in a housing of a deionizing filter according to an embodiment is shown.

[0015] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a deionizing filter according to an embodiment.

[0016] Figure 6 The principle of purifying water by a deionization filter according to one embodiment is shown.

[0017] Figure 7 The principle of regenerating a deionizing filter according to an embodiment is shown.

[0018] Figure 8 An example is shown in which a part of a plurality of electric filters are cyclically operated during a water purification operation.

[0019] Fig. 9 An example is shown in which a plurality of electric filters are sequentially regenerated during the regeneration operation.

[0020] Fig.10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a water purifier according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The embodiments described in this specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are merely preferred examples of the disclosed invention, and at the time of filing this application, there may be various modifications that can replace the embodiments and drawings of this specification.

[0022] The same reference numerals or symbols shown in the drawings of this specification represent components or constituent elements that perform substantially the same function. Throughout this specification, when it is mentioned that a part is "connected" to another part, this includes not only the case of direct connection but also the case of indirect connection, and the indirect connection includes the case of connection through a wireless communication network or the case of connection through other parts.

[0023] The terms used in this specification are used to illustrate the embodiments and are not intended to limit and / or define the disclosed invention. Unless the context clearly states otherwise, singular expressions include plural expressions. In this specification, terms such as "including" or "having" are used to specify the existence of features, numbers, steps, operations, constituent elements, parts or combinations thereof recorded in the specification, and do not preclude the existence or additional possibility of one or more other features or numbers, steps, operations, constituent elements, parts or combinations thereof.

[0024] In this specification, terms containing ordinal numbers such as "first", "second", etc. are used to describe a variety of components, but the components are not limited to the above terms, which are only used to distinguish one component from other components. For example, without departing from the scope of the claims of the present invention, the first component can be named as the second component, and similarly, the second component can also be named as the first component. The term "and / or" includes a combination of multiple related recorded items or a certain item among multiple related recorded items.

[0025] Furthermore, terms such as “unit”, “device”, “block”, “component”, “module”, etc. may represent a unit for processing at least one function or operation. For example, the above terms may refer to at least one hardware such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) / application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), at least one software stored in a memory, or at least one program processed by a processor.

[0026] The symbols assigned to each step are used to identify each step. These symbols do not indicate the order of the steps. Unless a specific order is clearly stated in the context, each step may be implemented in an order different from the order stated above.

[0027] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0028] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing a control structure of a water purifier according to an embodiment. Figure 2 The structure of a filter assembly according to an embodiment is shown.

[0029] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 The water purifier 1 may include a power supply unit 60, a user interface 70, a flow sensor 140, a deionization device 200, and a control unit 300. In addition, the water purifier 1 may include a first outlet valve V2, a second outlet valve V3, a third outlet valve V4, a water valve V5, and a drain valve V6. The deionization device 200 and the plurality of valves may be included in the filter assembly 10 described later.

[0030] The components of the water purifier 1 are not limited to the components shown in the examples. Some of the components shown in the examples may be omitted, or other components other than the components shown in the examples may be added. For example, the water purifier 1 may further include a communication device for communicating with an external device.

[0031] The control unit 300 may be electrically connected to the components of the water purifier 1 and may control the operation of the water purifier 1. The control unit 300 may include a memory 310 and a processor 320. The memory 310 may record / store various information required for the operation of the water purifier 1. The memory 310 may store instructions, applications, data and / or programs required for the operation of the water purifier 1. The memory 310 may include a volatile memory such as a static random access memory (S-RAM) or a dynamic random access memory (D-RAM) for temporarily storing data. In addition, the memory 310 may include a non-volatile memory such as a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) for storing data for a long time.

[0032] The processor 320 can generate a control signal for controlling the operation of the water purifier 1 based on the instructions, application programs, data and / or programs stored in the memory 310. The processor 320, as hardware, may include a logic circuit and an operation circuit. The processor 320 can process data according to the program and / or instructions provided from the memory 310, and generate a control signal according to the processing result. The memory 310 and the processor 320 may be implemented as one control circuit or multiple circuits.

[0033] The power supply unit 60 may be connected to an external power source and may obtain power required for the operation of the water purifier 1. The power supply unit 60 may provide power to the electronic components included in the water purifier 1. The power supply unit 60 may include a power supply circuit and may be electrically connected to the control unit 300. The control unit 300 may control the power supply unit 60 and may distribute power required by the constituent elements of the water purifier 1.

[0034] The user interface 70 may include a display that displays information about the state and / or operation of the water purifier 1. The user interface 70 may include an input interface that acquires a user input. Also, the user interface 70 may include a speaker for outputting sound.

[0035] The display may include a liquid crystal display panel (LCD Panel: Liquid Crystal Display Panel), a light emitting diode panel (LED Panel: Light EmittI1g Diode Panel), an organic light emitting diode panel (OLED Panel: Organic Light EmittI1g Diode Pane) or a micro LED panel. The display may also be configured as a touch display.

[0036] The input interface may include various buttons. For example, the input interface may include a water purification button, a water purification termination button, a cold water button, a warm water button, a continuous water outlet button, and / or a water purification amount adjustment button. A start instruction or a restart instruction of a water purification operation may be input through the water purification button. A termination instruction of a water purification operation may be input through the water purification termination button. A continuous instruction of a water purification operation may be input through the continuous water outlet button. The input interface may transmit an electrical signal corresponding to the user input to the control unit 300.

[0037] The flow sensor 140 may measure the amount of purified water discharged from the filter assembly 10. The flow sensor 140 may transmit an electrical signal and / or data corresponding to the measured flow rate to the control unit 300. The control unit 300 may calculate the cumulative clean water volume of each of the plurality of electric filters 210, 220, 230 based on the signal and / or data received from the flow sensor 140.

[0038] The deionization device 200 may include a plurality of electric filters 210, 220, 230. For example, the deionization device 200 may include a first electric filter 210, a second electric filter 220, and a third electric filter 230. Although the electric filters are exemplarily provided as three, the present invention is not limited thereto. The electric filters may be provided as more than three.

[0039] Each of the first electric filter 210, the second electric filter 220, and the third electric filter 230 can generate purified water by adsorbing ionic substances contained in the water flowing in during the water purification operation. Each of the first electric filter 210, the second electric filter 220, and the third electric filter 230 can generate waste water containing ionic substances (e.g., dissolved solids) during the regeneration operation.

[0040] The plurality of electric filters 210, 220, 230 may be arranged in parallel and may be isolated from each other by partition walls 202, 203, 204 formed in the housing 201 of the deionization device 200. Each of the plurality of electric filters 210, 220, 230 may include a plurality of electrodes. Depending on the polarity of the voltage or the polarity of the current applied to each of the plurality of electric filters 210, 220, 230, the ionic substances contained in the water may be adsorbed to the electrodes, or the ionic substances adsorbed to the electrodes may be separated.

[0041] Each of the plurality of electric filters 210, 220, 230 may be a capacitive deionization (CDI) filter. Each of the electric filters 210, 220, 230 may also be configured as an electrodeionization (EDI) filter or a continuous electrodeionization (CEDI) filter.

[0042] Reference Figure 2 The water purifier 1 includes a filter assembly 10. The filter assembly 10 may include a plurality of filters and a plurality of water pipes connecting the plurality of filters. The plurality of water pipes may form a flow path for water to flow. Furthermore, the plurality of water pipes may be equipped with a plurality of valves. The valves may be opened or closed, and accordingly the flow path of water may be opened or closed.

[0043] The filter assembly 10 may include a pre-filter 110, a deionizer 200, and a post-filter 130. The pre-filter 110 may pre-filter raw water supplied from an external water supply source. The deionizer 200 may generate purified water by adsorbing ionic substances contained in the pre-filtered water. The post-filter 130 may further filter the purified water generated by the deionizer 200. The water passing through the post-filter 130 may be discharged to the outside of the water purifier 1 and may be provided to the user. The adsorption performance of the deionizer 200 may be adjusted by the control unit 300.

[0044] The inlet 111 of the pre-filter 110 may be connected to the water supply pipe P1, and the water supply pipe P1 may be connected to an external water supply source. Raw water may flow into the pre-filter 110 through the water supply pipe P1. The pre-filter 110 may perform pre-treatment of filtering foreign matter contained in the inflowing water. The water filtered by the pre-filter 110 is discharged through the outlet 112 of the pre-filter 110.

[0045] The pre-filter 110 may be formed using various filters. For example, the pre-filter 110 may include a carbon filter, a sedimentation filter, a high turbidity filter, and / or a composite filter in which a sedimentation filter and a carbon filter are combined. The pre-filter 110 may remove relatively large foreign matter, and may remove chlorine, organic compounds, odors, and pigments by adsorption. Furthermore, the pre-filter 110 may include a granular activated carbon (GAC) filter, a block carbon filter, and / or a filter processed by high heat treatment of coconut.

[0046] The outlet 112 of the prefilter 110 and the inlet I1 of the deionization device 200 may be connected via a first connection pipe P2. One end of the first connection pipe P2 may be connected to the outlet 112 of the prefilter 110. The other end of the first connection pipe P2 may be connected to the inlet I1 of the deionization device 200. Water discharged from the outlet 112 of the prefilter 110 may flow to the deionization device 200 along the first connection pipe P2.

[0047] The inlet I1 of the deionization device 200 is connected to a branch pipe BP located in the housing 201 of the deionization device 200. The branch pipe BP can guide the water flowing in through the inlet I1 to each of the multiple electric filters 210, 220, and 230. The branch pipe BP can separate the flow path of the water into multiple ones. For example, the branch pipe BP can have a shape such as a fork. A part of the branch pipe BP can be formed as one tube connected to the inlet I1, and another part of the branch pipe BP can be formed as three tubes branched from the tube connected to the inlet I1.

[0048] A plurality of electric filters 210, 220, 230 may be housed in the housing 201 of the deionization device 200. The interior of the housing 201 may be divided into a plurality of isolation chambers by a plurality of partition walls 202, 203, 204. Each of the first electric filter 210, the second electric filter 220, and the third electric filter 230 may be housed in an isolation chamber divided by the partition walls 202, 203, 204.

[0049] During the water purification operation, the deionizer 200 can generate purified water by adsorbing ionic substances contained in the water (raw water through the water supply pipe) flowing in. The purified water can be provided as drinking water. During the regeneration operation, the deionizer 200 can generate waste water containing ionic substances (for example, dissolved solids). The waste water is non-drinkable water and can be discharged to the outside through the drain port 50.

[0050] The deionization device 200 may include a plurality of outlets O1, O2, and O3. For example, the deionization device 200 may include a first outlet O1, a second outlet O2, and a third outlet O3. The first outlet O1, the second outlet O2, and the third outlet O3 may protrude outside the housing 201 of the deionization device 200.

[0051] Purified water or waste water can be discharged through a plurality of discharge ports O1, O2, O3. Water that has passed through the first electric filter 210 can be discharged through the first discharge port O1. Water that has passed through the second electric filter 220 can be discharged through the second discharge port O2. Water that has passed through the third electric filter 230 can be discharged through the third discharge port O3.

[0052] Each of the plurality of discharge ports O1, O2, O3 and the inlet 131 of the post-filter 130 may be connected via a second connection pipe P3. The second connection pipe P3 may be configured as a branch pipe having a plurality of inlets and a plurality of outlets. One side of the second connection pipe P3 may be connected to the inlet 131 of the post-filter 130. The other side of the second connection pipe P3 may be connected to each of the first discharge port O1, the second discharge port O2, and the third discharge port O3.

[0053] Each of the plurality of outlets O1, O2, O3 may be equipped with an outlet valve V2, V3, V4. For example, the first outlet O1 may be equipped with a first outlet valve V2, the second outlet O2 may be equipped with a second outlet valve V3, and the third outlet O3 may be equipped with a third outlet valve V4. The first outlet valve V2 may open or close the first outlet O1. The second outlet valve V3 may open or close the second outlet O2. The third outlet valve V4 may open or close the third outlet O3. The opening or closing of the outlet valves V2, V3, V4 may be controlled by the control unit 300.

[0054] A water valve V5 may be provided on the outlet 132 side of the post-filter 130 . The water valve V5 may open or close the outlet 132 of the post-filter 130 .

[0055] And, the second connection pipe P3 may be connected to the drain pipe P5. The drain pipe P5 may be branched from the second connection pipe P3. The drain pipe P5 may be connected to the drain port 50. The drain port 50 may be equipped with a drain valve V6. The drain valve V6 may open or close the drain port 50.

[0056] During the water purification operation, the purified water discharged from the deionizer 200 may flow along the second connection pipe P3 to the post-filter 130. In order to form a water outlet flow path of the purified water, the water valve V5 may be opened and the drain valve V6 may be closed. The water valve V5 is opened and the drain valve V6 is closed, so that the purified water can flow to the post-filter 130 without being discharged to the outside.

[0057] The post filter 130 may further filter the purified water. The outlet 132 of the post filter 130 may be connected to the water outlet pipe P4. The purified water having passed through the post filter 130 may be discharged to the outside of the water purifier 1 along the water outlet pipe P4 and may be provided to the user.

[0058] The post filter 130 can improve the taste of water by adsorbing fine matter and removing gas components and odors. The post filter 130 can be formed using various filters. For example, the post filter 130 can include at least one of a granular activated carbon (GAC) filter, a silver carbon filter, a deionization resin (DeIonization ResI1) filter, and a taste chlorine reduction (TCR) filter.

[0059] During the regeneration operation, the waste water discharged from the deionization device 200 may flow along the drain pipe P5 to the drain port 50. In order to form a discharge flow path for the waste water, the water valve V5 may be closed and the drain valve V6 may be opened. The water valve V5 is closed and the drain valve V6 is opened, so that the waste water generated by the regeneration of the deionization device 200 can be discharged to the outside of the water purifier 1 through the drain port 50.

[0060] The outlet pipe P4 connected to the outlet 132 of the post-filter 130 may be equipped with a flow sensor 140. The flow sensor 140 may measure the amount of purified water flowing along the outlet pipe P4. The flow sensor 140 may transmit an electrical signal and / or data corresponding to the measured flow rate to the control unit 300. The control unit 300 may calculate the cumulative clean water volume of each of the plurality of electric filters 210, 220, 230 based on the signal and / or data received from the flow sensor 140. The position of the flow sensor 140 is not limited to the example. The flow sensor 140 may also be arranged at the inlet 131 of the post-filter 130.

[0061] The filter, valve, and sensor included in the filter assembly 10 are not limited to the illustrated cases. The filter assembly 10 may also include other devices other than the illustrated cases. For example, the filter assembly 10 may include a total dissolved solid (TDS: Total Dissolved Solid) sensor (not shown) for detecting dissolved solids contained in water discharged from the deionization device 200. The TDS sensor may be provided in the second connecting pipe P3 connected to the outlets O1, O2, and O3 of the deionization device 200.

[0062] The control unit 300 can selectively apply a voltage or a current to each of the plurality of electric filters 210, 220, 230. The control unit 300 can adjust the adsorption performance of each electric filter by adjusting the magnitude of the voltage applied to each of the plurality of electric filters 210, 220, 230 or adjusting the magnitude of the current applied to each of the plurality of electric filters 210, 220, 230. The method of applying a specific voltage to the electric filter is called a constant voltage control method, and the method of applying a specific current to the electric filter is called a constant current method.

[0063] The control unit 300 selectively applies voltage or current to the plurality of electric filters 210, 220, 230 during the water purification operation, so that a portion of the plurality of electric filters 210, 220, 230 can be operated as adsorption electric filters that adsorb ionic substances, and the remaining portion can be operated as a static electric filter in a standby state. The voltage applied to the electric filters 210, 220, 230 during the water purification operation may be referred to as an adsorption voltage. The current applied to the electric filters 210, 220, 230 during the water purification operation may be referred to as an adsorption current.

[0064] The control unit 300 can maintain the first number of adsorption electric filters to be greater than the second number of static electric filters during the water purification operation. For example, two of the three electric filters 210, 220, and 230 can perform the water purification operation of adsorbing ionic substances, and one can be in a standby state. By making the first number of adsorption electric filters greater than the second number of static electric filters during the water purification operation, the performance loss of the deionization device 200 can be minimized.

[0065] The control unit 300 can selectively apply an adsorption voltage or an adsorption current to the electric filters 210, 220, and 230 in the following manner: in each predetermined cycle during the water purification operation, one of the multiple adsorption electric filters 210, 220, and 230 is converted into a static electric filter, and at least one of the static electric filters is converted into an adsorption electric filter. The electric filter to which the adsorption voltage or adsorption current is applied becomes the adsorption electric filter, and the electric filter to which the adsorption voltage or adsorption current is not applied becomes the static electric filter. That is, the static electric filter has zero potential or zero current. That is, the multiple electric filters 210, 220, and 230 can perform the water purification operation cyclically. In the case of being equipped with three electric filters, two electric filters among the first electric filter 210, the second electric filter 220, and the third electric filter 230 can perform the water purification operation cyclically.

[0066] For example, if the water purification operation starts, a voltage or current is applied to the first electric filter 210 and the second electric filter 220, so that the first electric filter 210 and the second electric filter 220 can be operated as adsorption electric filters, and the third electric filter 230 can be operated as a static electric filter. Thereafter, if a predetermined first cycle has passed, the application of voltage or current to the first electric filter 210 can be stopped, and the voltage or current can be applied to the third electric filter 230. Therefore, the third electric filter 230 can be converted into an adsorption electric filter, and the first electric filter 210 can be converted into a static electric filter. Thereafter, if a predetermined second cycle has passed, the application of voltage or current to the second electric filter 220 can be stopped, and the voltage or current can be applied to the first electric filter 210. Therefore, the first electric filter 210 and the third electric filter 230 can be operated as adsorption electric filters, and the second electric filter 220 can be operated as a static electric filter.

[0067] The control unit 300 may open the outlet valve corresponding to the electric filter to which the voltage or current is applied. The outlet valve may be opened to discharge the purified water or wastewater that has passed through the electric filter. For example, if a voltage or current is applied to the first electric filter 210, the first outlet valve V2 may be opened. If a voltage or current is applied to the second electric filter 220, the second outlet valve V3 may be opened. If a voltage or current is applied to the third electric filter 230, the third outlet valve V4 may be opened. If no voltage or current is applied to the electric filter, the outlet valve may be closed.

[0068] The control unit 300 may control the water flow valve V5 and the drain valve V6 in response to the water purification operation or the regeneration operation of the deionization device 200. In the water purification operation, the water flow valve V5 may be opened, and the drain valve V6 may be closed. In the regeneration operation, the water flow valve V5 may be closed, and the drain valve V6 may be opened. That is, the water flow valve V5 and the drain valve V6 may be operated in opposite ways.

[0069] Furthermore, the control unit 300 can restart the water purification operation or perform a regeneration operation for regenerating multiple electric filters 210, 220, and 230 according to whether a restart instruction of the water purification operation is input from the termination time point of the water purification operation to the predetermined standby time. The water purifier 1 is basically set to terminate the water purification operation after discharging purified water within a predetermined time if a start instruction of the water purification operation is input. In the case where a continuous water outlet instruction is input, the water purifier 1 can discharge purified water until a termination instruction is input. However, after the water purification operation is terminated, the user can input a restart instruction of the water purification operation again in a short time. In this case, the water purifier 1 can restart the water purification operation by selectively using the electric filters 210, 220, and 230 included in the deionizer 200.

[0070] The control unit 300 may calculate the accumulated use time of each of the plurality of electric filters 210, 220, 230. The control unit 300 applies voltage or current to a portion of the electric filters based on whether a restart instruction of the water purification operation is input within a predetermined standby time from the termination time point of the water purification operation, so that a portion of the electric filters having a relatively short accumulated use time first operate as adsorption electric filters.

[0071] For example, the cumulative use time of the first electric filter 210 calculated at the termination time point of the water purification operation may be 4 minutes, the cumulative use time of the second electric filter 220 may be 3 minutes, and the cumulative use time of the third electric filter 230 may be 2 minutes. In response to the restart instruction of the water purification operation, the control unit 300 may apply a voltage or current to the second electric filter 220 and the third electric filter 230 whose cumulative use time is relatively short compared to the cumulative use time of each of the plurality of electric filters. Therefore, the second electric filter 220 and the third electric filter 230 may first operate as adsorption electric filters. Thereafter, the control unit 300 may change the electric filter to which the voltage or current is to be applied at each predetermined cycle.

[0072] Furthermore, the control unit 300 may calculate the cumulative clean water volume of each of the plurality of electric filters 210, 220, 230 based on the signal transmitted from the flow sensor 140. The control unit 300 may calculate the cumulative clean water volume of each electric filter using the flow rate measured by the flow sensor 140 during the period when each electric filter performs a water purification operation. For example, the cumulative clean water volume measured by the flow sensor 140 during the period when the first electric filter 210 and the second electric filter 220 operate as adsorption electric filters may be calculated as the cumulative clean water volume of each of the first electric filter 210 and the second electric filter 220.

[0073] The control unit 300 applies voltage or current to a part of the electric filters based on whether a restart instruction of the water purification operation is input during the predetermined standby time from the termination time point of the water purification operation, so that a part of the electric filters with relatively small cumulative clean water volume are first operated as adsorption electric filters. For example, the cumulative clean water volume of the first electric filter 210 calculated at the termination time point of the water purification operation may be 5 liters, the cumulative clean water volume of the second electric filter 220 may be 4 liters, and the cumulative clean water volume of the third electric filter 230 may be 3 liters. In response to the restart instruction of the water purification operation, the control unit 300 may apply voltage or current to the second electric filter 220 and the third electric filter 230 with relatively small cumulative use time. Therefore, the second electric filter 220 and the third electric filter 230 may first operate as adsorption electric filters. Thereafter, the control unit 300 may change the electric filter to which the voltage or current is to be applied in each predetermined cycle.

[0074] The control unit 300 may start a regeneration operation for regenerating the plurality of electric filters 210, 220, 230 based on a predetermined standby time after the water purification operation is terminated without inputting a restart command. The control unit 300 may sequentially apply a regeneration voltage or a regeneration current to each of the plurality of electric filters 210, 220, 230 during the regeneration operation. The regeneration voltage refers to a voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the voltage applied to the electric filters 210, 220, 230 during the water purification operation. The regeneration current refers to a current having a polarity opposite to that of the current applied to the electric filters 210, 220, 230 during the water purification operation.

[0075] Even if each of the electric filters 210, 220, 230 is not used to the limit of the adsorption capacity, regeneration can be performed during the period when the water purifier 1 is not used. Therefore, the regeneration time of each electric filter can be shortened.

[0076] The control unit 300 may regenerate the electric filter in the order from the electric filter with the largest cumulative use time to the electric filter with the smallest cumulative use time. Also, the control unit 300 may regenerate the electric filter in the order from the electric filter with the largest cumulative clean water volume to the electric filter with the smallest cumulative clean water volume. That is, the control unit 300 may start regeneration from the electric filter that has been used more.

[0077] The control unit 300 may initialize the cumulative usage time and / or the cumulative clean water volume of each electric filter based on the completion of the regeneration operation of each of the plurality of electric filters 210, 220, 230. The control unit 300 may initialize the cumulative usage time and / or the cumulative clean water volume to 0 at the time point when the regeneration of each electric filter is completed, and with the start of the water purification operation, the cumulative usage time and the cumulative clean water volume of each electric filter may be calculated again.

[0078] Furthermore, the control unit 300 may stop applying the regeneration voltage or regeneration current to the electric filters 210, 220, 230 based on the start command of the water purification operation input before the regeneration operation of the electric filters 210, 220, 230 is completed. That is, when the start command of the water purification operation is input during the regeneration operation of one electric filter, the control unit 300 may stop the regeneration operation of the deionization device 200. The control unit 300 may selectively apply the adsorption voltage or adsorption current to the plurality of electric filters 210, 220, 230 to perform the water purification operation.

[0079] Thus, the disclosed water purifier 1 can directly provide purified water even when a user inputs a start instruction of the water purification operation during the regeneration process of the deionizer 200. By keeping the water purifier 1 in a ready-to-use state, the convenience of use can be improved. In addition, by suspending the regeneration operation, the waste water generated by the regeneration of the deionizer 200 can be prevented from mixing with the purified water. Even if the regeneration of the electric filter is not completely completed, the performance loss of the deionizer 200 can be minimized by allowing the use of the electric filter.

[0080] Figure 3 A housing of a deionizing filter according to an embodiment is shown. Figure 4 A partition wall in a housing of a deionizing filter according to an embodiment is shown.

[0081] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 4 , the deionization device 200 may include a housing 201. A plurality of electric filters 210, 220, 230 may be arranged in parallel in the housing 201. A plurality of partition walls 202, 203, 204 forming a plurality of isolation chambers may be provided in the housing 201. The housing 201 and the partition walls 202, 203, 204 may be formed as one body or may be formed to be separable. The second partition wall 203 and the third partition wall 204 may be formed in parallel with each other and may be spaced apart from each other. The first partition wall 202 may be formed perpendicular to the second partition wall 203 and the third partition wall 204.

[0082] For example, a first partition wall 202, a second partition wall 203, and a third partition wall 204 may be formed in the housing 201. The plurality of isolation chambers may include: a first isolation chamber formed between the housing 201 and the first partition wall 202; a second isolation chamber formed between the housing 201 and the second partition wall 203; a third isolation chamber formed between the second partition wall 203 and the third partition wall 204; and a fourth isolation chamber formed between the third partition wall 204 and the housing 201.

[0083] The branch pipe BP may be located in the first isolation chamber which is a space between the housing 201 and the first partition wall 202. The branch pipe BP may guide water flowing in through the inlet I1 of the housing 201 to each of the plurality of electric filters 210, 220, 230. That is, a portion of the branch pipe BP is connected to the inlet I1, and another portion of the branch pipe BP may pass through the first partition wall 202. The branch pipe BP may have a shape such as a fork. A portion of the branch pipe BP may be formed as one tube connected to the inlet I1, and another portion of the branch pipe BP may be formed as three tubes branched from the tube connected to the inlet I1.

[0084] The first electric filter 210 can be accommodated in the second isolation chamber, which is the space between the housing 201 and the second partition wall 203. The second electric filter 220 can be accommodated in the third isolation chamber, which is the space between the second partition wall 203 and the third partition wall 204. The third electric filter 230 can be accommodated in the space between the second partition wall 203 and the housing 201. Therefore, the first electric filter 210, the second electric filter 220 and the third electric filter 230 can be isolated from each other.

[0085] A plurality of discharge ports O1, O2, O3 for respectively discharging water passing through the plurality of electric filters 210, 220, 230 may be formed in the housing 201. Water having passed through the first electric filter 210 may be discharged through the first discharge port O1, water having passed through the second electric filter 220 may be discharged through the second discharge port O2, and water having passed through the third electric filter 230 may be discharged through the third discharge port O3. Also, as described above, each of the plurality of discharge ports O1, O2, O3 may be equipped with an outlet valve V2, V3, V4.

[0086] Although the case where one inlet I1 and multiple outlets O1, O2, and O3 are formed in the housing 201 is illustrated, the present invention is not limited thereto. Contrary to the illustrated case, the housing 201 may include multiple inlets (three inlets) and one outlet. When multiple inlets are provided, a valve may be provided at each inlet I1. That is, Figure 3 In FIG. 1 , each of O1 , O2 , and O3 shown as the discharge outlets becomes an inlet, and I1 shown as the inlet may also become the discharge outlet.

[0087] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a deionizing filter according to an embodiment.

[0088] Reference Figure 5, each of the multiple electric filters 210, 220, 230 can be a bipolar type capacitive deionization (CDI) filter. Each of the multiple electric filters 210, 220, 230 may include multiple electrodes. For example, the first electric filter 210 may include a first electrode 211 and a second electrode 212. The second electric filter 220 may include a third electrode 221 and a fourth electrode 222. The third electric filter 230 may include a fifth electrode 231 and a sixth electrode 232. In addition, each electric filter may include an electrode active material, an ion exchange resin, an ion exchange membrane and / or a gasket.

[0089] The electrode may have a rectangular or square shape. A plurality of electrodes may be arranged in parallel to each other and may be arranged in parallel with the direction of water flow. That is, water may flow between the plurality of electrodes. Although each electric filter is shown as including two electrodes, it is not limited thereto. Each electric filter may also be provided in the form of a plurality of electrodes stacked.

[0090] The filter assembly 10 can be miniaturized by isolating and arranging the plurality of electric filters 210, 220, 230 in one housing 201. Therefore, the overall size of the water purifier 1 can also be reduced, and the ease of installation can be improved when installed in a home.

[0091] Figure 6 The principle of purifying water by a deionization filter according to one embodiment is shown. Figure 7 The principle of regenerating a deionizing filter according to an embodiment is shown.

[0092] As described above, the deionization device 200 may include a plurality of electric filters 210, 220, 230. In the following, for the sake of convenience, the first electric filter 210 is used as an example to illustrate the water purification principle and the regeneration principle of the electric filter. If a voltage or a current is applied to the first electrode 211 and the second electrode 212 of the first electric filter 210, an electric field may be formed between the first electrode 211 and the second electrode 212. The direction of the electric field may change according to the polarity of the voltage or the polarity of the current applied to the first electrode 211 and the second electrode 212.

[0093] Reference Figure 6, an adsorption voltage may be applied to the first electrode 211 and the second electrode 212. For example, due to the application of the adsorption voltage, the first electrode 211 may be an anode and the second electrode 212 may be a cathode. In this case, if water moves between the first electrode 211 and the second electrode 212 separated from each other, ionic substances (e.g., dissolved solids) contained in the water may move to the first electrode 211 and the second electrode 212 by electrical attraction. The first electrode 211 may adsorb ionic substances having a negative charge, and the second electrode 212 may adsorb ionic substances having a positive charge. Therefore, the water having passed through the first electric filter 210 may not contain ionic substances, or may contain a very small amount of ionic substances.

[0094] However, if ionic substances continue to accumulate on the first electrode 211 and the second electrode 212 as the water purification operation is continued, the electric field formed between the first electrode 211 and the second electrode 212 may become weak. If the electric field becomes weak, the ionic substances are not easily adsorbed on the first electrode 211 and the second electrode 212, so the adsorption capacity of the first electric filter 210 is reduced. In order to restore the adsorption performance of the first electric filter 210, the first electric filter 210 must be regenerated.

[0095] Reference Figure 7 In order to restore the adsorption capacity of the first electric filter 210, a regeneration voltage having a polarity opposite to the adsorption voltage may be applied to the first electrode 211 and the second electrode 212. Due to the application of the regeneration voltage, the first electrode 211 may be a cathode, and the second electrode 212 may be an anode. As the regeneration voltage having a polarity opposite to the adsorption voltage is applied to the first electrode 211 and the second electrode 212, the ionic substances attached to the first electrode 211 and the second electrode 212 may be separated from the first electrode 211 and the second electrode 212.

[0096] Furthermore, even when no voltage is applied to the first electrode 211 and the second electrode 212, the ionic substances can be separated from the first electrode 211 and the second electrode 212. If the electric field disappears, the attraction that affects the ionic substances disappears, so the ionic substances can be separated from the first electrode 211 and the second electrode 212. The ionic substances separated from the first electrode 211 and the second electrode 212 can be discharged to the outside together with water. Therefore, the adsorption capacity of the first electric filter 210 can be restored.

[0097] The second electric filter 220 and the third electric filter 230 can also operate in the same principle. The first electric filter 210 , the second electric filter 220 and the third electric filter 230 can be independently controlled by the control unit 300 .

[0098] Figure 8An example is shown in which a part of a plurality of electric filters are cyclically operated during a water purification operation.

[0099] Reference Figure 8 , the control unit 300 of the water purifier 1 can selectively apply a voltage or current for adsorbing ionic substances to the multiple electric filters 210, 220, and 230 during the water purification operation. Therefore, a part of the multiple electric filters 210, 220, and 230 can be operated as adsorption electric filters that adsorb ionic substances, and the remaining electric filters can be operated as static electric filters in a standby state. That is, the multiple electric filters 210, 220, and 230 can perform the water purification operation cyclically. The control unit 300 can change the electric filter to which the adsorption voltage is applied at each predetermined cycle during the water purification operation. The control unit 300 can maintain the first number of adsorption electric filters to be greater than the second number of static electric filters during the water purification operation.

[0100] For example, during the water purification operation, an adsorption voltage or an adsorption current may be first applied to the first electric filter 210 and the second electric filter 220, and no adsorption voltage or adsorption current may be applied to the third electric filter 230. Due to the application of the adsorption voltage or the application of the adsorption current, the first electrode 211 and the third electrode 221 may become anodes, and the second electrode 212 and the fourth electrode 222 may become cathodes. Furthermore, the first outlet valve V2 and the second outlet valve V3 may be opened, and the third outlet valve V4 may be closed. Therefore, the first electric filter 210 and the second electric filter 220 may be operated as adsorption electric filters that generate purified water, and the third electric filter 230 may be operated as a static electric filter in a standby state.

[0101] If the predetermined first cycle has passed, the application of the adsorption voltage or adsorption current to the first electric filter 210 can be stopped, and the application of the adsorption voltage or adsorption current to the third electric filter 230 can be stopped. Due to the application of the adsorption voltage or adsorption current, the fifth electrode 231 can become an anode, and the sixth electrode 232 can become a cathode. In addition, the first outlet valve V2 can be closed, the second outlet valve V3 can remain open, and the third outlet valve V4 can be opened. Therefore, the third electric filter 230 can be converted into an adsorption electric filter, and the first electric filter 210 can be converted into a resting electric filter.

[0102] If the predetermined second cycle has passed, the application of the adsorption voltage or adsorption current to the second electric filter 220 can be stopped, and the application of the adsorption voltage or adsorption current to the first electric filter 210 can be stopped. That is, the first electrode 211 of the first electric filter 210 can become the anode again, and the second electrode 212 can become the cathode again. In addition, the first outlet valve V2 can be opened again, the second outlet valve V3 can be closed, and the third outlet valve V4 can remain open. Therefore, the first electric filter 210 can be converted into an adsorption electric filter again, and the second electric filter 220 can be converted into a resting electric filter.

[0103] As described above, by making the number of adsorption electric filters greater than the number of static electric filters during the water purification operation, the performance loss of the deionization device 200 can be minimized.

[0104] Fig. 9 An example is shown in which a plurality of electric filters are sequentially regenerated during the regeneration operation.

[0105] Reference Fig. 9 , the control unit 300 of the water purifier 1 can sequentially regenerate the electric filters 210, 220, 230 of the deionization device 200. The control unit 300 can start the regeneration operation for regenerating the plurality of electric filters 210, 220, 230 based on the lapse of a predetermined standby time without inputting a restart command after the water purification operation is terminated. The control unit 300 can sequentially apply a regeneration voltage or a regeneration current having a polarity opposite to that of the adsorption voltage or the adsorption current to each of the plurality of electric filters during the regeneration operation.

[0106] The control unit 300 can regenerate the electric filters in the order from the electric filter with the largest cumulative use time to the electric filter with the smallest cumulative use time. And, the control unit 300 can regenerate the electric filters in the order from the electric filter with the largest cumulative clean water volume to the electric filter with the smallest cumulative clean water volume. That is, the control unit 300 can start regenerating the electric filter that is used more. The regeneration time of each of the electric filters 210, 220, and 230 can be determined to correspond to the cumulative use time or the cumulative clean water volume. As the cumulative use time or the cumulative clean water volume increases, the regeneration time can be set to be longer.

[0107] For example, in order to first restore the adsorption capacity of the first electric filter 210, a regeneration voltage or a regeneration current with opposite polarities may be applied to the first electrode 211 and the second electrode 212. That is, the first electrode 211 may be a cathode and the second electrode 212 may be an anode. Therefore, the ionic substances attached to the first electrode 211 and the second electrode 212 may be separated from the first electrode 211 and the second electrode 212. A voltage may be applied to the second electric filter 220 and the third electric filter 230.

[0108] If the regeneration of the first electric filter 210 is completed, the regeneration operation of the second electric filter 210 can be performed. The control unit 300 can apply a regeneration voltage or a regeneration current to the third electrode 221 and the fourth electrode 222. That is, the third electrode 221 can be a cathode, and the fourth electrode 222 can be an anode. If the regeneration of the second electric filter 220 is completed, the regeneration operation of the third electric filter 230 can be performed. The control unit 300 can apply a regeneration voltage or a regeneration current to the fifth electrode 231 and the sixth electrode 232. That is, the fifth electrode 231 can be a cathode, and the sixth electrode 232 can be an anode.

[0109] When a start command of the water purification operation is input during the regeneration operation of one electric filter, the control part 300 may stop the regeneration operation of the deionization device 200 and may perform the water purification operation by recycling the electric filter.

[0110] Fig.10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a water purifier according to an embodiment.

[0111] Reference Fig.10 , the control unit 300 of the water purifier 1 may receive a start instruction of a water purification operation from the user interface 70 (1101). For example, the user interface 70 may transmit the start instruction of the water purification operation to the control unit 300 in response to pressing of a water purification button.

[0112] The control unit 300 can operate the plurality of electric filters 210, 220, 230 as a plurality of adsorption electric filters for adsorbing ionic substances and at least one static electric filter in a standby state. To this end, the control unit 300 can apply an adsorption voltage or an adsorption current (1102) to a portion of the plurality of electric filters 210, 220, 230. The control unit 300 can maintain a first number of adsorption electric filters greater than a second number of static electric filters during the water purification operation. The electric filters 210, 220, 230 can cyclically perform the water purification operation. By making the first number of adsorption electric filters greater than the second number of static electric filters during the water purification operation, the performance loss of the deionization device 200 can be minimized.

[0113] The control unit 300 may terminate the water purification operation (1103) based on a predetermined time from the start time point of the water purification operation or a termination instruction received through the user interface 70. However, after the water purification operation is terminated, the user may input a restart instruction of the water purification operation again within a short time. The control unit 300 may restart the water purification operation (1104, 1102) based on the restart instruction of the water purification operation input within the predetermined standby time from the termination time point of the water purification operation. In this case, the control unit 300 may first apply an adsorption voltage or an adsorption current to a portion of the electric filters having a relatively small cumulative usage time or a relatively small cumulative amount of purified water.

[0114] The control unit 300 may perform a regeneration operation (1105) for sequentially regenerating the plurality of electric filters 210, 220, 230 based on a predetermined standby time after the water purification operation is terminated without inputting a restart command. The control unit 300 may sequentially apply a rephase voltage or a regeneration current having a polarity opposite to the adsorption voltage or the adsorption current to each of the plurality of electric filters 210, 220, 230 to perform the regeneration operation. Even if the adsorption capacity of each of the electric filters 210, 220, 230 is not used to the limit, regeneration may be performed at a time when the water purifier 1 is not used. Therefore, the regeneration time of each electric filter may be shortened.

[0115] The control unit 300 may start regenerating the electric filter with the largest cumulative use time. The electric filter with the smallest cumulative use time may be regenerated in the last order. Furthermore, the control unit 300 may also start regenerating the electric filter with the largest cumulative clean water volume. The electric filter with the smallest cumulative clean water volume may be regenerated in the last order. That is, the control unit 300 may start regenerating the electric filter that has been used more.

[0116] The control unit 300 may stop the regeneration operation of the electric filters 210, 220, 230 based on the start command of the water purification operation input before the regeneration operation of the electric filters 210, 220, 230 is completed (1106, 1107). That is, the application of the regeneration voltage or the regeneration current to the electric filters 210, 220, 230 may be stopped. Subsequently, the control unit 300 may cause the plurality of electric filters 210, 220, 230 to operate as adsorption electric filters and resting electric filters to perform the water purification operation again.

[0117] In the case where the start command of the water purification operation is not input during the regeneration operation of the electric filters 210, 220, and 230, the regeneration of the electric filters 210, 220, and 230 can be completed in sequence. If the regeneration of each electric filter is completed, the electric filter can be switched to a standby state. That is, if the regeneration of the electric filter is completed, the water purifier 1 can enter the standby mode or the power saving mode.

[0118] According to one embodiment, a water purifier includes a deionization device that uses electricity to purify water and a control unit electrically connected to the deionization device. The deionization device may include a housing, a plurality of partition walls that form a plurality of isolation chambers in the housing, and a plurality of electric filters respectively accommodated in the plurality of isolation chambers. During the water purification operation, the control unit may distinguish the plurality of electric filters into a plurality of adsorption electric filters that adsorb ionic substances and at least one static electric filter in a standby state for operation. The control unit may restart the water purification operation or perform a regeneration operation for regenerating the plurality of electric filters, depending on whether a restart instruction of the water purification operation is input within a predetermined standby time from the termination time point of the water purification operation. The control unit may maintain a first number of the plurality of adsorption electric filters to be greater than a second number of the at least one static electric filter during the water purification operation.

[0119] During each predetermined cycle of the water purification operation, the control unit may stop applying the adsorption voltage or the adsorption current to one of the plurality of adsorption electric filters to convert one of the plurality of adsorption electric filters into a static electric filter. During each predetermined cycle, the control unit may apply the adsorption voltage or the adsorption current to one of the at least one static electric filter to convert one of the at least one static electric filter into an adsorption electric filter.

[0120] The control unit may calculate the accumulated usage time of each of the plurality of electric filters, and cause a portion of the electric filters having relatively less accumulated usage time to first operate as the adsorption electric filters based on a restart instruction of the water purification operation input within the predetermined standby time.

[0121] The water purifier may further include a flow sensor for measuring the amount of purified water discharged from the deionization device. The control unit may calculate the cumulative purified water volume of each of the plurality of electric filters based on a signal transmitted from the flow sensor, and may cause a portion of the electric filters having a relatively small cumulative purified water volume to first operate as the adsorption electric filter based on a restart instruction of the water purification operation input within the predetermined standby time.

[0122] The control unit can start the regeneration operation based on the passage of the predetermined standby time without inputting the restart instruction, and during the regeneration operation, a regeneration voltage or a regeneration current having a polarity opposite to the adsorption voltage or the adsorption current can be applied to each of the multiple electric filters in sequence.

[0123] The control unit can calculate the cumulative usage time of each of the multiple electrical filters, and regenerate the electrical filter with the largest cumulative usage time first, and then (for example, in last order) regenerate the electrical filter with a shorter (for example, smallest) cumulative usage time.

[0124] The control portion may regenerate the electric filter having the largest cumulative clean water volume first, and then (eg, in a last order) regenerate the electric filter having a shorter (eg, smallest) cumulative clean water volume.

[0125] The control portion may stop applying the regeneration voltage or the regeneration current and apply the adsorption voltage or the adsorption current to a portion of the plurality of electric filters based on a start command of the water purification operation input before the regeneration operation is completed.

[0126] The deionization device may include: an inlet formed in the shell; a branch pipe connected to the inlet and located in the shell to guide water to each of the multiple electric filters; a plurality of discharge ports formed in the shell to discharge water that has passed through each of the multiple electric filters; and a plurality of outlet valves to open or close the multiple discharge ports respectively.

[0127] The plurality of partition walls may include: a first partition wall through which the branch pipe passes; a second partition wall formed to be perpendicular to the first partition wall; and a third partition wall formed to be perpendicular to the first partition wall and parallel to the second partition wall.

[0128] The water purifier may further include: a connecting pipe connecting the plurality of discharge ports and a post-filter; a water valve opening or closing the outlet of the post-filter; a drain pipe branching from the connecting pipe and connected to the drain port; and a drain valve opening or closing the drain port.

[0129] The control unit may control the water flow valve and the drain valve to open the outlet of the post-filter and close the drain port during the water purification operation, and may control the water flow valve and the drain valve to close the outlet of the post-filter and open the drain port during the regeneration operation.

[0130] According to one embodiment, a control method for a water purifier may include the following steps: during the water purification operation of the water purifier, a control unit is used to divide a plurality of electric filters arranged in each of a plurality of isolation chambers formed in a shell into a plurality of adsorption electric filters for adsorbing ionic substances and at least one static electric filter in a standby state for operation; the control unit is used to restart the water purification operation or perform a regeneration operation for regenerating the plurality of electric filters according to whether a restart instruction of the water purification operation is input within a predetermined standby time from the termination time point of the water purification operation; and the control unit is used to maintain a first number of the plurality of adsorption electric filters to be greater than a second number of the at least one static electric filter during the water purification operation.

[0131] The step of maintaining a first number of the multiple adsorption electric filters includes the following steps: in each predetermined cycle during the water purification operation, suspending the application of the adsorption voltage or the adsorption current to one of the multiple adsorption electric filters to convert one of the multiple adsorption electric filters into a static electric filter; and in each predetermined cycle, applying the adsorption voltage or the adsorption current to one of the at least one static electric filters to convert one of the at least one static electric filters into an adsorption electric filter.

[0132] The method for controlling the water purifier may further include the step of calculating the cumulative use time of each of the plurality of electric filters. The step of maintaining the first number of the plurality of adsorption electric filters includes the step of causing a portion of the electric filters having a relatively small cumulative use time to first operate as the adsorption electric filters based on a restart instruction of the water purification operation input within the predetermined standby time.

[0133] The method for controlling the water purifier may further include the step of calculating the cumulative clean water volume of each of the plurality of electric filters. The step of maintaining the first number of the plurality of adsorption electric filters includes the step of causing a portion of the electric filters having a relatively small cumulative clean water volume to first operate as the adsorption electric filters based on a restart instruction of the water purification operation input within the predetermined standby time.

[0134] The regeneration operation may be started based on the predetermined standby time elapsing without inputting the restart command. The regeneration operation may include the step of sequentially applying a regeneration voltage or a regeneration current having a polarity opposite to the adsorption voltage or the adsorption current to each of the plurality of electric filters during the regeneration operation.

[0135] The regeneration operation may include the steps of regenerating the electric filter having the largest cumulative use time first, and regenerating the electric filter having the smaller cumulative use time in the last order.

[0136] The regeneration operation may include the steps of regenerating the electric filter having the largest cumulative net water volume first, and regenerating the electric filter having the smallest cumulative net water volume last.

[0137] The control method of the water purifier may further include the steps of suspending application of the regeneration voltage or the regeneration current based on a start command of the water purification operation input before completion of the regeneration operation, and applying the adsorption voltage or the adsorption current to a portion of the plurality of electric filters.

[0138] As described above, the disclosed water purifier and control method thereof can minimize the performance loss of the deionization device by using a plurality of electric filters arranged in parallel, and can provide purified water at any time. Therefore, the use convenience of the water purifier can be improved.

[0139] Furthermore, the disclosed water purifier and control method thereof can miniaturize the filter assembly by arranging a plurality of electric filters in a housing in a manner of being isolated from each other, thereby also reducing the overall size of the water purifier.

[0140] In addition, the disclosed embodiments may be implemented in the form of a recording medium storing computer-executable instructions. The instructions may be stored in the form of program codes, and when executed by a processor, a program module may be generated and the operations of the disclosed embodiments may be performed.

[0141] The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, "non-transitory storage medium" only refers to a tangible device that does not include a signal (e.g., electromagnetic waves), and the term does not distinguish between the case where data is semi-permanently stored in the storage medium and the case where data is temporarily stored in the storage medium. For example, a "non-transitory storage medium" may include a buffer that temporarily stores data.

[0142] The methods according to various embodiments disclosed herein may include being provided in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded as a commodity between a seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a device-readable storage medium (e.g., a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)), or may be distributed directly and online (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) through an application store (e.g., Play storeTM) or between two user devices (e.g., smart phones). For online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product (e.g., a downloadable app) may be at least temporarily stored or temporarily generated in a device-readable storage medium such as a memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or a relay server.

[0143] The disclosed embodiments are described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. A person with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs should understand that the present invention can be implemented in a form different from the disclosed embodiments without changing the technical concept or essential features of the present invention. The disclosed embodiments are exemplary and should not be interpreted as limiting.

Claims

1. A water purifier, comprising a deionizing device for purifying water using electricity and a control unit electrically connected to the deionizing device, wherein: The deionization device comprises a housing, a plurality of partition walls forming a plurality of isolation chambers in the housing, and a plurality of electric filters respectively accommodated in the plurality of isolation chambers. The control unit is configured as follows: During the water purification operation, the plurality of electric filters are divided into a plurality of adsorption electric filters for adsorbing ionic substances and at least one static electric filter in a standby state for operation; restarting the water purification operation or performing a regeneration operation for regenerating the plurality of electric filters according to whether a restart instruction of the water purification operation is input within a predetermined standby time from a termination time point of the water purification operation; A first number of the plurality of adsorption electric filters is maintained greater than a second number of the at least one static electric filter during the water purification operation.

2. The water purifier according to claim 1, wherein: The control unit is configured as follows: During each predetermined period of the water purification operation, suspending the application of an adsorption voltage or an adsorption current to one of the plurality of adsorption electric filters to convert one of the plurality of adsorption electric filters into a static electric filter; In each of the predetermined cycles, the adsorption voltage or the adsorption current is applied to one of the at least one static electric filters to convert the one of the at least one static electric filters into an adsorption electric filter.

3. The water purifier according to claim 2, wherein: The control unit is configured as follows: calculating a cumulative usage time of each of the plurality of electric filters; Based on the restart command of the water purification operation input within the predetermined standby time, some of the electric filters having a shorter cumulative usage time than the cumulative usage time of the plurality of electric filters are first operated as the adsorption electric filters.

4. The water purifier according to claim 2, further comprising: a flow sensor, measuring the amount of purified water discharged from the deionization device, The control unit is configured as follows: calculating a cumulative net water volume of each of the plurality of electric filters based on a signal transmitted from the flow sensor; Based on the restart command of the water purification operation input within the predetermined standby time, some of the electric filters having a smaller cumulative purified water volume than the cumulative purified water volume among the plurality of electric filters are first operated as the adsorption electric filters.

5. The water purifier according to claim 2, wherein: The control unit is configured as follows: starting the regeneration operation based on a lapse of the predetermined standby time without input of the restart instruction; At the time of the regeneration operation, a regeneration voltage or a regeneration current having a polarity opposite to that of the adsorption voltage or the adsorption current is sequentially applied to each of the plurality of electric filters.

6. The water purifier according to claim 5, wherein: The control unit is configured as follows: calculating a cumulative usage time of each of the plurality of electric filters; The electric filter with the greatest cumulative usage time is regenerated first, and then the electric filters with shorter cumulative usage times are regenerated.

7. The water purifier according to claim 5, further comprising: a flow sensor, measuring the amount of purified water discharged from the deionization device, The control unit is configured as follows: calculating a cumulative net water volume of each of the plurality of electric filters based on the signal transmitted from the flow sensor; The electric filter with the largest cumulative clean water volume is regenerated first, and then the electric filter with the smaller cumulative clean water volume is regenerated.

8. The water purifier according to claim 5, wherein: The control unit is configured as follows: The application of the regeneration voltage or the regeneration current is stopped based on a start command of the water purification operation being input before the regeneration operation is completed, and the adsorption voltage or the adsorption current is applied to a part of the plurality of electric filters.

9. The water purifier according to claim 1, wherein: The deionization device comprises: an inlet formed in the shell; a branch pipe connected to the inlet and located in the housing to guide water to each of the plurality of electric filters; a plurality of discharge ports formed in the housing to discharge water having passed through each of the plurality of electric filters; and The plurality of outlet valves respectively open or close the plurality of outlets.

10. The water purifier according to claim 9, wherein: The plurality of partition walls include: A first partition wall, through which the branch pipe passes; a second partition wall formed perpendicular to the first partition wall; and The third partition wall is formed to be perpendicular to the first partition wall and parallel to the second partition wall.

11. The water purifier according to claim 9, further comprising: A connecting pipe connecting the plurality of discharge ports and the post-filter; A water valve, opening or closing the outlet of the post-filter; a drain pipe branched from the connecting pipe and connected to the drain outlet; as well as A drain valve opens or closes the drain port.

12. The water purifier according to claim 11, wherein: The control unit is configured as follows: Controlling the water valve and the drain valve to open the outlet of the post-filter and close the drain outlet during the water purification operation; The water flow valve and the drain valve are controlled to close the outlet of the post-filter and open the drain port during the regeneration operation.

13. A method for controlling a water purifier, comprising the following steps: During the water purification operation of the water purifier, the control unit causes the plurality of electric filters arranged in each of the plurality of isolation chambers formed in the housing to be divided into a plurality of adsorption electric filters for adsorbing ionic substances and at least one static electric filter in a standby state to operate; restarting the water purification operation or performing a regeneration operation for regenerating the plurality of electric filters by the control unit according to whether a restart instruction of the water purification operation is input within a predetermined standby time from a termination time point of the water purification operation; as well as During the water purification operation, a first number of the plurality of adsorption electric filters is maintained greater than a second number of the at least one static electric filter by the control unit.

14. The control method of the water purifier according to claim 13, wherein: The step of maintaining a first number of the plurality of adsorption electric filters comprises the following steps: During each predetermined period of the water purification operation, suspending the application of an adsorption voltage or an adsorption current to one of the plurality of adsorption electric filters to convert one of the plurality of adsorption electric filters into a static electric filter; as well as The adsorption voltage or the adsorption current is applied to one of the at least one static electric filter in each predetermined period to convert the one of the at least one static electric filter into an adsorption electric filter.

15. The control method of the water purifier according to claim 14, further comprising the following steps: calculating a cumulative usage time of each of the plurality of electric filters, in, The step of maintaining a first number of the plurality of adsorption electric filters comprises the following steps: Based on the restart command of the water purification operation input within the predetermined standby time, some of the electric filters having a shorter cumulative usage time than the cumulative usage time of the plurality of electric filters are first operated as the adsorption electric filters.

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