JPH0440795Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed explanation of the idea] [Industrial application field]

This invention relates to a device that electrolyzes water and separates it into acidic ionized water and alkaline ionized water.

[Conventional technology and its problems]

Devices that separate water into alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water have been developed. Alkaline ionized water exhibits excellent dissolving power and penetrating power, in addition to its softening and enriching properties. Acidic ionized water exhibits excellent cleaning, sterilizing, and bleaching properties. Taking advantage of these effects, alkaline ionized water is used for drinking water, water for diluting water, and water for coffee and tea. In addition, acidic ion water is used as water for boiling noodles, water for boiling beans, washing water for fruits and vegetables, water for boiling eggs, cleaning water, etc. Acidic ionized water and alkaline ionized water are obtained by providing positive and negative electrodes in a water passage and electrolyzing water with the electrodes. That is,
The positive electrode electrically attracts negative ions such as chlorine and sulfur contained in the water, and the negative electrode attracts positive ions such as calcium ions, sodium ions, magnesium ions, or potassium ions contained in the water. Ru. Therefore, the water drained from the vicinity of the positive electrode becomes acidic ion water containing a large amount of negative ions, and the water drained from the vicinity of the negative electrode becomes alkaline ion water containing a large amount of positive ions. As a device for separating water into alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water is used, positively charged substances are adsorbed to the negative electrode, and negatively charged substances are adsorbed to the positive electrode. These charged substances deposited on the electrode increase the substantial electrical resistance of the electrode surface. When the electrical resistance of the electrode surface increases, the current flowing between the electrodes decreases, and the ion separation ability of the electrodes decreases. That is, the ion concentrations contained in acidic ionized water and alkaline ionized water decrease. The present inventor has developed a device that electrically cleans the positive and negative electrodes by applying a voltage opposite to the normal state. Additionally, a device in which a cleaning electrode is provided near the electrode has also been developed. (Jitsukai Showa 61
−19497 Publication). This device also uses a cleaning electrode to remove deposits on the electrode and electrically clean the electrode. A device that can electrically clean the electrode can prevent the ion concentration of acidic ionized water and alkaline ionized water from decreasing by cleaning the electrode every time it is used for a certain period of time. However, this type of cleaning process has the disadvantage that the electrodes are worn out. Platinum is used for the positive electrode as it is a stable metal that does not corrode.
However, platinum electrodes have the disadvantage that they are subject to significant wear when cleaned by applying a reverse voltage. As an improvement to this electrode, a positive electrode has been developed in which the surface of titanium is coated with iridium. Compared to platinum electrodes, this electrode has the advantage of being less abrasive during reverse voltage cleaning.
It has the disadvantage of being extremely expensive. This is because, in addition to titanium, iridium is extremely high. Furthermore, this electrode cannot be completely freed from wear due to cleaning. That is, the electrodes used in the electrolytic ionized water generating apparatus have the drawback of being subject to significant wear, even though they are made of extremely expensive metals. The shorter the cleaning time, the longer the electrode life. However, shortening the electrode cleaning time has the disadvantage that the ion concentration decreases. it is,
This is because scale adhering to the surface increases the surface resistance of the electrode. In other words, in an electrolytic ionized water generation device, maintaining a high ion concentration and reducing electrode wear are contradictory characteristics.
It was considered extremely difficult to satisfy both at the same time. This device was developed with the aim of solving this drawback, and the important purpose of this device is to prevent a decrease in the ion concentration of wastewater, which has contradictory characteristics, and to prolong the life of the electrode. To provide an ionized water generator.

[Means to solve conventional problems]

The electrolyzed ionized water generating device of this invention has the following configuration in order to achieve the above-mentioned object. An electrolyzed ionized water generator includes an electrolytic tank having an electrode that separates incoming water into alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water, and an acidic ionized water drainage channel and an alkaline ionized water drainage channel connected to this electrolytic tank. , a power source coupled to the electrodes of the electrolytic cell;
and electrode cleaning means for applying a cleaning voltage of opposite polarity to one or both electrodes. The electrode cleaning means is configured to apply a cleaning voltage to the electrode to clean the electrode. Furthermore, the electrode cleaning means of this invention is characterized by having the following configurations. The electrode cleaning means includes an integration timer, a start timer, a calculation member, and a control member. The integration timer integrates and stores the energization time of the electrode in order to measure the total usage time. The calculating means calculates the cleaning time by multiplying the cumulative time of the cumulative timer by a predetermined coefficient. For example, the cleaning time is calculated by multiplying the electrode current application time by 1/10 to 1/60. The start timer sets the cleaning start time. Therefore, the control member applies a cleaning voltage to the electrodes based on the start activation timer and the output signal from the calculation means. An electrolytic cell that separates incoming water into alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water, an acidic ionized water drainage channel and an alkaline ionized water drainage channel connected to this electrolytic cell, and an electrode of the electrolytic cell. Equipped with power supply. The electrodes are electrically cleaned by applying a cleaning voltage of opposite polarity to at least one of the electrodes. Incidentally, in this specification, the term "cleaning voltage" refers to the voltage applied when cleaning the electrodes. Furthermore, a drain valve that communicates with the electrolytic cell and is opened and closed by an electrical signal is connected. The drain valve is, for example, provided in a wash water drain dedicated to wash water, or a valve connected to an acidic ion water drain and an alkaline ion water drain is used in combination. The drain valve is connected to a control circuit, and the opening/closing state of the drain valve is controlled by the control circuit. The electrode cleaning means of this invention uses a start timer to determine when to clean the electrodes. The cleaning time is set during the period when the electrolytic ionized water generator is least used, for example, around 2:00 to 4:00 a.m. The integration timer and the calculation member determine the length of time for applying the cleaning voltage from the total value of the current-carrying time of the electrodes. The electrode energization time is integrated into an integration timer. A calculation member calculates the cleaning time length of the electrode from the accumulated time. For example, the calculation member calculates the cleaning time length of the electrode by multiplying the integrated value of the electrode energization time by 1/30. In this case, if the cumulative value of the electrode current application time is 3 hours, the cleaning voltage is applied to the electrode for 6 minutes. If the integrated value of the electrode current application time is extremely short, the cleaning voltage application time length becomes extremely short. Therefore, if the cumulative energization time of the electrode is below a certain level, 1/30
It is also possible to apply the cleaning voltage for the above certain period of time. For example, when the cumulative electrode energization time is 1 hour or less, the time length for applying the cleaning voltage is calculated as 2
The time will be less than 1 minute, but it can also be set to 2 minutes. The electrolytic ionized water generating apparatus shown in FIG. 1, which shows a preferred embodiment of this invention, is used in the following conditions. In normal use, the positive electrode 8 is connected to the positive side of the power source 16, and the negative electrode 9 is connected to the positive side of the power source 16.
Connected to the negative side of In this state, electrolytic tank 2
The water flowing into the tank is separated into acidic ionized water near the positive electrode 8 and alkaline ionized water near the negative electrode 9. The separated alkaline ionized water containing a large amount of positive ions is drained from the alkaline ionized water drainage channel 10. Acidic ionized water containing negative ions is stored in the acidic ionized water drainage channel 11.
drained from the water. In this state, when a certain amount of alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water are drained, scale adheres to the surfaces of the electrodes 8 and 9, increasing electrical resistance. In particular, positive ion metal elements and the like adhere to the surface of the negative electrode 9. The amount of scale adhering to the surface of the electrode increases in proportion to the time the electrode is energized. The energization time of the electrodes is integrated into an integration timer 25. The start timer 26 is set at night when the electrolyzed ionized water generator is not used. Therefore, at midnight, which is the set time of the start timer 26, the electrodes 8 and 9 are cleaned. The length of time for cleaning by applying a reverse voltage to the electrodes 8 and 9 is calculated by the integration timer 25 and the calculating means 28. That is, the calculation means 28 calculates the integration timer 2
The length of time for applying the cleaning voltage is calculated from the cumulative time in step 5. This signal is sent to the control member 29,
The control member 29 applies a reverse voltage to the electrodes 8 and 9 for cleaning. In the cleaning process, the electrode surface is electrically cleaned to reduce its electrical resistance. In the cleaning process, opposite positive and negative potentials are applied to the electrodes 8 and 9 to drain the positive and negative ionized water. That is, in the cleaning process, the positive electrode 8 is connected to the negative side of the power source 16, and the electrically adsorbed negative ionized substances are forcibly separated by electrical repulsion. On the contrary, the negative electrode 9 is connected to the positive side of the power source 16 to separate the adsorbed ionized substances. As shown in FIG. 2, an apparatus having a cleaning electrode 24 applies a negative voltage to the cleaning electrode 24 and a positive electricity to the negative electrode 9 during the cleaning process. The negative electrode 9 separates electrically adsorbed ionized substances from the electrode surface with an opposite voltage. When a reverse potential is applied to the positive and negative electrodes 8 and 9 or a voltage is applied to the cleaning electrode 24 and water is passed for a time calculated by the calculation means 28, the electrode surface is cleaned and the electrical resistance is reduced. In this way, the electrolytic ionized water generating device of this invention stores the integrated value of the current-carrying time of the electrodes, and calculates the length of time for applying the cleaning voltage from the stored value. Therefore, the cleaning time of the electrodes is always adjusted to the optimum time, and the electrodes can be cleaned cleanly and wear of the electrodes can be reduced.

[Preferred embodiment]

An embodiment of this invention will be described below based on the drawings. However, the embodiments shown below are illustrative of a device for embodying the technical idea of this invention, and the device of this invention has different materials, shapes, and
The structure and arrangement are not limited to those shown below.
Various modifications may be made to the device of this invention within the scope of the claims for utility model registration. The electrolytic ionized water generating device shown in FIG. 1 includes a water filtering means 1, and the water that has passed through the filtering means 1 is electrolyzed to produce alkaline ionized water containing positive ions and acidic ionized water containing negative ions. an alkaline ionized water drainage channel 10 and an acidic ionized water drainage channel 11 that drain the water separated into alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water in the electrolytic tank 2; and this alkaline ionized water drainage channel. 1
Valves 20 and 21 connected to the 0 and acidic ion water drainage channels 11, a power source 16 that applies voltage to the electrodes 8 and 9 of the electrolytic cell 2, and a power source 16 that communicates with the electrolytic cell 2 and are opened and closed by electrical signals. Drain valve 12 and this drain valve 1
2 is connected to the washing water drainage channel 18 in the middle,
The electrode cleaning means 19 is also provided. The filtration means 1 filters supplied tap water with granular activated carbon 4 and supplies it to electrolyzed ionized water, and includes a pressure tank 3, granular activated carbon 4, a supply pipe 5, a drain pipe 6, and a filter 7. It is equipped with The tap water supply pipe 5 supplies the supply water to the bottom of the pressure tank 3 . The tap water supplied to the bottom passes through the granular activated carbon 4 from bottom to top and is filtered.
Therefore, the supply pipe 5 hermetically passes through the opening/closing lid of the pressure tank 3, and its lower end extends to the bottom of the pressure tank 3. The discharge pipe 6 drains the water filtered through the granular activated carbon 4 from the pressure tank 3 and sends it to the electrolytic cell 2. Therefore, this discharge pipe 6 passes through the opening/closing lid in an airtight manner, and has an inlet opening at the upper part of the pressure tank 3. The electrolytic cell 2 includes a positive electrode 8 that obtains acidic ionized water from inflowing water, and a negative electrode 9 that obtains alkaline ionized water. separated by electrodes,
An alkaline ionized water drainage channel 10 and an acidic ionized water drainage channel 11 that discharge alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water are connected to the electric field bath 2 . The negative electrode 9 is also used as a case. The case is made of a conductive, corrosion-resistant metal such as stainless steel, and is made in the shape of a cylindrical tank that is strong enough to withstand the pressure of tap water. The case has filtration means 1 at the bottom end.
A discharge pipe 6 is connected thereto, and an alkaline ion water drainage channel 10 and an acidic ion water drainage channel 11 are connected to the upper end. The positive electrode 8 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is provided at the center of the case. Negative ions such as chlorine ions gather at the positive electrode 8 during electrolysis. For the positive electrode 8, a material with sufficient corrosion resistance against chlorine ions is used. For the positive electrode 8, for example, titanium whose surface is coated with iridium dioxide can be used. The positive electrode 8 has both ends insulated and projects outside the case. The support part of the positive electrode 8 of the case is
Non-conductive materials are used. The positive electrode 8 and the negative electrode 9 are connected to a DC power source 16 via a changeover switch 23. The output voltage of the power supply 16, that is, the voltage between both electrodes, is determined in consideration of the flow rates of alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water, the electrode area, and the required ion concentrations contained in the alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water. Typically, the voltage between the electrodes is adjusted to a range of 20 to 100 volts. The content of ions ionized in the electrolytic cell 2 is proportional to the current between the electrodes 8 and 9. The current between the electrodes is approximately proportional to the voltage. Therefore, the ion concentrations contained in alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water can be adjusted by adjusting the voltage between the electrodes. When the voltage between the electrodes is increased, the ion concentration contained in alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water increases. The optimum ion concentration of alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water differs depending on the use. By adjusting the voltage between the electrodes, you can obtain the optimal ionized water for your application.
Therefore, the power source 16 that supplies DC power to the electrodes is preferably of a type that can change its output voltage. A porous plate 15 is disposed between the positive electrode 8 and the case, as shown by the chain line. Perforated plate 15
is formed in a cylindrical shape and prevents the acidic ion water and the alkaline ion water, which are separated near the positive electrode 8 and the negative electrode 9, from mixing.
An alkaline ion water drainage channel 10 is connected to the center of a plate material that closes the upper end of the perforated plate 15. The acidic ion water drainage channel 11 is opened at the upper end of the outer periphery of the case. Both alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water flowing out from the electrolytic cell 2 are discharged at the same time. When only one type of ionized water is drained, the concentration of the other type of ionized water gradually increases. Therefore, it is not preferable to discharge only either alkaline ionized water or acidic ionized water. The apparatus shown in FIG. 1 includes valves 20,
21 are connected. A water faucet is normally used as the valve 20 of the alkaline ionized water drainage channel 10. A solenoid valve is used as the valve 21 of the acidic ion water drainage channel 11. Alkaline ion water drainage channel 10
A flow sensor 14 is connected in the middle. This flow sensor 14 controls the solenoid valve 21 of the acidic ion water drainage channel 11. In addition, a flow sensor 27 is also provided in the middle of the discharge pipe 6.
are connected. Flow sensors 14 and 27 control electromagnetic valve 21 to open and close it. That is, when the valve 20, which is a faucet, is opened and alkaline ionized water flows out, the flow sensor 27 detects this and opens the electromagnetic valve 21. Therefore, the flow sensor 27 detects the drainage state of the alkaline ion water, and when the alkaline ion water is discharged, the acidic ion water is also discharged. Valve 2 which is a faucet
0, this causes the flow sensor 14 to open.
is detected and the valve 21 is closed. The flow sensor 14 also controls the power switch 17 together with the solenoid valve 21. A voltage is applied to the electrodes 8 and 9 when the alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water are discharged. When the alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water are not drained, no voltage is applied to the electrodes 8 and 9. Therefore, when the flow sensor 14 detects draining of alkaline ionized water, the power switch 17 is turned on, and when the alkaline ionized water is not drained, the power switch 17 is turned off. The device shown in Figure 1 consists of alkaline ion water drainage channel 1.
A faucet is used for the valve 20 of 0. This type of device can be conveniently used primarily in applications using alkaline ionized water. However, this invention does not specify that the valve 20 of the alkaline ionized water drainage channel 10 is a water faucet, and any type of valve can be used as this valve. The acidic ionized water drainage path 11 and the alkaline ionized water drainage path 10 are connected to each other by a wash water drainage path 18 with a drainage valve 12 interposed therebetween. The cleaning water drain path 18 drains the cleaning water during electrical cleaning by applying a cleaning voltage of opposite polarity to the electrodes 8 and 9. In the electrode cleaning step, voltages of opposite polarity are applied to the electrodes 8 and 9 to remove deposits on the electrode surfaces. Through the cleaning process, the electrical resistance of the electrode in contact with water is reduced, and the current flowing through the water can be greatly restored. The device shown in FIG.
and electrolytic cell 2 of alkaline ion water drainage channel 10
The portion close to the drain is branched into two and connected to the wash water drainage channel 18. Drain valves 12 are connected to the branch paths of the alkaline ionized water drainage path 10 and the acidic ionized water drainage path 11, respectively. The cleaning water drainage channel 18 mixes both alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water together, removes deposits on the electrode surface, and drains the water. The drain valve 12 is a solenoid valve, and this solenoid valve is opened and closed by the electrode cleaning means 19. The electrode cleaning means 19 includes an integration timer 25, a calculation means 28, a start timer 26, and a control member 29. The integration timer 25 integrates and stores the energization time of the electrodes 8 and 9. That is, the time during which the valve 20 is opened and the ionized water is drained is integrated and stored. The integration timer 25 includes the flow sensor 14,
A signal is input from 27. flow sensor 1
4 and 27 detect the drainage of ionized water, so the time for the ionized water to be discharged from the flow sensor is:
This is because this is the time during which the electrodes 8 and 9 are energized. However, it is also possible to input a signal to the integration timer 25 from the electrodes. For example, although not shown, it is also possible to connect a relay to the electrode and input a signal from the relay to the integration timer 25.
This relay turns on when voltage is applied to the electrodes.
A relay is used that turns off when the voltage is cut off, and when the relay turns on, an electrode energization signal is input to the integration timer 25. The integration timer 25 is reset when the electrodes are cleaned in the middle of the night, and thereafter, the energization time of the electrodes is integrated and stored. The stored value of the integration timer 25 is input to the calculation means 28. The calculation means 28 calculates the electrode cleaning time from the memory of the integration timer 25. The calculation means 28 includes
A calculation formula is stored in advance. Arithmetic means 28
is usually 1/20 to 1/20 to the integrated value of the integration timer 25.
Calculate the electrode cleaning time by multiplying by 60, for example 1/30. However, if the calculated cleaning time is extremely short, such as 1 to 2 minutes or less, the set minimum cleaning time should be used. For example, if the cleaning time per day is 0≦cleaning time≦2, the cleaning time is set to 2 minutes. This invention does not specify the calculation formula of the calculation means 28. The formula for calculating the cleaning time from the cumulative value of the cumulative timer 25 is not necessarily limited to multiplying the cumulative time by a coefficient. For example, the calculation means 28
It is also possible to store a specific functional formula in the computer and calculate the cleaning time from the cumulative time according to this functional formula. The start timer 26 stores what time of the day the electrodes are to be cleaned. The user can freely set the cleaning time. The control member 29 cleans the electrodes using signals from the start timer 26 and the calculation means 28. The control member 29 controls the electrode changeover switch 23, the power switch 17, and the drain valve 12 to clean the electrodes 8 and 9. The electrode cleaning means 19 cleans the electrodes in the following operation. When the start timer 26 issues a cleaning signal, the control member 29 activates the electrode changeover switch 23.
is switched to the position indicated by the chain line in FIG. That is, the power switch 17 is turned on. At the same time, both drain valves 12 are opened. In this state, the positive electrode 8 is connected to the negative side of the power source 16, the negative electrode is connected to the positive side of the power source 16, and water is supplied to the electrolytic cell 2. That is, both electrodes 8 and 9 are connected to the power source 16 with opposite polarities, and remove deposits on the surface using electrical repulsion. In this state, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 2, the wash water is drained from the wash water drain path 18. (2) The control member 29 receives the calculation result of the calculation means 28 as input. The control member 29 determines the electrode cleaning time from the calculation result of the calculation member. The electrode cleaning time is adjusted to the time required to remove scale from the electrode surface. When the cleaning time is over, the control member 29 turns off the power switch 17, sets the inter-electrode voltage to zero volts, and also switches the electrode changeover switch 23 to the solid line position in FIG. Thereafter, if necessary, the drain valve 12 is kept open for a certain period of time to drain the ionized water of the opposite polarity through the drain valve 12. Thereafter, if necessary, the drain valve 12 is kept open for a certain period of time to drain the ionized water of the opposite polarity through the drain valve 12. The apparatus shown in FIG. 1 performs cleaning by applying opposite voltages to the electrodes 8 and 9. In this invention, the structure for electrically cleaning the electrodes is not limited to the structure shown in FIG. 1. As shown by the chain line in FIG. 2, it is also possible to provide a cleaning electrode 24 and apply a voltage to the cleaning electrode 24 to clean the electrode. A negative voltage is applied to the cleaning electrode 24 when cleaning the electrode, and a positive voltage is applied to the negative electrode 9. In the apparatus shown in FIG. 2, a cleaning electrode 24 is arranged at the center of a cylindrical positive electrode 8. However, although not shown, the cleaning electrode can also be provided outside the positive electrode 8. In this case, the cleaning electrode is formed into a cylindrical shape. In the electrolytic ionized water generation device that cleans the electrode with the cleaning electrode 24, in the cleaning process, the changeover switch 23 is switched to connect the cleaning electrode 24 to the negative side of the power source 16, as shown by the solid line in FIG. , connect the negative electrode 9 to the positive side of the power source 16. In the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, a drain valve 12 connected to the electrolytic cell 2 is provided in the wash water drain channel 18, but the drain valve does not necessarily need to be connected to the drain channel exclusively for the wash water. For example, when draining the ionized water with water by setting the electrode voltage to zero after the electrode cleaning step, the acidic ionized water drainage channel 11 can also be used in conjunction with the cleaning water drainage channel 18. In this case, as shown by the chain line in FIG. The drain valve 12 and wash water drain channel 18 are omitted. A valve 21 connected to the acidic ion water drainage channel 11 is also used as a drainage valve. Acidic ion water drainage channel 1
1 as a wash water drainage channel, the drain valve 12 and
The valve 21, which is also used as a drain valve, is opened. In the above embodiments, after electrode cleaning, the electrode voltage is set to zero and the water is drained. After electrode cleaning, electrodes 8 and 9
It is also possible to drain water by applying a suitable voltage to the drain valve 12 and opening the drain valve 12.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIGS. 1 and 2 are schematic cross-sectional views of an electrolytic ionized water generating apparatus showing an embodiment of this invention. 1... Filtration means, 2... Electrolytic cell, 3... Pressure tank, 4... Granular activated carbon, 5... Supply pipe, 6...
Discharge pipe, 7...filter, 8...positive electrode,
9...Negative electrode, 10...Alkaline ion water drainage channel, 11...Acidic ion water drainage channel, 12...
... Drain valve, 14 ... Flow sensor, 15 ... Perforated plate, 16 ... Power supply, 17 ... Power switch, 1
8...Cleaning water drainage channel, 19...Electrode cleaning means, 2
0... Valve, 21... Valve, 23... Selector switch,
24...Cleaning electrode, 25...Integration timer, 26
...Start activation timer, 27...Flow sensor, 28...Calculating means, 29...Control member.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] An electrolytic cell having an electrode that separates incoming water into alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water, and an acidic ionized water drainage channel and an alkaline ionized water drainage channel connected to this electrolytic cell. and a power source connected to the electrodes of the electrolytic cell, and electrode cleaning means for applying a cleaning voltage of opposite polarity to at least one of the electrodes, the electrode cleaning means applying the cleaning voltage to the electrodes to clean the electrodes. An electrolytic ionized water generating device configured as follows, characterized in that it has the following configurations. The electrode cleaning means includes an integration timer, a start timer, a calculation member, and a control member. The integration timer integrates and stores the electrode energization time. The calculating means calculates the cleaning time by multiplying the cumulative time of the cumulative timer by a predetermined coefficient. The control member applies a cleaning voltage to the electrodes based on the start activation timer and the output signal from the calculation means.