Plunger type water softener control valve system and method

Abstract

The plunger type water softener control valve system comprises a valve body assembly, the valve body assembly comprises a valve body, a first water distribution plate, a second water distribution plate, a third water distribution plate and a fourth water distribution plate, the first water distribution plate, the second water distribution plate, the third water distribution plate and the fourth water distribution plate are sequentially arranged in the axial direction of the valve body, each water distribution plate is sleeved with a sealing ring, and an inner cavity of the valve body is jointly divided into a plurality of independent cavities; the driving assembly comprises a motor, a transmission mechanism, a push rod and a main control board, the motor drives the push rod to do axial reciprocating motion in the valve body through the transmission mechanism, and at least one sealing ring is arranged on the push rod and used for being matched with the water distribution plates to switch different water ways, so that hardness adjustment is achieved; wherein a wedge-shaped groove is formed in the inner wall of the second water diversion plate, and the cross sectional area of the wedge-shaped groove continuously changes in the axial direction of the push rod. According to the technical scheme, the hardness of outlet water can be adjusted, and bypass and water leakage alarm functions are achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of mineralized water technology, specifically to a plunger-type water softener control valve system and method. Background Technology

[0002] As an important household appliance for improving the quality of domestic drinking water, the core function of a water softener is to remove hardness ions such as calcium and magnesium from tap water through ion exchange resin, thereby reducing water hardness, preventing scale buildup, and improving washing performance. Currently, the widely used plunger-type water softeners on the market use control valves that sequentially switch between water production (softening), backwashing, brine extraction, slow rinsing, and fast rinsing processes to achieve periodic regeneration and normal water supply.

[0003] However, existing plunger-type control valves have the following significant technical defects: they can only achieve the functions of softening hard water, rinsing, salt absorption, and water replenishment, but cannot adjust the hardness of the output water to meet the needs of different groups for soft water hardness. They also cannot achieve bypass and leakage alarm functions, and when the product leaks, it cannot stop the leakage in time, which will cause greater losses.

[0004] Therefore, a technical solution is needed to overcome the shortcomings of existing technologies, meet the different needs of various groups for soft water hardness, and promptly stop leaks to prevent greater losses. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention aims to provide a method and system for a plunger-type water softener control valve that enables stepless hardness adjustment, bypass, and leakage alarm. It utilizes the existing control and drive structure of the control valve itself without the need for additional control and drive devices to achieve different hardness adjustments. When the sensor detects a leak, the control valve issues an alarm and automatically switches the water path to the bypass position, thus avoiding continuous leakage without affecting the user's normal water use.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a plunger-type water softener control valve system is provided, wherein the water softener adjusts hardness via a resin tank, and the plunger-type water softener control valve system includes:

[0007] The valve body assembly includes a valve body and a first water distribution plate, a second water distribution plate, a third water distribution plate and a fourth water distribution plate arranged sequentially along the axial direction of the valve body. Each water distribution plate is fitted with a sealing ring, which together divides the inner cavity of the valve body into multiple independent chambers. The drive assembly includes a motor, a transmission mechanism, a push rod, and a main control board. The motor drives the push rod to reciprocate axially within the valve body through the transmission mechanism. The push rod is provided with at least one sealing ring for cooperating with each water distribution plate to switch different water paths, thereby achieving hardness adjustment. The second water-dividing plate has a wedge-shaped groove on its inner wall, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the wedge-shaped groove changes continuously along the axial direction of the push rod.

[0008] According to some embodiments, the transmission mechanism includes a driving gear, a driven gear, a cam, and a collar: The motor drives the drive gear to rotate, the drive gear meshes with the driven gear, and the driven gear drives the cam to rotate; The cam is placed inside the collar, and the collar reciprocates when the cam rotates.

[0009] According to some embodiments, the valve body assembly further includes a hardness sensor: The hardness sensors are respectively installed at the inlet and outlet of the valve body to detect the hardness of the raw water and the hardness of the effluent in real time, and transmit the detection signals to the main control board. The main control board is configured to receive the set target hardness value and, based on the deviation between the actual outlet water hardness value fed back by the hardness sensor and the target hardness value, control the motor to rotate forward or reverse, driving the push rod to move in the wedge-shaped groove area, so that some raw water passes directly through the wedge-shaped groove without being softened by the resin tank, and mixes with the water softened by the resin tank in the valve body, thereby achieving stepless adjustment of the outlet water hardness.

[0010] According to some embodiments, the adjustable range of the target hardness value is from 0 to the original water hardness value: When the target hardness value is set to 0, the main control board controls the push rod to move to the extreme position at one end of the wedge-shaped groove, so that the sealing ring on the push rod forms a complete seal with the inner wall of the second water distribution plate, and all incoming water flows through the resin tank for full softening treatment.

[0011] According to some embodiments, the wedge-shaped groove is an annular groove that extends continuously along the circumference of the second water distribution plate, and its depth or width gradually changes linearly or non-linearly along the axial direction of the push rod.

[0012] According to some embodiments, a leakage sensor is also included: The leakage sensor is placed on the ground to detect leaks.

[0013] According to some embodiments, the main control board is also configured to, upon receiving a leakage signal sent by the leakage sensor, immediately control the motor to drive the push rod to move to a preset bypass position, so that the water inlet directly connects from the inlet of the valve body to the outlet, bypassing the resin tank, and simultaneously triggers a local or remote alarm.

[0014] According to some embodiments, the main control board is also configured to: when executing the normal operation program of the water softener, use the drive component to drive the push rod to move to the corresponding work position to realize multi-mode water circuit switching.

[0015] According to some embodiments, the main control board supports receiving target hardness commands sent by user terminals through a wireless communication module, and transmitting the current water hardness, equipment status and alarm information back to the user terminal to realize remote monitoring and adjustment.

[0016] According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for a control valve of a plunger-type water softener is provided, the method comprising: The system receives the set target hardness value and controls the motor to rotate forward or backward based on the deviation between the actual output water hardness value and the target hardness value fed back by the hardness sensor. This drives the push rod to move in the wedge-shaped groove area, allowing some raw water to pass directly through the wedge-shaped groove without being softened by the resin tank. The raw water mixes with the water softened by the resin tank in the valve body, thereby achieving stepless adjustment of the output water hardness. When a leakage signal is received from the leakage sensor, the motor is immediately controlled to drive the push rod to the preset bypass position, so that the water inlet is directly connected from the inlet of the valve body to the outlet, bypassing the resin tank, and at the same time triggering a local or remote alarm.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a wedge-shaped groove structure is provided on the inner wall of the second water distribution plate in the valve body assembly. The continuous and gradually changing cross section of the wedge-shaped groove allows the leakage channel area formed when the push rod sealing ring is engaged with it to change smoothly with the position, thereby realizing the continuous adjustment of the hard water bypass flow rate, and finally achieving stepless setting and stable output of any value of the outlet water hardness between 0 and the raw water hardness.

[0018] According to some embodiments, the main control board, combined with feedback from the hardness sensor, can quickly calculate and accurately position the required push rod, achieving high dynamic response and steady-state accuracy. When a leakage signal is detected from the leakage sensor, the main control board can directly switch to bypass mode using the same push rod action, cutting off the water flow to the resin tank and preventing further damage.

[0019] According to some embodiments, the functions of the present invention are entirely based on the original motor-transmission-push rod system, without the need to add an additional control drive system, thus avoiding the problems of assembly complexity, increased cost and decreased reliability caused by adding components.

[0020] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are merely exemplary and do not limit the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0021] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below.

[0022] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the composition of a plunger-type water softener control valve system according to an example embodiment is shown.

[0023] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the control valve system for a plunger-type water softener according to an example embodiment is shown.

[0024] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a wedge-shaped groove according to an example embodiment is shown.

[0025] Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrating the working principle of a hardness sensor according to an example embodiment is shown.

[0026] Figure 5 A schematic diagram showing the location of the leakage sensor according to an example embodiment is provided.

[0027] Figure 6 A schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the automatic bypass function according to an example embodiment is shown.

[0028] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a plunger-type water softener valve according to an example embodiment is shown.

[0029] Figure 8 A block diagram of a computing device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0030] Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these exemplary embodiments can be implemented in many forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, they are provided so that the invention will be thorough and complete, and the concept of the exemplary embodiments will be fully conveyed to those skilled in the art. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same or similar parts, and therefore repeated descriptions of them will be omitted.

[0031] Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. Numerous specific details are provided in the following description to give a full understanding of embodiments of the invention. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the technical solutions of the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or other methods, components, apparatuses, steps, etc., can be employed. In other instances, well-known methods, apparatuses, implementations, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring various aspects of the invention.

[0032] The block diagrams shown in the accompanying drawings are merely functional entities and do not necessarily correspond to physically independent entities. That is, these functional entities can be implemented in software, in one or more hardware modules or integrated circuits, or in different network and / or processor devices and / or microcontroller devices.

[0033] The flowcharts shown in the accompanying drawings are merely illustrative and do not necessarily include all content and operations / steps, nor do they necessarily have to be performed in the described order. For example, some operations / steps can be broken down, while others can be combined or partially combined; therefore, the actual execution order may change depending on the specific circumstances.

[0034] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used herein to describe various components, these components should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used to distinguish one component from another. Therefore, the first component discussed below may be referred to as the second component without departing from the teachings of the present invention. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes all combinations of any one and more of the associated listed items.

[0035] Those skilled in the art will understand that the accompanying drawings are merely schematic diagrams of exemplary embodiments, and the modules or processes in the drawings are not necessarily essential for implementing the present invention, and therefore cannot be used to limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0036] Currently available plunger-type water softener control valves can only perform functions such as water softening, rinsing, salt absorption, and water replenishment. Traditional control valves can only provide softened water with a single hardness (usually close to 0°dH), and cannot flexibly adjust the residual hardness according to the user's actual needs, such as drinking, bathing, or laundry. Some users even experience discomfort due to the softened water being too "soft," but existing products lack adjustment mechanisms. They cannot adjust the output water hardness to meet the needs of different groups of people for soft water hardness.

[0037] When leaks occur in the internal pipes, joints, or valves of a water softener, existing control valves cannot detect the leak, nor can they actively cut off the water flow to the resin tank or switch to a safety mode, which can easily lead to property damage or even safety accidents. Furthermore, during equipment maintenance or malfunctions, users cannot easily obtain untreated raw water, affecting their basic water needs.

[0038] If additional hardness adjustment or bypass functions are required on the existing valve body, it is usually necessary to add an independent regulating valve, solenoid valve or additional drive motor. This not only significantly increases the complexity of the overall structure and manufacturing cost, but also reduces the reliability of the system.

[0039] Therefore, this invention proposes a method and system for a plunger-type water softener control valve that realizes stepless hardness adjustment, bypass, and leakage alarm. Without significantly changing the basic structure of the existing valve body, it integrates advanced functions such as stepless outlet water hardness adjustment, automatic bypass, and leakage alarm linkage to meet the market's urgent demand for high-performance and high-safety water softening equipment.

[0040] The following description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrates exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the composition of a plunger-type water softener control valve system according to an example embodiment is shown.

[0042] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the control valve system for a plunger-type water softener according to an example embodiment is shown.

[0043] See Figure 1 The plunger-type water softener control valve system includes a valve body assembly 001 and a drive assembly 002, and the water softener adjusts the hardness through a resin tank.

[0044] See Figure 2 According to the example embodiment, the valve body assembly 001 includes a valve body 101 and a first water distribution plate 111, a second water distribution plate 112, a third water distribution plate 113, and a fourth water distribution plate 114 arranged sequentially along the axial direction of the valve body. Each water distribution plate is fitted with a sealing ring, which together divides the inner cavity of the valve body into multiple independent chambers. The drive assembly 002 includes a motor 201, a transmission mechanism, a push rod 221, and a main control board 231. The motor 201 drives the push rod 221 to perform axial reciprocating motion within the valve body 101 through the transmission mechanism. The push rod 221 is provided with at least one sealing ring, which is used to cooperate with each water distribution plate to switch different water paths, thereby realizing hardness adjustment. The transmission mechanism includes a driving gear 221, a driven gear 223, a cam 225, and a collar 227. The motor 201 drives the driving gear 221 to rotate. The driving gear 221 meshes with the driven gear 223. The driven gear 223 drives the cam 225 to rotate. The cam 225 is placed inside the collar 227. The collar 227 reciprocates when the cam 225 rotates.

[0045] According to some embodiments, the transmission mechanism or drive assembly further includes a rotating sleeve and a position detection plate. During the soft water preparation process, the rotating sleeve rotates and works in conjunction with the position detection plate. The reflective disk drives the raised baffle to rotate. During the rotation of the reflective disk, the raised baffle and the opening sequentially pass through the area between the infrared emitting element and the infrared receiving element. The signal processing module determines the position of the raised baffle or the opening based on the signal output by the through-beam infrared sensor to identify the current waterway status. This part has been disclosed in existing patent literature and will not be repeated here.

[0046] According to some embodiments, the inner wall of the second water-dividing plate 112 is provided with a wedge-shaped groove 1121, see [reference]. Figure 3 The cross-sectional area of ​​the wedge-shaped groove varies continuously along the axial direction of the push rod.

[0047] According to some embodiments, the valve body assembly 001 further includes a hardness sensor 121, which is respectively disposed at the inlet and outlet of the valve body for real-time detection of raw water hardness and effluent hardness, and transmits the detection signal to the main control board 231. The main control board 231 is configured to receive a set target hardness value, and based on the deviation between the actual effluent hardness value fed back by the hardness sensor and the target hardness value, control the motor 201 to rotate forward or reverse, driving the push rod 221 to move in the wedge-shaped groove area, so that some raw water passes directly through the wedge-shaped groove without being softened by the resin tank, and mixes with the water softened by the resin tank in the valve body, thereby realizing stepless adjustment of effluent hardness. According to some embodiments, because the wedge-shaped grooves on the inner wall of the second water distribution plate 112 gradually increase in size from left to right, when the motor-driven push rod moves to the wedge-shaped groove position, the sealing ring on the push rod cannot form a complete seal with these wedge-shaped grooves. After the tap water enters the control valve, most of it enters the resin tank from the left, softens, and returns to the control valve; a small portion passes through these wedge-shaped grooves, mixes with the soft water, and flows out from the outlet together. Because the wedge-shaped grooves gradually expand from left to right, when the push rod moves from left to right, the amount of tap water that can pass through the grooves gradually increases, and the hardness value of the soft water gradually increases; when the push rod moves from right to left, the amount of tap water that can pass through the grooves gradually decreases, and the hardness value of the soft water gradually decreases, thereby achieving stepless adjustment of the soft water hardness.

[0048] The adjustable range of the target hardness value is from 0 to the raw water hardness value. When the target hardness value is set to 0, the main control board 231 controls the push rod 221 to move to the extreme position of one end of the wedge-shaped groove, so that the sealing ring on the push rod 221 forms a complete seal with the inner wall of the second water distribution plate 112, and all incoming water flows through the resin tank for full softening treatment. For example, when the user changes the hardness value to 70, the program controls the motor to rotate forward, driving the push rod to move to the right. When the push rod sealing ring enters the wedge-shaped groove, tap water flows from the wedge-shaped groove and mixes with the soft water. The hardness value monitored by the hardness sensor gradually increases from 0. When it reaches 70, the program controls the motor to stop rotating, completing the hardness adjustment. When the user changes the hardness value from 70 to 40, the program controls the motor to rotate in reverse, driving the push rod to move to the left. The hardness value monitored by the hardness sensor gradually decreases from 70. When it reaches 40, the program controls the motor to stop rotating, completing the hardness adjustment. See the water flow path. Figure 4 .

[0049] According to some embodiments, when the push rod moves to the right, the sealing ring enters a deeper / wider wedge-shaped groove area, increasing the hard water flow and raising the hardness of the output water; when the push rod moves to the left, the sealing ring enters a shallower / narrower wedge-shaped groove area, decreasing the bypass hard water flow and lowering the hardness of the output water. This adjustment process is continuous, reversible, and stepless, supporting stable output of any intermediate hardness value.

[0050] Figure 5A schematic diagram illustrating the working principle of a hardness sensor according to an example embodiment is shown.

[0051] According to some embodiments, see Figure 5 The water leakage sensor 301 is placed on the ground to detect leakage.

[0052] When a leakage signal is received from the leakage sensor 301, the main control board 231 immediately controls the motor 201 to drive the push rod 221 to a preset bypass position, allowing water to flow directly from the inlet of the valve body to the outlet, bypassing the resin tank. Simultaneously, a local or remote alarm is triggered. (See [link to relevant documentation]). Figure 6 .

[0053] According to some embodiments, the main control board of the plunger-type water softener control valve system is also configured to drive a push rod to the corresponding position using the drive assembly when executing the water softener's regular operating procedures, such as water production, backwashing, brine extraction, slow rinsing, and fast rinsing, thereby achieving multi-mode water circuit switching. The stepless hardness adjustment function shares the motor, transmission mechanism, and push rod with the regular operating procedures. The main control board supports receiving target hardness commands sent by the user terminal via a wireless communication module and transmitting the current outlet water hardness, equipment status, and alarm information back to the user terminal, enabling remote monitoring and adjustment. This invention only requires utilizing the existing control and drive structure of the control valve itself to achieve functional expansion, without the need for additional control and drive devices.

[0054] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a plunger-type water softener valve according to an example embodiment is shown.

[0055] See Figure 7 In S701, the set target hardness value is received, and based on the deviation between the actual output water hardness value and the target hardness value fed back by the hardness sensor, the motor is controlled to rotate forward or reverse, driving the push rod to move in the wedge-shaped groove area, so that some raw water does not pass through the resin tank for softening and directly passes through the wedge-shaped groove, mixing with the water softened by the resin tank in the valve body, thereby realizing stepless adjustment of the output water hardness.

[0056] According to some embodiments, the target hardness value is set by the user, ranging from 0 to the original hardness value of the local tap water. When the target hardness value is set to 0, the main control board controls the motor to drive the push rod to the extreme position at one end of the wedge-shaped groove, so that the sealing ring on the push rod is completely in contact with the inner wall of the second water distribution plate, blocking the bypass path of the raw water, and all incoming water flows through the resin tank for full softening treatment. When the target hardness value is greater than 0, the main control board controls the motor to rotate forward or reverse, driving the push rod to move to the right or left, so that its sealing ring enters the wedge-shaped groove area. Since the cross-sectional area of ​​the wedge-shaped groove changes continuously along the axial direction, a controllable leakage channel is formed between the sealing ring and the wedge-shaped groove, allowing some raw water to bypass the resin tank and directly enter the valve body mixing chamber. The raw water (hard water) and softened water are mixed in the valve body in real time. The mixing ratio is determined by the current position of the push rod. The hardness sensor continuously monitors the hardness of the outlet water and feeds back the real-time value to the main control board. The main control board dynamically adjusts the position of the push rod based on deviation closed-loop control until the actual hardness value converges to the target value, and then stops the motor.

[0057] According to some embodiments, during the stepless hardness adjustment process, the main control board continuously reads the hardness sensor data at a preset sampling frequency (e.g., every 3 seconds) and uses a moving average filter or Kalman filter algorithm to reduce noise in the signal, so as to improve the feedback accuracy and avoid erroneous adjustment caused by instantaneous fluctuations in water quality.

[0058] If the actual hardness value is detected to deviate from the target value by more than the preset threshold (e.g., ±15%) multiple times (e.g., 3 times) and the push rod is already at the limit position of the adjustment stroke, the main control board will determine that the resin tank is faulty or the hardness sensor is faulty, and will display maintenance prompt information on the user interface, while automatically switching to bypass mode to ensure basic water supply.

[0059] In S703, when a leakage signal is received from the leakage sensor, the motor is immediately controlled to drive the push rod to move to the preset bypass position, so that the water inlet is directly connected from the inlet of the valve body to the outlet, bypassing the resin tank, and at the same time triggering a local or remote alarm.

[0060] According to some embodiments, at the preset bypass position, the sealing ring on the push rod precisely closes the inlet and outlet water channels leading to the resin tank, while simultaneously opening the straight flow channel between the inlet and outlet. This position is calibrated and written into the main control board memory before the equipment leaves the factory, and can be calibrated through software updates.

[0061] According to some embodiments, the alarm can be triggered by illuminating a red LED warning light on the device, emitting a buzzer, pushing an emergency notification to the user's linked mobile app, or reporting the water leakage event to a cloud service platform via a Wi-Fi / Bluetooth module so that personnel can respond and handle it in a timely manner.

[0062] According to some embodiments, after entering bypass mode, the main control board automatically locks other function operations to prevent the softening process from continuing to run while there is a water leak.

[0063] The system of this invention is equipped with a hardness sensor to monitor the hardness value of the output water in real time, and controls the motor to rotate forward / reverse according to the difference between the monitored value and the set value, driving the push rod to move left / right until the detected value is equal to the set value. It integrates an automatic bypass function, eliminating the need for an additional bypass valve.

[0064] Figure 8 A block diagram of a computing device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0065] like Figure 8 As shown, the computing device 30 includes a processor 12 and a memory 14. The computing device 30 may also include a bus 22, a network interface card 16, and an I / O interface 18. The processor 12, memory 14, network interface card 16, and I / O interface 18 can communicate with each other via the bus 22.

[0066] Processor 12 may include one or more general-purpose CPUs (Central Processing Units), microprocessors, or application-specific integrated circuits, for executing relevant program instructions. According to some embodiments, computing device 30 may also include a high-performance display adapter (GPU) 20 for accelerating processor 12.

[0067] Memory 14 may include a machine system readable medium in the form of volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), and / or cache memory. Memory 14 is used to store one or more programs containing instructions, as well as data. Processor 12 may read the instructions stored in memory 14 to perform the methods described above according to embodiments of the present invention.

[0068] The computing device 30 can also communicate with one or more networks via the DPU smart network interface card 16. The DPU smart network interface card is used for data processing or external communication, and the central processing unit is used for processing data scheduled by the DPU smart network interface card. The DPU smart network interface card includes a root system-on-a-chip (SoC) and multiple interfaces, through which the SoC performs data communication. The SoC includes a processor and a memory, on which a computer program is stored. When the processor runs the computer program stored in the memory, it implements the method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0069] Bus 22 can include address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. Bus 22 provides a path for exchanging information between components.

[0070] It should be noted that, in specific implementations, the computing device 30 may also include other components necessary for normal operation. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the device described above may only include the components necessary for implementing the embodiments of this specification, and not necessarily all the components shown in the figures.

[0071] The present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the above-described method. The computer-readable storage medium may include, but is not limited to, any type of disk, including floppy disks, optical disks, DVDs, CD-ROMs, microdrives, as well as magneto-optical disks, ROMs, RAMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, DRAMs, VRAMs, flash memory devices, magnetic cards or optical cards, nanosystems (including molecular memory ICs), network storage devices, cloud storage devices, or any type of medium or device suitable for storing instructions and / or data.

[0072] This invention also provides a computer program product comprising a computer program operable to cause a computer to perform some or all of the steps of any of the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0073] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that the technical solutions of the present invention can be implemented by means of software and / or hardware. In this specification, "unit" and "module" refer to software and / or hardware capable of independently performing or cooperating with other components to perform a specific function, wherein the hardware may be, for example, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), an integrated circuit, etc.

[0074] It should be noted that, for the sake of simplicity, the foregoing method embodiments are all described as a series of actions. However, those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited to the described order of actions, because according to the present invention, some steps can be performed in other orders or simultaneously. Furthermore, those skilled in the art should also understand that the embodiments described in the specification are preferred embodiments, and the actions and modules involved are not necessarily essential to the present invention.

[0075] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions in other embodiments.

[0076] In the several embodiments provided by this invention, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some service interface; the indirect coupling or communication connection between devices or units may be electrical or other forms.

[0077] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0078] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present invention can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0079] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage device. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a memory and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods of the various embodiments of the present invention.

[0080] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions in other embodiments.

[0081] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been specifically shown and described above. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the detailed structures, arrangements, or implementations described herein; rather, the present invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements contained within the spirit and scope of the appended provisions.

Claims

1. A plunger-type water softener control valve system, wherein the water softener adjusts hardness via a resin tank, characterized in that... The plunger-type water softener control valve system includes: The valve body assembly includes a valve body and a first water distribution plate, a second water distribution plate, a third water distribution plate and a fourth water distribution plate arranged sequentially along the axial direction of the valve body. Each water distribution plate is fitted with a sealing ring, which together divides the inner cavity of the valve body into multiple independent chambers. The drive assembly includes a motor, a transmission mechanism, a push rod, and a main control board. The motor drives the push rod to reciprocate axially within the valve body through the transmission mechanism. The push rod is provided with at least one sealing ring for cooperating with each water distribution plate to switch different water paths, thereby achieving hardness adjustment. The second water-dividing plate has a wedge-shaped groove on its inner wall, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the wedge-shaped groove changes continuously along the axial direction of the push rod.

2. The plunger-type water softener control valve system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transmission mechanism includes a driving gear, a driven gear, a cam, and a collar. The motor drives the driving gear to rotate, and the driving gear meshes with the driven gear. The driven gear drives the cam to rotate. The cam is placed inside the collar, and the collar reciprocates when the cam rotates.

3. The plunger-type water softener control valve system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The valve body assembly also includes a hardness sensor: The hardness sensors are respectively installed at the inlet and outlet of the valve body to detect the hardness of the raw water and the hardness of the effluent in real time, and transmit the detection signals to the main control board. The main control board is configured to receive the set target hardness value and, based on the deviation between the actual outlet water hardness value fed back by the hardness sensor and the target hardness value, control the motor to rotate forward or reverse, driving the push rod to move in the wedge-shaped groove area, so that some raw water passes directly through the wedge-shaped groove without being softened by the resin tank, and mixes with the water softened by the resin tank in the valve body, thereby achieving stepless adjustment of the outlet water hardness.

4. The plunger-type water softener control valve system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The adjustable range of the target hardness value is from 0 to the raw water hardness value. When the target hardness value is set to 0, the main control board controls the push rod to move to the extreme position at one end of the wedge-shaped groove, so that the sealing ring on the push rod forms a complete seal with the inner wall of the second water distribution plate, and all incoming water flows through the resin tank for full softening treatment.

5. The plunger-type water softener control valve system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wedge-shaped groove is an annular groove that extends continuously along the circumference of the second water distribution plate, and its depth or width gradually changes linearly or non-linearly along the axial direction of the push rod.

6. The plunger-type water softener control valve system according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a water leakage sensor: The leakage sensor is placed on the ground to detect leaks.

7. The plunger-type water softener control valve system according to claim 6, characterized in that, The main control board is also configured to, upon receiving a leakage signal from the leakage sensor, immediately control the motor to drive the push rod to a preset bypass position, so that the water inlet directly connects to the outlet from the inlet of the valve body, bypassing the resin tank, and simultaneously triggers a local or remote alarm.

8. The plunger-type water softener control valve system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main control board is also configured to: when executing the normal operation program of the water softener, use the drive component to drive the push rod to move to the corresponding work position to realize multi-mode water circuit switching.

9. The plunger-type water softener control valve system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main control board supports receiving target hardness commands sent by user terminals via a wireless communication module, and transmitting the current water hardness, equipment status, and alarm information back to the user terminals to achieve remote monitoring and adjustment.

10. A method for controlling a plunger-type water softener valve, characterized in that, The method includes: The system receives the set target hardness value and controls the motor to rotate forward or backward based on the deviation between the actual output water hardness value and the target hardness value fed back by the hardness sensor. This drives the push rod to move in the wedge-shaped groove area, allowing some raw water to pass directly through the wedge-shaped groove without being softened by the resin tank. The raw water mixes with the water softened by the resin tank in the valve body, thereby achieving stepless adjustment of the output water hardness. When a leakage signal is received from the leakage sensor, the motor is immediately controlled to drive the push rod to the preset bypass position, so that the water inlet is directly connected from the inlet of the valve body to the outlet, bypassing the resin tank, and at the same time triggering a local or remote alarm.

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