JPH02203989A - Ion water generator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain proper pH values by providing a pair of measuring elements for detecting electric resistance in a drinking-water feed channel and connecting the elements to a resistance measuring means. CONSTITUTION:Water passage members such as an electrolytic tank 14, a water purifier 24, etc., are disposed in a wall-surface-side casing 12. City water introduced into a feed water inlet 8a through a feed water pipe 8 is regulated by turning a solenoid valve 19 ON/OFF through operations of an operation button 4a and then is passed through a water pipe 20, a branch 21, and the inner side of a feed water in-and-out pipe 22 to be introduced into a water purifier 24, whereby the city water is purified by the water purifier 24. The purified city water from the bottom of the purifier 24 passes the outer side of the pipe 22 and returns to the branch 21, wherefrom the purified water is introduced into the electrolytic tank 14 through a water lead pipe 25, whereby the water is electrolyzed and acidic ion water thus generated is discharged from an acidic water discharge pipe 17.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to improvements in ionized water generators.

(Prior art and its problems) The quality of drinking water supplied to the electrolytic cell of an ionized water generator varies depending on the region, etc., and if a constant voltage is applied to the electrolytic cell, There has been a problem in that the pH value of alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water varies greatly depending on the region and the like, making it impossible to obtain alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water having a stable PH value from an ionized water generator.

Therefore, conventionally, a concentration changeover switch 52 for changing the applied voltage is provided in the electric circuit as shown in FIG.
By selectively switching this concentration changeover switch 52 as appropriate, the voltage applied to the electrolytic cell 54 is adjusted, the electrolytic strength within the electrolytic cell 54 is adjusted, and alkali ions having a constant pH value are supplied from the ionized water generator. Water and acidic ionized water were to be obtained. In the figure, 51 is a transformer, and 53 is a rectifier.

In this way, conventionally, the user operates the concentration selector switch 52 to adjust the pH value of the alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water to be generated, depending on the quality of the drinking water flowing into the electrolytic cell 54. In reality, it is difficult for a user to obtain alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water with appropriate pH values by operating such a concentration selector switch 52.
There was a problem that problems occurred during use.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention has been devised in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and it is possible to generate -C' ionized water to obtain alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water with stable pH values. The purpose is to provide a device for producing alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water by electrolyzing drinking water by applying a DC voltage between the electrodes in an electrolytic cell to which drinking water is supplied. In the ionized water generator, a pair of measuring elements for detecting the electrical resistance of the drinking water is provided in the drinking water supply channel or in the electrolytic cell, and the measuring element is connected to a resistance value measuring means, and The present invention further includes a control means for controlling the voltage applied to the electrode based on the electrical resistance value measured by the resistance value measuring means.

Moreover, the second gist is that the electrode in the electrolytic cell also serves as a measuring element.

(Function) The measuring element detects the electrical resistance of the drinking water that can be completely supplied into the electrolytic cell, and the electrical resistance value of the drinking water is input to the control means via the resistance value measuring means. The voltage applied to the electrodes in the electrolytic cell is controlled based on the resistance value, and the voltage applied to the electrodes is varied depending on the quality of the drinking water flowing into the electrolytic cell. It becomes possible to generate alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water with stable pH values.

(Example) Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

FIG. 1(a) shows a front view of the ionized water generator installed in the kitchen room. In the figure, a kitchen cabinet 1 capable of storing equipment, etc. is installed on the floor side of the kitchen room. A counter 2 forming a sink is disposed on the upper surface side of the kitchen cabinet 1, and a faucet fitting 3 capable of supplying hot water, etc. into the sink is attached to the counter 2.

The ionized water generator 4 shown in Fig. 1 (b) is installed on the wall W of the kitchen room above the counter 2, and 5 parts of the wall W have storage space for storing equipment, etc. A cabinet 5 is installed.

In addition, in FIG. 1(b), 4a is a solenoid valve 1 which will be described later.
This is an operation button for turning on and off 9.

In this example, a power supply box 6 is installed in the storage space S inside the curved openable door 5a of the storage cabinet 5, and the power supply box 6 and the ionized water generator 4 have a code 7. connected via.

A water supply pipe 8 that supplies tap water to the ionized water generator 4 is connected to the bottom side of the ionized water generator 4, and a water supply pipe 8 that supplies tap water to the ionized water generator 4 is connected to the side of the water supply pipe 8. An alkaline water pipe 9 capable of discharging alkaline ionized water to the outside is provided,
Further, an acidic wood pipe 10 is provided which can discharge the acidic ionized water generated in the ionized water generator 4 to the outside. An acidic water tank 11 capable of storing acidic water is connected to the lower end of the acidic water pipe 10, and the acidic water tank 11 is placed on the top side of the counter 2.

In this example, the power supply box 6 and the ionized water generator 4 have a separable structure as shown in FIG. The power supply box 6 and the ionized water generator 4 can be connected via the power supply box 7 . Therefore, the ionized water generator 4 and the power supply box 6 can be handled separately and independently during transportation, installation on the wall surface W, etc.
Connectors 6a and 7a after being installed separately on a wall surface W etc.
It is possible to integrate the two and connect them.

The internal structure of the ionized water generator 4 is shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, and the ionized water generator 4 is explained in detail.
The case body constituting the outer peripheral surface of is composed of a wall side case body 12 fixedly installed on the wall W side, and a lid side case body 13 constituting the front side, and the wall side case body 12 and the lid side The case body 13 can be divided at a dividing surface at approximately the center, and the lid side case body 13 can be removed to the front side for easy maintenance and the like. still,
When the two parts are integrated, the split faces are fitted in a watertight manner via a seal or the like.

FIG. 3 shows the structural members disposed within the wall-side case body 12. As shown in FIG.

In the figure, an electrolytic cell 14 is arranged in the center of the tank, and a water supply inflow pipe 15 that can supply water into the electrolytic cell 14 is provided.
a and 15b are connected to the upper and lower parts of the electrolytic cell 14, and at the upper right of the electrolytic cell 14, there is an alkaline water discharge pipe 16 that can discharge alkaline ionized water electrolyzed and generated in the electrolytic cell 14. is set up. In addition, the electrolytic tank 14
An acidic water discharge pipe 17 capable of discharging acidic ionized water simultaneously generated in the electrolytic cell 14 is installed on the bottom right side in the figure. The alkaline water discharge pipe 16 is connected to the vibrator 18,
It is connected to an alkaline water inlet 9a which is arranged in a protruding manner downward from the bottom surface 12a of the wall side case body 12, and the above-mentioned alkaline water pipe 9 is connected to this alkaline water inlet 9a.
Alkaline ionized water can flow out to the outside.

Further, the acidic water discharge pipe 17 is connected to the acidic water inlet 10a, which is disposed in a protruding manner below the bottom surface 12a of the wall-side case body 12, via a pipe or the like (not shown), and this acidic water inlet 10a is connected to the acidic water inlet 10a, as described above. , it can be connected to the acidic water pipe 10 and the acidic ion water can flow out to the outside.

A water inlet 8a is disposed in a downwardly protruding manner at the center of the bottom surface 12a of the wall side case body 12, which is between the acidic water inlet 10a and the alkaline water inlet 9a.
The aforementioned water supply pipe 8 is connected to the water supply pipe 8, and tap water is supplied from the water supply pipe 8 to this water supply port 8a.

Further, this water supply port 8a is connected to a solenoid valve 19 disposed on the inner upper surface side of the bottom surface 12a, and a water flow pipe 20 disposed in a bent shape is further connected to this solenoid valve 19. The end portion of the water pipe 20 is connected to a branch portion 21. In addition, the branch part 21 has a water supply pipe 2 having a double structure.
2 is connected, and a water purifier 24 is detachably attached to the upper end of the water supply pipe 22 via a connecting stand 23. In addition, a water conduit 25 is provided in the branch portion 21 in an upright manner.
are connected, and the upper and lower ends of the water conduit pipe 25 are connected to the water supply inflow pipes 1sa, , isb described above.

Further, the connecting table 23 has a rotatable support plate 2 on its lower surface side.
7 is arranged, and the connecting table 23 is connected via this support plate 27.
The water purifier 24 has a structure that can be rotated forward, and the water purifier 24 can be replaced as necessary.

In this way, the electrolytic cell 14. is recessed inside the wall case body 1.2. Solenoid valve 19999 water pipe, branch part 21
．． A water path member including a water purifier 24 and the like is provided, and tap water introduced into the water supply port 8a through the water supply pipe 8 is turned to O by the solenoid valve 19 through the operation of the operation button 4a.
N, OFF controlled, water flow vibrator 20 and branch part 21
The tap water passes through the inner pipe side of the water supply pipe 22 and is guided into the water purifier 24, where it is purified by the water purifier 24, and the purified tap water is passed from the bottom side of the water purifier 24 to the water supply pipe 22. The water passes through the outer pipe side of 22 and returns to the branch part 21, is guided from this branch part 21 to the water conduit pipe 25, and is introduced into the electrolytic cell 14 through the feed water inflow pipes 15a and 15b. The purified water introduced is in electrolytic tank 1
4 and generated from the alkaline water discharge pipe 16 side, the alkaline ionized water is also electrolyzed in the acidic water discharge pipe 17.
Acidic ion water generated from the side is discharged.

In this example, among the water path members, the solenoid valve 19, the branch portion 21. Water supply hole 8a, acidic water port 10a.

The alkaline water port 9a is integrally fixed to a single metal mounting plate 26, and after such a water path member is integrally attached to the mounting plate 26, the mounting plate 26 is attached to the bottom surface of the wall side case body 12. 12a. Therefore, solenoid valve 199 branch technique branch 1. The water inlet Ba, alkaline water inlet 9a, and acidic water inlet 10a are firmly supported by the mounting plate 26, and the tightening force when connecting the water supply pipe 8, etc. from the outside is directly transmitted to the mounting plate 26, and maintenance etc. It is easy to operate, and damage to the bottom surface 12a of the wall-side case body 12 can be effectively prevented.

Next, electric components such as an electric circuit board 28 are installed in a recessed manner in the lid-side case body 13 mentioned above, and on the upper surface side of the electric circuit board 28, there is a resin plate to protect the electric circuit board 28. A protective plate 29 such as the like is covered. Therefore, the lid-side case body 13 can be removed from the wall-side case body 12, and only the electrical components such as the electric circuit board 28 can be taken out together with the lid-side case body 13, making it possible to easily maintain the electrical system. At this time, the electric circuit board 28 is protected by the protection plate 29, and no damage will occur.

Furthermore, by removing the lid-side case body 13, maintenance of the water passage member inside the wall-side case body 12 can be performed satisfactorily.

As shown in FIG. 6, a recessed cord groove 30 is formed in the vertical direction on the back side of the wall side case body 12, and the cord 7 described above is inserted into this cord groove 30. , the cord 7 can be properly arranged along the wall-side case body 12. Further, a side step portion 31.31 is formed at the side edge of the wall side case body 12, and the cord 7 is placed along the side step portion 31 so that the cord 7 can be properly routed. It is also possible to do so.

Similarly, a recessed bottom step 32 is formed on the bottom of the wall side case body 12, and a cord 7 is connected to the bottom step 32.
It is also possible to run the wire along the wire, and the cord 7 can be neatly wired while being hidden from the front side.

Next, the internal structure of the electrolytic cell 14 will be explained in detail based on FIGS. 7 and 8.

The electrolytic cell 14 in this example has a double structure consisting of an outer case 34 that constitutes the outer peripheral wall surface and an inner case 35 that is housed inside the outer case 34, and is shown in a cross-sectional view in FIG. As shown, negative electrodes 36a, 36c are provided along the inner wall surface of the outer case 34.
are arranged respectively, and a similar negative electrode 36b is arranged in parallel in the central part.

Positive electrodes 38a, 38b are arranged between the negative electrodes 36a, 36b, 36c, and each positive electrode 3
Ion exchange membranes 37a and 37b are formed in a lattice shape with appropriate gaps formed on the peripheral surfaces of 8a and 38b.
are provided around the area.

The inner case 35, 35 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of each of the ion exchange membranes 37a and 37b,
Each of the inner cases 35, 35 is connected to the negative electrode 3.
6a, 36c and 36b and narrow gaps S and S, respectively.
These gaps S are arranged so that drinking water can pass through each gap S.

That is, in this example, the inner case 35 is the outer case 3.
They are arranged as a pair of units within 4.

Further, the negative electrodes 36a, 36b, and 36c are connected to the electrode terminal Xl.

Moreover, the positive electrodes 3, ga, 3, 8. , b are connected to the electrode terminal X.

Note that the water supply inflow pipe 15a described above is connected to the inner case 3.
On the other hand, the water supply inflow pipe 15b is connected to the outer case 34 so as to communicate therewith. Further, the alkaline water discharge pipe 16 is connected to communicate with the outer case 34, while the acidic water discharge pipe 17 is connected to communicate with the inner case 35.

Therefore, the drinking water flowing into the inner case 35 from the water supply inflow pipe 15a becomes acidic ion water while flowing inside, and is discharged to the outside from the acidic water discharge pipe 17. Meanwhile, the drinking water flowing into the outer case 34 from the water supply inflow pipe 15b becomes alkaline ionized water while passing through the interior, and is discharged to the outside through the alkaline water discharge pipe 16.

In this example, since the electrolytic cell 14 has a double structure, there is no need for a separate device to separate the alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water that are generated internally, and the simple structure can effectively separate the alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water. It becomes possible to separate the ionized water and take it out.

Next, FIG. 9 shows an example of an electric circuit diagram of the reservoir of the electrolytic cell 14.

A transformer 39 is disposed on the upstream side of the electrolysis circuit R1 connected to the electrodes of the electrolytic cell 14, and the transformer 39 reduces the voltage of, for example, 100V to about 42V.

A rectifier 40 is disposed downstream of the transformer 39, and the rectifier 40 converts alternating current into direct current. Further, a transistor 41 is disposed downstream of the rectifier 40, and a changeover switch 42 is disposed downstream of the transistor 41.

On the other hand, a measurement circuit R8 is connected to this changeover switch 42, and a resistance meter 43 is disposed in the measurement circuit R8.
is connected. Further, this CPU 45 is connected to the changeover switch 42, and a density switching means 46 is further connected to the CPU 45. Further, a controller 48 is connected to the CPU 45 via a D/A converter 47, and this controller 48 is connected to the transistor 4.
Connected to 1.

In such a configuration, when the operation button 4a of the ionized water generator 4 is operated, the changeover switch 42 is operated via the CPU 45, and the changeover switch 42 enters the state shown in FIG. 9, cutting off the electrolytic circuit R1. At the same time, the measurement circuit R1 is connected. At this time, drinking water has started flowing into the electrolytic cell 14, so drinking water has accumulated in the electrolytic cell 14, and the electrical resistance value of the drinking water in the electrolytic cell is measured by the resistance meter 43. Ru.

In addition, in this example, the positive electrode 38a in the electrolytic cell 14,
38b and negative electrodes 36a, 36b, and 36c are used as measuring elements for measuring the electrical resistance value. The measured value from the resistance meter 43 is converted into a digital signal by the A/D converter 44 and input into the CPU 45. This C
The current value set by the user using the concentration switching means 46 is input in advance to the PU 45, and the CPU 45 calculates the voltage to be applied based on this set current value and the measured resistance value from the resistance meter 43. A signal is output to the controller 48 via the /A converter 47. The controller 48 operates the transistor 41 based on this signal, and at this time, the changeover switch 42 is in the reset state, and the electrolytic circuit R is connected to the positive electrode 38a in the electrolytic cell 14.

A predetermined DC voltage is applied from the transistor 41 to the negative electrodes 38b and the negative electrodes 36a, 36b, and 36c.

As described above, since the electrical resistance value differs depending on the quality of the drinking water that can flow into the electrolytic cell 14, the voltage applied can be well controlled depending on the electrical resistance value, and the concentration switching means can be used for any water quality. Alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water having the desired pH value set in step 46 can be prevented from flowing out from the ionized water generator 4.

FIG. 10 is a timing chart diagram of the circuit of FIG. 9.

In this example, the electrical resistance of drinking water is measured by switching the changeover switch 42 at the start of use of the G, but as shown in the timing chart,
The changeover switch 42 is periodically controlled by timer control by U45.
It is also possible to periodically measure the electrical resistance of drinking water by switching the

Further, in this example, the electrode in the electrolytic cell 14 is used as the measuring element, but the measuring element is separately connected to the electrolytic cell 14 or to the supply waterway upstream of the electrolytic cell 14 or to the ionized water generator 4. It can be installed inside a water supply pipe, for example, inside the water supply inflow pipe 15a, the water guide pipe 259, and the water flow pipe 20.

Incidentally, if the density switching means 46 is set to the standard value,
Alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water with a constant pH value can be obtained automatically by the CPU 45, but the pH value of the alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water to be discharged can be adjusted by operating this concentration switching means 46 according to preference. can be set to a desired value, and the range of use can be expanded depending on the purpose of the alkaline ion water and acidic ion water to be discharged.

(Effects of the Invention) The ionized water generator of the present invention electrolyzes drinking water by applying a DC voltage between electrodes in an electrolytic cell to which drinking water is supplied, and generates alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water. In the ionized water generator, a pair of measuring elements for detecting the electrical resistance of the drinking water is provided in the drinking water supply channel or in the electrolytic cell, and the measuring elements are connected to a resistance value measuring means. , by comprising a control means for controlling the voltage applied to the electrode based on the electrical resistance value measured by the resistance value measuring means, the voltage applied to the electrode is controlled based on the electrical resistance value of the drinking water supplied into the electrolytic cell. The applied voltage is well controlled, making it possible to obtain alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water with a stable pH value for drinking water of any quality, improving the ionized water generation function and making the operation easier. This has the effect of making it an ionized water generator with extremely good properties.

Furthermore, by using the electrodes in the electrolytic cell as the measuring element, there is no need to separately provide a measuring element, and the ionized water generator has the advantage of being simple and compact in structure.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The figures show an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 (a) is a front configuration diagram of the ionized water generator installed on the wall of the kitchen room, and Figure 1 (a) is an external perspective view of the ionized water generator. , second
The figure is a schematic configuration diagram showing the connection state between the ionized water generator and the power supply box. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional side view taken along line A-A in Figure 3, and Figure 5 is a cross-sectional side view taken along line B-B in Figure 3.
Line sectional bottom view, Figure 6 is a rear view of the ionized water generator, Figure 7
8 is a longitudinal sectional view of FIG. 7, FIG. 9 is an electric circuit diagram showing an example, FIG. 10 is a timing chart diagram based on the electric circuit of FIG. 9, and FIG. FIG. 11 is a conventional electrical circuit diagram. 4... Ionized water generator 8a... Water supply port 9a...
・Alkaline water lJ 10a... Acidic water mouth weight 9 12... Wall side case body 14... Electrolytic tank zO... Water pipe 28... Electric circuit board 34... Outer case 35-... - Inner case 36a, 36b, 36c... - Negative electrode 37a, 3
7b--Ion exchange membranes 38a, 38b...Positive electrode 41...Transistor 4-2...Selector switch 4
3... Resistance meter 45... CPU46... Concentration switching means 48... Controller R4... Electrolysis circuit R2...; Measuring circuit 13... Lid side case body 19... Solenoid valve 24 ...Water purifier 2,

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) In an ionized water generator that generates alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water by electrolyzing drinking water by applying a DC voltage between electrodes in an electrolytic cell to which drinking water is supplied, A pair of measuring elements for detecting the electrical resistance of the drinking water is provided in the supply waterway or in the electrolytic cell, and the measuring element is connected to a resistance value measuring means,
An ionized water generator comprising: a control means for controlling a voltage applied to the electrode based on the electrical resistance value measured by the resistance value measuring means. (2) The ionized water generator according to item 1, wherein the electrode in the electrolytic cell also serves as a measuring element.