Electrolyzed water generator

Abstract

To enhance reproducibility of dissolution of an electrolysis promotor tablet by holding the electrolysis promotor tablet at a predetermined position and suppressing variation of flow rate of water to be in contact with the electrolysis promotor tablet in every operation.SOLUTION: An electrolytic water generator is characterized by that a channel 13 includes a water supply section 14 to be supplied with water by a water supply part 4, a tablet holding section 15 to which an electrolysis promotor tablet 6 is fed from a tablet feeding mechanism 3 and held therein, and an electrolysis section 17 provided with an electrolytic mechanism 7, and between the tablet holding section 15 and the electrolysis section 17 is provided with a holding water collection mechanism 16 for holding the electrolysis promotor tablet 6 at a predetermined position in the tablet holding section 15 for collecting water in the tablet holding section 15 to the electrolysis promotor tablet 6.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrolyzed water generating device into which electrolysis-accelerating tablets are added. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, this type of electrolyzed water generator has been equipped with a generator that stores water and a water supply unit that supplies water to the generator, and electrolysis-promoting tablets are placed in the generator to electrochemically treat the water in the generator to generate water containing hypochlorous acid (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-49032 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In such conventional electrolyzed water generating devices, a flow path through which water moves is provided within the device, and the flow path is equipped with a tablet insertion position where electrolysis-promoting tablets are inserted, and a mesh-like tablet holding section downstream of the tablet insertion position that holds the electrolysis-promoting tablets so that they do not move with the flow of water.The electrolysis-promoting tablets inserted at the tablet insertion position are held in the tablet holding section, and when they are hit by water moving through the flow path, the electrolysis-promoting tablets are quickly dissolved, and the dissolved water is then electrochemically treated to obtain water containing hypochlorous acid in a short period of time.

[0005] However, there was a distribution of flow rates in the water moving through the flow path, and the location where the electrolysis-promoting tablets were held in the tablet holding section varied from operation to operation. This meant that the flow rate of the water coming into contact with the electrolysis-promoting tablets varied from operation to operation, making the dissolution of the electrolysis-promoting tablets less reproducible and resulting in variations in the concentration of the hypochlorous acid-containing water that was produced.

[0006] The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems and aims to improve the reproducibility of dissolution of the electrolysis promotion tablets by holding the electrolysis promotion tablets in a predetermined position and suppressing variations in the flow rate of water that comes into contact with the electrolysis promotion tablets for each operation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve this objective, the present invention provides a structure comprising a generation section capable of storing water, a water supply section that supplies water to the generation section, a flow path through which the supplied water flows, a tablet feeding mechanism that feeds solid electrolysis-promoting tablets that dissolve in water into the flow path, and an electrolysis mechanism that electrochemically treats the water in the flow path, wherein the flow path comprises a water supply compartment to which water is supplied by the water supply section, a tablet holding compartment to which the electrolysis-promoting tablets are fed from the tablet feeding mechanism and held, and an electrolysis compartment in which the electrolysis mechanism is provided, and the water supplied from the water supply section flows in this order through the water supply compartment, the tablet holding compartment, and the electrolysis compartment, and between the tablet holding compartment and the electrolysis compartment there is provided a holding and collecting mechanism that holds the electrolysis-promoting tablets in a predetermined position within the tablet holding compartment and collects water within the tablet holding compartment around the electrolysis-promoting tablets, thereby achieving the desired objective. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] As described above, the present invention provides an electrolytic water generating device that improves the reproducibility of the dissolution of the electrolysis-promoting tablet added to the generation unit and can suppress variation in the concentration of the generated water containing hypochlorous acid. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an electrolyzed water generating device and its peripheral components according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the electrolyzed water generating device. [Figure 3] Top view of the electrolyzed water generator DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] (Embodiment 1) Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the electrolyzed water generator according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the electrolyzed water generator according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a top view of the electrolyzed water generator according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, the electrolyzed water generator 1 includes a generator 2, a tablet injection mechanism 3, and a water supply unit 4.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 2, the generation unit 2 has a casing 5 for storing water, and an electrolysis mechanism 7 for electrochemically treating the water in which the electrolysis-accelerating tablets 6 are dissolved.

[0013] The casing 5 has a horizontally long, bowl-like shape and includes a first side surface 8 which is the side surface at one end in the longitudinal direction, a second side surface 9 which is the side surface at the other end in the longitudinal direction, a third side surface 10 which is the side surface at one end in the lateral direction, a fourth side surface 11 which is the side surface at the other end in the lateral direction, and a bottom surface 12 which is the surface facing downward in the vertical direction.

[0014] The first side surface 8 has a plate shape and is provided perpendicular to the horizontal direction of the electrolyzed water generator 1, and is provided on the upstream side of the flow path described below.

[0015] The second side surface 9 has a plate shape, is provided parallel to the first side surface 8, and is provided on the downstream side of a flow path described later. In addition, the lower end of the second side surface 9 is located lower than the lower end of the first side surface 8 in the vertical direction.

[0016] The third side surface 10 has a generally plate-like shape and is provided perpendicular to the first side surface 8 and the second side surface 9 .

[0017] The fourth side surface 11 is generally plate-shaped and is provided perpendicular to the first side surface 8 and the second side surface 9 .

[0018] The bottom surface 12 has, in order from the first side surface 8 side to the second side surface 9 side, a first horizontal surface 12a, a water collecting surface 12b, and a second horizontal surface 12c.

[0019] The first horizontal surface 12a is a plane that connects the lower end of the first side surface 8 and the water collecting surface 12b, and is provided perpendicular to the third side surface 10 and the fourth side surface 11.

[0020] The water collecting surface 12b is an inclined surface that connects the downstream end of the first horizontal surface 12a with the upstream end of the second horizontal surface 12c.

[0021] The second horizontal surface 12c is a surface that connects the water collecting surface and the lower end of the second side surface 9.

[0022] Additionally, the third side surface 10, the fourth side surface 11, and the bottom surface 12 form a flow path 13 through which the supplied water moves.

[0023] As shown in Figure 3, the flow path 13 is formed by sandwiching the bottom surface 12 between the third side surface 10 and the fourth side surface 11, and is provided with, in order from the upstream side of the flow path 13, a water supply compartment 14, a tablet holding compartment 15, a holding and collecting mechanism 16, and an electrolysis compartment 17.

[0024] The water supply section 14 is provided on the most upstream side of the flow path 13, and is a section to which water is supplied by the water supply unit 4.

[0025] The tablet holding section 15 is provided downstream of the water supply section 14 and is a section where the electrolysis accelerating tablets 6 are inserted from the tablet inserting mechanism 3 and held so as not to move to the electrolysis section 17.

[0026] The holding and collecting mechanism 16 is provided between the tablet holding section 15 and the electrolysis section 17, and holds the electrolysis-promoting tablets 6 in a predetermined position within the tablet holding section 15, and collects water within the tablet holding section 15 onto the held electrolysis-promoting tablets 6.

[0027] The electrolysis section 17 is provided downstream of the tablet holding section 15 and includes an electrolysis mechanism 7 .

[0028] The electrolysis mechanism 7 is provided so that a portion thereof is immersed in the water in the casing 5, and has a plate-shaped first electrode (not shown), a plate-shaped second electrode (not shown), and an electrode case 18 for fixing these electrodes. A voltage is applied to the first electrode and the second electrode immersed in the water in which the electrolysis-promoting tablets 6 have been dissolved, to electrochemically treat the water.

[0029] The tablet injection mechanism 3 is installed above the generation unit 2 and includes a tablet injection case 19, a tablet injection member (not shown) provided within the tablet injection case 19, and a tablet injection cover 20 detachably provided above the tablet injection case 19. When the tablet injection cover 20 is removed from the tablet injection case 19 and an electrolysis-accelerating tablet 6 is placed within the tablet injection case 19, the tablet injection member rotates and the electrolysis-accelerating tablet 6 automatically falls from an opening (not shown) in the bottom of the tablet injection case 19. In the present invention, sodium chloride is used for the electrolysis-accelerating tablet 6, and it has a spheroidal shape.

[0030] The water supply section 4 comprises a water supply duct 21 and a water supply device (not shown), one end of the water supply duct 21 being connected to the water supply device and the other end being a circular opening 21a, with the opening 21a being positioned above the water supply section 14 of the casing 5.

[0031] That is, it has a generation section 2 that can store water, a water supply section 4 that supplies water to the generation section 2, a flow path 13 through which the supplied water flows, a tablet feeding mechanism 3 that feeds solid electrolysis-promoting tablets 6 that dissolve in water into the flow path 13, and an electrolysis mechanism 7 that electrochemically treats the water in the flow path 13. The flow path 13 has a water supply section 14 to which water is supplied by the water supply section 4, a tablet holding section 15 into which the electrolysis-promoting tablets 6 are fed from the tablet feeding mechanism 3 and held, and an electrolysis section 17 in which the electrolysis mechanism 7 is provided. The water supplied from the water supply section 4 flows through the water supply section 14, the tablet holding section 15, and the electrolysis section 17 in that order, and between the tablet holding section 15 and the electrolysis section 17 there is provided a holding and collecting mechanism 16 that holds the electrolysis-promoting tablets 6 in a predetermined position within the tablet holding section 15 and collects the water in the tablet holding section 15 around the electrolysis-promoting tablets 6.

[0032] With the above configuration, the electrolysis promotion tablet 6 is held at a predetermined position in the tablet holding section 15 for each operation, and water in the tablet holding section 15 is collected around the held electrolysis promotion tablet 6, thereby suppressing variations in the flow rate of water coming into contact with the electrolysis promotion tablet 6 for each operation. This makes it possible to improve the reproducibility of the dissolution of the electrolysis promotion tablet 6.

[0033] In the present invention, a specific method for holding the electrolysis-promoting tablets 6 at predetermined positions in the tablet-holding compartment 15 and collecting water in the tablet-holding compartment 15 to the held electrolysis-promoting tablets 6 will be described.

[0034] The holding and collecting mechanism 16 holds the electrolysis promotion tablets 6 in place by the lower end rib 22 and the water collecting surface 12b, and collects water in the tablet holding section 15 onto the held electrolysis promotion tablets 6.

[0035] The lower end rib 22 is a plate that protrudes vertically upward and is provided along the downstream end of the flow path 13 of the water collecting surface 12b. The lower end rib 22 has an opening 23 that opens in a part of it.

[0036] The opening 23 is provided in the lower rib 22 at the most downstream position of the flow path 13, and is an opening that cuts out the lower rib 22 from the upper end to the lower end, and the width of the opening is set shorter than the minor axis of the spheroidal electrolysis-promoting tablet 6. Water in the tablet holding compartment 15 flows into the electrolysis compartment 17 by passing through the opening 23.

[0037] The water collecting surface 12b is inclined toward the position where the opening 23 is provided.

[0038] With the above configuration, the electrolysis promotion tablet 6 inserted by the tablet insertion mechanism 3 moves toward the opening 23 due to the inclination of the water collection surface 12b, and is held by the lower-end rib 22. Note that the opening 23 has a width that is shorter than the minor axis of the electrolysis promotion tablet 6, so the electrolysis promotion tablet 6 does not move into the electrolysis compartment 17, but is held by the lower-end rib 22 in contact with the opening 23.

[0039] Next, the main operations of the electrolyzed water generating device 1 that are related to this embodiment will be described.

[0040] First, the tablet injection mechanism 3 begins operation, and the tablet injection member rotates, causing the electrolysis-accelerating tablet 6 to drop from the opening of the tablet injection case 19 into the tablet holding section 15. The dropped electrolysis-accelerating tablet 6 moves to the opening 23 due to the inclination of the water collection surface 12b and is held there by the lower rib 22. Next, the water supply device begins operation, and water is supplied from the water supply duct 21 into the casing 5. The water supplied from the water supply duct 21 falls into the water supply section 14, is collected at the opening 23 due to the inclination of the water collection surface 12b, and flows out of the opening 23 into the electrolysis section 17 while coming into contact with the electrolysis-accelerating tablet 6 held there. The water supply device continues operation for a certain period of time to reach the desired water level, and then stops. At this time, the electrolysis-accelerating tablet 6 has settled on the water collection surface 12b due to gravity, and is unable to move beyond the lower rib 22 toward downstream of the flow path 13, and continues to dissolve as the water moves. Next, a voltage is applied to the first electrode and the second electrode, and the sodium chloride dissolved in the water is consumed to produce water containing hypochlorous acid.

[0041] That is, the holding and collecting mechanism 16 comprises a water collection surface 12b and a lower end rib 22, the water collection surface 12b being the bottom surface of the water supply section 14 and the tablet holding section 15 in the flow path 13, the lower end rib 22 being a plate that protrudes vertically upward and is arranged along the downstream end of the flow path 13 of the water collection surface 12b, and has an opening 23 cut out from the top to the bottom at the most downstream position of the flow path 13, the water collection surface 12b is inclined towards the position where the opening 23 is provided, and after the electrolysis promoting tablet 6 is inserted by the tablet insertion mechanism 3, it is held in contact with the opening 23 by the water collection surface 12b and the lower end rib 22.

[0042] The electrolysis-accelerating tablet 6 is held in the lower-end rib 22 while in contact with the opening 23 at every operation. Furthermore, because the water in the tablet holding compartment 15 flows into the electrolysis compartment 17 by passing through the opening 23, the water in the tablet holding compartment 15 is collected at the electrolysis-accelerating tablet 6. This allows the electrolysis-accelerating tablet 6 to be held in a predetermined position in the tablet holding compartment 15 at every operation, and the water in the tablet holding compartment 15 is collected at the held electrolysis-accelerating tablet 6, making it possible to suppress variations in the flow rate of water coming into contact with the electrolysis-accelerating tablet 6 at every operation. This makes it possible to improve the reproducibility of the dissolution of the electrolysis-accelerating tablet 6.

[0043] If there is a corner formed by the intersection of two planes on the water collection surface 12b, the water flow will be turbulent and the flow speed will become unstable when water moves across this corner. Therefore, the water collection surface 12b is configured with a curved surface without corners. As a result, a water flow with a more stable flow speed can be obtained.

[0044] Furthermore, it is desirable to rectify the water flow upstream of the water collection surface 12b so that it approaches a straight line toward the opening 23, so that water can be collected toward the electrolysis-promoting tablets 6 held in the opening 23. For this reason, the water collection surface 12b is configured so that the lowest point of a series of multiple cross sections perpendicular to the flow direction of the flow channel forms an apex line A, which is a straight line toward the opening 23. As a result, a force acts to rectify the water flow so that it flows along the apex line A even on cross sections of the water collection surface 12b perpendicular to the flow direction of the flow channel 13. Note that, in this embodiment, the flow direction of the flow channel 13 is the direction from the first side surface 8 to the second side surface 9, which is parallel to the third side surface 10 and the fourth side surface 11.

[0045] That is, the water collection surface 12b has a curved shape that is convex downward, and has an apex line A which is a straight line connecting the lowest points of multiple consecutive cross sections of the water collection surface 12b that are perpendicular to the flow direction of the flow path 13, and the opening 23 is located on the apex line A.

[0046] With the above configuration, the water flowing through the flow path 13 at the water collection surface 12b is rectified so that it collects on the electrolysis promotion tablets 6 held in the openings 23. This makes it possible to further reduce variations in the flow rate of water that comes into contact with the electrolysis promotion tablets 6 for each operation. This makes it possible to further improve the reproducibility of the dissolution of the electrolysis promotion tablets 6.

[0047] Furthermore, it is desirable that the lower end rib 22 has an arc-shaped protruding portion 24 that has the opening 23 as its apex and is convex in the downstream direction of the flow path 13 .

[0048] The lower end rib 22 may be capable of holding the electrolysis-promoting tablet 6 in the opening 23, but if the inclination angle of the wall surface near the opening 23 is gentle, the water flowing into the opening 23 may temporarily move the electrolysis-promoting tablet 6 to a position away from the opening 23.

[0049] For the above reasons, by providing a convex arc-shaped protrusion 24 on the lower side of the flow path 13 with the opening 23 as the apex and by further inclining the wall surface near the opening 23, it is possible to obtain an electrolyzed water generator 1 that can more reliably hold the electrolysis promotion tablet 6 on the lower end rib 22 while it is in contact with the opening 23. This makes it possible to further improve the reproducibility of the dissolution of the electrolysis promotion tablet 6.

[0050] It is also desirable to provide the electrolysis mechanism 7 in the flow channel so that the apex line A is located between the first electrode and the second electrode.

[0051] That is, the electrolysis mechanism 7 comprises a plate-shaped first electrode and a second electrode that perform electrochemical processing when an electric current is passed through them, and the electrolysis mechanism 7 is disposed within the flow path 13 so that the apex line A is located between the first electrode and the second electrode.

[0052] The water supplied to the water supply compartment 14 dissolves the electrolysis promotion tablets 6 and flows out into the electrolysis compartment 17 only through the opening 23. Therefore, in the electrolysis compartment 17 downstream of the opening 23 in the flow path 13, the concentration of the components of the electrolysis promotion tablets 6 tends to be high near the apex line A.

[0053] Furthermore, the electrolysis mechanism 7 in the present invention applies a voltage to a first electrode and a second electrode immersed in water in which the electrolysis-promoting tablets 6 are dissolved, thereby electrochemically treating the water, and produces water containing hypochlorous acid using the components of the electrolysis-promoting tablets 6 contained in the water located between the first and second electrodes.

[0054] For the above reasons, by providing the electrolysis mechanism 7 in the flow path 13 so that the apex line is located between the first electrode and the second electrode, the ability of the electrolysis mechanism 7 to electrochemically treat water is improved. This makes it possible to obtain an electrolyzed water generator that can more efficiently generate water containing hypochlorous acid.

[0055] Although the electrolysis promoting tablet 6 in the present invention uses sodium chloride, there are no limitations on the ingredients, and any other substance that can supply chloride ions will do. Furthermore, a buffer such as phosphoric acid may be mixed in order to adjust the pH, and there are no limitations on the composition. [Industrial Applicability]

[0056] The electrolyzed water generating device of the present invention can generate water containing hypochlorous acid by electrochemically treating water in which electrolysis-promoting tablets have been dissolved, and is expected to be useful as a device for generating water containing hypochlorous acid in a short time and with consistent concentration. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1 Electrolyzed water generator 2 Generation part 3. Tablet injection mechanism 4 Water supply section 5 Casing 6 Electrolysis Accelerator Tablets 7 Electrolysis mechanism 8 First aspect 9 Second aspect 10 Third aspect 11 Fourth aspect 12 Bottom 12a 1st horizontal plane 12b Water catchment surface 12c 2nd horizontal plane 13 Flow path 14 Water Supply Section 15 pill holding compartments 16 Water retention mechanism 17 Electrolysis Compartment 18 Electrode case 19 Tablet case 20 Tablet dispenser cover 21 Water supply duct 21a opening A top line

Claims

1. a generating unit capable of storing water; A water supply unit that supplies water to the generation unit; a flow path through which the supplied water flows; a tablet injection mechanism for injecting a solid electrolysis promotion tablet that dissolves in water into the flow path; an electrolysis mechanism that electrochemically treats the water in the flow path; The flow path is a water supply section supplied with water by the water supply unit; a tablet holding section into which the electrolysis-accelerating tablets are inserted from the tablet inserting mechanism and held; an electrolysis compartment in which the electrolysis mechanism is provided; The water supplied from the water supply unit flows through the water supply compartment, the tablet holding compartment, and the electrolysis compartment in this order; An electrolytic water generating device characterized in that a holding and collecting mechanism is provided between the tablet holding compartment and the electrolysis compartment to hold the electrolysis-promoting tablet in a predetermined position within the tablet holding compartment and to collect water within the tablet holding compartment on the electrolysis-promoting tablet.

2. The water holding and collecting mechanism includes a water collecting surface and a lower end rib, the water collecting surface is a bottom surface of the water supply compartment and the tablet holding compartment in the flow path; The lower end rib is a plate that protrudes upward in the vertical direction and is provided along the downstream end of the flow path of the water collecting surface, an opening cut from an upper end to a lower end at a position on the most downstream side of the flow path; The water collecting surface is inclined toward the position where the opening is provided, The electrolytic water generating device according to claim 1, characterized in that after the electrolysis promoting tablet is inserted by the tablet inserting mechanism, it is held in contact with the opening by the water collecting surface and the lower end rib.

3. The water collecting surface has a curved shape that is convex downward, a vertex line that is a straight line connecting the lowest points of a plurality of successive cross sections of the water collecting surface that are perpendicular to the flow direction of the flow channel; 3. The electrolyzed water generating device according to claim 2, wherein the opening is located on the apex line.

4. The electrolytic water generating device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the lower end rib has an arc-shaped protruding portion with the opening as its apex and convex in the downstream direction of the flow path.

5. the electrolysis mechanism includes a plate-shaped first electrode and a plate-shaped second electrode that perform an electrochemical process when energized; 5. The electrolyzed water generating device according to claim 3, wherein an electrolysis mechanism is provided in the flow path so that the apex line is located between the first electrode and the second electrode.

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