FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of purification of drinking water, in particular to a low-noise water purifier with an RO long-term effective constant-flow control system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

With industrial development, water pollution has gradually worsened. Drinking water in people's daily life mainly comes from running water. Although running water undergoes water treatment processes such as sedimentation, filtering and disinfection, the quality of running water can hardly meet the requirements of people for healthy drinking water. Therefore, water purifiers are used in more and more families and units. Water purifiers of the prior art are mainly classified by filtering mode into four types: macro-filtering, ultra-filtering, nano-filtering, and RO membrane, wherein the RO membrane water purifier is very popular. The water flux of the RO membrane is ever increasing and the major problems the RO membrane faces consequently include: 1. the discharging of waste water exists in view of the filtering property of RO, and high water efficiency and a long service life have become major appeals of people as water purifying products become popular; 2. the noise of the integrated equipment obviously becomes loud since a membrane having a larger flux requires a higher pre-membrane pressure and the pressure is usually provided by a booster pump at high speed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

For the above-mentioned problems, a water purifier with a system which can prolong the service life of the RO membrane, improve the water efficiency and effectively control the running noise of the integrated equipment is provided.

The specific technical solution is as follows:

A low-noise water purifier with an RO long-term effective constant-flow control system comprises a pipeline structure, a filter assembly, a water pump, a flow detection module and an electric control system; one end of the pipeline structure is provided with the filter assembly, the other end of the pipeline structure is provided with the flow detection module, and the filter assembly comprises an RO membrane, front filter cartridges and a rear filter cartridge; the water pump is disposed between the front filter cartridges and the flow detection module, the RO membrane is disposed between the flow detection module and the water pump, the rear filter cartridge is disposed between the RO membrane and the flow detection module, and the water pump and the flow detection module are respectively electrically connected with the electric control system.

In the low-noise water purifier with an RO long-term effective constant-flow control system, the flow detection module is a flow meter.

In the low-noise water purifier with an RO long-term effective constant-flow control system, the water pump is a booster pump.

In the low-noise water purifier with an RO long-term effective constant-flow control system, the pipeline structure comprises a first pipeline, one end of the first pipeline is provided with a water inlet and the other end of the first pipeline is connected with the front filter cartridges.

In the low-noise water purifier with an RO long-term effective constant-flow control system, front filter cartridges include a first filter cartridge and a second filter cartridge, the first filter cartridge is connected with the second filter cartridge; the pipeline structure further comprises a second pipeline, one end of the second pipeline is connected with the first filter cartridge, and the other end of the second pipeline is connected with the second filter cartridge.

In the low-noise water purifier with an RO long-term effective constant-flow control system, the pipeline structure further comprises a third pipeline, one end of the third pipeline is connected with the second filter cartridge, and the other end of the third pipeline is connected with the RO membrane; the water pump is mounted on the third pipeline.

In the low-noise water purifier with an RO long-term effective constant-flow control system, the pipeline structure further comprises a fourth pipeline, one end of the fourth pipeline is connected with the RO membrane, the other end of the fourth pipeline is connected with the rear filter cartridge, and the RO membrane is provided with a drain outlet.

In the low-noise water purifier with an RO long-term effective constant-flow control system, the pipeline structure further comprises a fifth pipeline, one end of the fifth pipeline is provided with a water outlet; the other end of the fifth pipeline is connected with the rear filter cartridge, and one end of the fifth pipeline is provided with the flow detection module.

In the low-noise water purifier with an RO long-term effective constant-flow control system, the electric control system comprises a main control system and an operating system; the main control system is electrically connected with the operating system, the main control system is electrically connected with the flow detection module, and the operating system is electrically connected with the water pump.

Compared with the prior art, the above-mentioned technical solution has the following positive effects:

(1) The RO long-term effective constant-flow control system controls the speed of the water pump to relieve the front pressure of water to be filtered on the RO membrane by using a flow detection module to detect the flow rate of water to be filtered and feed the flow rate to the electric control system. In this way, not only is the service life of the RO membrane prolonged, but also the user experience is improved because the reduction of the speed of the water pump can reduce noise produced from rotations of the water pump.

(2) After the above-mentioned RO long-term effective constant-flow control system is adopted for a water purifier, a short service life of the water purifier is avoided and the quality of the water purifier is improved. In addition, noise produced during the running of the water purifier is reduced and the damage caused by noise to human health is lowered. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the connections of the waterway with an RO long-term effective constant-flow control system.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of electric control.

1. filter assembly; 11. RO membrane; 12. front filter cartridge; 121. first filter cartridge; 122. second filter cartridge; 13. rear filter cartridge; 2. water pump; 3. flow detection module; 4. electric control system; 41. main control system; 42. operating system; 5. pipeline structure; 51. first pipeline; 52. second pipeline; 53. third pipeline; 54. fourth pipeline; 55. fifth pipeline.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

To make more obvious and understandable the object, characteristics and advantages of the present invention, the present invention is described in detail below in combination with the drawings.

In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the directions or position relationships indicated by the terms "upward", "downward", "front" and "rear" are all based on the directions or position relationships shown in the drawings, and are only used to describe the present invention and simplify the description, but not used to indicate or imply that the designated device or element must have a specific direction or must be constructed and operated in a specific direction. Therefore, it should not be understood that these terms are used to restrict the present invention.

The terms "first" and "second" are only used for the purpose of description, but are not used to indicate or imply the relative importance or the number of implicitly indicated technical characteristics. Therefore, when a characteristic is defined by "first" or "second", it expressly or implicitly indicates that at least such a characteristic is contained.

As shown in Fig. 1 , the water purifier comprises a pipeline structure 5, a filter assembly 1 , a water pump 2, a flow detection module 3 and an electric control system 4; one end of the pipeline structure 5 is provided with the filter assembly 1 , the other end of the pipeline structure 5 is provided with the flow detection module 3, and the filter assembly

I comprises an RO membrane 11, front filter cartridges 12 and a rear filter cartridge 13; the water pump 2 is disposed between front filter cartridges 12 and the flow detection module 3, the RO membrane 11 is disposed between the flow detection module 3 and the water pump 2, the rear filter cartridge 13 is disposed between the RO membrane

I I and the flow detection module 3, and the water pump 2 and the flow detection module 3 are respectively electrically connected with the electric control system 4.

The pipeline structure 5 is applicable to the connections of the pipeline and the pipelines communicate with each other and fulfil the function of transporting water to be filtered. The filter assembly 1 is used to filter water to be filtered and filter out solid impurities and soluble heavy metal impurities in water, guaranteeing that the filtered water can reach the quality required by the user. The water pump 2 is used to accelerate the flow rate of water to be filtered so as to increase the filtration rate of the filter cartridges. The flow detection module 3 is used to precisely monitor the flow rate of water to be filtered and a pressure difference change in pipelines, convert the detected data into signals and transmit the signals to the electric control system 4. Through data analysis, the electric control system 4 controls the speed of the water pump 2 to control the flow rate of water to be filtered to lower the pressure of water on the RO membrane 11, thus prolonging the service life of the RO membrane 11. In addition, the reduction of the speed of the water pump 2 can reduce noise produced by the water purifier, relieve the influence of noise on human beings and improve the user experience.

The flow detection module 3 is a flow meter, and the core control mode is that the current flow rate is detected by the flow meter and is compared with a target flow rate, the proportion-integration-differentiation (PID) control algorithm is combined for intelligent control, and self-learning is combined so that water output during water fetching remains steady. In addition, a pressure sensor may be further disposed on the flow meter and the pressure sensor is used to help to determine the state of the RO membrane.

In addition, the flow meter may be used to convert data monitored in a pressure difference change of water to be filtered into signals and output them. On the one hand, the flow meter is a sensitive component and can precisely monitor the pressure difference of water to be filtered, strengthen the effect of monitoring water pressure differences, and guarantee the accuracy of monitored data. On the other hand, the flow meter is a common sensor, which is so cheap that the cost expenditure of the enterprise or the user can be reduced greatly.

Besides, the flow detection module 3 may also be a water flow rate sensor, a water flow impact sensor or an ultrasonic sensor and is used to monitor the speed of a water flow, convert the speed into a signal and send the signal out. Different types of flow detection modules 3 used can satisfy different flow detection requirements, extend the application scope of flow detection modules 3, and guarantee the accuracy of the data monitored by flow detection modules.

The water pump 2 is a booster pump. On the one hand, the booster pump has a wide working range, different pressure ranges can be obtained by use of different types of pumps, and the input pressure or output pressure can be controlled by the electric control system 4 so that the pressure in a space can change and the flow rate of water can be controlled. The water pump not only works steadily, but also is easy to control. On the other hand, the booster pump is so highly safe that the safety of the water purifier used by the user is increased. In addition, the water pump 2 may be a piston pump 2, a centrifugal pump 2 or an axial-flow pump 2. The flow rate of water is controlled according to different principles. Thus, the variety of the water pump 2 used is increased and the application scope of the water purifier is expanded.

As shown in the figures, the filter assembly 1 further comprises front filter cartridges 12 and a rear filter cartridge 13, the front filter cartridges 12 are connected with one side of the water pump 2, and one side of the rear filter cartridge 13 is connected with the RO membrane 11. The front filter cartridges 12 are different from the rear filter cartridge 13 in material. The front filter cartridges 12 are used for preliminary filtration of the water to be filtered, usually for filtering solid impurities out of the water to be filtered, and the front filter cartridges 12 are usually carbon fibre filter cartridges or screens. The rear filter cartridge 13 is used for final filtration of the water to be filtered, the rear filter cartridge 13 may be a nano silver-ion filter cartridge, ultra-filtering filter cartridge or nano-filtering filter cartridge and is used to filter soluble heavy metal impurities out of water to guarantee the quality of the filtered water and improve the water purification effect of the water purifier. A plurality of front filter cartridges 12 or rear filter cartridges 13 may be used to satisfy the requirements of different users for the water quality. The RO membrane 11 is mounted between the front filter cartridges 12 and the rear filter cartridge 13. On the one hand, the front filter cartridges 12 filter out a large amount of impurities to alleviate the damage caused by impurities to the RO membrane 11 and prolong the service life of the RO membrane 11. On the other hand, the quality of the water to be filtered is improved and the safety of water to be used by people is guaranteed after being filtered by layers of filter cartridges and the RO membrane 11.

As shown in the figures, the pipeline structure 5 comprises a first pipeline 51 , one end of the first pipeline 51 is provided with a water inlet, and the other end of the first pipeline 51 is connected with the front filter cartridges 12. The first pipeline 51 is used to transport water and connect external water to be filtered with the water purifier. The water inlet fulfils the function of a connection, and water to be filtered enters the water purifier for filtration through the water inlet.

The front filter cartridges 12 include a first filter cartridge 121 and a second filter cartridge 122, and the first filter cartridge 121 is connected with the second filter cartridge 122; the pipeline structure 5 further comprises a second pipeline 52, one end of the second pipeline structure 52 is connected with the first filter cartridge 121 , and the other end of the second pipeline 52 is connected with the second filter cartridge 122. The first filter cartridge 121 is used for first-step filtration of the water to be filtered and is used for filtering solid impurities out of the water to be filtered, and the second filter cartridge 122 is used for second-step filtration of the water to be filtered and is used for filtering out impurities dissolved in the water to be filtered. The two filtrations can alleviate the damage caused by other impurities to the RO membrane 11 , prolong the service life of the RO membrane 11 and improve the quality of the water to be filtered. The second pipeline 52 is used to connect the first filter cartridge 121 and the second filter cartridge 122 and fulfils the function of a connection.

The pipeline structure 5 further comprises a third pipeline 53, one end of the third pipeline 53 is connected with the second filter cartridge 122, and the other end of the third pipeline 53 is connected with the RO membrane 11; the water pump 2 is mounted on the third pipeline 53. On the one hand, the third pipeline 53 fulfils the function of connecting the second filter cartridge 122 and the RO membrane 11. On the other hand, the third pipeline fulfils the function of fixing the water pump 2, improves the stability of the water pump 2 at the time of running, and reduces the production of noise. The water pump 2 fulfils the function of accelerating the speed of water flows.

The pipeline structure 5 further comprises a fourth pipeline 54, one end of the fourth pipeline 54 is connected with the RO membrane 11 , and the other end of the fourth pipeline 54 is connected with the rear filter cartridge 13. The RO membrane 11 is provided with a drain outlet. The fourth pipeline 54 is used to connect the RO membrane 11 and the rear filter cartridge 13. The RO membrane 11 is used to filter the water to be filtered, the filtered water is transported from the fourth pipeline 54 to the rear filter cartridge 13, and the impurities and pollutants left are discharged out of the water purifier through the drain outlet and are treated.

The pipeline structure 5 further comprises a fifth pipeline 55, one end of the fifth pipeline 55 is provided with a water outlet; the other end of the fifth pipeline 55 is connected with the rear filter cartridge 13, and one end of the fifth pipeline 55 is provided with the flow detection module 3. The fifth pipeline 55 fulfils the function of transporting the filtered water to the outside of the water purifier. In addition, one side of the fifth pipeline 55 is provided with a water outlet, the water outlet communicates with the water inlet, the flow detection module 3 is located at the water outlet, and the front filter cartridges 12 are mounted at the water inlet. Water to be filtered flows from the water inlet into the water purifier for filtration, and filtered water flows from the water outlet out of the water purifier. The flow detection module 3 is mounted at the water outlet. On the one hand, it is convenient to mount and remove the flow detection module 3 and the difficulty in mounting the water purifier is lowered. On the other hand, the pressure difference of filtered water accelerated by the water pump 2 can be precisely monitored. Thus, the monitored data is converted into signals and the signals are transmitted to the main control system 41 so that the main control system controls and regulates the speed of the water pump 2. Such a mounting mode guarantees the output rate of filtered water and increases the accuracy of the data monitored by the flow detection module 3. Besides, a flow detection module 3 can be mounted at the water outlet and the water inlet, respectively, and thus a change between the pressure difference at the water inlet and the pressure difference at the water outlet can be compared. In this way, the electric control system 4 can more accurately control the speed of the water pump 2, thus prolonging the service life of the RO membrane 11 and lowering noise produced by the water purifier.

In the present embodiment, water to be filtered goes from the water inlet into the water purifier and is filtered by front filter cartridges 12, then the filtered water reaches the water pump 2, the water pump 2 accelerates the flowing of the filtered water, the filtered water flows to the RO membrane 11 and passes through the RO membrane 11, a part of water filtered by the RO membrane 11 becomes concentrated water containing impurities and is discharged out the water purifier, the other part reaches the rear filter cartridge 13 and undergoes the final filtration, and finally the filtered water is discharged out of the water outlet via the flow detection module 3.

The electric control system 4 comprises a main control system 41 and an operating system 42; the main control system 41 is electrically connected with the operating system 42, the main control system 41 is electrically connected with the flow detection module 3, and the operating system 42 is electrically connected with the water pump 2. The main control system 41 may set a target flow rate, compare the data detected by the flow detection module 3 with the target flow rate and send a regulation instruction to the operating system 42. The operating system 42 is used to control the speed of the water pump 2, the operating system 42 regulates the speed of the water pump 2 according to the instruction of the main control system 41 , thus prolonging the service life of the RO membrane 11 and lowering the noise produced by the water pump 2. In the present embodiment, the flow detection module 3 monitors the flow rate of purified water at the water outlet in real time, feeds back the monitored data to the main control system 41, the main control system 41 compares the feedback with the target flow rate, regulates the output, and sends the regulation instruction to the operating system 42, and the operating system 42 controls the water pressure of the water pump 2, and thus controls the overall flow rate of water. EXAMPLES

The invention will now be explained with the help of the following non-limiting examples. For traditional RO devices, the pump always works under its rated value. Combined with characteristics of RO devices, the production flow rate is usually high at its early stages (usually 30% higher than its standard value), and with time, the flow rate of water decreases. On the other hand, in the case of the present invention, there is target flow rate value set and pump works under proper voltage to get constant flow rate. Since a lot of other factors affect its performance, like water pressure and temperature, the MCU controller constantly sends signals to adjust the pump’s working voltage so that the flow-rate of purified water could meet the target value.

The data in Table 1 shows the constant flow rate control for the system. The target value was set as 1050 ml/minute, and regardless of how the flow rate of reject water changed, the flow rate of purified water was always around the target value, deviating within 5% of the target value.

TABLE 1

The data in table 2 below shows the lifetime of the filter of the present invention when compared with a traditional device. TABLE 2

The data clearly indicates the purifier of the present invention provides significantly better instant flowrate, ratio, R (of instant to initial flow rate) and the total quantity of purified water.

TABLE 3

The data in Table 3 compares the flowrate of water of the filter as per the present invention with a traditional device. As is shown in fig.4, when flow rate of pure/produced water drops below 1000ml/min, it is considered as the end of life of the filter. So, while the filter of the invention provides over 5000 litres of pure water before breaking down, the filter of the comparative device breaks down after just 2300 litres. By applying this control system to the device, the data in Table 3 shows that the invention has a significant advantage over traditional system on flow attenuation during its lifetime and its total life is almost the double of traditional life time.

TABLE 4

The data in Table 4 compares the noise of pumps as a function of the voltage. Noise emanating from the pump increases with the voltage. Therefore, while the pump is at the early stages of the device in use, the noise is low and it brings better user experience.

The above-mentioned embodiment is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention but is not used to restrict the implementation mode and scope of protection of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should realize that all equivalent replacements or obvious changes made according to the description of the present invention and the contents shown in the drawings should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.