US-12617704-B2 - Water purifier

US12617704B2US 12617704 B2US12617704 B2US 12617704B2US-12617704-B2

Abstract

A water purification apparatus includes a water intake configured to receive water to the water purification apparatus, a filter part including a plurality of filters configured to filter the water and generate purified water, a water outlet including a plurality of water outlet ports configured to discharge the purified water, and one or more pipes that define a water purification path configured to guide the water from the water intake through at least one of the plurality of filters to thereby provide the purified water to at least one of the plurality of water outlet ports.

Inventors

Su Hye WOO
Sang Duck LEE
Jong Pil Kim
Yu Seung CHOI
Jin Hyun Lee

Assignees

LG ELECTRONICS INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20221121
Priority Date: 20220126

Claims (15)

1 . A water purification apparatus comprising: a water intake configured to receive water to the water purification apparatus; a filter part comprising a plurality of filters configured to filter the water and generate purified water; a water outlet including a plurality of water outlet ports configured to discharge the purified water; and one or more pipes that define a water purification path configured to guide the water from the water intake through at least one of the plurality of filters to thereby provide the purified water to at least one of the plurality of water outlet ports, wherein the one or more pipes define a plurality of water purification paths comprising: a first water purification path that connects the water intake to any one of the plurality of water outlet ports, the first water purification path being configured to guide the water from the water intake through a first portion of the plurality of filters, and a second water purification path that connects the water intake to another one of the plurality of water outlet ports, the second water purification path being configured to guide the water from the water intake through a second portion of the plurality of filters that is different from the first portion of the plurality of filters, wherein the first portion of the plurality of filters and the second portion of the plurality of filters include at least one common filter among the plurality of filters, wherein the at least one common filter comprises a plurality of parallel filters that are arranged in parallel, wherein the first water purification path and the second water purification path branch at a point downstream relative to the plurality of parallel filters, wherein the plurality of parallel filters include same filter materials, and wherein a component ratio of the filter materials in one of the plurality of parallel filters is different from a component ratio of the filter materials in another of the plurality of parallel filters.
2 . The water purification apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of filters comprise: a first filter configured to filter residual chlorine, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a first particulate matter having a first size or larger, rust residue, and a suspended matter; a second filter configured to filter residual chlorine, VOCs, a second particulate matter having a second size or larger, rust residues, a suspended matter, and heavy metals, the second size being smaller than the first size; and a third filter configured to filter a third particulate matter having a third size or larger, bacteria, and virus, the third particulate matter being smaller than the second size.
3 . The water purification apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of water outlet ports comprise: a first water outlet port; a second water outlet port; and a third water outlet port, wherein the first water purification path is configured to guide, to the second water outlet port, water having passed through the second filter, wherein the second water purification path is configured to guide, to the third water outlet port, water having passed through the second filter and the third filter, and wherein the plurality of water purification paths further comprise a third water purification path configured to guide, to the first water outlet port, water having passed through the first filter.
4 . The water purification apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the first water purification path and the second water purification path include a common part.
5 . The water purification apparatus of claim 4 , further comprising a first valve configured to distribute water from the second filter to the third filter or to the second water outlet port.
6 . The water purification apparatus of claim 5 , further comprising a second valve configured to distribute water from the water intake to the second filter or to the first filter.
7 . The water purification apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first filter is disposed between the water intake and the second filter, and wherein the water purification apparatus further comprises a valve configured to distribute water from the first filter to the second filter or to one of the plurality of water outlet ports.
8 . The water purification apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the second filter is one of a plurality of second filters that are the plurality of parallel filters.
9 . The water purification apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of second filters have filter component ratios that are different from one another.
10 . The water purification apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the filter part further comprises a head connected to an end of one of the plurality of filters, and wherein the one or more pipes comprises an internal pipe connected to the head.
11 . The water purification apparatus of claim 10 , wherein external shapes of the plurality of filters are identical to one another.
12 . The water purification apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the water purification apparatus are configured to be connected to a plurality of external apparatuses via external pipes.
13 . The water purification apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the first water purification path is connected to one of the plurality of external apparatuses, and wherein the second water purification path is connected to another of the plurality of external apparatuses.
14 . The water purification apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of water outlet ports comprise: a first water outlet port configured to be connected to a first external apparatus among the plurality of external apparatuses; a second water outlet port configured to be connected to a second external apparatus among the plurality of external apparatuses; and a third water outlet port configured to be connected to a third external apparatus among the plurality of external apparatuses, wherein the plurality of filters include a first filter, a second filter, and a third filter that are connected to one another through the one or more pipes, wherein the first water purification path is configured to guide, to the second water outlet port, water having passed through the second filter, wherein the second water purification path is configured to guide, to the third water outlet port, water having passed through the second filter and the third filter, and wherein the plurality of water purification paths further comprise a third water purification path configured to guide, to the first water outlet port, water having passed through the first filter.
15 . The water purification apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the first filter is configured to filter residual chlorine, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a first particulate matter having a first size or larger, rust residue, and a suspended matter, wherein the second filter is configured to filter residual chlorine, VOCs, a second particulate matter having a second size or larger, rust residues, a suspended matter, and heavy metals, the second size being smaller than the first size, and wherein the third filter is configured to filter a third particulate matter having a third size or larger, bacteria, and virus, the third particulate matter being smaller than the second size.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0011667, filed on Jan. 26, 2022, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD This disclosure relates to a water purification apparatus that purifies water and supplies purified water to users, and one particular implementation relates to a water purification apparatus that supplies purified water to a user through an external apparatus. BACKGROUND Various appliances using water are provided in the kitchen, such as a dishwasher, a water purifier refrigerator, an under sink type water purifier, and a desk type water purifier. In some cases, the home appliances may perform a water purification process, respectively, where each home appliance has a water filter for the water purification process. In some cases, where the water filter may require continuous management such as periodic replacement, as the number of home appliances including filters increase, the management may become not systematic and the replacement cost may increase. Further, since each home appliance may include a space to install a water filter, the size of the home appliance may be increased, which may lead to limitations in product design. In some cases, where several home appliances are used, the water filters, used in each home appliance, may not be compatible with each other, which causes inconvenience in maintenance and repair. In some cases, a water purification apparatus may serve as a hub for collectively supplying purified water to several home appliances. When a water purification apparatus serving as a hub purifies water and supplies it to several home appliances, there may be an advantage in that each home appliance may not include a separate water filter. The level or requirements for water purification performed by each home appliance, connected to the water purification apparatus, may be different in many cases. In some cases, where the hub-type water purification apparatus provides high-level purified water to all home appliances, which may lead to rapid exhaustion of the filter, and it may be difficult to generate a sufficient amount of purified water. SUMMARY The present disclosure describes a water purification apparatus that can reduce the process of management arising from the increasing number of household appliances individually equipped with water filters to provide or use purified water. The present disclosure further describes a water purification apparatus that can provide the same quality level of water. The present disclosure further describes a water purification apparatus that can provide water purified to a level suitable for each purpose. The present disclosure further describes a water purification apparatus that can provide a sufficient amount of purified water to each appliance. According to one aspect of the subject matter described in this application, water purification apparatus includes a water intake configured to receive water to the water purification apparatus, a filter part including a plurality of filters configured to filter the water and generate purified water, a water outlet including a plurality of water outlet ports configured to discharge the purified water, and one or more pipes that define a water purification path configured to guide the water from the water intake through at least one of the plurality of filters to thereby provide the purified water to at least one of the plurality of water outlet ports. Implementations according to this aspect can include one or more of the following features. For example, the one or more pipes define a plurality of water purification paths that include a first water purification path that connects the water intake to any one of the plurality of water outlet ports, and a second water purification path that connects the water intake to another one of the plurality of water outlet ports. In some examples, the first water purification path is configured to guide the water from the water intake through a first portion of the plurality of filters, and the second water purification path is configured to guide the water from the water intake through a second portion of the plurality of filters that is different from the first portion of the plurality of filters. In some examples, the first portion of the plurality of filters and the second portion of the plurality of filters can include at least one common filter among the plurality of filters. The at least one common filter can include a plurality of parallel filters that are arranged in parallel, where the first water purification path and the second water purification path can branch at a point downstream relative to the plurality of parallel filters. In some implementations, the plurality of filters can include (i) a first filter configured to filter residual chlorine, volatile organic compounds