Liquid treatment apparatus and liquid treatment method

Abstract

To supply safe liquid over a long period.SOLUTION: A liquid treatment apparatus includes a water filter group 15 and an ozone generator 52. The water filter group 15 permeates and filters water W0 pumped from a bottom tank 13, and thereby purifies and outputs the water. The ozone generator 52 is arranged at a front stage (flow channel of water W0 just before filter surface with which water first entering into water filter Fb comes in contact) of the water filter group 15, and sterilizes and purifies the water W0 by ozone generated in the water W0 flowing in the flow channel.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a liquid treatment apparatus and a liquid treatment method.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there has been a technique for generating drinking water using water obtained by cooling air or input raw water (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, despite being equipped with a high-performance filter, liquids such as drinking water deteriorate over time (generation of strange odors and foreign substances), and at present, it is not possible to supply safe liquids over a long period.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to enable the supply of safe liquids over a long period.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above object, a liquid treatment apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes a permeation purification means for outputting the purified liquid by permeating the liquid to be purified, and a pre-stage purification means disposed in front of the permeation purification means for purifying the liquid to be purified by a predetermined method. The liquid treatment apparatus is provided with the above.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, a safe liquid can be supplied over a long period of time.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the internal configuration and the processing flow of a liquid processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In addition, in FIG. 1, except for those with symbols such as arrow Y and air A, the direction of the arrow indicates the direction in which water W and liquid L flow. In addition, in this specification, expressions indicating "up" such as "upper part" and "upward direction" are expressions indicating the direction away from the installation surface of the liquid processing apparatus 1 (the direction of arrow Y in FIG. 1). Further, expressions indicating "down" such as "lower part" and "directly below" are expressions indicating the direction approaching the installation surface of the liquid processing apparatus 1.

[0010] (Basic Configuration) The liquid treatment device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention can generate water W by cooling and condensing the air A taken in from the outside, and can generate drinking water by performing a plurality of purification treatments on the generated water W. Also, the liquid treatment device 1 can generate drinking water by performing a plurality of purification treatments on the liquid L taken in from the outside.

[0011] (Specific configuration) The liquid treatment device 1 includes an air filter 11, a water generation unit 12, a bottom tank 13, a plurality of pumps 14a to 14c, a water filter group 15, a top tank 16, a plurality of SOL valves 17a to 17c, a spout 18, sterilization units 19, 133, 163, a hot tank 20, a liquid input unit 31, a pressure switch 32, ozone generators 51 to 53, a nanobubble generator 60, and internal piping (flow paths) connecting them. The vertical arrangement positions of these air filter 11 to pressure switch 32 are as shown in FIG. 1. Specifically, for example, the bottom tank 13 is arranged at the lowermost part, above which the water generation unit 12 and the hot tank 20 are arranged in that order, and further above, that is, at the uppermost part, the top tank 16 is arranged.

[0012] The air filter 11 is a filter that filters the air A taken into the liquid treatment device 1 from the outside. The air fan 122 is a blower having a plurality of blades, and takes in the air A outside the liquid treatment device 1 from a plurality of openings provided in the housing. Foreign matters of a relatively large size such as dust and dirt contained in the air A are removed by filtering the air A by the air filter 11.

[0013] The water generation unit 12 generates water WJ from the air A filtered by the air filter 11. Here, although foreign matters have been removed from the raw water, fine particles and the like dissolved therein have not been removed. Here, the specific method by which the water generation unit 12 generates water WJ from the air A is not particularly limited. In the present embodiment, a method is adopted in which the air A input into the liquid treatment apparatus 1 through the air filter 11 by the air fan 122 is cooled by the water generator 121 to cause condensation, thereby generating the water WJ. The water generator 121 is connected to a heat pump (not shown), compresses the air in the cylinder, cools the temperature rise generated at that time with the outside air, and then passes it through the inside of an air path, which is a pipe that meanders up and down while returning to normal pressure, to cool the air path. The air A taken in by the air fan 122 is cooled by coming into contact with the outside of this cooled air path, and condensation occurs on the surface of the air path. Since the air path meanders up and down, condensation occurs on the entire surface of the air path, but water droplets accumulate at the lower part of the air path along the surface of the air path. The surfaces of the air paths merge directly above the opening 131 of the bottom tank 13, which will be described later. The water droplets condensed on the surface travel along the merge to the opening 131 of the bottom tank 13 and fall, becoming drips. The drips further gather to become the water WJ and fall inside the bottom tank 13.

[0014] The air A taken in by the air fan 122 forms a closed path from the opening until it is discharged through the air filter 11 and the water generator 121, and the wind speed inside the path is a so-called gentle breeze. When the amount of outside air introduced inside increases, the amount of water vapor inside also increases. However, if the amount of air introduced into the closed path is increased, the wind speed inside will become too fast. If the wind speed inside is too fast, the water droplets during falling will be blown away, and the probability of not falling into the bottom tank 13 will increase. As a result, when condensing again to collect the water droplets, they may be discarded before being sufficiently cooled, or the evaporation amount of moisture due to the blowing may increase. For this reason, it is preferable to keep it within the above-described range of wind speed.

[0015] The bottom tank 13 is a tank for storing water W0 as an object to be purified, which is arranged at the lowermost part of the liquid treatment apparatus 1 and directly below the water generation unit 12. The bottom tank 13 is provided with an opening 131, a float switch 132, a purification means inside the storage means (sterilization unit 133, ozone generator 51, water filter Fa), and an inlet / outlet 134. The bottom tank 13 stores at least one of the water WJ generated by the water generation unit 12 and the liquid L such as tap water input under the control of the SOL valve 17c and the pressure switch 32 as the water W0. The ozone generator 51 is arranged at a position where ozone can be added to the water W0 in the bottom tank 13. Typically, it is on the inner wall of the bottom tank and is usually installed at a position where it is submerged. Also, it may be arranged at the upper opening of the bottom tank 13 so that ozone can be added to the water WJ dripping from the water generator 121. In this case, the dripping water WJ may be received by a ladle, an ozone generator may be arranged at the lower end of the ladle, and ozone may be added when the dripping water WJ passes through. If it is submerged inside the bottom tank 13, the operation of the ozone generator can be ensured and it can be operated constantly while the water W0 is stored in the bottom tank 13. On the other hand, when the ozone generator 51 is installed at the lower end of the ladle, since ozone is added to the dripping water WJ, a part of the ozone will also diffuse into the air in the bottom tank 13, and a function of purifying the air can be expected.

[0016] The opening 131 is an opening provided at the upper part of the bottom tank 13. The drip (water WJ) falling from the water generation unit 12 passes through the opening 131 and is stored in the bottom tank 13.

[0017] The float switch 132 is a measuring instrument provided inside the bottom tank 13 for measuring the water depth of the stored water W0. When the water depth of the water W0 is less than a predetermined value, for example, exceeds 80% of the total capacity of the bottom tank 13, a capacity limit signal is output. While the signal is being output, at least one of the air fan 122 and the water generator 121 is stopped. This can prevent water from overflowing from the bottom tank 13. In this embodiment, the air fan 122 is stopped in response to the capacity limit signal, but the water generator 121 is not stopped. This is because it takes time for recooling to prevent condensation from occurring when the water generator 121 stops once. That is, when the air fan 122 is stopped, new high-humidity outside air (air A) is no longer introduced, so the generation rate of new water W can be significantly reduced without stopping the water generator 121. Also, even if the water generator 121 is stopped, condensation due to the taken-in air A continues until it returns to room temperature from the cooled state, so it is preferable to stop water generation at a preset value less than the total capacity of the bottom tank 13.

[0018] The sterilization unit 133 and the ozone generator 51 sterilize the water W0 stored in the bottom tank 13. In this embodiment, the sterilization unit 133 is a UV (UltraViolet) sterilization unit that sterilizes by irradiating ultraviolet rays, and the provided UV (ultraviolet) lamp sterilizes the water W0. Since the UV lamp sterilizes by irradiating ultraviolet rays of a predetermined wavelength (for example, ultraviolet rays in the UVC (wavelength 200 - 280 nm) region such as 275 nm), it has the effect of killing fungi, but objects to be removed such as fine particles, miscellaneous bacteria, and bacteria mixed in the water W0 are not completely removed only by this UV sterilization.

[0019] Therefore, in this embodiment, inside the bottom tank 13, separately from the sterilization unit 133, an ozone generator 51 is arranged as purification means for purifying the objects to be purified in the water W0 stored in the bottom tank 13. The ozone generator 51 purifies the water W0 stored in the bottom tank 13. Specifically, the ozone generator 51 generates ozone in the water in the tank to produce ozone water, and uses the ozone water to sterilize bacteria, miscellaneous bacteria (bacteria), impurities, etc. contained in the water W0. As a result, since bacteria and miscellaneous bacteria (bacteria) are killed upstream of the filter group 15, sterilized water W0 is supplied to the filter group 15, and it is possible to keep it clean until reaching the fine structure inside the filter group 15. The ozone generator 51 has diamond electrodes. The diamond electrodes are electrodes that generate ozone. By bringing water into contact while energizing these diamond electrodes, the generated ozone can be dissolved in the water. Since diamond electrodes do not emit harmful substances like other platinum electrodes, etc., they can generate ozone suitable for purifying drinking water. Note that ozone dissociates in about 30 minutes even when dissolved in water, so it has no effect on the human body. The ozone generator 51 using diamond electrodes has low power consumption and can generate ozone even with a power supply of about 1 w. Therefore, it can operate sufficiently with a smartphone battery, a solar battery, etc. even during disasters, etc., and can keep the water filter group 15 clean even when electricity is lost in an emergency. As a result, the liquid treatment device 1 can be operated for supplying drinking water when the power supply such as the power grid disappears.

[0020] Also, in the water filter group 15 described later, fine particles including fungi are removed. However, since the water W0 may stay in the bottom tank 13 for a certain period of time or longer, it is important to prevent the growth of bacteria during that retention period. The water filter group 15 removes impurities by filtering when water is dropped, but the filtered residue will remain inside the filter group 15. The inventors have experimentally found that if bacteria growing on this residue remain, it will cause the bacteria filtered by the filter group 15 to grow on the spot, leading to a decline in the filter function and ultimately the destruction of the filter. In this embodiment, since bacteria are sterilized upstream of the filter group 15, such problems are less likely to occur. Moreover, since the water W0 itself to be filtered has a sterilizing effect by ozone addition, the inside of the filter group 15 can be continuously purified each time the water W0 passing through the filter group 15 permeates. As a result, the lifespan of the filters constituting the water filter group 15 can be extended. It is desirable that the ultraviolet rays of the UV lamp irradiate the inside of the bottom tank 13 so as to create as little shadow as possible. In this embodiment, the UV lamp is installed at a position near the bottom inside the bottom tank 13 and away from the float switch 132. The float switch 132 is installed by being suspended from the ceiling of the bottom tank 13. For this reason, it is desirable that the UV lamp be installed at a position where the shadow of the float switch 132 is minimized.

[0021] The inlet / outlet 134 is a port for outputting the water W0 stored in the bottom tank 13 toward the top tank 16. Also, the inlet / outlet 134 is also a port for inputting the liquid L input from the liquid input unit 31, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 2, into the bottom tank 13.

[0022] The water filter Fa (fixed filter) is a filter that filters by allowing the water W0 output from the bottom tank 13 to pass through. Further, the water filter Fa filters the liquid L input from the liquid input unit 31 described later by allowing it to pass through, and then drips (inputs) it into the bottom tank 13. That is, the liquid L from outside the apparatus is filtered by the water filter Fa and then stored in the bottom tank 13.

[0023] The pumps 14a to 14c are pumps that create the respective flows of the water L, W0, and W inside the liquid treatment apparatus 1. The pump 14a outputs the water W0 from the top tank 16, allows the water W0 to pass through the water filter group 15, and inputs the liquid L (tap water, etc.) to be purified into the bottom tank 13. Specifically, the pump 14a is a pump for pumping up the water W0 stored in the bottom tank 13 to the top tank 16 described later. Specifically, the pump 14a sucks up the water W0 to be purified stored in the bottom tank 13, passes it through the water filter Fa, passes it through the water filter group 15 described later, and then inputs it into the top tank 16. That is, the pumping that requires a strong force and the passing through the water filter group 15 are realized by the same pump (pump 14a). Therefore, it is desirable to use a pump 14a with a larger total head compared to the other pumps 14b and 14c. Further, since there is no need to pump up at a speed faster than the speed at which the water generator 121 generates water W due to condensation, the discharge amount may be the same as or lower than those of the other pumps 14b and 14c. In addition, since it is necessary to allow the water W0 to pass through the water filter group 15 for high-purity filtration, the pump 14a is required to operate continuously for a long time. For this reason, a pump 14a with high power efficiency is suitable compared to the pumps 14b and 14c. That is, the pump 14a pumps a large amount of water per unit power, has high quietness, and has a small operating noise.

[0024] The pump 14b is a pump for outputting water W from a top tank 16, which will be described later, sending it to a spout 18, which will be described later, or refluxing it to the top tank 16 again. Specifically, when the SOL valve 17a opens, the pump 14b starts operating in conjunction therewith. When the pump 14b starts operating, water W is output from the top tank 16, passes through sterilization by the sterilization unit 19, and becomes ready to be output from the spout 18. Then, when the SOL valve 17a closes, the pump 14b stops operating in conjunction therewith.

[0025] Here, a circulation path R (see FIG. 3) is formed in this liquid treatment apparatus 1 to reflux a part of the water W stored in the top tank 16 to the top tank 16 via an ozone generator 53. Specifically, when a predetermined time has elapsed since the opening and closing of the SOL valve 17a was last performed, the pump 14b operates to reflux the water W in the pipe to the top tank 16 through the circulation path R including the ozone generator 53. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the water W remaining in the pipe from being output from the spout 18 in a state where the water temperature has changed due to the influence of the ambient temperature. For example, it is possible to prevent the water W that has been warmed by remaining in the pipe from being output even when the user tries to output cold water from the spout 18 during the hot summer season. The pump 14c is a pump for outputting water W from a hot tank 20, which will be described later, and sending it to a spout 18, which will be described later. Since the pumps 14b and 14c operate when the user obtains water W as drinking water, the discharge amount is more important than the total head. Also, since the time for obtaining water W is limited, pumps with a lower cost can be adopted for the pumps 14b and 14c even if the calorific value is larger compared to the pump 14a. Hereinafter, when there is no need to individually distinguish each of the pumps 14a to 14c, these are collectively referred to as "pump 14".

[0026] The water filter group 15 is a permeation purification means that purifies and outputs water by allowing water W to permeate and be filtered. The water filter group 15 is configured such that a plurality of filters overlap. Here, the filter configuration of the water filter group 15 is not particularly limited. The water filter group 15 in the present embodiment is composed of five water filters Fb to Ff. Specifically, the water filters Fb to Fd are pre-filters made of carbon filters, the water filter Fe is a main filter made of an RO filter (reverse osmosis membrane filter), and the water filter Ff is a mineral addition filter made of a PCR filter. The pore diameter of the activated carbon filter commonly used in general water purifiers is about 1 micrometer, while the diameter of the RO filter is about 0.0001 micrometer. Therefore, filtration can be performed by permeating through ultra-fine pores. For this reason, for example, when raw water permeates through the RO filter, harmful substances and impurities are removed and only water molecules are output.

[0027] Among the water filter group 15, the three-stage pre-filters (water filters Fb to Fd) adsorb and remove substances of about 0.1 micrometer, such as organic substances typified by trihalomethane. The main filter, the water filter Fe (RO filter), also removes viruses and most of the radioactive substances floating in the air, such as radioactive cesium and radioactive iodine with a size of several nanometers, through ultra-fine pores of 0.0001 micrometer. Since the main filter passes through ultra-fine pores, it is easily clogged, and the effective life of the main filter can be extended by passing through multiple stages of pre-filters. The water passing through the main filter is purified to a level that can be called almost pure water, but people do not feel that pure water is delicious. The mineral addition filter Ff (water filter Ff) is a filter that supplements and adds minerals beneficial to the human body to the water that has become almost pure water.

[0028] The pipe from the bottom tank 13 to the water filter group 15 is arranged in the order of the ozone generator 52, the nanobubble generator 60, and the water filter group 15 with respect to the flowing direction of the water W0. In this embodiment, the ozone generator 52 is arranged in the front stage of the water filter group 15 including, for example, the surface of the water filter Fb (the first filter) of the water filter group 15 with which the water contacts and the water pipe before that. The ozone generator 52 purifies the water W0 by a method of generating ozone as a predetermined method (for example, ozone sterilization, etc.). Specifically, the ozone generator 52 is a pre-purification means for purifying the water to be purified by a predetermined method such as sterilization by ozone released into the water, for example. The water W output from the bottom tank 13 is sterilized and purified in the order of the ozone generator 52 and the nanobubble generator 60, and further filtered in the order of the water filters Fb to Ff.

[0029] The nanobubble generator 60 is a bubble generator that purifies the water to be purified by generating ultrafine bubbles with a diameter smaller than that of microbubbles. In this example, as the bubble generator, the nanobubble generator 60 that generates nanobubbles (ultrafine bubbles) is used. Here, a nanobubble is a bubble with a bubble diameter smaller than 1000 nm (= 1 μm), and it stays in water for a long period of several months or more while performing an irregular motion called Brownian motion without floating in water. Nanobubbles have a higher detergency than microbubbles and have a bactericidal action and an antibacterial action. Ultrafine bubbles generate active oxygen at the moment of condensation and collapse. Active oxygen has no residue and does not produce harmful substances such as trihalomethane, and can be said to be a safe sterilization means. If ozone is used as the gas input to the nanobubble generator 60, it is possible to further improve the sterilization performance. In terms of cleaning water and biofilms, the bubble generator may generate fine bubbles (microbubbles) in addition to ultrafine bubbles, and any means that generates at least microbubbles by a predetermined method is sufficient.

[0030] The top tank 16 is a tank for cooling while storing the water W that has passed through the water filter group 15. The top tank 16 is arranged at the uppermost part of the liquid treatment device 1. The top tank 16 is provided with a cooling part 161, a float switch 162, a sterilizing part 163, a water temperature sensor 164, water inlets 165 and 166, and water outlets 167 to 169. The top tank 16 is divided into a stored water W layer 16a (first layer) and an air layer 16b (second layer) by storing the water W output from the water filter group 15. The ozone generator 53 and the circulation path R are means for introducing sterilizing air that generates ozone Z (air having sterilizing power) and flows into the air layer 16b of the top tank 16. Also, during circulation, the ozone generator 53 serves as means for purifying the recirculated water.

[0031] The cooling part 161 cools the water W in the top tank 16. Here, the specific method by which the cooling part 161 cools the water W is not particularly limited, but as an example, cooling using a Peltier element or the like is assumed.

[0032] The float switch 162 is a measuring instrument provided inside the top tank 16 for measuring the depth of the stored water W.

[0033] Inside the top tank 16, glass coated with titanium dioxide and the sterilizing part 163 are arranged. The sterilizing part 163 is means for purifying inside the storage means for sterilizing the water W stored in the top tank 16, and is equipped with a UV lamp having a sterilizing effect. The UV lamp uses, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) that emits ultraviolet rays of a predetermined wavelength such as the UVC region. That is, the sterilizing part 163 sterilizes the inside of the top tank 16 with the UV lamp in the same manner as the above-described sterilizing part 133. The water W introduced into the top tank 16 is filtered through the water filter group 15 after being UV sterilized in the bottom tank 13. Moreover, since the inside of the top tank 16 is cold water, the growth rate of miscellaneous bacteria is not fast. However, in this embodiment, additional sterilization is performed by irradiating ultraviolet rays inside the top tank 16 as well. The capacity of the top tank 16 is determined by calculating from the amount of water used by the user in one day. In this embodiment, since water is generated by condensation in the water generator 121, there is an upper limit to the generation rate. Therefore, it is desirable to continue generating water even during times when the user's usage frequency is low, such as at night, so that the total amount of water used by the user per day is equal to the total amount of water generated. Also, it is not desirable to store water W that significantly exceeds the user's usage amount in the bottom tank 13 and the top tank 16. This is because even if multiple sterilization processes are performed, it is more desirable to provide fresh water. Therefore, in this embodiment, assuming use by a family of four, the capacity of the top tank 16 is, for example, 〇〇×4 = ** liters.

[0034] The water temperature sensor 164 is a sensor that measures the temperature of the water W stored in the top tank 16.

[0035] The water inlet 165 is provided at the upper part of the top tank 16 and is an opening for inputting the water W filtered by the water filter group 15 into the top tank 16.

[0036] The water inlet 166 is provided at the upper part of the top tank 16 and is an opening for inputting the water W output from the water outlet 167 described later back into the top tank 16.

[0037] The water outlet 167 is provided at the lower part of the top tank 16, and the water outlet 167 is an opening for outputting the water W sufficiently cooled in the top tank 16 toward the spout 18 or the water inlet 166 described later. The circulation path R is a flow path constituted by pipes to which the water outlet 167, the pump 14b, the sterilization unit 19, the SOL valve 17a, the ozone generator 53, the water inlet 166, etc. are connected, and the water W remaining in the pipes therebetween is refluxed together with a part of the water W stored in the top tank 16.

[0038] The water outlet 168 is an opening provided at the upper part of the top tank 16. The water outlet 168 is an opening for outputting the water W that has not yet been sufficiently cooled in the top tank 16 toward the hot tank 20 described later.

[0039] The water outlet 169 is an opening provided at the lower part of the top tank 16. The water outlet 169 is an opening for outputting the water W that has been sufficiently cooled in the top tank 16 toward the hot tank 20 described later.

[0040] The SOL valves 17a to 17c are solenoid valves whose opening and closing are controlled by flowing an electric current through an electromagnet (solenoid). The SOL valve 17a is provided between the pump 14b and the spout 18 described later. When the SOL valve 17a opens, the operation of the pump 14b is started in conjunction with this. Then, the water W is output from the top tank 16, passes through sterilization by the sterilization unit 19, and becomes a state where it can be output from the spout 18. When the SOL valve 17a closes, the operation of the pump 14b stops in conjunction with this. The SOL valve 17b is provided between the pump 14c and the spout 18 described later. When the SOL valve 17b opens, the operation of the pump 14c is started in conjunction with this, and when the SOL valve 17b closes, the operation of the pump 14c stops in conjunction with this. The SOL valve 17c will be described later with reference to FIG. 2. Incidentally, hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish the individual SOL valves 17a to 17c, these are collectively referred to as "SOL valve 17".

[0041] The spout 18 is a faucet for outputting, as drinking water, the water W cooled in the top tank 16 and the water W heated in the hot tank 20 described later from the liquid treatment device 1 to the outside. The spout 18 is provided with an electromagnetic or mechanical user switch or cock (not shown), and when the user operates this, either the SOL valve 17a or 17b opens, and either the corresponding pump 14b or 14c operates.

[0042] The sterilization unit 19 sterilizes the water W cooled and output in the top tank 16. Here, the specific method by which the sterilization unit 19 sterilizes the water W is not particularly limited. In this embodiment, a UV (ultraviolet) lamp provided in the sterilization unit 19 sterilizes the water W. The sterilization unit 19 is provided immediately before the SOL valve 17a in the cold water flow path and irradiates ultraviolet rays toward the inside of the cold water flow path. Since a sterilization unit 163 that irradiates ultraviolet rays into the tank is provided inside the top tank 16, it can also be considered that the sterilization unit 19 is not necessary in the flow path. However, in this embodiment, in consideration of the possibility that cold water may stay in the cold water flow path for a certain period after the SOL valve 17a is closed, the sterilization unit 19 is provided to further enhance safety. Furthermore, in this embodiment, when a certain time has elapsed after the spout 18 is closed, the pump 14b is operated with the SOL valve 17a closed. Thereby, the cold water staying inside the flow path is refluxed to the top tank 16 through the water inlet 166. This is because the cold water staying in the sterilization unit 19 and the SOL valve 17a may have germs multiply over a long period of time, so it is returned to the top tank 16 equipped with the sterilization unit 163 and the ozone generator 53 to be sterilized again. Note that the cold water staying between the water outlet 167 and the pump 14b is finally sterilized by the sterilization unit 19 before being used.

[0043] The hot tank 20 is a tank for heating while storing the water W output from the top tank 16. The hot tank 20 is provided with a heating unit 201, water inlets 202 and 203, and water outlets 204 and 205. The heating unit 201 heats the water W in the hot tank 20. Note that the specific method by which the heating unit 201 heats the water W is not particularly limited, and for example, heating using a heating wire may be employed. The water inlet 202 is provided at the upper part of the hot tank 20 and is an opening for inputting the water W output from the water outlet 168 of the top tank 16 into the hot tank 20. Here, since the water outlet 168 is an opening provided at the upper part of the top tank 16, relatively warm water W that has not yet been cooled by the cooling unit 161 is output. Therefore, this water W input from the water inlet 202 can be efficiently heated in a short time. The water inlet 203 is provided at the lower part of the hot tank 20 and is an opening for inputting the water W output from the water outlet 169 of the top tank 16 into the hot tank 20. The water outlet 204 is provided at the upper part of the hot tank 20 and is an opening for outputting the water W that has been sufficiently heated in the hot tank 20 toward the spout 18. The water outlet 205 is a drain opening provided at the lower part of the hot tank 20. The water W output from the water outlet 205 is output to the outside of the liquid treatment apparatus 1 via the draining unit 41.

[0044] Here, a sterilization unit by ultraviolet irradiation is not provided inside the hot tank 20, and the water W output from the water outlet 204 toward the spout 18 is not refluxed to the top tank 16. Further, a sterilization unit is not provided immediately before the SOL valve 17b. This is because it is a tank for storing sufficiently heated warm water, and thus the heating unit 201 functions as a sterilization unit that substitutes for UV irradiation so to speak. Also, the small amount of warm water remaining in the flow path is originally in a sterilized state, and when the user opens the spout 18 to use the warm water, a sufficiently large amount of sufficiently heated warm water is added to the very small amount of remaining water. Therefore, even if bacteria have occurred in the remaining water, they will be sterilized by the added warm water. Hence, even if the mechanisms of UV irradiation and reflux are reduced, there is no effective reduction in performance, and productivity is rather increased.

[0045] Next, referring to FIG. 2, in the liquid treatment apparatus 1 of the embodiment, as a method other than purifying the water WJ generated from the air A into drinking water, a method of purifying the liquid L from outside the apparatus and outputting it as drinking water will be described.

[0046] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the external configuration of a part of the liquid treatment apparatus of FIG. 1 that directly inputs a liquid from outside the apparatus. Note that the direction of the arrow Y in FIG. 2 is an arrow indicating the upward direction of the liquid treatment apparatus 1, and it indicates the same direction as the arrow Y in FIG. 1, which is also an arrow indicating the upward direction of the liquid treatment apparatus 1.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 2, the liquid treatment apparatus 1 can input the liquid L using two methods. Specifically, as a first method (first method) of inputting the liquid L into the liquid treatment apparatus 1, the liquid L can be input from the liquid input unit 31. The liquid input unit 31 is a water inlet for inputting the liquid L into the liquid treatment apparatus 1 from the outside in an emergency or the like. Although the liquid input unit 31 is depicted in a closed state in FIG. 2, by opening the liquid input unit 31 and connecting a hose or pipe (not shown), the liquid L can be input from the outside (for example, a water supply).

[0048] When the liquid L is input from the liquid input unit 31, when the water pressure of the liquid L input from the liquid input unit 31 becomes a certain level or higher, the pressure switch 32 detects this. When a water pressure of a certain level or higher is detected by the pressure switch 32, the SOL valve 17c is opened, and the liquid L from the liquid input unit 31 is input into the bottom tank 13. The liquid L input into the bottom tank 13 is stored in a state of being mixed with the water WJ generated by the water generation unit 12. Here, the mixture of the water WJ and the liquid L stored in the bottom tank 13 is a substance different from the water W, but it is treated in the same way as the water W0 in the liquid treatment apparatus 1. That is, when the mixture of the water WJ and the liquid L is output from the bottom tank 13, it becomes the object of the processes in steps S1 to S8 described later and can be output from the spout 18 as drinking water. Therefore, hereinafter, for the mixture of the water WJ and the liquid L as well, the water stored in the bottom tank 13 will be referred to as the object to be treated or the water W0 for convenience of explanation.

[0049] Also, while a water pressure exceeding a predetermined threshold is applied to the liquid L input from the liquid input section 31, it can be directly input to the water filter group 15 by the pump 14a without being input to the bottom tank 13.

[0050] Here, returning to FIG. 1, the inlet / outlet 134 serving as the water inlet for inputting the liquid L into the bottom tank 13 and the inlet / outlet 134 serving as the water outlet for outputting the water W0 from the bottom tank 13 are the same. Therefore, in the liquid treatment apparatus 1, the following input / output control is performed for the liquid to be treated (for example, at least one of the water WJ generated in the water generation section 12 and the liquid L input from the liquid input section 31). That is, when the float switch 132 detects that the water level in the bottom tank 13 has exceeded a predetermined threshold (in the case of this embodiment, 80% of the capacity of the bottom tank 13), the SOL valve 17c is controlled to be forcibly closed regardless of the operation of the pressure switch 32. Then, the suction of the water W0 by the above-described pump 14a, the permeation through the water filter group 15, and the control of the input to the top tank 16 are performed. That is, by controlling the pump 14a and the SOL valve 17c to operate mutually exclusively, it is possible to prevent the water W0 and the liquid L from flowing in an unintended direction. Specifically, the pump 14a does not operate when the water level in the bottom tank 13 does not reach a predetermined threshold value and the SOL valve 17c is open because the water pressure of the liquid L exceeds the predetermined threshold value. On the contrary, the pump 14a operates when the water level in the bottom tank 13 exceeds the predetermined threshold value and the SOL valve 17c is closed because the water pressure of the liquid L does not reach the predetermined threshold value. In addition, in this first method, it is assumed that the liquid L taken in from outside the apparatus uses water purified at a level above a certain level, such as tap water or mineral water in a PET bottle PE (see FIG. 3). This is because when introducing the liquid L into the bottom tank 13, it is necessary to allow the filter Fa to pass through in the reverse direction in order to use the inlet / outlet 134. If the liquid L taken in contains impurities in order to allow the filter Fa to pass through in the reverse direction, they will remain outside the filter Fa, and it will be necessary to filter them with a higher-performance pre-filter in the subsequent stage. In the present embodiment, since the pressure switch 32 is provided, the flow path is not opened unless a water pressure above a certain level is applied. Therefore, even if the user tries to inject river water by connecting a hose to the liquid input section, unpurified water will not be injected into the bottom tank 13.

[0051] Next, as a second method (the second method) of inputting the liquid L into the liquid treatment apparatus 1, the liquid L can be directly input (poured) into the bottom tank 13. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the user (not shown) pulls out the bottom tank 13 until the opening 131 is exposed outside the liquid treatment apparatus 1, and pours the liquid L from the opening 131. Thereby, even when sufficient water pressure cannot be ensured for the liquid L from the liquid input section 31, the liquid L can be manually input into the bottom tank 13, so that the convenience for the user can be improved.

[0052] Here, the liquid L input into the liquid treatment apparatus 1 by the second method is not particularly limited, and it may be tap water, or a liquid containing water in its components, or a mixture of a liquid and a solid. For example, it may be rainwater, river water, water stored in a predetermined tank (such as a bucket or a container), etc. Although rainwater, river water, etc. may contain large impurities, it is preferable to input such a liquid L not from the liquid input section 31 but from the opening 131 of the bottom tank 13. In this case, when output from the bottom tank 13, large impurities are removed by the water filter Fa. Of course, it goes without saying that if river water or the like is used, clogging of each filter will progress and the usable period will be shortened. This second method is an emergency measure used when purified water cannot be obtained during a disaster or the like, and when the amount of water generated by condensation is insufficient.

[0053] According to the liquid treatment apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, during normal times, clean drinking water obtained by condensing moisture in the air is provided by the first method, while during an emergency such as a disaster, a liquid not suitable for drinking is purified and provided as drinking water by the second method.

[0054] Note that during an emergency such as the occurrence of a natural disaster, there may be water that cannot be prepared in a large amount or water with relatively poor hygiene, and there may also be cases where it is desired to purify a liquid that is not suitable for being put into the bottom tank 13 where relatively clean water is stored. In such a case, instead of putting it into the bottom tank 13, it is also possible to directly input water in a plastic bottle or the like directly in front of the pump 14a. Therefore, a water inlet plug (not shown) and a valve (not shown) for preventing backflow to the front stage (bottom tank 13 side) of the water inlet plug during water inlet are provided in front of the pump 14a (immediately before). In an emergency, close the valve, connect a water-filled PET bottle to the water inlet, and the water in the PET bottle can be sucked up by the pump 14a and stored in the top tank 16 through the ozone generator 52 and the water filter group 15. As the water inlet, a plug shaped to fit into the drinking mouth of the PET bottle may be provided, and the pumped well water, river water, etc. may be put into a PET bottle with a hole at the bottom and introduced into the device through the water inlet from the drinking mouth side.

[0055] Subsequently, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3, the flow of processing in the liquid processing apparatus 1 of the embodiment and the mechanism of water purification in the piping (flow path) will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the mechanism of water purification in the piping (flow path) of the liquid processing apparatus 1 of FIG. 1. In step S1, the air filter 11 filters the air A taken into the liquid processing apparatus 1 from the outside and removes foreign substances. In step S2, the water generation unit 12 generates water WJ such as drops and water droplets by condensation from the air A filtered by the air filter 11 in step S1. In step S3, in the water generation unit 12, the water WJ obtained by merging the generated drops and water droplets is dropped into the bottom tank 13 and stored as the water W0 to be purified. In step S4, in the bottom tank 13, the first purification is performed by irradiating the water W0 to be purified with ultraviolet rays inside the tank by the sterilization unit 133 to sterilize the water W0. At the same time, the second purification is performed by generating ozone in the water W0 in the tank by the ozone generator 51 to sterilize it. Also, in step S4, the pump 14a sucks up the water W0 stored in the bottom tank 13 and inputs it to the water filter group 15 through the ozone generator 52 and the nanobubble generator 60. At this time, before step S5 (the permeation purification step for performing the fifth purification), the ozone generator 52 purifies the water W0 (the third purification) by sterilizing the water W0 with the ozone generated by the ozone generator 52 by passing the water W0 through the ozone generator 52. Specifically, the ozone generator 52 generates ozone in the pipe (pipeline), attaches it to the filter surface of the first water filter Fb, and chemically sterilizes bacteria, miscellaneous bacteria (bacteria), impurities, etc. that float in the vicinity, thereby purifying the water W0. At this time, biofilms attached to the inner wall of the pipe are also removed. Here, chemically sterilizing means that when the ozone dissolved in water is decomposed, the active oxygen generated oxidizes and destroys the cell wall and cell membrane of bacteria, causing the cytoplasm to flow out and the bacteria to die. In addition, the nanobubble generator 60 generates microbubbles in the water W0 flowing in the pipe (pipeline) to purify the water (object to be purified) flowing through the pipe (pipeline) (fourth purification). Specifically, the nanobubble generator 60 generates nanobubbles in the water in the pipe that has passed through the ozone generator 52, physically destroying bacteria, miscellaneous bacteria (bacteria), impurities, etc. that adhere to the filter surface of the water filter Fb and float in the vicinity by the irregular movement of the fine bubbles, thereby purifying the water (object to be purified). At this time, biofilms attached to the inner wall of the pipe are also removed. In step S5, the purified water is output from the water filter group 15 by allowing the water that has passed through the ozone generator 52 and the nanobubble generator 60 to permeate the water filter group 15. That is, the water filter group 15 performs the fifth purification by allowing the input water to permeate and filter it. Specifically, the water input to the water filter group 15 is purified by passing through the water filter Fb of the first pre-filter in the water filter group 15, and at the same time, the fifth purification is performed by passing through the water filters Fc, Fd in the previous stage and the RO filter (water filter Fe) in the middle stage, etc. Then, minerals are added by the water filter Ff, which is a mineral addition filter in the latter stage, and then input to the top tank 16. In step S6, the top tank 16 stores the water W that has passed through the water filter group 15 while cooling it, and irradiates ultraviolet rays inside the tank by the sterilization unit 163 to sterilize the water W in the tank, thereby performing the sixth purification. In step S7, the hot tank 20 stores the water W output from the top tank 16 and heats it by the heating unit 201, that is, performs a seventh purification (washing by heating), which is a method different from the sixth purification. In step S8, the water W (cold water) stored in the top tank 16 is subjected to an eighth purification by ultraviolet irradiation by the sterilization unit 163, and at the same time, the water W (cold water) is circulated through a predetermined circulation path R including an ozone generator 53 at regular intervals (every predetermined period or at a predetermined timing) while performing a ninth purification by ozone sterilization. When taking out hot water or cold water from the liquid treatment device 1, the pump 14b and the pump 14c are respectively operated to output the water W from the top tank 16 and the hot tank 20. By the operations of the pump 14b and the pump 14c, the water W output from the top tank 16 and the hot tank 20 is respectively output from the spout 18 according to the opening and closing of the SOL valve 17a and the SOL valve 17b.

[0056] Next, with reference to FIG. 4, the purification mechanism in the liquid treatment device 1 of the embodiment before the water filter Fb will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the problems of water purification by a general high-performance filter and the mechanism for solving the problems in explaining the water purification mechanism in the liquid treatment device 1 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 4(A), in the purification of water by a general high-performance filter, the input water is filtered by passing through the water filter Fb in the arrow direction and output to the subsequent pipe T. However, since there is no sterilizing effect on the pipes in front of the water filter Fb, the filter surface (the water inlet surface), and inside the filter, bacteria D, miscellaneous bacteria (bacteria) V, impurities F, etc. trapped on the filter surface start to grow while accumulating over time, becoming the source of bacteria growth. As a result, the filter is damaged and a biofilm is also formed on the inner wall of the subsequent pipe T. According to the inventor's experiments, even if sterilization is carried out by means such as UV light irradiation in front of the filter, when operating for a long time, the phenomenon of biofilm generation is observed at the outlet of the filter. At this time, no abnormality was visible in the filter as far as the human eye could see, but it is presumed that the internal fine structure was destroyed by the growth of bacteria and some bacteria passed through the filter. In contrast, as shown in FIG. 4(B), in the liquid treatment apparatus 1 of the embodiment, an ozone generator 52 is arranged in front of the water filter Fb, and water containing ozone Z (ozone water) passes through the pipes in front of the water filter Fb through the ozone generator 52 and is input into the water filter Fb, passes through the inside of the water filter Fb, is filtered, and then output. The ozone water not only has its own sterilization effect but also has a purification effect of sterilizing the surrounding members contacted by the ozone. Therefore, when passing through the inside of the water filter Fb, it purifies the inside as well. In this way, it is important that the water in the bottom tank 13 upstream of the water filter Fb not only sterilizes but also gives the water itself a sterilizing effect. At this time, bacteria D, miscellaneous bacteria (bacteria) V, impurities F, etc. trapped and deposited (accumulated) on the surface of the water filter Fb are sterilized and purified by the ozone water, and the inside of the filter is also sterilized and purified when passing through the water filter Fb. The biofilm etc. formed in the subsequent pipes are also destroyed and removed. Also, when the ozone generator 52 is used from the beginning, since bacteria D, miscellaneous bacteria (bacteria) V, impurities F, etc. do not exist in the piping or the water filter Fb in the first place, bacteria D, miscellaneous bacteria (bacteria), etc. do not inhabit the piping or the filter, and the inside of the piping is always maintained in a clean state. Note that, as in this embodiment, by using the ozone generator 52 and the nanobubble generator 60 in combination, the sterilization and purification effects are further improved, and the clean state inside the piping is continuously maintained.

[0057] Next, with reference to FIG. 5, the details of the water purification process in the top tank of the liquid treatment apparatus 1 of the embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the details of the water purification process in the top tank of the liquid treatment apparatus of FIG. 1. Here, among the operation description (process flow) of the liquid treatment apparatus 1, the details of step S8 will be described. In step S8, it was described that the ninth purification by ozone sterilization is performed while circulating the water W0 (cold water) in the circulation channel R. More specifically, the purified water W (arrow in the figure) obtained as a result of the water input from the bottom tank 13 of FIG. 1 passing through the water filter group 15 is stored in the top tank 16. The water W stored in the top tank 16 will deteriorate as it is.

[0058] Hereinafter, the mechanism by which the water W deteriorates will be described. The top tank 16 is divided into a stored water layer 16a (the first layer of water) and an air layer 16b (the second layer of air) as long as it is not full. Also, even if it was full, when the water W is taken out from the top tank 16, the corresponding amount of air flows into the tank. In this way, an air layer 16b is formed in the top tank 16. Even if an air filter or the like is arranged in front of the top tank 16, bacteria and bacteria will enter the top tank 16 together with the air. Bacteria and the like flow into the air layer 16b together with the new air, and when it touches the water W, bacteria begin to multiply in the water W. In order to suppress the growth of bacteria in the top tank 16, for example, the inside of the tank is cooled, the water in the tank is circulated, or UV sterilization is performed. However, every time water W is used, new air flows in. Therefore, the above methods cannot completely suppress the generation of bacteria, and bacterial colonies may occur in the top tank 16 and the piping (flow path), and strange odors and foreign substances may be generated due to the deterioration of the water.

[0059] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the liquid treatment apparatus 1 according to the embodiment arranges an ozone generator 53 on the circulation path R with respect to the air layer 16b in the top tank 16, and when circulating the water W, the ozone generator 53 generates ozone Z (air having sterilizing power), and has a sterilized air inflow step of flowing (refluxing) into the top tank 16 as water containing ozone Z. In the liquid treatment apparatus 1 according to the embodiment, in order to prevent the generation and growth of bacteria in the air layer 16b, the air layer 16b is filled with air having a sterilizing effect. Thus, even if bacteria flow in due to the inflow of new air, sterilization is performed at the stage of the air layer 16b. Specifically, when refluxing the water W to the top tank 16, an ozone generator 53 is connected to the piping of the circulation path R, and the water W (ozone water) containing ozone generated by the ozone generator 53 is returned (input) to the top tank 16 through the piping, and the ozone water is sprayed into the top tank 16. By the atomized ozone water sprayed into the top tank 16, the air layer 16b is filled with ozone at about 0.1 to 0.5 ppm, for example. Even if bacteria flow in together with the newly inflowed air, the air layer 16b can be sterilized with the air containing ozone. Further, in the liquid treatment apparatus 1 according to the embodiment, a sterilizing unit 163 and glass coated with titanium dioxide are arranged in the top tank 16, and the sterilizing unit 163 sterilizes the air in the tank by a photocatalytic action using an LED UV lamp. In addition, in the liquid treatment apparatus 1 of the embodiment, a sterilization unit 19 is disposed in the pipe between the top tank 16 and the spout 18 (faucet). By sterilizing the water W staying in the pipe between the top tank 16 and the spout 18 (faucet) with a UV lamp (light), the water in most of the flow paths from the water inlet to the outlet is purified, so that safe water (liquid) can be supplied over a long period of time.

[0060] As described above, according to the liquid treatment apparatus 1 of the embodiment, by sterilizing bacteria and the like at the stage of the air layer 16b in the top tank 16, it is possible to prevent bacteria and the like from entering the water layer 16a. As a supplement, a sterilization unit 163 equipped with a UV lamp is provided in the water layer 16a, and by performing UV sterilization, the accuracy of sterilization can be enhanced by a synergistic effect with the air containing ozone.

[0061] As described above, according to the liquid treatment apparatus 1 of the embodiment, in addition to the effect as a water purifier of generating droplets (water droplets) from the air A, merging them to generate water WJ, and purifying the water WJ using a plurality of purification means and outputting it as drinking water, the following effects can be achieved.

[0062] 1) By disposing the ozone generator 52 and the nanobubble generator 60 on the water input surface of the first water filter Fb among the water filter group 15, that is, in front of the filter, the water in which ozone is dissolved or the water mixed with nanobubbles can be given a sterilizing ability. Therefore, bacteria and miscellaneous bacteria (bacteria) etc. that were blocked on the surface of the first water filter Fb can be sterilized, and impurities etc. can be decomposed and eliminated, preventing damage to the filter caused by bacteria. By protecting the first water filter Fb of the pipe (flow path) through which the water W0 to be purified flows from bacteria and the like, damage to the subsequent water filters Fb to Ff can also be prevented. As a result, the original filtration technology of the water filter group 15 can be properly utilized, and since the pipes (flow path tubes) before and after it are also sterilized, the generation of biofilms can be prevented, and the safety of water can be significantly enhanced.

[0063] 2) An ozone generator 51 is installed in the bottom tank 13 that stores the water W0 obtained from outside the device (liquid L such as water WJ generated from air A or tap water supplied from outside the device), and by generating ozone in the bottom tank 13, ozone water is generated in the bottom tank 13. Therefore, at the stage when water W0 is stored in the bottom tank 13, bacteria and various germs (bacteria) contained in the water W0 can be sterilized to purify the water.

[0064] 3) By arranging a nanobubble generator 60 in the pipe (water flow path) from the bottom tank 13 to the water filter group 15, the water flowing through the pipe itself acquires a sterilizing ability. Thus, bacteria and various germs (bacteria) contained in the water W0 in the pipe are sterilized, and the water can be purified at the front stage of the water filter group 15. In this embodiment, the ozone generator 52 and the nanobubble generator 60 are separate devices, and in the pipe, they are arranged in the order of the ozone generator 52, the nanobubble generator 60, and the water filter group 15. By installing the nanobubble generator 60 between the ozone generator 52 and the water filter Fe in this way and combining nanobubbles (microbubbles) with ozone, the residence time of ozone in water can be extended. In addition, the ozone generator 52 may also serve as a microbubble generator. That is, one device may be provided with an ozone generation function and a microbubble generation function.

[0065] The liquid treatment device 1 of the embodiment has a structure in which half of the water from the water filter Fe (RO filter) among the water filter group 15 is refluxed to the bottom tank 13. In this liquid treatment device 1, since the water is ozonated by the ozone generator 52 at the front stage of the water filter group 15, the ozonated water (ozone water) will be returned to the bottom tank 13. When the ozonated water is returned to the bottom tank 13, the ozonated water drips into the bottom tank 13. At this time, the air in the bottom tank 13 is purified by ozone. Therefore, in an apparatus having a function of circulating water like this liquid treatment apparatus 1, a combination of a water filter Fe (RO filter) and an ozone generator 52 is particularly suitable.

[0066] Further, in the liquid treatment apparatus 1 of the embodiment, the ozone generator 51 may be submerged and disposed in the water in the bottom tank 13 or may be disposed in a pipe (water flow path). In particular, by interposing and disposing the ozone generator 52 in the pipe between the bottom tank 13 and the water filter Fb, water in a state with a large amount of residual ozone can be supplied to the water filter group 15 including the water filter Fb. Therefore, it is most preferable to dispose the ozone generator 52 immediately before the first water filter Fb. Regarding the ozone in water, it is preferably 0.1 ppm or less.

[0067] Here, a comparison between the liquid treatment apparatus 1 of the embodiment and other filter sterilization techniques will be described. Examples of other filter sterilization techniques include heating sterilization of the filter and alcohol disinfection. Heating sterilization of the filter promotes thermal degradation of the filter, so replacement is required in a short period, which is not preferable. Further, for alcohol disinfection, a considerable amount of alcohol is required because it is necessary to spread the alcohol to the inside of a filter having a complex structure, and it is necessary to completely remove the alcohol after sterilization in order to make it a beverage. On the other hand, in the liquid treatment apparatus 1 using the ozone generators 51 to 53 and the nanobubble generator 60 as in this embodiment, there is no damage to the water filter group 15, no consumables are required, and it can be operated with low power consumption, so it is suitable. In addition to this, there is also a method using hypochlorous acid. In this method, although there is a sterilizing ability, it affects the taste (flavor), so it is not preferable for drinking. Further, consumables for maintaining the concentration of hypochlorous acid are required, resulting in an increase in cost.

[0068] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications, improvements, etc. within the scope capable of achieving the object of the present invention are included in the present invention.

[0069] For example, the configuration of the liquid processing apparatus 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 is merely illustrative and is not particularly limited. That is, it is sufficient that the liquid processing apparatus 1 is provided with a function capable of executing the above-described series of processes as a whole, and the configuration adopted to realize this function is not particularly limited to the examples of FIGS. 1 to 5. In the liquid processing apparatus 1 of the embodiment, the pump 14a that sucks water from the bottom tank 13 and the ozone generator 52 operate in conjunction. Specifically, the power supply for operation is supplied to the diamond electrode (electrode for ozone generation) of the ozone generator 52 at the same timing as the supply power to the pump 14a for pumping out the water W0 stored in the bottom tank 13 to the filter. As a result, the ozone generator 52 always operates in running water, and since water does not stagnate, the diamond electrode that generates heat during operation can be cooled.

[0070] In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the ozone generator 51 is housed in the bottom tank 13 has been described, but if necessary, the ozone generator 51 may be housed in the top tank 16. That is, the ozone generator 51 may be housed in each of the bottom tank 13 that stores the water W0 to be input to the water filter group 15 and the top tank 16 that stores the water W output from the water filter group 15, and the water stored in each tank may be purified by ozone sterilization (predetermined method).

[0071] In summary, the water treatment apparatus to which the present invention is applied may have the following configuration and can take various embodiments. That is, in the liquid processing apparatus (for example, the liquid processing apparatus 1 in FIG. 1) to which the present invention is applied, (1) A permeation purification means (e.g., the water filter group 15 in FIG. 1) that outputs the purified liquid by allowing the liquid to be purified (e.g., the water W0 pumped up by the pump 14a in FIG. 1) to permeate, and A pre-stage purification means (e.g., the ozone generator 52 in FIG. 1) that is arranged in the pre-stage of the permeation purification means (e.g., the water filter group 15 in FIG. 1) (e.g., the surface of the water filter group 15 where the water of the first filter (e.g., the water filter Fb in FIG. 1) contacts and the water piping before that), and purifies the liquid to be purified (e.g., the water in FIG. 1) by a predetermined method (e.g., sterilization by ozone released into the water, etc.), and Comprises. Thereby, in the pre-stage of the permeation purification means (e.g., the water filter group 15 in FIG. 1), the pre-stage purification means (e.g., the ozone generator 52 in FIG. 1) purifies the liquid to be purified (e.g., the water in FIG. 1) by a predetermined method (e.g., sterilization by ozone released into the water, etc.). Therefore, bacteria D, miscellaneous bacteria (bacteria) V, impurities F, etc. that have been blocked and accumulated (stored) on the permeation purification means (the surface of the water filter Fb) are sterilized and purified by the ozone water, and the inside is also sterilized and purified when passing through the permeation purification means, and the dirt layer (biofilm, etc.) formed in the subsequent piping is also destroyed and removed. Also, when the pre-stage purification means (e.g., the ozone generator 52 in FIG. 1) is used from the beginning in this device, since bacteria D, miscellaneous bacteria (bacteria) V, impurities F, etc. do not exist in the piping or the water filter Fb in the first place, bacteria D, miscellaneous bacteria (bacteria), etc. do not inhabit the piping or the water filter, and the inside of the piping is always maintained in a clean state. Note that by using, for example, the ozone generator 52 and the nanobubble generator 60 in combination as the pre-stage purification means, the sterilization and purification effects are further improved, and the clean state inside the piping can be continuously maintained.

[0072] (2) In the liquid treatment device (e.g., the liquid treatment device 1 in FIG. 1) to which the present invention is applied, The predetermined method is a method of imparting a sterilization effect to the liquid to be purified.

[0073] (3) In the liquid treatment apparatus (for example, the liquid treatment apparatus 1 in FIG. 1) to which the present invention is applied, The pre-stage purification means (for example, the ozone generator 52 in FIG. 1) includes an ozone generator (for example, the ozone generator 52 in FIG. 1) that purifies the liquid (for example, the water in FIG. 1) by a method of generating ozone (for example, ozone sterilization, etc.) as the predetermined method. It can be.

[0074] (4) In the liquid treatment apparatus (for example, the liquid treatment apparatus 1 in FIG. 1) to which the present invention is applied, The pre-stage purification means further includes a microbubble generator (for example, the nanobubble generator 60 in FIG. 1) that purifies the liquid (for example, the water in FIG. 1) of the object to be purified by a method of generating microbubbles as the predetermined method. It can be.

[0075] (5) In the liquid treatment apparatus (for example, the liquid treatment apparatus 1 in FIG. 1) to which the present invention is applied, It has one device (for example, the ozone & microbubble generator in FIG. 1) that serves as both the microbubble generator (for example, the nanobubble generator 60 in FIG. 1) and an ozone generator (for example, the ozone generator 52 in FIG. 1) that purifies the liquid (for example, the water in FIG. 1) by a method of generating ozone (for example, ozone sterilization, etc.) as the predetermined method. It can be.

[0076] (6) In the liquid treatment apparatus (for example, the liquid treatment apparatus 1 in FIG. 1) to which the present invention is applied, The microbubble generator (for example, the nanobubble generator 60 in FIG. 1) and the ozone generator (for example, the ozone generator 52 in FIG. 1) that purifies the liquid (for example, the water in FIG. 1) by a method of generating ozone (for example, ozone sterilization, etc.) are separate and independent devices, and in the flowing direction of the liquid (for example, the water in FIG. 1), the ozone generator (for example, the ozone generator 52 in FIG. 1), the microbubble generator (for example, the nanobubble generator 60 in FIG. 1), and the permeation purification means (for example, the water filter group 15 in FIG. 1) are arranged in this order. It can be.

[0077] (7) In the liquid treatment apparatus (for example, the liquid treatment apparatus 1 in FIG. 1) to which the present invention is applied, The permeation purification means (for example, the water filter group 15 in FIG. 1) includes one or more pre-filters (for example, the water filters Fb to Fd, and Ff in FIG. 1) and one or more reverse osmosis membrane filters (for example, the water filter Fe in FIG. 1), and can be such.

[0078] (8) In the liquid treatment apparatus (for example, the liquid treatment apparatus 1 in FIG. 1) to which the present invention is applied, The permeation purification means (for example, the water filter group 15 in FIG. 1) includes a pre-filter in the front stage (for example, the water filters Fb to Fd in FIG. 1), a reverse osmosis membrane filter in the middle stage (for example, the water filter Fe in FIG. 1), and a pre-filter in the rear stage (for example, the water filter Ff in FIG. 1), and can be such.

[0079] (9) In the liquid treatment apparatus (for example, the liquid treatment apparatus 1 in FIG. 1) to which the present invention is applied, Part of the output of the reverse osmosis membrane filter (for example, the water filter Fe in FIG. 1) is refluxed to the front (for example, the bottom tank 13 in FIG. 1) of the front-stage purification means (for example, the ozone generator 52 in FIG. 1) and added again to the liquid to be purified (for example, the water in FIG. 1), and can be such.

[0080] (10) In the liquid treatment apparatus (for example, the liquid treatment apparatus 1 in FIG. 1) to which the present invention is applied, input control means (for example, the SOL valve 17c and the pressure switch 32 in FIG. 1) for controlling the input of the liquid (for example, the liquid L in FIG. 1), liquid generation means (for example, the water generation unit 12 in FIG. 1) for generating drinking liquid (for example, the water WJ in FIG. 1) from the moisture contained in the air (for example, the air A in FIG. 1), It is disposed directly below the liquid generation means (for example, SOL valve 17c and pressure switch 32 in FIG. 1), and stores at least one of the liquid (for example, water WJ in FIG. 1) that has fallen from the liquid generation means (for example, water generation unit 12 in FIG. 1) and the liquid (for example, liquid L such as tap water in FIG. 1) input under the control of the input control means (for example, SOL valve 17c and pressure switch 32 in FIG. 1) as the liquid to be purified (for example, water W0 in FIG. 1). A first storage means (for example, bottom tank 13 in FIG. 1); A second storage means (for example, top tank 16 in FIG. 1) for storing the liquid (for example, water W in FIG. 1) output from the permeation purification means (for example, water filter group 15 in FIG. 1); A pump (for example, pump 14a in FIG. 1) that outputs the liquid (for example, water W0) of the object to be purified from the first storage means (for example, bottom tank 13 in FIG. 1), permeates the liquid (for example, water W0) through the permeation purification means (for example, water filter group 15 in FIG. 1) (inputs the water W0 pumped up from the bottom tank 13), and inputs (introduces) the liquid (for example, water W in FIG. 1) to the second storage means (for example, on the side of the top tank 16 in FIG. 1); Further comprising; The pre-stage purification means (for example, ozone generator 52 in FIG. 1) is disposed between the pump (for example, pump 14a in FIG. 1) and the permeation purification means (for example, water filter group 15 in FIG. 1), It can be like this.

[0081] (11) In the liquid treatment apparatus (for example, liquid treatment apparatus 1 in FIG. 1) to which the present invention is applied, The operations of the pump (for example, pump 14a in FIG. 1) and the pre-stage purification means (for example, ozone generator 52 in FIG. 1) are interlocked, It can be.

[0082] (12) The liquid treatment method to which the present invention is applied is A permeation purification step of outputting the purified liquid from the permeation purification means (e.g., the water filter group 15 in FIG. 1) by permeating the liquid to be purified (e.g., the water W0 in FIG. 1) through the permeation purification means (e.g., the water filter group 15 in FIG. 1); Before the permeation purification step, a pre-purification step of purifying the liquid (e.g., the water W0 in FIG. 1) by passing the liquid to be purified (e.g., the water W0 in FIG. 1) through a pre-purification means (e.g., the ozone generator 52 in FIG. 1) that purifies the liquid by a predetermined method (e.g., ozone sterilization, etc.) is performed. including can be.

Explanation of Signs

[0083] 1... Liquid treatment device, 11... Air filter, 12... Water generation unit, 13... Bottom tank, 14, 14a, 14b, 14c... Pumps, 15... Water filter group, 16... Top tank, 17, 17a, 17b, 17c... SOL valves, 18... Spout, 19... Sterilization unit, 20... Hot tank, 31... Liquid input unit, 32... Pressure switch, 41... Drainage unit, 51 to 53... Ozone generators, 60... Nanobubble generator, 121... Water generator, 122... Air fan, 131... Opening, 132... Float switch, 133... Sterilization unit, 134... Inlet and outlet, 161... Cooling unit, 162... Float switch, 163... Sterilization unit, 164... Water temperature sensor, 165, 166... Water inlets, 167, 168, 169... Water outlets, 201... Heating unit, 202, 203... Water inlets, 204, 205... Water outlets, A... Air, D... Bacteria, F... Impurities, Fa, Fb, Fc, Fd, Fe, Ff... Water filters, L... Liquid (tap water, etc.), S... Each step, V... Miscellaneous bacteria (bacteria), W... Purified water, W0... Water to be purified, Y... Arrow, Z... Ozone

Claims

1. A permeation purification means for outputting the purified liquid by allowing the liquid of the object to be purified to permeate; A pre-stage purification means disposed in front of the permeation purification means for purifying the liquid of the object to be purified by a predetermined method; A liquid treatment apparatus comprising the same.

2. The liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined method is a method of imparting a sterilizing action to the liquid of the object to be purified.

3. The pre-stage purification means includes an ozone generator for purifying the liquid by a method of generating ozone as the predetermined method; The liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 1.

4. The pre-stage purification means further includes a microbubble generator for purifying the liquid by a method of generating microbubbles as the predetermined method; The liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 1.

5. Having one device that also serves as the microbubble generator and the ozone generator for purifying the liquid by a method of generating ozone as the predetermined method; The liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 4.

6. The microbubble generator and the ozone generator for purifying the liquid by a method of generating ozone as the predetermined method are separate and independent devices, and are arranged in the order of the ozone generator, the microbubbles, and the permeation purification means; The liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 4.

7. The permeation purification means includes one or more pre-filters and one or more reverse osmosis membrane filters; The liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 1.

8. The permeation purification means includes a pre-stage pre-filter, a middle-stage reverse osmosis membrane filter, and a post-stage pre-filter. The liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 1.

9. Part of the output of the reverse osmosis membrane filter is refluxed in front of the previous-stage purification means and added to the object to be purified again. The liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 7 or 8.

10. Input control means for executing control of the input of the liquid; Liquid generation means for generating a liquid from moisture contained in air; First storage means disposed directly below the liquid generation means for storing at least one of the liquid dropped from the liquid generation means and the liquid input under the control of the input control means as the object to be purified; Second storage means for storing the liquid output from the permeation purification means; A pump for outputting the object to be purified from the first storage means, permeating the object to be purified through the permeation purification means, and inputting the liquid to the second storage means; further comprising: The previous-stage purification means is disposed between the pump and the permeation purification means. The liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 1.

11. The operations of the pump and the previous-stage purification means are interlocked. The liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 10.

12. A permeation purification step of outputting the further purified liquid from the permeation purification means by permeating the liquid of the object to be purified through the permeation purification means; A previous-stage purification step of purifying the object to be purified by the predetermined method by passing the object to be purified through the previous-stage purification means for purifying the liquid by a predetermined method before the permeation purification step; A liquid treatment method including.

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