Water treatment device

Abstract

The water treatment device comprises: a water supply flow path into which water flows from a water supply source; a main filter disposed in the water supply flow path and purifying the raw water into purified water; a purified water flow path through which the purified water that has passed through the main filter flows; an ice-making flow path branched from the purified water flow path; the ice maker is arranged at the end part of the ice making flow path; and a hardness reduction filter which is disposed in the ice-making flow path, has an ion exchange resin embedded therein, and discharges the water after removing ions in the water by adsorbing the ions in the water that flows in the ice-making flow path.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to a water treatment device with ice-making function. Background Technology

[0002] Typically, water treatment devices such as water purifiers and refrigerators are devices that use physical and chemical methods to filter tap water supplied from a tap water source to remove impurities before supplying it.

[0003] As mentioned above, water treatment devices can be classified according to their water purification principles or methods into natural filtration, direct filtration, ion exchange resin, distillation, reverse osmosis, etc.

[0004] In addition, water treatment devices are equipment that filter water to remove impurities and are widely used as household water treatment devices.

[0005] In the case of a household water treatment device, it is configured to connect to the tap water pipe and use a filter to remove suspended solids or harmful components contained in the tap water. The water can be purified to the desired level according to the user's operation before being removed.

[0006] As described above, various products are emerging that can not only purify water but also dispense hot and cold water, and even produce ice. Furthermore, in recent years, small-sized water treatment devices capable of being installed in a wide variety of environments have been developed.

[0007] Typically, refrigerators lower the internal temperature by releasing cold air generated through a refrigeration cycle consisting of a compressor, condenser, expansion valve, and evaporator, thereby freezing or refrigerating food. In addition, refrigerators are equipped with an ice-making unit to produce ice and provide it to the user.

[0008] In the current technology, the ice-making water supplied for the aforementioned ice-making process uses purified water filtered in a filter. However, the same filter is used for both supplying purified water to the user and producing ice. If the same filter used for supplying purified water is used for ice-making, the TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) concentration of the purified water passing through the filter is high, which makes it difficult to improve the transparency of the produced ice.

[0009] To address this issue, existing ice purifiers or refrigerators use water purified through a reverse osmosis (RO) membrane filter to produce ice that is transparent and free of limescale.

[0010] Because reverse osmosis membrane filters also filter ionic substances in the water, they pre-remove substances such as calcium (Ca) that may form scale. 2+ ), magnesium (Mg) 2+It contains cations and uses this water to make ice, so no scale is produced.

[0011] However, the use of reverse osmosis membrane filters produces concentrated water (wastewater) and requires additional drainage lines, thus creating installation limitations in systems such as combined ice water purifiers and refrigerators. Therefore, to produce ice, a filtration system that produces no water waste and does not generate scale is needed.

[0012] In addition, although reverse osmosis (RO) membrane filters remove heavy metals, bacteria, viruses and minerals, their water treatment capacity is small, which leads to longer water extraction or ice extraction time. Therefore, they are not suitable for direct drinking water purifiers and require an additional water tank. Utility Model Content

[0013] Problems to be solved by utility models

[0014] In order to solve the existing problems as described above, the purpose of this utility model is to provide a water treatment device that can prevent the formation of scale and improve the transparency of ice.

[0015] In addition, the purpose of this utility model is to provide a water treatment device that ensures the treatment capacity of drinking water when drinking water such as purified water, hot water, or cold water is taken out, so that the raw water flowing in from the outside only passes through the main filter, and when water is supplied to an ice maker to generate ice, the raw water flows in sequentially through the main filter and the hardness reduction filter.

[0016] In addition, the purpose of this utility model is to provide a water treatment device that can be miniaturized because it does not require an additional drainage path for discharging concentrated water and does not require a water tank for storing purified water, thus it has no limitation on the location of installation and has a simple structure.

[0017] Technical solutions to the problem

[0018] To achieve the above objectives, the water treatment device of this utility model may include: a water supply path, into which water flows from a water source; a main filter, disposed in the water supply path, to purify the raw water into clean water; a clean water path for supplying the clean water that has passed through the main filter; an ice-making path branching off from the clean water path; an ice maker disposed at the end of the ice-making path; and a hardness-reducing filter, disposed in the ice-making path, containing ion exchange resin, which removes ions from the water by adsorbing ions in the incoming water before discharging it.

[0019] Additionally, the hardness-reducing filter may include: a filter housing having an inlet and an outlet; a first detachment prevention member and a second detachment prevention member respectively disposed in the upper and lower parts of the filter housing; and an ion exchange resin filling the space between the first detachment prevention member and the second detachment prevention member.

[0020] In addition, the ion exchange resin may include a strongly acidic cation exchange resin.

[0021] In addition, the ion exchange resin may include anion exchange resin.

[0022] In addition, the ion exchange resin may include a strongly acidic cation exchange resin and a strongly basic anion exchange resin.

[0023] In addition, the strongly acidic cation exchange resin and the strongly basic anion exchange resin can be filled in a 1:1 ratio.

[0024] In addition, the filter cover can be composed of an outer cover and an inner cover. The inner cover is disposed inside the outer cover, and a hollow tube-shaped drain pipe can be disposed inside the inner cover. The drain pipe extends in the vertical direction, and the upper and lower sides of the drain pipe are open.

[0025] In addition, through holes can be formed in the center of the first detachment prevention member and the center of the second detachment prevention member, and the upper and lower ends of the drain pipe can pass through the through holes and penetrate the first detachment prevention member and the second detachment prevention member, respectively.

[0026] In addition, a micro-dust filter can be installed at the lower end of the drain pipe, so that water in the lower space of the filter cover flows into the lower end of the drain pipe after passing through the micro-dust filter.

[0027] In addition, the upper end of the drain pipe can be connected to the outlet.

[0028] In addition, the inner cover can be in the form of a hollow tube, and a plurality of holes can be formed at the upper and lower ends of the inner cover.

[0029] Additionally, the outer cover may include: an upper cover having an inlet and an outlet at its upper end and an open lower side; and a lower cover covering the open lower side of the upper cover.

[0030] In addition, the first detachment prevention member and the second detachment prevention member may be made of non-woven fabric material.

[0031] In addition, a water purification valve for switching the flow paths is provided at the branch point of the purified water flow path and the ice-making flow path. The water purification valve can operate in the drinking water outlet mode to make water flow into the purified water flow path, and the water purification valve can operate in the ice-making mode to make water flow from the purified water flow path into the ice-making flow path.

[0032] In addition, the main filter may include a pre-carbon block filter, a hollow fiber membrane filter, and a post-carbon block filter.

[0033] Utility Model Effect

[0034] According to the present invention as described above, it has the effect of improving the transparency of ice by preventing the formation of scale.

[0035] Furthermore, in situations where drinking water such as purified water, hot water, or cold water is drawn from the outside, the raw water only passes through the main filter. In situations where water is supplied to the ice maker to generate ice, the raw water passes through the main filter and the hardness reduction filter in sequence, thereby ensuring the treatment capacity of drinking water.

[0036] In addition, since no additional drainage path is needed to discharge concentrated water, and no water tank is needed to store purified water, there are no restrictions on the location of installation, and the structure is simple, thus enabling miniaturization. Attached Figure Description

[0037] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of a water treatment device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the flow path of water in a water treatment device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing the water pipe layout in a water treatment device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing the water pipe layout in a water treatment device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of a hardness-reducing filter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] Figure 6 and Figure 7 It is shown in Figure 5 A diagram illustrating the mechanism by which a hardness-reducing filter removes hardness-reducing substances.

[0043] Figure 8 This is a cross-sectional view of a hardness-reducing filter according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 9 It is shown in Figure 8 A diagram illustrating the mechanism by which hardness-reducing substances are controlled in a hardness-reducing filter.

[0045] Figure 10 This is a cross-sectional view of a hardness-reducing filter according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] Figure 11 and Figure 12 This is an exploded perspective view of a hardness-reducing filter according to another embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0047] Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the illustrative accompanying drawings. It should be noted that when assigning reference numerals to the constituent elements of each drawing, the same reference numerals are used as much as possible for the same constituent elements, even though they are labeled in different drawings. Furthermore, in the process of describing the embodiments of the present invention, detailed descriptions of related well-known structures or functions are omitted if they are deemed to hinder understanding of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0048] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of a water treatment device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the flow path for water flow in a water treatment device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 This is a diagram showing the water pipe layout in the water treatment device of this utility model.

[0049] Reference Figures 1 to 3 In one embodiment of this utility model, the water treatment device 10 can be configured as a refrigerator that provides purified water and ice.

[0050] Although the following description focuses on the case of a refrigerator 10 as the object of this utility model, the scope of this utility model is not limited thereto, and the water treatment device of this utility model can also be equivalent to a water purifier, etc.

[0051] The refrigerator 10 may include a cabinet 11 forming a storage space and doors 14 and 15 for opening and closing the storage space of the cabinet 11.

[0052] The storage space may include a refrigerator compartment 12 and a freezer compartment (not shown). The doors 14 and 15 may include a refrigerator door 14 for opening and closing the refrigerator compartment 12 and a freezer door 15 for opening and closing the freezer compartment.

[0053] Both the refrigerator door 14 and the freezer door 15 can be opened and closed by rotation. Therefore, both the refrigerator door 14 and the freezer door 15 can be rotatably connected to the cabinet 11 using a hinge device 23. Alternatively, the refrigerator door 14 can be a French type door, configured as a pair of doors that rotate independently on the left and right sides.

[0054] A dispenser 20 and an ice maker 251 may be provided on either side of the pair of refrigerator doors 14.

[0055] The dispenser 20 is located on the front of the refrigerator door 14, allowing the user to operate it from the outside to dispense either water or ice. Additionally, an ice-making chamber can be located above the dispenser 20, housing the ice maker 251, and can be opened and closed using a separate door. Furthermore, although not shown, the ice-making chamber can receive the necessary cold air for ice making from the freezer evaporator (not shown) in the freezer compartment when the refrigerator door 14 is closed, as it is connected to the freezer compartment via a cold air duct.

[0056] The refrigerator 10 can purify the water supplied from the external water source 2 and remove it from the dispenser 20 in a purified state.

[0057] In addition, the refrigerator 10 can cool or heat the purified water and then remove it from the dispenser 20 in the form of cold or hot water.

[0058] In addition, the refrigerator can turn the purified water into ice and remove it from the dispenser 20 in an iced state.

[0059] The refrigerator 10 can be connected to the water supply source 2 via the water supply path 31.

[0060] The refrigerator 10 may also include a water inlet valve 311 and a water inlet flow sensor 313 disposed in the water supply path 31. The raw water supplied from the water source 2 can be regulated by opening and closing the water inlet valve 311.

[0061] The inlet flow sensor 313 can measure the flow rate of water supplied from the water source 2. Of course, if needed, the inlet flow sensor 313 can also be integrated with the inlet valve 311. The inlet valve 311 can be located on the back of the housing 11 or in a mechanical compartment containing a compressor, etc.

[0062] Alternatively, the inlet flow sensor 313 can measure the flow rate of the extracted cold or purified water.

[0063] The refrigerator 10 may also include a main filter 40 for purifying water supplied from the water source 2. The main filter 40 may include a plurality of filters for purifying the supplied water.

[0064] As an example, the plurality of filters can be stacked vertically within the refrigerator compartment 12. By stacking the plurality of filters vertically, the space of the refrigerator compartment 12 can be utilized efficiently. Furthermore, even if leakage occurs in the main filter 40, only a narrow area inside the refrigerator compartment 12 can be contaminated, thereby enabling efficient and safe space utilization.

[0065] In one embodiment of this invention, the number of the plurality of filters may be three. For example, the plurality of filters may include a pre-carbon block filter, a post-carbon block filter, and a UF (ultrafiltration) membrane filter, wherein the UF (ultrafiltration) membrane filter is disposed between the pre-carbon block filter and the post-carbon block filter.

[0066] Of course, while there is no limitation on the number and type of filters, it is preferable to use functional filters of different types in order to accommodate the number of filters inside the main filter 40 and to achieve efficient water purification.

[0067] The refrigerator 10 may further include: a first branch 315 disposed on the outlet side of the main filter 40; a main cold water flow path 341 connected to the first branch 315; and a main clean water flow path 331 connected to the first branch 315.

[0068] Therefore, the water discharged from the main filter 40 flows separately from the main cold water flow path 341 and the main clean water flow path 331 via the first branch 315.

[0069] A main water tank 60 may be provided in the main cold water flow path 341. As an example, the main water tank 60 may be formed in a cylindrical shape and may be located in the cold storage compartment 12.

[0070] The refrigerator 10 may further include: a main valve 317 connected to the main cold water flow path 341 and the main clean water flow path 331; and a common flow path 350 connected to the outlet side of the main valve 317.

[0071] As an example, the main valve 317 may include two inlets and one outlet. The two inlets may be connected to the main clean water flow path 331 and the main cold water flow path 341, respectively, and the outlet may be connected to the common flow path 350.

[0072] After the common flow path 350 is led out from the inner shell forming the refrigerator compartment 12, it extends along the outside of the box body 11 and passes through the hinge device 23 of the refrigerator compartment door 14 before being introduced into the interior of the refrigerator compartment door 14.

[0073] The refrigerator 10 may further include: a second branch 319 connected to the common flow path 350 introduced into the interior of the refrigerator door 14; a door clean water flow path 333 connected to the second branch 319; and a door cold water flow path 343 connected to the second branch 319.

[0074] The refrigerator 10 may further include: a door water tank 80 disposed in the door cold water flow path 343; and a cold water valve 325 located on the outlet side of the door water tank 80 in the door cold water flow path 343.

[0075] The door tank 80 is used to further cool the water supplied by the main tank 60. The water cooled in the main tank 60 can rise in temperature as it flows along the common flow path 350 and passes the outside of the tank body 11. Therefore, the door tank 80 further cools the water whose temperature has risen, ensuring that the water is removed at the target cold water temperature.

[0076] In particular, the unsatisfactory water temperature is that when water is first taken out after a long period of no cold water being removed, the water that has been lingering in the common flow path 350 outside the refrigerator compartment 12 is in a state of rising temperature, which may result in the water not meeting the required temperature. However, with the additional cooling of the door water tank 80 and the mixing with the cooled water, a suitable cold water temperature can be achieved when the cold water is taken out.

[0077] The refrigerator 10 may further include: a water purification valve 321 disposed in the door water purification flow path 333; and an ice making flow path 335 connected to the water purification valve 321.

[0078] The purified water flowing along the purified water flow path 333 can flow out to the outside of the distributor 20 under the action of the purified water valve 321 or be supplied to the ice maker 251 along the ice making flow path 335.

[0079] The refrigerator 10 may further include: a door connector 323 connected to the door clean water flow path 333 and the door cold water flow path 343; and an outlet flow path 352 connected to the door connector 323. Cold water and clean water can flow out to the outside of the distributor 20 along the outlet flow path 352.

[0080] The door connector 323 may include two inlets and one outlet. The two inlets may be connected to the door clean water flow path 333 and the door cold water flow path 343 respectively, and the outlet may be connected to the extraction flow path 352.

[0081] The purified water valve 321 can be a three-way valve that controls the flow direction of purified water. Therefore, to remove cold water, the cold water valve 325 can be opened while the purified water valve 321 is closed. Conversely, to remove purified water, the purified water valve 321 can be opened while the cold water valve 325 is closed, but the purified water valve 321 can switch the flow path to allow purified water to flow into the removal flow path 352.

[0082] According to this utility model, the refrigerator 10 includes: a hot water flow path 770, which guides purified water filtered in the main filter 40 to the distributor 20, bypassing the main water tank 60; a hot water valve 730 disposed in the hot water flow path 770; a hot water tank 780 disposed in the hot water flow path 770; a heater 710, which heats the water stored in the hot water tank 780; a hot water temperature sensor 750 disposed in the hot water flow path 770; a hot water flow regulating valve 740 disposed in the hot water flow path 770; and a hot water outlet valve 327, which restricts the flow of hot water.

[0083] Therefore, the hot water in the hot water tank 780 heated by the heater 710 can be supplied to the distributor 20.

[0084] For reference, the heater 710 can be produced in a variety of embodiments within the range of being able to heat water stored in the hot water tank 780.

[0085] As an example, the hot water tank 780 may be made of metal, especially stainless steel, and the heater 710 may heat the hot water tank 780 by induction heating.

[0086] As another example, the heater 710 may be composed of a planar heating element.

[0087] In addition, in this embodiment, the hot water tank 780 can be configured outside the storage space. That is, the hot water tank 780 can be configured outside the refrigerator (outside the refrigerator), and the water stored in the hot water tank 780 can be kept at a temperature close to the room temperature without being cooled by the cold air in the storage space.

[0088] In the above scenario, the water stored in the hot water tank 780 will not be cooled. Therefore, when generating hot water, there is no need to separately drain the water stored in the hot water tank 780; instead, it can be directly heated. This not only saves water but also reduces the heat energy required to generate hot water, thereby improving thermal efficiency.

[0089] Furthermore, as mentioned above, if the hot water tank 780 is located outside the refrigerator (outside the refrigerator), the heater 710 is also located outside the refrigerator. Since the heat generated in the heater 710 will not affect the temperature inside the refrigerator, the refrigerator's efficiency can be improved compared to the case where the heater 710 is located inside the refrigerator.

[0090] The process of generating and discharging hot water will be described below, as described above, in a refrigerator with the hot water tank 780 located outside the tank.

[0091] First, if a hot water supply command is input at the door, the hot water valve 730 opens, and the inlet valve 311 also opens. As the inlet valve 311 opens as described above, water from the water supply source flows into the water supply path 31 and is supplied to the main filter 40.

[0092] The purified water filtered in the main filter 40 is sequentially transferred to the hot water flow path 770 through the first branch 315 and the third branch 790. The purified water transferred to the hot water flow path 770 is stored in the hot water tank 780 after passing through the hot water valve 730.

[0093] At this time, if the heater 710 is running, the clean water stored in the hot water tank 780 is heated into hot water, and the heated hot water can flow out from the distributor 20 after passing through the hot water outlet valve 327, the door connector 323 and the outlet flow path 352.

[0094] In the current situation, the ice-making water supplied for ice making utilizes purified water filtered in a filter, but the same filter is used for both supplying purified water to the user and producing ice. Thus, if the same filter used to extract the purified water is used for ice making, the TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) concentration of the purified water passing through the filter is high, making it difficult to improve the transparency of the produced ice.

[0095] To solve this problem, in this invention, a hardness-reducing filter 100 is added to remove hardness substances, including those in water.

[0096] In detail, the hardness-reducing filter 100 can be disposed in any of the flow paths connecting the main filter 40 and the ice maker 251.

[0097] That is, in the case of drinking water, the flow path is configured so that water passes only through the main filter 40; in the case of purified water flowing to the ice maker 251 for making ice, the flow path is configured so that water passes through the main filter 40 and the hardness reduction filter 100 in sequence.

[0098] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing the water pipe layout in a water treatment device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0099] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 4 The hardness-reducing filter 100 can be configured between the main filter 40 and the ice maker 251 based on the water flow path to receive the purified water passing through the main filter 40 and discharge it to the ice maker 251 after removing or reducing hardness substances.

[0100] As an example, the hardness-reducing filter 100 can be installed in the ice-making flow path 335 connecting the water purification valve 321 and the ice maker 251.

[0101] At this time, the ice-making flow path 335 can branch from the main body purified water flow path 331. Alternatively, the ice-making flow path 335 can also branch from the door purified water flow path 333.

[0102] As described above, if a hardness-reducing filter 100 is provided in the ice-making flow path 335, the purified water flowing from the purified water valve 321 to the ice maker 251 will pass through the hardness-reducing filter 100 and have hardness substances removed, and will be supplied to the ice maker 251 in a state with reduced hardness.

[0103] Furthermore, when ice is made in ice maker 251, scale will not form in the ice due to hard substances, thus enabling the production of transparent ice.

[0104] The hardness-reducing filter 100 can be produced in a wide variety of embodiments within the range of being able to remove hardness-generating substances from the incoming water.

[0105] As an example, since the hardness-reducing filter 100 has an ion exchange resin built in, it removes ions from the water by adsorbing ions from the incoming water before discharging it.

[0106] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of a hardness-reducing filter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0107] Reference Figure 5 The hardness-reducing filter 100 may include: a filter housing 110 having an inlet 111 and an outlet 112; a first detachment prevention member 121 and a second detachment prevention member 122 respectively disposed in the upper and lower parts inside the filter housing 110; and an ion exchange resin 130 disposed in the space between the first detachment prevention member 121 and the second detachment prevention member 122.

[0108] The ion exchange resin 130 can be housed inside the filter housing 110 in various forms.

[0109] Therefore, the purified water flowing in through the inlet 111 undergoes ion exchange between the first separation prevention member 121 and the second separation prevention member 122 and in the ion exchange resin 130, thereby removing hardness-generating substances. Furthermore, the purified water, after being discharged through the outlet 112 to the outside of the filter housing 110, flows into the ice maker 251.

[0110] The first detachment prevention member 121 and the second detachment prevention member 122 may be made of a water-permeable material. Alternatively, the first detachment prevention member 121 and the second detachment prevention member 122 may be made of a non-woven fabric material.

[0111] The first detachment prevention member 121 and the second detachment prevention member 122 may be made of non-woven fabric material with a thickness of 5-10 μm.

[0112] Therefore, ion exchange resin 130 can be filled between the first detachment prevention member 121 and the second detachment prevention member 122. In addition, purified water can also pass through the first detachment prevention member 121 and the second detachment prevention member 122 and be further filtered to remove various foreign matter.

[0113] The first detachment prevention member 121 and the second detachment prevention member 122 serve to fix the ion exchange resin 130 and prevent it from detaching. That is, the ion exchange resin 130 is blocked at the top and bottom by the action of the first detachment prevention member 121 and the second detachment prevention member 122, and will not detach at the top or bottom, thereby maintaining a state of being filled between the first detachment prevention member 121 and the second detachment prevention member 122.

[0114] In addition, the first detachment prevention member 121 and the second detachment prevention member 122 also perform the function of filtering water flowing into the ion exchange resin 130 and additionally filtering water passing through the ion exchange resin 130.

[0115] As described above, if the first detachment prevention member 121 and the second detachment prevention member 122 are respectively disposed on the upper and lower parts of the ion exchange resin 130, the filtration force is added while preventing the ion exchange resin 130 from detaching, thereby having the advantage of improving water purification efficiency.

[0116] Figure 6 and Figure 7 It is shown in Figure 5 A diagram illustrating the mechanism by which a hardness-reducing filter removes hardness-reducing substances.

[0117] As an example, the ion exchange resin 130 may be composed of a strong acid cation exchange resin.

[0118] For reference, during the ice-making process, the cations (Ca) in the water... 2+ Mg 2+ Scale (CaCO3, CaSO4, MgCO3) is generated through the following chemical formulas 1 to 3.

[0119] [Chemical Formula 1]

[0120] Ca 2+ +CO3 2- →CaCO3

[0121] [Chemical Formula 2]

[0122] Ca 2+ +SO4 2- →CaSO4

[0123] [Chemical Formula 3]

[0124] Mg 2+ +CO3 2- →MgCO3

[0125] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating the mechanism of removing hardness substances when the ion exchange resin 130 is composed of a strongly acidic cation exchange resin.

[0126] Reference Figure 6 Strongly acidic cation exchange resins adsorb hardness-generating substances (Ca) through the following chemical formula 4. 2+ This removes it from the water. Furthermore, because scale-forming substances are adsorbed and removed, no scale is produced during the ice-making process, and transparent ice is formed.

[0127] [Chemical Formula 4]

[0128] Ca 2+ +2(R-SO3Na)→2(R-SO3)Ca+2Na +

[0129] At this point, the selectivity of the strongly acidic cation exchange resin can be compared as described below.

[0130] Na + <K + <Mg 2+ <Ca 2+

[0131] As another example, the ion exchange resin 130 may also be composed of a weak acid cation exchange resin.

[0132] Reference Figure 7A weakly acidic cation exchange resin can adsorb hardness-generating substances (Ca) through the following chemical formula 5. 2+ This removes it from the water. Furthermore, because scale-forming substances are adsorbed and removed, no scale is produced during the ice-making process, and transparent ice is formed.

[0133] [Chemical Formula 5]

[0134] Ca 2+ +2(R-COOH / Na)→2(R-COO)Ca+H + +Na +

[0135] At this point, the selectivity of the weakly acidic cation exchange resin can be compared as described below.

[0136] H + <Na + <K + <Mg 2+ <Ca 2+

[0137] Figure 8 This is a cross-sectional view of a hardness-reducing filter according to another embodiment of the present invention. Additionally, Figure 9 Is Figure 8 A diagram illustrating the mechanism by which hardness-controlling substances are used in hardness-reducing filters.

[0138] Reference Figure 8 and Figure 9 The ion exchange resin 130 may include anion exchange resin.

[0139] As another example, the ion exchange resin 130 may include a strongly acidic cation exchange resin 131 and a strongly basic anion exchange resin 132.

[0140] At this point, the selectivity of the strongly basic anion exchange resin 132 can be compared as described below.

[0141] F - <OH - <Cl - <SO4 2-

[0142] In addition, the strongly acidic cation exchange resin and the strongly basic anion exchange resin can be filled in a 1:1 ratio.

[0143] Reference Figure 9 As described above, if a strongly acidic cation exchange resin and a strongly basic anion exchange resin are filled in a 1:1 ratio, then anions (OH-) generated in the strongly basic anion exchange resin through ion exchange... -) and cations (H+) generated through ion exchange in strongly acidic cation exchange resins. + Under the action of ), water (H2O) can eventually be generated.

[0144] As described above, water in which hardness-generating substances are removed by ion exchange resin is supplied to ice maker 251 in a soft water state.

[0145] Figure 10 This is a cross-sectional view of a hardness-reducing filter according to another embodiment of the present invention. Additionally, Figure 11 and Figure 12 This is an exploded perspective view of a hardness-reducing filter according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0146] Reference Figures 10 to 12 The filter cover 110 is composed of an outer cover 113 and an inner cover 114. The inner cover 114 is disposed inside the outer cover 113. A hollow tube-shaped drain pipe 115 is disposed inside the inner cover 114. The drain pipe 115 extends in the vertical direction and the upper and lower sides of the drain pipe 115 are open.

[0147] Through holes 123 and 124 are formed at the center of the first detachment prevention member 121 and the second detachment prevention member 122, respectively. The upper end and the lower end of the drain pipe 115 pass through the through holes 123 and 124, respectively, and penetrate the first detachment prevention member 121 and the second detachment prevention member 122.

[0148] The first detachment prevention member 121 and the second detachment prevention member 122 may be made of non-woven fabric material.

[0149] At this point, the nonwoven fabric can be configured to filter particles with a size of 5 to 10 μm or larger.

[0150] A micro-dust filter 140 is provided at the lower end of the drain pipe 115. Water in the lower space of the filter cover 110 flows into the lower end of the drain pipe 115 after passing through the micro-dust filter 140.

[0151] The micro-dust filter 140 may be made of non-woven fabric material.

[0152] At this point, the nonwoven fabric can be configured to filter particles with a size of 5 to 10 μm or larger.

[0153] The micro-dust filter 140 can be configured to cover the lower end of the drain pipe 115.

[0154] Therefore, the water discharged through drain pipe 115 is filtered again, and the micro-matter in the water is filtered out.

[0155] The upper end of the drain pipe 115 is connected to the outlet 112.

[0156] Therefore, water flowing upward along the drain pipe 115 can be discharged to the outside of the filter cover 110 through the outlet 112.

[0157] In addition, the inner cover 114 is in the form of a hollow tube, and a plurality of water passage holes 114a can be formed on the top and bottom surfaces of the inner cover 114 to allow water to flow.

[0158] In addition, through holes 114b are formed at the center of the top surface and the center of the bottom surface of the inner cover 114, through which water supply and drainage pipes 115 pass.

[0159] Furthermore, the inner cover 114 is open on its lower side, and the open lower side of the inner cover 114 can be covered by another cover 114c. In addition, a through hole 114b for water supply and drainage pipes 115 is formed in the center of the cover 114c, and a plurality of water passage holes 114a can be formed around the through hole 114b.

[0160] Additionally, the outer cover 113 may include: an upper cover 113a having an inlet 111 and an outlet 112 formed at the upper end, and an open lower side; and a lower cover 113b covering the open lower side of the upper cover 113a.

[0161] A water purification valve 321 is provided at the branch point of the purified water flow path 331, 333 and the ice-making flow path 335 to switch the flow path. In the drinking water outlet mode, the water purification valve 321 operates to make water flow to the purified water flow path 331, 333. In the ice-making mode, the water purification valve 321 operates to make water from the purified water flow path 331, 333 flow to the ice-making flow path 335.

[0162] The water purification valve 321 can be configured as a three-way valve with one inlet and two outlets.

[0163] The main filter 40 may include a pre-carbon block filter 41 with nine heavy metal removal functions, a hollow fiber membrane (UF) filter 42, and a post-carbon block filter 43 with virus removal capabilities.

[0164] According to the present invention as described above, the incoming raw water can be purified by removing heavy metals through a pre-carbon block filter 41 with a first carbon block in the form of a hollow tube.

[0165] As an example, the first carbon block can be manufactured by mixing activated carbon, binder, ferric hydroxide, and titanium oxide, and the incoming water can be de-metallized by the first carbon block.

[0166] In addition, the water discharged from the front carbon block filter 41 passes through the hollow fiber membrane (UF) filter 42, which has multiple hollow fiber membranes built in, and the post-carbon block filter 43, which has a second carbon block in the form of a hollow tube and an electrostatic adsorption nonwoven fabric surrounding the periphery of the second carbon block.

[0167] As an example, similar to the first carbon block, the second carbon block can be manufactured by mixing activated carbon, binder, ferric hydroxide, and titanium oxide, and the incoming water can be de-metallized by the second carbon block.

[0168] As described above, if a pre-filter 41, a hollow fiber membrane (UF) filter 42, and a post-filter 43 are provided, the water flowing into the main filter 40 is purified multiple times by passing through the pre-filter 41, the hollow fiber membrane (UF) filter 42, and the post-filter 43, thereby achieving the effect of reliably removing various foreign matter, bacteria, and viruses such as heavy metals.

[0169] In particular, the post-carbon block filter 43 can reliably remove chlorine and chloroform (CHCl3) from the water and also improve the taste of the water.

[0170] For reference, if a first or second carbon block containing activated carbon, binder, ferric hydroxide, and titanium oxide is used, nine heavy metals, namely mercury, lead, copper, aluminum, iron, cadmium, arsenic, manganese, and zinc, can be removed.

[0171] In detail, mercury, lead, iron, aluminum, cadmium, arsenic, and copper can be removed by iron hydroxide in carbon blocks 120 and 310, while manganese and zinc can be removed by titanium oxide in carbon blocks 120 and 310.

Claims

1. A water treatment device, characterized in that, include: A water supply path, into which water flows from a water source; The main filter, located in the water supply path, purifies the raw water into clean water; A purified water flow path is provided for the purified water that has passed through the main filter; The ice-making flow path branches off from the purified water flow path; An ice maker is located at the end of the ice-making flow path; as well as A hardness-reducing filter, configured in the ice-making flow path, contains ion exchange resin, which removes ions from the water by adsorbing ions in the incoming water before discharging it.

2. The water treatment device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The hardness-reducing filter includes: The filter housing is equipped with an inlet and an outlet. The first detachment prevention member and the second detachment prevention member are respectively disposed at the upper and lower parts of the filter housing; and Ion exchange resin is filled in the space between the first detachment prevention member and the second detachment prevention member.

3. The water treatment apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, The ion exchange resin includes a strongly acidic cation exchange resin.

4. The water treatment apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, The ion exchange resin includes a weakly acidic cation exchange resin.

5. The water treatment apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, The ion exchange resin includes anion exchange resin.

6. The water treatment apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that, The ion exchange resin includes a strongly acidic cation exchange resin and a strongly basic anion exchange resin.

7. The water treatment apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The strongly acidic cation exchange resin and the strongly basic anion exchange resin are filled in a 1:1 ratio.

8. The water treatment apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, The filter housing consists of an outer cover and an inner cover, with the inner cover disposed inside the outer cover. A hollow tube-shaped drain pipe is disposed on the inner side of the inner cover. The drain pipe extends in the vertical direction and is open on the upper and lower sides.

9. The water treatment apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that, Through holes are formed in the center of the first detachment prevention member and the center of the second detachment prevention member. The upper and lower ends of the drain pipe pass through the through holes and penetrate the first detachment prevention member and the second detachment prevention member, respectively.

10. The water treatment apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that, A micro-dust filter is installed at the lower end of the drain pipe, so that water in the lower space of the filter cover flows into the lower end of the drain pipe after passing through the micro-dust filter.

11. The water treatment apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that, The upper end of the drain pipe is connected to the outlet.

12. The water treatment apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that, The inner cover is in the form of a hollow tube. A plurality of holes are formed at the upper and lower ends of the inner cover.

13. The water treatment apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that, The outer cover includes: The upper cover has an inlet and an outlet at the top, and is open at the bottom; and The lower cover covers the open lower side of the upper cover.

14. The water treatment apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first detachment prevention member and the second detachment prevention member are made of non-woven fabric material.

15. The water treatment apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, A water purification valve for switching the flow paths is provided at the branch point between the purified water flow path and the ice-making flow path. In drinking water dispensing mode, the water purification valve operates by directing water towards the purified water flow path. In ice-making mode, the water purification valve operates by directing water from the water purification path to the ice-making path.

16. The water treatment apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main filter includes a pre-carbon block filter, a hollow fiber membrane filter, and a post-carbon block filter.

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