Method of cleaning a drinking water supply device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016167989-A1
Application number	US-201514959157-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 4, 2015
Priority date	Dec 11, 2014
Publication date	Jun 16, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A drinking water supply device may comprise a mineral water supply module comprising a mineral cartridge to store condensed minerals, a mineral supply pipe provided with a micro channel to supply minerals to a water supply pipe, a mineral cartridge receiver detachably coupled to the mineral cartridge and connected to the mineral supply pipe, a mineral supply valve to open and close the mineral supply pipe, and a discharge pipe to discharge filtered water or mineral water. A method of cleaning a drinking water supply device may comprise of discharging residual minerals using a mineral drainage unit including a drainage pipe connected to the mineral supply pipe and a drainage valve to open and close the drainage pipe, supplying cleaning water to a channel in which minerals or mineral water flow of the mineral water supply module, and supplying rinsing water to the channel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A drinking water supply device comprising:
a water supply pipe configured to channel water; a mineral supply pipe provided with a mineral supply valve configured to be opened and closed to selectively supply minerals to the water supply pipe and a micro channel configured to supply minerals; a mineral supply unit including:
a mineral cartridge configured to store minerals,
a mineral cartridge receiver configured to detachably couple to the mineral cartridge and to connect to the mineral supply pipe, and
a pump to discharge the minerals stored in the mineral cartridge;
a mineral water mixer configured to connect to the mineral supply pipe and the water supply pipe and configured to allow mixing of the minerals from the mineral supply pipe with the water in the water supply pipe; a discharge pipe configured to connect to the mineral water mixer and the water supply pipe to discharge filtered water or mineral water; a mineral drainage unit including
a drainage pipe configured to connect to the mineral supply pipe to discharge minerals and
a drainage valve provided in the drainage pipe configured to open and close the drainage pipe; and
a controller configured to control the mineral supply valve, the drainage valve, and the pump to clean a channel in which minerals or mineral water flow.

2 . The drinking water supply device according to claim 1 , wherein the channel is cleaned via a residual mineral discharge mode, a cleaning water supply mode to supply cleaning water, and a rinsing water supply mode to supply rinsing water.

3 . The drinking water supply device according to claim 2 , wherein, when the residual mineral discharge mode is selected, the controller closes the mineral supply valve and opens the drainage valve to discharge minerals remaining in the mineral supply pipe and the mineral supply unit through the drainage pipe.

4 . The drinking water supply device according to claim 3 , wherein the controller opens one of the drainage valve for a predetermined time or the drainage valve until a flow rate measured by a flow rate sensor provided in the drainage pipe is lower than a predetermined flow rate and then closes the drainage valve.

5 . The drinking water supply device according to claim 2 , further comprising a cleaning water cartridge configured to store cleaning water and to couple to the mineral cartridge receiver to supply the cleaning water to the channel in which the minerals or the mineral water flows in the absence of the mineral water cartridge.

6 . The drinking water supply device according to claim 5 , wherein the cleaning water cartridge is filled with rinsing water after the cleaning water is discharged.

7 . The drinking water supply device according to claim 6 , wherein, when one of the cleaning water supply mode or the rinsing water supply mode is input, the controller opens the mineral supply valve and closes the drainage valve for a predetermined first time to clean the channel and closes the mineral supply valve and opens the drainage valve for a predetermined second time to clean the drainage pipe after the predetermined first time.

8 . The drinking water supply device according to claim 7 , wherein, when the rinsing water supply mode is completed, a new mineral cartridge is coupled to the mineral cartridge receiver and the controller executes a mineral supply ready mode in which the pump is powered on for a predetermined time and the mineral supply valve is open to supply minerals to the mineral supply pipe such that rinsing water is discharged through the discharge pipe.

9 . The drinking water supply device according to claim 8 , wherein the mineral supply ready mode includes a water discharge pipe cleaning mode in which the controller controls the mineral supply valve to close and to supply filtered water to the water supply pipe for a predetermined time in order to discharge minerals remaining in the discharge pipe after a supply of minerals is completed.

10 . A method of cleaning a drinking water supply device comprising a mineral water supply module comprising a mineral cartridge to store condensed minerals, a mineral supply pipe provided with a micro channel to supply minerals to a water supply pipe, a mineral cartridge receiver detachably coupled to the mineral cartridge and connected to the mineral supply pipe, a mineral supply valve to open and close the mineral supply pipe, and a discharge pipe to discharge filtered water or mineral water, the method comprising:
discharging residual minerals using a mineral drainage unit including a drainage pipe connected to the mineral supply pipe and a drainage valve to open and close the drainage pipe; supplying cleaning water to a channel in which minerals or mineral water flow of the mineral water supply module; and supplying rinsing water to the channel in which the minerals or the mineral water flow.

11 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein the discharging residual minerals includes closing the mineral supply valve and opening the drainage valve for a predetermined time to discharge minerals remaining in at least one of the mineral supply pipe, the mineral cartridge, and the mineral cartridge receiver through the drainage pipe.

12 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein the discharging residual minerals further includes informing a user after completion of the discharge of the residual minerals that the discharge of the residual minerals has been completed.

13 . The method according to claim 10 , further comprising separating the mineral cartridge from the mineral cartridge receiver and coupling a cleaning water cartridge that contains cleaning water to the mineral cartridge receiver before the supplying cleaning water.

14 . The method according to claim 13 , wherein the channel in which the minerals or the mineral water flow includes:
a first channel provided by the mineral supply pipe, a mineral water generation unit configured to connect to the mineral supply pipe; the water supply pipe, and the discharge pipe and configured to allow mixing of the minerals from the mineral supply pipe with the water in the water supply pipe, and a second channel provided by the drainage pipe.

15 . The method according to claim 14 , wherein the supplying cleaning water includes:
opening the mineral supply valve and closing the drainage valve for a predetermined first time to supply the cleaning water to the first channel; and closing the mineral supply valve and opening the drainage valve for a predetermined second time after the predetermined first time to supply the cleaning water to the second channel.

16 . The method according to claim 15 , wherein the supplying rinsing water includes:
filling the cleaning water cartridge with rinsing water; coupling the cleaning water cartridge to the mineral cartridge receiver; and supplying the rinsing water sequentially to the first channel and the second channel after the supplying cleaning water.

17 . The method according to claim 16 , further comprising:
separating the cleaning water cartridge from the mineral cartridge receiver and coupling a new mineral cartridge to the mineral cartridge receiver after the supplying rinsing water is completed.

18 . The method according to claim 17 , further comprising opening the mineral supply valve and closing the drainage valve to supply minerals from the new mineral cartridge to the first channel for a predetermined time after the coupling the new mineral cartridge.

19 . The method accordin

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Yoon Heesang
• Lee Myounghoon
• Woo Sangki

Classifications

• C02F2209/40

  Liquid flow rate · CPC title

• C02F1/008

  Control or steering systems not provided for elsewhere in subclass C02F · CPC title

• C02F2209/44

  Time · CPC title

• B01F3/0865

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F2003/0896

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic