JP2001047039A - Ultraviolet sterilization cleaning apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultraviolet sterilization cleaning apparatus which can source an enough time for the irradiation of ultraviolet rays and sterilize and lean bath water, and the like, surely without being affected by a user time or the like. SOLUTION: In an ultraviolet sterilization cleaning apparatus 7, two sterilizing ultraviolet lamps 18, 19 are placed in a cylindrical container 13 of an ultraviolet sterilization chamber 14. In the chamber 14, bath water is supplied from a water supply pipe 31. Since the supplied bath water is introduced from the small diameter supply pipe 31 into a large diameter sterilization chamber 14, the flow rate is reduced largely so that a retention time in the chamber 14 is increased eminently. The bath water, therefore, is irradiated with ultraviolet rays over a long time to be sterilized sufficiently. The sterilized water is discharged through a discharge pipe 32.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultraviolet sterilizing and purifying apparatus which can surely sterilize and purify water so that Legionella spp. And the like do not propagate in stored water in a bathtub or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a bathtub system for a house, there has been known a bathtub system which can maintain a constant hot water temperature for 24 hours and can always take a bath. Such bathtub systems have recently been
The adverse effect on the human body due to the propagation of Legionella spp. Has become a problem.

[0003] As a device for removing Legionella spp. From bath water, there is known an apparatus which sterilizes water circulating through a bathtub with ultraviolet light and ozone. Among these, as an ultraviolet sterilizer, there is known an ultraviolet sterilizer which places an ultraviolet lamp in a circulation path of bath water and sterilizes the bath water when passing through the ultraviolet lamp. In addition, utility model registration No. 304
As disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 5120, a method of disinfecting bath water by floating an ultraviolet lamp on hot water stored in a bathtub is also known.

[0004]

However, in the method of disposing the ultraviolet ray lamp in the circulation path of the bath water to sterilize the circulating bath water, the irradiation time of the circulation water with the ultraviolet ray is very short. Can not expect a sufficient bactericidal effect,
The remaining amount of Legionella spp. In bath water cannot be reduced below the allowable value.

The method of disinfecting a bathtub with an ultraviolet lamp, which can be expected to have a sterilizing effect, hinders bathing if such an ultraviolet lamp floats in the bathtub. In addition, there is a risk that an unexpected accident may occur when the ultraviolet lamp comes into contact with the naked body. Therefore, there is a restriction on the time period during which such a type of ultraviolet lamp can be used, and it is practically difficult to always keep bath water clean.

[0006] The object of the present invention is to solve the above problems.
An object of the present invention is to propose an ultraviolet sterilizing and purifying apparatus that can surely sterilize bath water and the like using an ultraviolet lamp.

Another object of the present invention is to propose a bathtub system provided with such an ultraviolet sterilizing and purifying apparatus.

[0008]

In order to solve the above problems, an ultraviolet sterilizing and purifying apparatus according to the present invention comprises an ultraviolet sterilizing chamber, a water supply pipe for introducing water into the ultraviolet sterilizing chamber, and the ultraviolet sterilizing chamber. A water discharge pipe that discharges water from the water, a sterilizing ultraviolet lamp disposed in the ultraviolet sterilizing chamber, and a power supply unit for lighting the sterilizing ultraviolet lamp. It is characterized in that it is set to be larger than the cross-sectional area of the water supply pipe.

In the present invention, the length of time that water stays in the ultraviolet sterilization chamber can be adjusted depending on how much the cross-sectional area of the ultraviolet sterilization chamber is made larger than the cross-sectional area of the water supply pipe. By adjusting the time that water stays in the UV sterilization chamber to an appropriate time, it is possible to ensure that water passing there
Moreover, sterilization can be performed efficiently. As a result,
Bacteria such as Legionella can be reliably removed from water.

[0010] Here, the ultraviolet sterilizing chamber can be generally formed by a cylindrical container in a vertically placed state. In this case, inside the cylindrical container, open the supply port of the water supply pipe near the circular bottom surface, open the discharge port of the water discharge pipe near the circular top surface of the cylindrical container, the relationship of these arrangements, It is desirable to set such that a swirling water flow around the axis of the cylindrical container is formed in the cylindrical container.

When a swirling flow is formed in the ultraviolet sterilizing chamber,
The germicidal action by the ultraviolet lamp can be made more efficient.

In a typical ultraviolet sterilizing and purifying apparatus,
The circular upper surface of the cylindrical container is defined by a circular lid detachably attached to the cylindrical container, and the circular lid includes:
The sterilizing ultraviolet lamp is detachably attached.

If this configuration is adopted, maintenance of the ultraviolet sterilizing chamber can be easily performed by opening the circular lid,
Further, it is convenient because the replacement work of the ultraviolet lamp can be easily performed.

Further, in a typical ultraviolet sterilizing and purifying apparatus, a cylindrical container is accommodated in an apparatus casing, and an apparatus lid is attached to an upper end opening of the apparatus casing. The power supply unit is mounted.

Next, the present invention relates to a bathtub system for heating and purifying bath water by circulating the bathwater.
A bathtub, a filtration device for filtering the water discharged from the bathtub, an ultraviolet sterilization and purification device for sterilizing and purifying the water after passing through the filtration device, and a heat exchanger for heating the water after the sterilization and purification,
A pump for circulating water along the circulation path from the bathtub to the bathtub again via the filtration device, the ultraviolet sterilization and purification device and the heat exchanger, and as the ultraviolet sterilization and purification device, It is characterized by adopting the above configuration.

In the bathtub system having this configuration, the concentration of various bacteria contained in the circulating water can be significantly reduced by the ultraviolet sterilizing and purifying apparatus, so that the bath water can always be kept clean.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A bathtub system and an ultraviolet sterilizing and purifying apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. (Bathtub system) FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of the bathtub system of this embodiment. As shown in this figure, the bathtub system 1 of the present embodiment is configured with a circulation path 3 for returning the water discharged from the bathtub 2 to the bathtub 2 again, and the circulation path 3 includes a discharge port 2a of the bathtub 2. From the side, a hair catcher 4, a circulation pump 5, a filter 6, an ultraviolet sterilizing and purifying device 7, and a heat exchanger 8
Are arranged in this order.

When the bath water is discharged from the discharge port 2a of the bathtub 2, the hair catcher 4 removes the hair and the like.
Next, other foreign substances are filtered by the filter 5 and then sterilized by the ultraviolet sterilizing and purifying device 7.
The bath water purified and regenerated in this manner is heated while passing through the heat exchanger 8 to become hot water of a predetermined temperature, and is supplied into the bathtub from the supply port 2b of the bathtub 2. in this way,
The bath water is constantly circulated along the circulation path 3 while being constantly purified and sterilized and heated, so that the bathtub always has a state in which clean bath water of a predetermined temperature is stored. (Ultraviolet Sterilizing and Purifying Apparatus) Next, FIG. 2 shows an appearance of the ultraviolet sterilizing and purifying apparatus, and FIG. 3 shows an outline of a side surface and an internal configuration thereof. Explaining with reference to these figures, the ultraviolet sterilizing and purifying apparatus 7 of this example includes a rectangular parallelepiped device casing 11 and a device lid 12 detachably mounted thereon. FIG. 2 shows a state where the lid 12 is removed. Inside the device casing 11, a cylindrical container 13 is disposed in a vertically placed state, and this inside is an ultraviolet sterilization chamber.

The upper end of the cylindrical container 13 has a circular opening, and a transparent container lid 15 made of a material such as acrylic resin is detachably attached thereto in a water-sealed state.
In this embodiment, two screw holes 16 and 17 for mounting an ultraviolet lamp are formed in the container lid 15, through which ultraviolet lamps 18 and 19 are inserted into the ultraviolet sterilization chamber 14 inside the cylindrical container. Have been.

The ultraviolet lamp 18 has an elongated cylindrical discharge tube 21, a mounting male screw portion 22 formed at one end of the discharge tube 21, and a power supply terminal portion mounted at an end of the male screw portion 22. 23, a transparent glass tube (not shown) for sealing the discharge tube 21 with water, and a transparent protective cover 24 for preventing damage to the lamp and the glass tube. The protective cover 24 has a large number of flow holes through which water can flow. The power supply terminal portion 23 is located on the upper surface side of the container lid 14, and the power supply wires 25, 2
6 has been pulled out. Since the other ultraviolet lamp 19 has the same structure, the description is omitted. Note that the number of ultraviolet lamps may be one, or three or more.

A power supply unit 27 for turning on the ultraviolet lamps 18 and 19 is mounted on the back surface of the apparatus lid 12 covering the container lid 15. The power supply unit 27 supplies a power line to which commercial power is supplied. 28 is drawn outside through the apparatus lid 12.

Next, a water supply pipe 31 penetrates vertically through the circular bottom surface 13 a of the cylindrical container 13, and an upper end opening (supply port) 31 a opens into the ultraviolet sterilization chamber 14. This opening 31a is near the circular bottom surface 13a, and
It is located near the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical container. Furthermore, it is set so that water may flow horizontally in the tangential direction of the inner peripheral surface of the circular container. The other end of the water supply pipe 31 is bent horizontally below the bottom surface 13a of the cylindrical container toward the side surface of the device casing, and is connected to a supply port 11b formed in the side surface 11a of the casing.

A water discharge pipe 32 penetrates vertically through a circular bottom surface 13 a of the cylindrical container 13, and an upper end opening (discharge port) 32 a opens into the ultraviolet sterilization chamber 14. The water discharge pipe 32 extends to the vicinity of the container lid 14, and its opening 32a faces upward. A filter 40 is provided in the opening 32a to prevent broken glass from returning to the bathtub in the event of a breakage of the lamp and the glass tube. The other end of the water discharge pipe 32 is the cylindrical container bottom 1
It is bent horizontally from the lower side of 3a and is connected to a discharge port 11d formed on the side surface 11c of the device casing.

In the ultraviolet sterilizing and purifying apparatus 7 of the present embodiment thus configured, the inner diameter of the cylindrical container 13 is much larger than the inner diameters of the water supply pipe 31 and the water discharge pipe 32 connected thereto. Big. Therefore, the circulation pump 5
The bath water flowing into the ultraviolet sterilization chamber 14 in the cylindrical container 13 from the water supply pipe 31 due to the flow rate of the bath water rapidly decreases,
It slowly moves through the ultraviolet sterilization chamber 14 and flows toward the heat exchanger 8 via the water discharge pipe 32 located at the upper end side.

As described above, the flow rate of the bath water passing through the ultraviolet ray sterilizing and purifying device 7 is reduced, so that the ultraviolet lamp 18
19, the time for receiving the ultraviolet irradiation is long. Therefore, the bath water is reliably sterilized, so that propagation of Legionella spp. In the bathtub can be prevented. The time during which the bath water stops in the ultraviolet sterilizing chamber 14 of the ultraviolet sterilizing and purifying apparatus 7 is adjusted to an appropriate value by adjusting the ratio of the inner diameter of the cylindrical container to the inner diameter of the water supply and discharge pipe. It is possible.

In this embodiment, a water supply pipe opening 31a is provided.
Since the position of the water discharge pipe opening 32a is set as described above, the bath water flowing into the ultraviolet sterilization chamber 14 forms a swirling flow there, and flows upward while swirling around the central axis of the chamber 14. Is discharged to the outside through the water discharge pipe opening 32a. By forming such a swirling flow, the sterilization of bath water can be performed more efficiently.

Table 1 shows the test values of the bacterial concentration of the bath water, which were performed to show the bactericidal effect in the bathtub system 1 having the above configuration. The bath water was sampled at regular intervals and included in the bath water. Concentration of Legionella and common bacteria,
And the results of measuring the number of E. coli. Here, the method for testing Legionella spp. Is based on the guideline for preventing legionellosis, general bacteria are based on the standard agar medium method, and Escherichia coli is based on the denoxycholate medium method. FIG. 4 is a graph showing the test results of Legionella spp. Among the test results.

[0028]

[Table 1]

As can be seen from the test results, in the system 1 of this example, the concentration of the Legionella genus is reduced to a desirable level after 60 to 90 minutes have elapsed. (Other Embodiments) The above description is an example in which the ultraviolet sterilizing and purifying apparatus according to the present invention is applied to a 24-hour bathtub system. However, the ultraviolet sterilizing and purifying apparatus of the present invention can be similarly used as an apparatus for sterilizing and purifying water other than bath water, for example, drinking water.

[0030]

As described above, in the ultraviolet sterilizing and purifying apparatus and the bathtub system of the present invention, in the ultraviolet sterilizing chamber in which the ultraviolet lamp for sterilization is disposed.
The flow velocity of the water passing therethrough is reduced, and the time for irradiating the water with ultraviolet rays is made sufficient.

Therefore, according to the present invention, sterilization and purification of water can be reliably performed. In addition, since it is not necessary to float in a bathtub or the like, there is no adverse effect such as disturbing a bather, and there is no restriction on use time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a bathtub system to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is an external view of the ultraviolet sterilizing and purifying apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view, an internal configuration diagram, and an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between a water supply position and a discharge position of the ultraviolet sterilization / purification device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a graph showing the change over time of the concentration of Legionella in the system of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bathtub system 2 Bathtub 3 Circulation path 4 Hair catcher 5 Circulation pump 6 Filtration machine 7 Ultraviolet sterilization and purification apparatus 8 Heat exchanger 11 Device casing 12 Device lid 13 Cylindrical container 14 Ultraviolet sterilization room 15 Container lid 16, 17 Lamp mounting holes 18, 19 UV lamp 21 Discharge tube 22 Male screw part for mounting 23 Terminal part 24 Protective cover 31 Water supply pipe 31a Supply opening 32 Water discharge pipe 32a Discharge opening

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] September 22, 1999 (September 9, 1999
2)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Drawing

[Correction target item name] All figures

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

FIG.

FIG. 2

FIG. 3

FIG. 4

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An ultraviolet sterilization chamber, a water supply pipe for introducing water into the ultraviolet sterilization chamber, a water discharge pipe for discharging water from the ultraviolet sterilization chamber, and a sterilizing ultraviolet ray disposed in the ultraviolet sterilization chamber. An ultraviolet sterilizing and purifying apparatus, comprising: a lamp; and a power supply unit for lighting the ultraviolet lamp for sterilization, wherein the sectional area of the ultraviolet sterilizing chamber is larger than the sectional area of the water supply pipe. 2. The water disinfection chamber according to claim 1, wherein the ultraviolet sterilization chamber is formed by a vertically arranged cylindrical container, and inside the cylindrical container, a supply port of the water supply pipe is provided near a circular bottom surface of the cylindrical container. Are opened, the outlet of the water discharge pipe is opened near the circular upper surface of the cylindrical container, so that a swirling water flow around the axis of the cylindrical container is formed in the cylindrical container, these supply ports and An ultraviolet sterilizing and purifying apparatus, wherein the positional relationship of the outlets is set. 3. The circular container according to claim 2, wherein the circular upper surface of the cylindrical container is defined by a circular lid detachably attached to the cylindrical container, and the sterilizing ultraviolet lamp is detachably mounted on the circular lid. An ultraviolet sterilization / purification device, which is attached. 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising an apparatus casing accommodating the cylindrical container, and an apparatus lid closing an upper end opening of the apparatus casing, wherein the power supply unit is provided on a back surface of the apparatus lid. An ultraviolet sterilizing and purifying device, which is attached. 5. A bathtub, a filtration device for filtering water discharged from the bathtub, an ultraviolet sterilization / purification device for sterilizing and purifying water after passing through the filtration device, and a heat for heating the water after sterilization / purification. An exchange, and a pump for circulating water along a circulation path from the bathtub to the bathtub again through the filtration device, the ultraviolet sterilization and purification device, and the heat exchanger, and the ultraviolet sterilization and purification process. The device is claimed in claims 1 to 4
A bathtub system described in any one of the above items.