IP Library Granted Patent US 7,018,546
Granted Patent B2
US 7,018,546 · App. 10/754,319 · Granted Mar 28, 2006

Water treatment method and water treatment device

Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,018,546
App. No.
10/754,319
Granted
Mar 28, 2006
Kind
B2
Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide a water treatment method and water treatment device capable of automatically tracking the frequency of ultrasonic waves and automatically controlling their amplitude such that optimal cavitation is generated. In one embodiment, a water treatment method of sterilizing water containing microbes comprises supplying ultrasonic vibration to the water to be treated by driving and controlling a transducer of a sterilization cell using a signal; detecting an amplitude of the transducer and a frequency of the signal applied to the transducer; and controlling the amplitude and a vibration frequency of the transducer to target values in accordance with the detected transducer amplitude and the detected signal frequency.

Claims (9)

1. A water treatment method of sterilizing water containing microbes, the method comprising:

supplying ultrasonic vibration to the water to be treated by driving and controlling a transducer of a sterilization cell using a signal;

detecting an amplitude of the transducer and a frequency of the signal applied to the transducer; and

controlling the amplitude and a vibration frequency of the transducer to target values in accordance with the detected transducer amplitude and the detected signal frequency.

2. The water treatment method according to claim 1 wherein the target vibration frequency of the transducer is a resonant frequency of a vibration system.

3. The water treatment method according to claim 1 wherein detecting the frequency of the signal that is applied to the transducer comprises detecting a phase of a current with respect to a voltage of the signal that is applied to the transducer.

4. The water treatment method according to claim 1 wherein controlling the amplitude of the transducer comprises controlling the amplitude without changing a phase of the vibration, by applying a pair of PWM signals having mutually symmetrical phase changes in accordance with a magnitude of the amplitude to the transducer through a drive transformer.

5. The water treatment method according to claim 1 , wherein the amplitude and the vibration frequency of the transducer are controlled with a ratio of convergence times of the amplitude control and frequency control being set to be not equal to about 1 to prevent mutual interference between amplitude control and frequency control to the respective target values.

6. The water treatment method according to claim 1 further comprising generating a warning when an abnormal magnitude is detected in the amplitude or the signal frequency of the transducer, the abnormal magnitude being outside a preset range of amplitude or a preset range of signal frequency of the transducer.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 8, 2004
From: KURIHARA, MASAHIRO; TAKEI, KAZUO; HASHIBA, KUNIO; KATAKURA, KAGEYOSHI
To: HITACHI, LTD.
Reel/Frame 014887/0328 →
Priority Claims (3)
JP 2003-059307 · Mar 6, 2003 · national
JP 2003-069051 · Mar 14, 2003 · national
JP 2003-078241 · Mar 20, 2003 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20040173541A1 · Sep 9, 2004