JPH08218451A - Drinking water maker - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To obtain the drinking water having a good taste and agreeable for health by providing the first container for storing water, the second container for adding a mineral, a mineral additive provided in the second container, a pump, and a selector valve. CONSTITUTION: Water is put in the first container 2, and the water in the first container 2 is circulated in the second container 3 by the drive of a pump 4. The water pressure of the pump 4 is dispersed by several holes of a perforated plate 9 connected to a pipe 5b to generate several water currents, a natural mineral source 10 provided in the second container 3 is pushed up, and the water in the first container 2 becomes the water dissolved with a mineral in abundance and having a good taste when this circulation is repeated. A selector valve 7 is switched to the pipe 13 side via the action of a switch 14 to feed mineral water.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a drinking water maker used at home or for commercial use.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the deterioration of the quality of tap water, there are many products on the market which are attached to a tap of a water purifier or the like to purify tap water to produce high-quality drinking water. Most of these are for removing components such as free chlorine (chlorinated odor), musty odor, and trihalomethane in tap water, which make the water unpleasant.

On the other hand, the number of tasting water producing devices that are delicious and useful for promoting health by adding minerals (especially calcium, which is said to be deficient in Japanese people) to tap water or purified tap water is also increasing. . There are roughly two methods of adding minerals, one using a natural mineral source and the other using a food additive. However, the food additive is often used because it is easier to handle.

[0004]

However, in the method using the above-mentioned food additives, the taste is rather deteriorated when the amount added is excessive. In addition, there are some that are worried about their effects on health, such as phosphates. Further, in the case of a method using a natural mineral source such as coral sand, the effect of addition is small because the amount of minerals eluted is small.

The present invention solves the problems of such conventional methods. By increasing the amount of dissolved natural mineral source, drinking water with good taste and good health can be produced. The primary purpose is to provide a drinking water maker.

It is a second object of the present invention to provide a drinking water producing device which filters the produced water to remove foreign substances and bacteria and makes the drinking water pleasant to the mouth.

A third object of the present invention is to provide a drinking water producing device capable of increasing the content of minerals.

A fourth object of the present invention is to provide a drinking water producing device capable of removing bad components in tap water and producing delicious and safe water.

A fifth object of the present invention is to provide a drinking water producing apparatus in which the finished water is cooled to further improve the taste.

In addition to the above-mentioned fifth object, it is a sixth object to provide a drinking water producing device which can be used by boiling the produced water.

A seventh object of the present invention is to provide a drinking water producing device which can automatically supply water from the water supply and saves the trouble of supplying water.

[0012]

The first means of the present invention for achieving the first object is a first container for containing water,
A second container for adding minerals, a mineral additive provided in the second container, a pump for sending water in the first container to the second container, a pump and the first container, and A first pipe connecting the second container, a second pipe for circulating water from the upper part of the second container to the upper part of the first container, and a switching valve provided in the middle of the first pipe. , A drinking water production machine provided with a third pipe for water supply connected to the switching valve.

The second means of the present invention for achieving the second object is to provide a drinking water producing machine further comprising a filter in the middle of the third pipe.

A third means of the present invention for achieving the third object is to provide a drinking water maker in which a heating means is further provided in the second container.

A fourth means of the present invention for achieving the fourth object is to provide a drinking water producing device in which activated carbon for water purification is further provided in the second container.

A fifth means of the present invention for achieving the fifth object is to provide a drinking water maker in which a cooling means is further provided in the first container.

[0017] A sixth means of the present invention for achieving the sixth object is, in particular, a drinking water maker in which a cooling means and a heating means are provided in the first container.

The seventh means of the present invention for attaining the seventh object is that the upper part of the first container is further directly connected to the tap of the water supply via the solenoid valve by the fourth pipe. The drinking water producing device is provided with the water level detecting means for detecting the water level in the container.

[0019]

The first means of the present invention is to circulate the water in the first container to the second container by the pump to dissolve the natural minerals in the water and to make water with good taste and good health. It is a thing.

A second means of the present invention is that a filter provided in the second container removes foreign matters such as fine particles generated from a mineral source and bacteria such as Escherichia coli, and provides water with a more pleasant taste. To make.

The third means of the present invention is to increase the solubility of calcium carbonate, which is the main component of the natural mineral source, by raising the temperature of the second container by the heating means,
By increasing the amount of this elution, it is possible to make more mineral-rich water.

The fourth means of the present invention is that activated carbon provided in the second container removes bad components such as chlorine, musty odor, trihalomethane, etc. in water to make safe water with good taste.

The fifth means of the present invention is to cool the mineral-rich water produced by the cooling means provided in the first container to make the water taste better.

The sixth means of the present invention is to prepare a drinking water producing machine having a wide range of uses by cooling or heating the mineral water produced by the cooling means and the heating means provided in the first container. Is.

Further, a seventh means of the present invention is to provide a drinking water producing device capable of automatically supplying water from the water supply by connecting the first container and the water supply.

[0026]

【Example】

(Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
It will be described based on. The following parts are provided in the drinking water production machine main body 1. Reference numeral 2 is a first container for containing water, and 3 is a second container for adding minerals. In the second container 3, a natural mineral source 10 used as a mineral additive and a mesh 11 provided on the natural mineral source 10 are provided. Further, 4 is a pump for sending the water in the first container 2 to the second container 11. The pump 4 and the first container 2 are connected by a first pipe 5a, and the pump 4 and the second container 3 are connected by a first pipe 5b. A second pipe 12 for circulating water is provided above the second container 3 above the first container 2. A switching valve 7 is provided in the middle of the first pipe 5b, and the switching valve 7 is provided with a third pipe 13 for supplying water to the outside of the device. The switching valve 7 switches the water pumped by the pump 4 between the third pipe 13 side and the first pipe 5b side by a switch 14 provided on the surface of the main body 1. The first pipe 5b is the pump 4
Is connected to the second container 3 via a perforated plate 9 which causes several water flows to be dispersed by several holes.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below. When tap water is put into the first container 2 and a power source (not shown) is turned on, the water in the first container 2 circulates to the second container 3. That is, by driving the pump 4, the first pipe 5a and the first pipe 5b pass through the second container 3 and the second pipe 12
The circulation from the first container 2 to the first container 2 is repeated. At this time, in the plate 9 connected to the first pipe 5b, the water pressure of the pump 4 is dispersed by several holes to cause several water streams. Since this water flow is supplied to the bottom of the second container 3, the natural mineral source 10 provided in the second container 3 is pushed up. Further, at this time, the natural mineral source 10 soared by the water flow does not enter the first container 2 due to the mesh 11.

By repeating this circulation, the container 2
The water inside is water with a good taste that is rich in minerals. When supplying this mineral water, the switch 14 is operated. By operating the switch 14, the switching valve 7 is placed on the side of the third pipe 13.

In this embodiment, water is discharged from the lower side of the natural mineral source 10 so that the natural mineral source 10 floats up along the water flow using the second container 3 as a free space to promote the elution of minerals. Is what you are doing. On the other hand, a structure in which the natural mineral source 10 is fixed in the second container 3 to elute the mineral is also conceivable. Table 1 compares the effects of the above two methods, using mineral sources having the same particle size and the same volume, one of which is fixed to water and the other of which is in free contact and stirred with the same amount of water. The amount of increase of each mineral is measured.

[0030]

[Table 1]

From these results, it is understood that the stirring method in the free space of this embodiment is more effective as the mineral addition method.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the second container 3 for adding minerals is used as a free space and the natural mineral source 10 is agitated by the water flow, whereby the natural minerals are dissolved in water. It is also possible to provide a drinking water maker capable of producing water with good taste and good health.

(Second Embodiment) A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, a filter 15 is provided in the middle of the third pipe 13. Although a hollow fiber membrane is used as the filter 15 in this embodiment, a flat membrane or a volume filtration method may be used.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below. In this embodiment, when the switch 14 is operated to take out the mineral water, the mineral water that has passed through the switching valve 7 is filtered by the filter 15
It is taken out of the device through the. Therefore, the filter 15 can remove small pieces of the natural mineral source 10 and bacteria such as Escherichia coli.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, foreign substances such as fine particles and bacteria such as Escherichia coli generated from the natural mineral source 10 can be removed to make drinking water with a more pleasant taste.

(Embodiment 3) Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, the heating means 16 is provided in the second container 3 as shown in FIG.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below. In this embodiment, the heating means 16 provided in the second container 3 is
The water in the second container 3 and the natural mineral source 10 are heated. Therefore, as in the first embodiment, the first container 2
When water is circulated from the container to the second container 3, the temperature of this water is raised by heating. Table 2 shows the relationship between the water temperature and the solubility of calcium carbonate which is the main component of the natural mineral source.

[0038]

[Table 2]

As can be seen from this table, calcium carbonate is more likely to dissolve at a higher temperature. That is, the structure in which the heating means 16 is provided in the second container 3 of this embodiment is an effective structure for increasing the solubility of calcium carbonate.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, by providing the heating means 16 in the second container 3, the drinking water producing device capable of increasing the temperature of the circulating water and increasing the content of minerals is provided. It is possible.

(Fourth Embodiment) Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, activated carbon 17 for water purification is provided on the mesh 11.

For this reason, the pump 4 causes the first container 2 to
When the water of 2 is circulated from the second container 3 to the first container 2, it passes through the layer of the activated carbon 11 in the second container 3. By passing through the layer of activated carbon 11, bad components such as free chlorine, musty odor and trihalomethane contained in water are removed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, in particular, by providing the activated carbon 17 for water purification in the second container 3, it is possible to remove the bad components in the tap water and to make safe and delicious mineral-added water. It becomes possible to provide a drinking water maker capable of performing the above.

(Fifth Embodiment) Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, a cooling means 1 for cooling the water in the container 2 to the first container 2
8 is provided. As the cooling means 18, a Peltier element is used in this embodiment.

With the above structure, the water containing minerals stored in the first container 2 can be freely cooled by energizing the cooling means 18 by means of an energizing means (not shown). Therefore, the user can drive the cooling means 18 and drink the cooled water as needed.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the first container 2 is provided with the cooling means 18 for cooling the first container 2, and the finished water is cooled to further enhance the taste. A water maker can be provided.

(Sixth Embodiment) Next, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the heating means 19 is provided at the bottom of the first container 2 and the cooling means 18 described in the fifth embodiment is provided at the side surface, so that the surface of the main body 1 can be cooled or heated. The key 20 is provided.

With the above-mentioned structure, the present embodiment functions as a drinking water producing device capable of freely heating and cooling the finished mineral water. That is, when the user selects cooling with the cooling / heating selection key 20, the water in the first container 2 is cooled by the cooling means 18, and when the heating is selected, the water in the first container 2 is removed by the heating means 19. It is heated.

Therefore, in this embodiment, in particular, the first container 2 is provided with the cooling means 18 and the heating means 19, so that the mineral water can be freely heated and cooled, and the production of drinking water having a wide range of applications is possible. It is a container.

(Embodiment 7) Next, a seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, the first container 2 is directly connected to the tap of the water supply.
That is, the fourth pipe 21 connected to the tap of the water supply is provided in the upper part of the first container 2 via the electromagnetic valve 21, and the control means 24 for controlling the opening / closing of the electromagnetic valve 21 is provided in the main body 1. It is provided. The control means 24 opens and closes the solenoid valve 22 based on information from the water level detection means 23a provided at the upper part of the first container 2 and the water level detection means 23b provided at the lower part. The water level detecting means 23a and 23b are constituted by a light emitting element and a light receiving element in this embodiment.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below. When the water level detection means 23b does not detect the presence of water, that is, when the amount of water stored in the first container 2 becomes less than or equal to a predetermined amount, the control means 24 opens the solenoid valve 22. To control. Further, when the water level detection means 23a detects the presence of water, that is, when the amount of water stored in the first container 2 becomes a predetermined amount or more, the control means 24 closes the solenoid valve 22. To control. In this way, the first container 2 can always store a predetermined amount of water or more.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the upper portion of the first container 2 is directly connected to the tap of the water supply through the electromagnetic valve 22 by the fourth pipe 21, and the first container 2 is connected to the inside of the container. As a configuration provided with the water level detection means 23a and 23b for detecting the water level of the above, it is possible to provide a drinking water maker capable of automatically supplying water and adding minerals.

[0053]

The first means of the present invention comprises: a first container for containing water; a second container for adding minerals; a mineral additive provided in the second container; A pump for sending water in the one container to the second container, a first pipe connecting the pump to the first container and the second container, and an upper part of the second container to an upper part of the first container A second pipe that circulates water through the first pipe, a switching valve provided in the middle of the first pipe, and a third pipe for water supply that is connected to the switching valve. It also realizes a drinking water producing device capable of producing good drinking water.

The second means of the present invention, in particular, has a structure in which a filter is provided in the middle of the third pipe, and the resulting water is filtered to remove foreign matters and bacteria, thereby providing drinking water with a pleasant taste. It realizes a drinking water production machine.

Further, the third means of the present invention realizes a drinking water producing device capable of increasing the content of minerals, in particular, by constructing the second container with a heating means.

The fourth means of the present invention is, in particular, a constitution in which an activated carbon for water purification is provided in the second container, which is capable of removing bad components in tap water and producing tasty and safe water. Is realized.

In addition, the fifth means of the present invention realizes a drinking water producing machine in which the finished water is cooled to further improve the taste by using the cooling means in the first container. .

The sixth means of the present invention has a structure in which the first container is provided with a cooling means and a heating means, and the finished mineral water is cooled or heated to produce a wide range of uses for drinking water. To realize a container.

In the seventh means of the present invention, in particular, the upper part of the first container is directly connected to the tap of the water supply by the fourth pipe via the solenoid valve, and the water level in the container is fixed to the first container. As a configuration provided with a water level detecting means for detecting, it is possible to realize a drinking water maker capable of automatically supplying water and adding minerals.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a drinking water producing device which is a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a drinking water producing device according to a second embodiment of the same.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a drinking water producing device according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a drinking water producing device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a drinking water producing device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a drinking water producing device of the sixth embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of a drinking water maker according to the seventh embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 First Container 3 Second Container 4 Pump 10 Mineral Additive 5 First Pipe 12 Second Pipe 7 Switching Valve 13 Third Pipe 15 Filter 16 Heating Means 17 Activated Carbon 18 Cooling Means 19 Heating Means 21th Four pipes 22 Solenoid valve 23 Water level detection means

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A first container for containing water, a second container for adding minerals, a mineral additive provided in the second container, and a second container for water in the first container. , A first pipe connecting the pump to the first container and the second container, and a second pipe for circulating water from the upper part of the second container to the upper part of the first container. And a switching valve provided in the middle of the first pipe, and a third pipe for water supply connected to the switching valve. 2. The drinking water production apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a filter provided in the middle of the third pipe. 3. The heating means is provided in the second container.
Or the drinking water maker of 2 above. 4. The drinking water maker according to claim 1, wherein an activated carbon for water purification is provided in the second container. 5. A cooling means is provided in the first container.
4. The drinking water maker according to any one of 1 to 4. 6. The drinking water maker according to claim 1, wherein the first container is provided with a cooling means and a heating means. 7. The water level detecting means for detecting the water level in the container, wherein the upper part of the first container is directly connected to the tap of the water supply via the solenoid valve by the fourth pipe and the first container is provided. 1
The drinking water maker according to any one of 1 to 6.