JP2972054B2 - Ion water generator - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ion water generator in which the pH of electrolyzed water can be easily adjusted. In particular, it is possible to obtain a cathode water having a stable PH and an anode water having a high sterilizing effect. It relates to an ion water generator.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, water contains minerals such as calcium, magnesium and sodium, but since these minerals are contained in a state of being combined with other substances, they are not sufficiently decomposed in the body when drunk. It is often excreted outside the body without being absorbed as a nutrient.

[0003] Therefore, in recent years, drinking water such as tap water has been passed through a purified water cartridge 2 to remove solid substances such as chlorine and impurities, as shown in FIG. By supplying the electrolytic cell with the cathode 4 and the cathode 5 interposed therebetween with the permeable diaphragm 6 interposed therebetween, and applying a DC voltage from the power supply unit 7 between the electrodes, the alkali ion water is supplied from the cathode side. Acid water (anode water) is derived from the positive electrode side (cathode water), and various ion water generators are available on the market that can be easily absorbed into the body in the form of alkali ions.

In these conventional ion water generators, as a method of adjusting the ion concentration of the electrolyzed water (particularly, alkali ion water), a preset DC electrolysis voltage applied between the electrodes is operated by operating an adjustment button. The ion concentration of the electrolyzed water is roughly adjusted by stepwise switching (usually five-step adjustment is the mainstream).

Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-293806 discloses that the ion concentration is corrected by detecting the voltage drop value of the drinking water so that the concentration of the ionic water does not vary even for drinking water of different water quality. A concentration setting device for an ionized water generator is disclosed.

[0006] Electrolyzed water generated from these devices has activated ions, but has a problem that it is easily rotted due to insufficient sterilizing power. Therefore, as disclosed in JP-A-60-97088 and JP-A-63-51991 as a method of imparting sterilizing power to electrolyzed water, water containing silver ions has a property of having a sterilizing effect. There is a method that solves this problem by applying silver ions to part or all of the electrolyzed water by utilizing.

[0007]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional ionic water generator, the ionic concentration of the electrolyzed water is changed by operating an application voltage switching button which is set in advance in a stepwise manner. However, in addition to the difference in the quality of tap water in each region, even when a certain voltage is applied to the electrolytic cell due to the amount of water passing or the change over time of the electrodes, the electrolytic current changes due to the change in the electric resistance value. It was difficult to obtain a stable and constant PH ion concentration. For this reason, the user must regularly check whether or not the electrolyzed water is in an appropriate PH range using a reagent or the like according to the method specified by the manufacturer.
It was very troublesome and inconvenient.

The ion concentration of the electrolyzed water is adjusted by changing the preset applied voltage stepwise (normally 4 to 4).
Since only five-step adjustment is the mainstream), finer adjustment of PH (actually, ion concentration) could not be performed.

[0009] Further, since the PH value of the generated electrolyzed water is not displayed, the user has to operate the switching button step by step according to the user's preference and experience in order to obtain the desired PH value. , P of electrolyzed water generated by the user
The only way to know the H value was to confirm the approximate value each time using a reagent or the like.

The above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 2-293806 discloses a method of detecting a voltage drop value for tap water having a different water quality depending on the area, and comparing and correcting the reference voltage with electrolytic water having a constant ion concentration. Can be obtained.

However, since the ion concentration referred to here is corrected based on the measurement of electric conductivity in water, it does not indicate pure hydrogen ion concentration (PH) but an ion concentration including other ions in water. Means The pH value of electrolyzed water is also easily affected by the concentration of other ions in the water. Therefore, P which is more familiar to the user and easy to understand
From the viewpoint of management by H (hydrogen ion concentration),
In this prior art, it is difficult to stably obtain electrolyzed water having a constant PH.
It is not possible to avoid the trouble of checking with a reagent or the like.

Furthermore, the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-9708 / 1985.
No. 8 or JP-A-63-51991, silver ions are added to part or all of electrolyzed water to prevent decay of electrolyzed water itself. A remarkable effect was not expected to sterilize various bacteria and the like adhering to the object.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is to provide a water-soluble bactericide to raw water to be treated.
Of electrolytic water, especially anode water (acidic ion water)
An object of the present invention is to provide an ion water generator capable of increasing power .

Another object of the present invention is to provide an ion water generator capable of increasing the sterilizing power of anode water (acidic water) and supplying it stably.

[0015]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a purifying member for purifying water, and electrolysis of purified water obtained through the purifying member to form electrolytic water comprising cathode water and anode water. An ionic water generator having an electrolytic cell for separating and taking water, and having a negative electrode and a positive electrode for applying a DC voltage to the electrolytic cell, without passing through the purification member.
Construct a water channel directly connected to the electrolytic cell, and
A disinfectant injection device for applying a water-soluble disinfectant therein is provided.

Then, directly without passing through the purifying member,
A water passage connected to the electrolytic cell is arranged upstream of the purification member.
The first switching valve and the second switching valve disposed on the downstream side.
It is characterized in that it is configured via

Further, the above-mentioned sterilizing agent injection device may be
Use an aqueous solution drawn to the positive electrode as a water-soluble germicide.
It is characterized in that to use.

Further, before use in the germicide injection device.
It is characterized in that an aqueous solution of hypochlorous acid is used as the water-soluble bactericide .

Further, the bactericide injection device is used for
Ozone is used as the water-soluble germicide .

[0020]

Ion water generator according to the present invention in the above configuration, according to the invention of claim 1 and claim 2, to be treated
Raw water (tap water, etc.) that is water through the first and second switching valves
Form a water channel that is sent directly to the electrolytic cell without passing through the purification member.
To achieve. Raw water is supplied to the fungicide injection device in the middle of this channel.
Water-soluble disinfectant such as hypochlorous acid aqueous solution
Then, it is sent to an electrolytic cell. In the electrolytic cell, water electrolysis
The ions in the water are separated, and the cations are
Is drawn to the anode side. At this time,
Hypochlorous acid is also a water-soluble sterilizing component
Since it is attracted to the anode side in the form of ions, the anode side
Anode water (acidic), which has stronger sterilizing power than raw water,
Ionized water) is obtained. Therefore user of ion water generator
Has conventionally been cathodic water (alkaline ion) as a health drink.
Water), but due to the increased sterilizing power of anode water.
And use anode water more widely, such as for cleaning and cleaning.
Can be expected .

According to the third aspect of the present invention, a disinfectant injection device is provided.
Attracted to the positive electrode as the water-soluble germicide used for
Anodic water with increased sterilizing power
It can be reliably obtained Rukoto the.

[0022] killing the invention described in claim 4 and claim 5
Hypochlorous acid as a water-soluble bactericide used in the fungicide injection device
Since aqueous solution and ozone are used, from the water intake on the anode side
Anode water (acidic ion water) with stronger sterilizing power than raw water
Is Ru obtained.

[0023]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The same components as those in the conventional example are denoted by the same reference numerals.

One embodiment of the ion water generator according to the present invention will be described.
Before describing, a basic reference example of the present invention will be described below.
I will tell. FIG. 1 is a schematic structural view showing a basic embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the PH adjustment operation of the generator.

Referring to FIG. 1, an ion water generator according to a reference embodiment includes a purification member 1 having a water purification cartridge 2 built therein,
An electrolytic cell 3 in which a negative electrode 4 and a positive electrode 5 are disposed, and a PH sensor 10 for detecting the pH of electrolyzed water (PH detecting means)
A display unit 12 (PH display means) for instantaneously displaying the PH value; an operation unit 11 (PH setting means) by which a user can specify a desired PH value in advance; and a voltage applied between the electrodes. And a control unit 13 (voltage adjusting means) for adjusting the voltage.

Raw water (tap water or the like) to be treated is first passed through the purification member 1. The purifying member 1 has a built-in water purifying cartridge 2 composed of an antibacterial activated carbon filter and a hollow fiber membrane filter (not shown). The raw water that has passed through is first removed with an antibacterial activated carbon filter to remove organic substances and residual chlorine in the water, as well as odor components such as odor, moldy odor, and goldy odor. Impurities such as turbidity and bacteria are removed. Water purification cartridge 2
Purified water that has passed through contains minerals such as potassium, magnesium, and sodium dissolved in the water, not as ions but in a state combined with other substances. Since it is easily discharged outside the body without being sufficiently decomposed and absorbed, it is sent to the electrolytic cell 3 for the purpose of further ionizing by electrolysis. The electrolytic cell 3 has a negative electrode 4 and a positive electrode 5 disposed therein, and an ion-permeable diaphragm 6 is provided between the two electrodes.

The purified water passed through the electrolytic cell 3 is separated into cations and anions by applying a direct current electrolysis voltage between the two electrodes and electrolysis of the water occurs. As shown in FIG. 5, the state of movement of these ions during electrolysis in the electrolytic cell is such that cations such as potassium, sodium, calcium, and magnesium pass through the ion-permeable diaphragm 6 to the cathode side, and sulfur ions, Anions such as hydroxyl ions, chlorine ions, and sulfate ions are attracted toward the anode. Therefore, the cathode water, which is generally called alkaline ionized water, is led out from the water inlet 8 on the cathode side, and the anode water, which is called acid ionized water, is drawn out from the water inlet 9 on the anode side.

The effects of these ionic waters (electrolyzed waters) will be described below.

Cathode water (alkali ion water) contains a large amount of ionized minerals such as calcium and magnesium, so that it is well absorbed into the body and can be used as a gourmet water for drinking, cooking, cooking, etc. It is said that it has acidity and is also effective against indigestion and gastric excess.

Anode water (acidic ion water) is not suitable for beverages, but has an astringent effect (astringent effect) for cleansing and tightening the skin and a bacteriostatic effect. It can be used for washing and cleaning.
However, anodic water cannot be expected to have such a strong sterilizing effect that it can positively sterilize germs and the like adhering to other objects. Embodiments of the invention described in claims 4 and 5 will be described later in order to impart strong sterilizing power to the anode water.

Incidentally, the effectiveness of the above-described ionic water changes depending on the concentration of the ions. Therefore, the concentration of the ionized water is adjusted not by the conventional conductivity adjustment or the like, but by a simple and generally well-known PH (hydrogen ion concentration).
As shown in FIG. 1, a PH sensor 10 is provided on the cathode water intake side as a PH detecting means for automatically adjusting the DC voltage applied to the electrolytic cell so that the DC voltage becomes a value.

Although an expensive glass electrode is used for the PH sensor 10 in the reference embodiment, other types of sensors may be used.

As shown in FIG. 2, the PH adjustment operation of the ion water generator according to the reference embodiment is performed by a user setting a desired cathode water PH value A in advance by using the operation unit 11 as PH setting means. In order to correct the difference between the PH set value A and the PH value B detected by the PH sensor 10 on the cathode water outlet side, the control unit 13 controls the voltage C from the power supply unit 7 so that A = B. To adjust. By applying the DC electrolytic generation voltage C 'adjusted by the control unit 13 between the two electrodes, the PH value of the generated cathode water gradually approaches from B to A, and these adjustment operations are continuously performed. By doing so, the cathode water having the PH value A specified first can be obtained stably.

Further, a display unit 12 is provided as a means for instantly displaying the PH value of the cathode water detected by the PH sensor 10. This allows the user to know the PH value of the generated cathode water without performing a pH measurement using a conventional ortho-tolidine reagent or the like.

In the above embodiment, the PH sensor 10 is provided only on the cathode water outlet side, but if a PH sensor is also provided on the anode water outlet side, the PH value of the anode water can be easily adjusted. Ru can be known.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a structure in which a bactericide injection device is added to the ion water generator according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the movement of ions during electrolysis in the electrolytic cell of the present invention. It is a state diagram.

In FIG. 3, the ion water generator according to the present embodiment has a bactericide injection device 15 attached to the main structure of the ion water generator shown in FIG. In order to impart a stronger bactericidal effect to the germ action, another water passage B through which raw water does not pass through the purification member 1 but passes directly to the electrolytic cell 3 separately from the conventional water passage A via the switching valves 14a and 14b. Is formed. That is, the water channel A is a conventional water channel in which raw water such as tap water flows through the purification member 1, and after purification, flows into the electrolytic cell 3 which is the second step. On the other hand, the embodiment of the present invention relating to the water channel B is disposed upstream of the purification member 1,
First switching valve 14a for switching between water channel A and water channel B
And a disinfectant injecting device 15 for applying a water-soluble disinfectant to raw water, and a disinfectant dispenser 15 disposed between the purification member 1 and the electrolytic tank 3 for passing water to the electrolytic tank 3 after dispensing the disinfectant. A second switching valve 14b for switching the water channel B. Anode water obtained when raw water is passed through water channel A is not suitable for beverages as described in the section on the effect of anode water, but has an astringent action and a bacteriostatic action. However, this bacteriostatic action cannot be expected to have a strong bactericidal effect that can sterilize various bacteria and the like adhering to other substances using anode water. Therefore, when the user wants to use the anodic water having a strong sterilizing effect, the raw water is supplied to the first and second switching valves 14 and 14.
The water is switched from the water channel A to the water channel B via a and 14b. That is, when the raw water is passed through the water channel B via the first switching valve 14a, the sterilizing agent injection device 15 provided in the middle of the water channel causes, for example, an appropriate amount of aqueous solution of hypochlorous acid as a water-soluble sterilizing agent. (HClO) is applied. The raw water to which the water-soluble bactericidal component has been added is supplied to the second switching valve 14b.
Is passed directly to the electrolytic cell 3 via the electrode, where a direct current electrolysis voltage is applied between the electrodes, whereby water electrolysis occurs, and the components dissolved in the water are converted into cations and anions. Separated. As shown in FIG. 4, the state of movement of these ions during electrolysis in the electrolytic cell passes through the ion-permeable diaphragm 6 so that cations such as potassium, sodium, and magnesium are transferred to the negative electrode 4 and sulfur ions and In addition to chlorine ions and the like, the previously provided aqueous solution of hypochlorous acid is attracted to the positive electrode 5 in the form of hypochlorite ions (ClO-). Therefore, as in the case of FIG. 5, the cathode water is led out from the cathode side intake port 8 and the anode water is led out from the anode side intake port 9.

However, since the anolyte water obtained in this case contains hypochlorite ion, which is a water-soluble bactericidal component, the anolyte water obtained via the conventional water channel A can only have a bacteriostatic action. On the other hand, it has a strong bactericidal action enough to sterilize various bacteria and the like adhering to other objects. Therefore, users of ion water generators have traditionally used cathodic water as a health drink, but also increased the sterilizing power of the anodic water, so that the anodic water was also used for cleaning dishes, towels, cutting boards, cleaning homes, etc.
Widespread use can be expected.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that many modifications and changes can be made to the above-described embodiment within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, an aqueous solution of hypochlorous acid is applied as a water-soluble germicide, but the present invention is not limited to this, and ozone may be applied.

[0042]

As described above, the ionic water generator according to the first and second aspects of the present invention is a source of water to be treated.
Water (tap water, etc.) is purified through the first and second switching valves
To form a water channel that is sent directly to the electrolytic cell without passing through the cell. original
The water is injected into the middle of this channel by a disinfectant injection device.
After a water-soluble disinfectant such as aqueous chloric acid solution is applied,
Sent to In the electrolytic cell, water in the water is
The cations are separated on the cathode side and the anions are separated on the anode side.
Attracted to. At this time, the hypochlorite previously given
Aqueous acid solution is also a form of hypochlorite ion, which is a water-soluble sterilizing component
From the water intake on the anode side.
Anode water (acidic ion water) with stronger sterilizing power than raw water
Is obtained. Therefore, users of ion water generators have traditionally
Use of cathodic water (alkaline ionized water) as a health drink
Mainly, but increased anode water sterilization power
It can be expected to be used for a wider range such as cleaning and cleaning.
Ing so.

The ionic water generator according to a third aspect of the present invention is the water-soluble sterilizer used in a germicide injection device.
Use an aqueous solution that is attracted to the positive electrode
Thus, anodic water having an increased sterilizing power can be reliably obtained .

Further, claims 4 and 5 according to the present invention.
The described ionic water generator is used for disinfectant injection equipment.
Uses hypochlorous acid aqueous solution and ozone as soluble disinfectants
Therefore, the water intake on the anode side has more sterilizing power than raw water.
Strong anode water (acid ion water) Ru obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural view of a reference embodiment of the ionized water generator of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a PH adjustment operation of a reference embodiment of the ionized water generator of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural view in which a bactericide injection device is added to the ionized water generator of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an ionic state diagram showing a moving state of ions during electrolysis in the electrolytic cell of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an ionic state diagram showing a state of movement of ions during electrolysis in a conventional electrolytic cell.

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a conventional ion water generator.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Purification member 3 Electrolysis tank 4 Negative electrode 5 Positive electrode 10 PH sensor (PH detection means) 11 Operation part (PH setting means) 12 Display part (PH display means) 13 Control unit (voltage adjustment means) 14a 1st Switching valve 14b Second switching valve 15 Disinfectant injection device A, B Waterway

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) C02F 1/46-1/48

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] A purifying member for purifying water; and an electrolytic cell for electrolyzing purified water obtained through the purifying member to separate and collect electrolytic water comprising cathode water and anode water. In the ionic water generator, which has a negative electrode and a positive electrode for applying a DC voltage to the tank, the tank is passed through the purifying member.
Instead of directly forming a water channel connected to the electrolytic cell,
An ion water generator comprising a disinfectant injection device for applying a water-soluble disinfectant on the way . 2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the electrolysis is performed directly without passing through the purification member.
A water passage connected to the tank is arranged upstream of the purification member.
Via a first switching valve and a second switching valve arranged on the downstream side
The ion water generator according to claim 1, wherein the ion water generator is configured. 3. The aqueous solution used in the disinfectant injection device.
Use an aqueous solution that is attracted to the positive electrode
Ion water generator of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the that. 4. The aqueous solution used in the disinfectant injection device.
The ionic water generator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an aqueous solution of hypochlorous acid is used as the bactericide . 5. The aqueous solution used in the disinfectant injection device.
Claims: Use of ozone as a bactericide
Item 3. The ionic water generator according to claim 1 or 2 .