US12570514USUSPTO Grant XML

Cold-water generating apparatus and water purifier comprising same

The present invention relates to a cold-water generating apparatus and a water purifier comprising same, in which: by arranging a block member to surround the outer circumferential surface of a flow path member through which fluid flows, and cooling the block member so that the fluid is cooled, thereby sufficiently lowering the temperature at which the fluid is cooled; and by arranging cooling passages respectively in a plurality of zones provided in the block member and thermally separated from one another, providing a connection pipe to allow the fluid to sequentially flow through the cooling passages, and preventing heat exchange from occurring between the fluid introduced through the connection pipe and the fluid discharged therefrom, the maximum amount of cold water can be secured, thereby improving user satisfaction.

Patent

Brief

Patent brief

Problem

How can heat, airflow, and thermal load be managed more effectively in compact systems?

Novelty

The front-page text suggests a specialized implementation detail worth closer review.

Uses

Patent review

Assignee

COWAY CO., LTD.

Published

Mar 10, 2026

Inventors

Min Chul Yong, Chung Rae Kim, Jeong Yeon Kim, In Du Choi, Chan Jung Park

Domain

Thermal systems

Plain-English summary

Problem

How can heat, airflow, and thermal load be managed more effectively in compact systems?

Solution

relates to a cold-water generating apparatus and a water purifier comprising same, in which: by arranging a block member to surround the outer circumferential surface of a flow path member through which fluid flows, and cooling the block member so that the fluid is cooled, thereby sufficiently lowering the temperature at which the fluid is cooled; and by arranging cooling passages respectively in a plurality of zones provided in the block member and thermally separated from one another, providing a connection pipe to allow the fluid to sequentially flow through the cooling passages, and preventing heat exchange from occurring between the fluid introduced through the connection pipe and the fluid discharged therefrom, the maximum amount of cold water can be secured, thereby improving user satisfaction.

Key novelty

The front-page text suggests a specialized implementation detail worth closer review.

Applications

Patent review

Relevant search intents

15fbf20c0de9

Claims preview

1 . An apparatus for generating cold water, comprising: a flow path member through which a fluid flows; a block member which surrounds an outer circumferential surface of the flow path member to thermally contact the flow path member; and a cooling member which is provided with a thermoelectric module that is disposed on one side of the block member to cool the block member, wherein the block member comprises a plurality of zones that are thermally separated from each other wherein the flow path member comprises first to n-th cooling passages that are respectively disposed in the plurality of zones, an inlet which is formed at one end of each of the cooling passages and exposed to outside of the block member, an outlet which is formed at the other end of each of the cooling passages and exposed to outside of the block member, and a connection pipe which connects the outlet of the k-th cooling passage and the inlet of the k+1th cooling passage, wherein the block member comprises a plurality of unit blocks in which the zones are respectively formed and a first separation space in which each unit block is disposed to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance, wherein in the cooling member, the thermoelectric module is disposed to overlap the first to n-th cooling passages arranged in each of the above unit blocks, n is an integer of 2 or more, and k is an integer of 1 or more and less than or equal to n 1. 2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric module is disposed on one side of the block member in a depth direction, wherein the inlet of the k-th cooling passage is disposed far from the thermoelectric module, and the outlet of the k-th cooling passage is disposed close to the thermoelectric module, and wherein the inlet of the k+1th cooling passage is disposed close to the thermoelectric module, and the outlet of the k+1th cooling passage is disposed far from the thermoelectric module. 3 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first separation space is disposed far from the thermoelectric module.

Cold-water generating apparatus and water purifier comprising same

Plain-English summary

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