JP2010253036A - Steam sterilization device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the use turnover of a steam sterilization device by shortening a period of time required for an air exclusion process. <P>SOLUTION: The air exclusion process is performed by alternately repeating first operation of exhausting gas in a sterilizing chamber 1 by operating exhaust means 12 and 13 and second operation of supplying steam into the sterilizing chamber 1 by stopping the operation of the exhaust means 12 and 13 and operating steam supply means 5 and 7. The steam supply means 5 and 7 selects first control of adjusting the quantity of supplied steam by gradually increasing and decreasing an opening degree and second control of setting the quantity of supplied steam to be two values of a predetermined quantity and zero without gradually increasing and decreasing the opening degree, and sets the steam supply means 5 and 7 to the predetermined quantity of the second control at the same time or just before the start of second operation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a steam sterilization apparatus that supplies steam into a sterilization chamber to sterilize an object to be sterilized.

  In this type of steam sterilizer, provided in a sterilization chamber for storing articles to be sterilized, a steam supply valve for gradually increasing or decreasing the opening degree provided in the steam supply line to the sterilization chamber, and a decompression line connected to the sterilization chamber Control means for controlling the steam supply valve, the pressure reducing valve and the pressure reducing means, and performing an air exhausting process (exhaust process) for excluding air in the sterilization chamber and a sterilizing process for steam sterilizing the article to be sterilized Is known from Patent Document 1. The reason why the steam supply valve has a structure in which the opening gradually increases or decreases is to finely control the temperature in the sterilization chamber.

  In the steam sterilization apparatus of Patent Document 1, as described in Patent Document 1, the decompression means is driven to discharge the air in the sterilization chamber and the decompression means is stopped, and the steam supply valve is operated. And the second operation of supplying steam into the sterilization chamber is repeated several times alternately.

JP 2001-104455 A

  However, in the conventional apparatus, as shown in FIG. 7, when performing the second operation of stopping the pressure reducing means and opening the steam supply valve to supply steam into the sterilization chamber, the steam supply valve is only gradually opened. For this reason, the pressure increase to the atmospheric pressure is delayed, and a time loss 1 occurs. Further, it is conceivable to employ a pressure reducing valve that has a structure in which the opening degree is gradually increased or decreased because the pressure reducing speed needs to be adjusted in the pressure reducing process in the drying process. In such a case, there is a time loss 2 due to a time delay from the start of opening of the pressure reducing valve to the closing, and as a result, the time from the closing signal for closing the pressure reducing valve to the pressure rising to the atmospheric pressure is time loss 1 and time. A loss is generated only for the time obtained by adding the target loss 2.

  In this type of steam sterilizer, an important issue is how to increase the rotation rate of the apparatus (the number of times of use per day). In order to increase the rotation rate, an important point is how to shorten the sterilization operation time per time.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to improve the use rotation rate of the steam sterilizer by shortening the time required for the air exclusion process.

This invention was made in order to solve the said subject, and invention of Claim 1 is a sterilization chamber which accommodates to-be-sterilized material, The steam supply means provided in the steam supply line to the said sterilization chamber, , An exhaust means for exhausting the gas in the sterilization chamber, a control for controlling the steam supply means and the exhaust means, and performing an air exclusion process for excluding air in the sterilization chamber and a sterilization process for steam sterilizing an object to be sterilized And the air exhausting step operates the exhaust means to discharge the gas in the sterilization chamber, and stops the operation of the exhaust means and operates the steam supply means to operate the sterilization chamber. In the steam sterilization apparatus that is performed by alternately repeating the second operation of supplying steam to the steaming means, the steam supply means gradually adjusts the steam supply amount by gradually increasing and decreasing the opening degree and the opening degree gradually. Specified amount of steam supply without any increase or decrease, binary value of zero Configuration and then, the control means for selecting a second control which is characterized in that the supply steam unit to the second operation start simultaneously with or shortly before a predetermined amount of the second control.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the steam supply means is set to the predetermined amount for the second control at the same time or immediately before the start of the second operation, the time until the predetermined pressure is reached in the second operation can be shortened. The time for the air removal process can be shortened.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the steaming means comprises a steaming valve whose opening degree gradually increases and decreases and an open / close binary switching valve provided in series with the steaming valve. The first control is performed by opening the open / close valve and adjusting the opening of the steam supply valve, and the second control is performed by setting the steam supply valve to a predetermined opening in advance and opening the open / close valve. It is characterized by being performed by opening and closing.

  According to invention of Claim 2, in addition to the effect by the invention of Claim 1, there exists an effect that the effect of the steam supply interruption | blocking to the said sterilization chamber can be heightened.

  The invention described in claim 3 is the vacuum device according to claim 2, wherein the exhaust means is constituted by a decompression means including a decompression valve and a decompression means connected to the sterilization chamber and provided in a decompression line. The first operation of evacuating the sterilization chamber is performed by operating the vacuum exhaust means with the steam supply valve at a predetermined opening and the open / close valve closed, and a closing signal to the vacuum valve At the same time, the second operation of supplying steam into the sterilization chamber is performed by opening the open / close valve.

  According to the invention of claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 2, the steam supply valve having a predetermined opening is immediately opened by opening the opening / closing valve simultaneously with the closing signal to the pressure reducing valve. Thus, the steam can be supplied, and the time to reach the predetermined pressure in the second operation can be shortened.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, the pressure reducing valve is configured by a valve whose opening degree gradually increases and decreases, and the control means opens the opening / closing valve simultaneously with starting to close the pressure reducing valve. It is characterized by.

  According to the invention of claim 4, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 3, the steam supply valve having a predetermined opening degree is eliminated by eliminating a time loss from the start of closing of the pressure reducing valve to the end of closing. As a result, it is possible to supply steam, and it is possible to shorten the time of the further air exclusion process.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect of the present invention, the control means sets the timing at which the pressure reducing valve starts to be closed higher than a first set pressure at which the pressure reducing exhaust means stops at the same time as the pressure reducing valve finishes closing. It is characterized by the time when the sterilization chamber pressure has reached a high second set pressure.

  According to the fifth aspect of the invention, in addition to the effect of the fourth aspect of the invention, the time to reach the predetermined pressure in the second operation is further shortened by increasing the timing at which the pressure reducing valve starts to close. There is an effect that can be done.

A sixth aspect of the present invention is that in the first aspect, the steaming means is composed of a steaming valve whose opening degree gradually increases and decreases, and an open / close binary switching valve provided in parallel with the steaming valve. The first control is performed by closing the opening / closing valve and adjusting the opening degree of the steam supply valve, and the second control is performed by opening / closing the opening / closing valve.

  According to the sixth aspect of the invention, in addition to the effect of the first aspect of the invention, the amount of steam supplied when the open / close valve is opened is increased by adjusting the opening of the steam supply valve. There is an effect that can be.

  Further, the invention according to claim 7 is the pressure control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the exhaust means is constituted by a decompression means connected to the sterilization chamber and including a decompression valve and a decompression means provided in a decompression line, and the control means Performs the first operation of fully evacuating the sterilization chamber by closing the steam supply valve and closing the open / close valve to operate the vacuum exhaust means, and simultaneously with a close signal to the vacuum valve The second operation of supplying steam into the sterilization chamber is performed by opening the open / close valve.

  According to the invention described in claim 7, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 6, the steam supply valve having a predetermined opening is immediately opened by opening the open / close valve simultaneously with the closing signal to the pressure reducing valve. Thus, the steam can be supplied, and the time to reach the predetermined pressure in the second operation can be shortened.

  According to this invention, the time of an air exclusion process can be shortened and the use rotation rate of a steam sterilizer can be improved.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows Example 1 of the sterilizer of this invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows the principal part control procedure of the Example 1. It is a flowchart figure which shows the principal part control procedure of FIG. It is a figure which illustrates typically the pressure change in the sterilization chamber of Example 1 with the action | operation of a component. It is a schematic block diagram of other Example 2 of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram of other Example 3 of this invention. It is a figure which illustrates typically the pressure change in the sterilization room | chamber interior and jacket of a prior art example with the action | operation of a component.

  The embodiment of the present invention is implemented in a sterilization apparatus that sterilizes an object to be sterilized in the sterilization chamber with steam.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. A configuration which is a premise of the embodiment of the present invention will be described. The sterilization apparatus according to this embodiment includes a sterilization chamber for storing an object to be sterilized, steaming means provided in a steam supply line to the sterilization chamber, exhaust means for exhausting gas in the sterilization chamber, control means, It has. The steam supply means can be referred to as steam supply control means in the sense of controlling the amount of steam supply, and the exhaust means can be referred to as exhaust control means in the sense of adjusting the amount of exhaust.

The control means controls the steam supply means and the exhaust means, and performs an air exclusion process for excluding air in the sterilization chamber and a sterilization process for steam sterilizing an object to be sterilized. In the air exclusion step, the exhaust means is operated to discharge the gas in the sterilization chamber, the exhaust means is stopped, and the steam supply means is operated to supply steam into the sterilization chamber. The second operation is configured to be repeated alternately. The order of the first operation and the second operation may be interchanged. The first operation can be referred to as a first step or a steam discharge operation, and the second operation can be referred to as a second step or a steam supply operation.

  The main features of this embodiment are the following two. The first feature is that the steam supply means is a first control that adjusts the steam supply amount by gradually increasing and decreasing the opening degree, and the steam supply amount is a predetermined amount and zero binary without gradually increasing or decreasing the opening degree. The second control is to select the second control. The second feature is that the control unit controls the steam supply amount to a predetermined amount by using the steam supply unit as the second control at the same time or immediately before the start of the second operation. The “predetermined amount” is preferably the maximum amount that can be supplied through the steam supply line, but includes a steam supply amount smaller than the maximum amount.

  With this configuration, when the second operation is started, the steam is supplied to the sterilization chamber with a predetermined steam supply amount. As a result, the time required to reach the predetermined pressure in the second operation can be shortened, and the time required for the air exclusion process can be shortened.

The steam supply means includes the following two forms.
(First form of steaming means)
The first form is composed of a steam supply valve whose opening degree is gradually increased and decreased and a binary open / close valve provided in series with the steam supply valve. The first control is performed by opening the open / close valve and adjusting the opening of the steam supply valve, and the second control is performed by setting the steam supply valve to a predetermined opening in advance and opening / closing the valve. It is the form performed by opening and closing. The steam supply means of the first form and the steam supply means of the second form which will be described later can be a valve in which the steam supply valve and the opening / closing valve are integrally configured. The “predetermined opening” is preferably fully opened, but includes an opening smaller than the fully opened.

  In this first embodiment, the control means sets the steam supply valve to a predetermined opening degree in advance, and opens the open / close valve at the same time as or immediately before the start of the second operation, thereby causing the steam supply means to As the second control, the steam supply amount is set to a predetermined amount.

  In the first form of the steam supply means and the second form to be described later, the steam supply valve is a proportional valve such as a motor valve, and receives an open command signal from a fully closed position to a fully open position or a predetermined open position. It is a valve that takes a predetermined time until it reaches the fully closed position, and after receiving the close command signal, it reaches the fully closed position or the fully closed position from the predetermined opening position. The open / close valve is an open / close binary electromagnetic valve, and the open / close is instantaneously performed as compared with the proportional valve, and can be referred to as a cutoff valve.

  In the first form of the steam supply means, the air exclusion step includes the following two forms. The first form of the air exclusion process is a preferred form, and is a reduced pressure exhaust / steaming system that excludes air by repeating reduced pressure exhaust and steam supply. That is, in the first embodiment, the exhaust means is constituted by a decompression means including a decompression valve and a decompression means connected to the sterilization chamber and provided in a decompression line. The pressure reducing means and the pressure reducing valve are connected in series with each other. The air exhausting step opens the decompression valve to activate the decompression exhaust means to exhaust the air in the sterilization chamber; closes the decompression valve to stop the decompression exhaust means; And a second operation of opening the steam supply valve and supplying steam into the sterilization chamber is repeated alternately. The control means performs the first operation of evacuating the sterilization chamber by operating the decompression means with the steam supply valve at a predetermined opening and the open / close valve closed, and performing the decompression. The second operation of supplying steam into the sterilization chamber is performed by opening the open / close valve simultaneously with a closing signal to the valve.

  The second operation is performed until the pressure in the sterilization chamber reaches a predetermined pressure. The predetermined pressure is preferably atmospheric pressure, but may be lower or higher than atmospheric pressure.

  In the first form of the air exclusion process, the pressure reducing valve is configured by a valve whose opening degree gradually increases and decreases like the steam supply valve, and the control means starts opening and closing the pressure reducing valve at the same time as opening and closing. The valve can be configured to open. With such a configuration, in the drying process after the sterilization process is completed, when the object to be sterilized is dried by opening the decompression valve and operating the decompression exhaust means, the degree of decompression in the sterilization chamber can be adjusted. . And, the conventional pressure reducing valve can be supplied with a predetermined amount of steam at the same time that the pressure reducing valve starts to open and eliminates time loss from the time when the pressure reducing valve starts to close to the end. The process time can be shortened. In the first embodiment, the pressure reducing valve may be an open / close valve that cannot be adjusted only by opening and closing. Since the pressure reducing valve has a function of adjusting the degree of vacuum in the sterilization chamber, it can be referred to as a vacuum valve.

  Further, in the first form of the air exclusion step, preferably, the pressure in the sterilization chamber is set to a second set pressure higher than a first set pressure at which the pressure reducing valve starts to close by a predetermined value than the first set pressure at which the pressure reducing valve ends. Is the point of arrival. When the pressure reducing valve is closed, the operation of the pressure reducing exhaust means is stopped. According to this configuration, since the timing at which the pressure reducing valve starts to close is advanced, the time until the atmospheric pressure is reached in the second operation can be further shortened.

  When the decompression means is composed of an open / close binary decompression valve and a decompression means, when the decompression means is operated, the decompression valve opens and when the decompression means is deactivated, the decompression means The valve closes. The decompression unit is preferably a vacuum pump, but is not limited thereto, and may be a decompression device such as an ejector.

  In addition, an exhaust valve connected to the sterilization chamber is provided, and in the first form of the air exclusion process, steam is supplied before the first operation with the exhaust valve opened, A third operation for discharging air can be performed before the first operation.

  The second form of the air exclusion process is a positive pressure steaming / exhaust system that excludes air by repeating positive pressure steaming and exhaust. That is, in the second embodiment, the exhaust means is constituted by an exhaust valve provided in an exhaust line from the sterilization chamber. The air exhausting step opens the exhaust valve to discharge the gas in the sterilization chamber, closes the exhaust valve, opens the open / close valve and the steam supply valve, and supplies steam into the sterilization chamber. The second operation is configured to be repeated alternately.

  The control means performs the first operation of exhausting the gas in the sterilization chamber by opening the exhaust valve with the steam supply valve fully closed and the open / close valve closed. The second operation of supplying steam into the sterilization chamber is performed by opening the open / close valve simultaneously with the closing signal to the sterilization chamber. In this second form, the second operation is usually performed first, followed by the first operation. This second form of air evacuation is a known air evacuation system disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-266943. In the second embodiment, generally, the vacuum exhaust means is not operated.

  Also in the second form of the air exclusion process, similarly to the first form of the air exclusion process, when the opening / closing valve is opened, the steam supply valve has a predetermined opening, so the steam supply amount is reduced. Steam is supplied to the sterilization chamber in a predetermined amount, so that the time until the predetermined pressure is reached in the second operation can be shortened, and the time required for the air exclusion process can be shortened. This predetermined pressure is a positive pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure.

  In the second form of the air exclusion process, as described above, the steam supply valve and the opening / closing valve are provided in series with each other on the steam supply line connected to the sterilization chamber. The opening / closing valve is preferably provided on the primary side (upstream side) of the steam supply valve. The reason is that when the open / close valve is provided on the secondary side of the steam supply valve, when the steam is not supplied, the steam from the steam supply valve to the open / close valve is filled with steam and radiates heat over time. Therefore, some steam becomes water. Then, it is because it is thought that there is some influence on the drying in the drying process after the sterilization process.

  The steam supply line provided with the steam supply valve and the opening / closing valve may include a steam supply space provided outside the sterilization chamber. That is, this steam supply line is a steam supply line provided with the open / close valve communicating with the sterilization chamber, the steam supply space, the steam supply valve provided with the steam supply valve communicating with the steam supply space and the sterilization chamber. Consists of lines.

  The steaming space is provided so as to heat the outer wall of the sterilization chamber, and preferably a space formed between the outer wall and the surrounding wall by providing an enclosing wall so as to cover the outer wall of the sterilizing chamber. (It can also be referred to as a jacket.) However, it can also be constituted by a heat transfer tube arranged along the outer wall of the sterilization chamber. In this embodiment, the steaming space is not necessarily required if the sterilization chamber is effectively kept warm.

(Second form of steaming means)
The second form of the steam supply means is composed of a steam supply valve whose opening degree gradually increases and decreases and a binary open / close valve provided in parallel with the steam supply valve. The first control is performed by closing the opening / closing valve and adjusting the opening of the steam supply valve, and the second control is performed by opening / closing the opening / closing valve. In the second form of the steam supply means, the control means opens the open / close valve at the same time as or immediately before the start of the second operation, thereby setting the steam supply amount as the second control. A predetermined amount. In the second operation, the steam supply valve in the second operation is increased by increasing the steam supply amount in the second operation by setting the steam supply valve not to be fully closed but to a predetermined opening or full open. Can do.

  Also in the second form of the steaming means, the air exhausting step is performed in the same manner as in the first form of the steaming means. The vacuum exhausting / steaming method and the positive pressure steaming / exhaust method are the same. Including embodiments. Since the configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment of the steam supply means, the description thereof is omitted.

  Next, unexplained components of this embodiment will be described. The sterilization chamber can be referred to as a processing tank, and is a hermetically sealed hollow container in which an object to be sterilized is stored and sterilized, and the object to be sterilized is taken in and out through a door.

  The control means includes a CPU and a storage means, and controls the steam supply means and the exhaust means to eliminate at least air in the sterilization chamber and sterilization process to sterilize an object to be sterilized. And is configured to do A steaming process is provided between the air exclusion process and the sterilization process, and this steaming process can be included in either the air exclusion process or the sterilization process. In addition, after the sterilization process, a drying process is usually performed to dry the article to be sterilized.

Hereinafter, the sterilization apparatus of Example 1 of this invention is demonstrated based on drawing. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure of the first embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure of a main part of FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the pressure change in the sterilization chamber of the first embodiment and the operation of the components of the first embodiment.

(Configuration of Example 1)
In FIG. 1, a steam jacket 2 formed in a double can shape as a steam supply space is provided on the outer wall of the sterilization chamber 1, and the sterilization chamber 1 is heated from the outside.

  A first steam supply line (steam supply line) 3 is connected to the sterilization chamber 1 so as to communicate with the sterilization chamber 1, and a second supply is connected to the steam jacket 2 so as to communicate with the steam jacket 2. A steam line 4 is connected. The first and second steam supply lines 3 and 4 are respectively provided with first and second steam supply valves 5 and 6 as steam supply means.

  The first steam supply line 3 is provided with an open / close valve 7 that is controlled in two positions, fully closed and fully open, in series on the primary side (upstream side) of the first steam supply valve 5. The first steam supply valve 5 and the opening / closing valve 7 constitute the steam supply means of the present invention. In the first embodiment, a motor valve, which is a proportional control valve, is used to stabilize the temperature in the sterilization chamber 1 and improve the sterilization quality as the first steam supply valve 5 whose opening degree gradually increases and decreases. As the valve 7 and the second steam supply valve 6, an electromagnetic valve that selects opening and closing is used, which has a quick operation response and low cost.

  An air supply line 8 is connected to the sterilization chamber 1, and aseptic air is supplied into the sterilized chamber 1 whose pressure has been reduced, so that the inside of the sterilization chamber 1 is restored to atmospheric pressure. The air supply line 8 is provided with a sterile filter 9 and an air supply valve 10 in order from the upstream side. The air supply valve 10 uses a solenoid valve having an opening / closing binary value.

  The sterilization chamber 1 is connected to a decompression line 11 so that the gas in the sterilization chamber 1 is exhausted by decompression. The decompression line 11 is provided with a decompression valve 12 and a vacuum pump 13 in order from the upstream side. The decompression valve 12 and the vacuum pump 13 constitute a decompression exhaust means that is an exhaust means of the present invention.

  An exhaust line 14 is branched from the upstream position of the decompression valve 12 in the decompression line 11, and its downstream end is connected to a downstream position of the vacuum pump 13 in the decompression line 11. The exhaust line 14 serves to discharge the steam in the sterilization chamber 1. The exhaust line 14 is provided with an exhaust valve 15.

  The pressure reducing valve 12 uses a motor valve as a proportional control valve that gradually increases and decreases, and the exhaust valve 15 uses a valve that is controlled in two positions, fully closed and fully opened. The decompression valve 12 is controlled to adjust the degree of decompression by adjusting the opening while driving the vacuum pump 13 in the drying process after the sterilization process.

  The sterilization chamber 1 and the steam jacket 2 are provided with first and second pressure sensors 16 and 17 as pressure detecting means for detecting respective internal pressures, and drains communicating with the sterilization chamber 1 of the decompression line 11 are provided. A temperature sensor 18 is provided at a portion called a discharge port. The mounting position of the temperature sensor 18 is selected so as to detect the lowest temperature in the sterilization chamber 1 and a portion communicating with the sterilization chamber 1.

  The first and second pressure sensors 16, 17 and the temperature sensor 18 are connected to a controller 19 by signal lines. The controller 19 opens and closes the first and second steam supply valves 5 and 6, the opening and closing valve 7, the air supply valve 10, the pressure reducing valve 12, and the exhaust valve 15 in accordance with a preset control procedure. In addition, the operation of the vacuum pump 13 is controlled.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the control procedure is configured to sequentially execute a preliminary process S1, an air exclusion process S2, a steaming process S3, a sterilization process S4, and a drying process S5.

  In the air exclusion step S2, the first operation W1 and the second operation W2 are repeatedly performed. The first operation W1 is to evacuate the inside of the sterilization chamber 1 by operating the vacuum pump 13 with the first steam supply valve 5 fully closed and the open / close valve 7 closed. . The second operation W2 is to supply steam into the sterilization chamber by fully opening the first steam supply valve 5 and opening the opening / closing valve 7. Then, the first steam supply valve 5 is fully opened immediately before the start of the second operation W2 (or at the same time), and at the start of the second operation W2, the maximum supply possible through the first steam supply line 3 is performed. It is configured to supply steam.

  In the first embodiment, the first operation-the second operation-the first operation is performed. Then, before the first first operation W1, a third operation W3 is performed in which the steam is supplied before the first operation with the exhaust valve opened, and the air in the sterilization chamber is discharged. ing. Specifically, the procedure of the air exclusion step S2 is shown in FIG. 3, and details thereof will be described later together with the operation of the first embodiment.

(Operation of Example 1)
The operation of the first embodiment having the above configuration will be described below in accordance with the operation process. Referring to FIG. 2, the operation process includes a preliminary process S1, an air exclusion process S2, a steam supply process S3, a sterilization process S4, and a drying process S5.

(Preliminary process)
In S <b> 1, a preliminary process of heating the sterilization chamber 1 by storing the sterilization object in the sterilization chamber 1, opening the second steam supply valve 6, supplying steam into the steam jacket 2, and so on. I do. This preliminary process is performed for a predetermined time so that the temperature in the sterilization chamber 1 detected by the temperature sensor 18 reaches a predetermined temperature. In this preliminary step, the second steam supply valve 6 is controlled by the pressure detected by the second pressure sensor 17, and the inside of the steam jacket 2 is controlled to be the first set value.

(Air exclusion process)
Next, in S2, an air exclusion process is performed, which will be described with reference to FIGS. First, in S6, the controller 19 stops the opening signal for the opening / closing valve 7 and the first steam supply valve 5, the opening signal for the exhaust valve 15, and the driving stop for the vacuum pump 13. A signal is sent to the pressure reducing valve 12 as a closing signal. The air supply valve 10 is closed throughout the air evacuation process.

  Then, the first steam supply valve 5 begins to open gradually, and saturated steam (hereinafter simply referred to as steam) of atmospheric pressure or higher is supplied into the sterilization chamber 1 through the first steam supply line 3. As a result, the air in the sterilization chamber 1 is discharged through the exhaust line 14 together with the steam. This is the third operation W3. This third operation W3 is performed for a predetermined time set in advance, and if YES is determined in S7, the process proceeds to S8.

  In S8, the controller 19 keeps the first steam supply valve 5 fully open, sends a close signal to the open / close valve 7, an open signal to the decompression valve 12, and an exhaust valve 15 to the exhaust valve 15. On the other hand, a close signal and a drive signal are transmitted to the vacuum pump 13, respectively.

Then, the inside of the sterilization chamber 1 is evacuated and exhausted through the decompression line 11, and the air in the sterilization chamber 1 and the air contained in the sterilized material are discharged out of the sterilization chamber 1. This is the first operation W1. By this first operation W1, the pressure in the sterilization chamber 1 gradually decreases as shown in FIG.

  Then, the pressure in the sterilization chamber 1 (the pressure detected by the first pressure sensor 16) reaches the second set pressure P2 that is higher than the first set pressure P1 by which the pressure reducing valve 8 finishes closing (fully closed). Then, YES is determined in S9, and the process proceeds to S10.

  In S10, the controller 19 keeps the first steam supply valve 5 fully open, sends an open signal to the open / close valve 7, a close signal to the pressure reducing valve 12, and an exhaust valve 15 to the exhaust valve 15. On the other hand, a close signal is transmitted as it is, and a drive signal is transmitted to the vacuum pump 13. Then, when the pressure reducing valve 12 is closed, YES is determined in S11, and the vacuum pump 13 is stopped.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the pressure in the sterilization chamber 1 rises after being slightly lowered from the supply of the closed signal to the pressure reducing valve 12. When the pressure in the sterilization chamber 1 reaches the third set value P3 that is lower than the predetermined atmospheric pressure, YES is determined in S13, and an open signal is sent to the pressure reducing valve 12 in S14. . This is because the opening of the pressure reducing valve 12 is completed at the start of the next first operation W1. Next, when the pressure in the sterilization chamber 1 becomes atmospheric pressure, YES is determined in S15, and the process proceeds to S16.

  In S16, the controller 19 determines whether or not the repetition of the first operation W1 and the second operation W2 has been performed a set N times. In the first embodiment, it is determined whether or not the first operation W1 is completed twice. If NO is determined in S16, the process returns to S8, and the first operation W1 and the second operation W2 are executed again. If YES is determined in S <b> 16, the air exclusion process S <b> 2 is terminated and the process proceeds to the next steam supply process S <b> 3.

(Steaming process and sterilization process)
In the steaming step S3, steam for heat sterilization is supplied into the sterilization chamber 1 through the first steaming line 2 as the control state of S12. And the sterilization process which continues the state which filled the vapor | steam in the said sterilization chamber 1 for a predetermined time is performed. The transition from the steaming step S3 to the sterilization step S4 is performed by detecting the sterilization temperature set by the temperature sensor 18, for example, 135 ° C. Then, the counting of the sterilization time is started, and after the sterilization step S4 for a predetermined time is performed, the sterilization step S4 is finished.

  In the steam supply step S3 and the sterilization step S4, the supply of steam into the sterilization chamber 1 and the steam jacket 2 is based on the detection signals from the first and second pressure sensors 15 and 16, respectively. The second steam supply valves 5 and 6 are controlled. The temperature in the sterilization chamber 1 is controlled to be a second set value by finely adjusting the opening of the first steam supply valve 5.

(Effect of Example 1)
According to the first embodiment, in the air evacuation step S2, by opening the opening / closing valve 7 simultaneously with the supply of the closing signal to the pressure reducing valve 12, the steam is immediately supplied by the steam supply valve 5 which is fully opened. This can shorten the time required to reach atmospheric pressure in the second operation W2.

In addition, the pressure reducing valve 12 is configured with a valve whose opening degree is gradually increased and decreased, and the opening and closing valve 7 is opened at the same time as the pressure reducing valve 12 starts to be closed. Since the timing at which the pressure reducing valve 12 starts to close is advanced as the time when the pressure reaches the second set pressure P2 that is higher than the first set pressure P1 by which the pressure reducing valve 12 finishes closing, the atmospheric pressure in the second operation is increased. Time to reach can be further reduced.

  The time reduction of the air evacuation step S2 in Example 1 was shortened by about 1.5 minutes when the time of the conventional air evacuation step was about 7 minutes, and the reduction rate was about 20%. By shortening the time of this air exclusion process S2, the rotation rate of the steam sterilizer can be improved.

  The present invention is not limited to the first embodiment, but includes the sterilization apparatus of the second embodiment. FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of the second embodiment. In the following description, the configuration and operation different from those of the first embodiment will be mainly described. The same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

  In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the steaming means of the present invention includes a first steaming valve 5 whose opening degree is gradually increased and decreased and an open / close binary provided in parallel with the first steaming valve 5. And an opening / closing valve 7. The configurations of the valves 5 and 7 are the same as those in the first embodiment. The first control of the steaming means is performed by closing the opening / closing valve 7 and adjusting the opening of the first steaming valve 5, and the second control opens / closes the opening / closing valve 5. It is comprised so that it may be performed by doing. Also in the second embodiment, the air removal step S2 similar to that of the first embodiment is performed.

  In the second embodiment, the controller 19 opens the open / close valve 7 at the same time as or immediately before the start of the second operation, thereby setting the steam supply means as the second control and the steam supply amount to a predetermined amount. And In the second operation, the first steam supply valve 5 is fully closed. However, the first steam supply valve 5 may not be fully closed, but may be a predetermined opening or fully open. In this case, the amount of steam supply in the second operation can be increased, and the time to reach atmospheric pressure in the second operation can be further shortened.

  The present invention includes the sterilization apparatus of Example 3 below. FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of the third embodiment. In the following description, the configuration and operation different from those of the first embodiment will be mainly described. The same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

  In the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the steam jacket 2 is included in a first steam supply line 3 provided with the first steam supply valve 5 and the opening / closing valve 7. That is, the first steam supply line 3 communicates the steam supply line 31 provided with the opening / closing valve 7 communicating with the sterilization chamber 1, the steam jacket 2, the steam jacket 2, and the sterilization chamber 1. It comprises a steaming line 32 provided with the first steaming valve 5. Also in the third embodiment, the air removal step S2 similar to that in the first embodiment is performed.

  The present invention is not limited to the first to third embodiments. In the first embodiment, the open / close valve 7 is opened simultaneously with the supply of the closing signal of the pressure reducing valve 12 at the second set pressure P2. However, when the first set pressure P1 is reached, the on-off valve 7 can be opened.

1 Sterilization room 3 First steaming line (steaming line)
5 First steam supply valve (steaming means)
7 Open / close valve 12 Pressure reducing valve (exhaust means)
13 Vacuum pump (exhaust means)
19 Controller (control means)

Claims (7)

A sterilization chamber for storing an object to be sterilized, steaming means provided in a steaming line to the sterilization chamber, exhaust means for exhausting gas in the sterilization chamber, controlling the steaming means and the exhaust means, A control means for performing an air exclusion process for excluding air in the sterilization chamber and a sterilization process for steam sterilizing an object to be sterilized, wherein the air exclusion process operates the exhaust means to discharge the gas in the sterilization chamber In the steam sterilization apparatus which is performed by alternately repeating the first operation to perform and the second operation of stopping the operation of the exhaust means and operating the steam supply means to supply steam into the sterilization chamber,
The steam supply means includes a first control for adjusting the steam supply amount by gradually increasing and decreasing the opening degree, and a second control for setting the steam supply amount to a predetermined amount and a binary value of zero without gradually increasing or decreasing the opening degree. And select
The steam sterilizer is characterized in that the control means sets the steam supply means to a predetermined amount of the second control simultaneously with or immediately before the start of the second operation. The steaming means is composed of a steaming valve whose opening degree gradually increases and decreases, and an opening / closing binary switching valve provided in series with the steaming valve,
The first control is performed by opening the opening / closing valve and adjusting the opening degree of the steam supply valve, and the second control is performed by opening the opening / closing valve with the steam supply valve set in advance to a predetermined opening degree. The steam sterilization apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the steam sterilization apparatus is performed. The exhaust means comprises a decompression means including a decompression valve and a decompression means connected to the sterilization chamber and provided in a decompression line;
The control means performs the first operation of evacuating the sterilization chamber by operating the reduced pressure exhaust means with the steam supply valve at a predetermined opening and the open / close valve closed.
The steam sterilization apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second operation of supplying steam into the sterilization chamber is performed by opening the open / close valve simultaneously with a closing signal to the pressure reducing valve. The pressure reducing valve is composed of a valve whose opening degree gradually increases and decreases,
The steam sterilizer according to claim 3, wherein the control means opens the open / close valve simultaneously with starting to close the pressure reducing valve.   When the pressure reducing valve starts to close, the control means reaches the second set pressure that is higher than the first set pressure by which the pressure reducing exhaust means stops at the same time as the pressure reducing valve finishes closing. The steam sterilization apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a time point is set. The steaming means is composed of a steaming valve whose opening degree gradually increases and decreases and an opening / closing binary switching valve provided in parallel with the steaming valve,
2. The first control is performed by closing the opening / closing valve and adjusting the opening of the steam supply valve, and the second control is performed by opening / closing the opening / closing valve. The steam sterilizer described in 1. The exhaust means comprises a decompression means including a decompression valve and a decompression means connected to the sterilization chamber and provided in a decompression line;
The control means performs the first operation of evacuating the sterilization chamber by fully closing the steam supply valve and closing the open / close valve to operate the vacuum exhaust means,
The steam sterilization apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the second operation of supplying steam into the sterilization chamber is performed by opening the open / close valve simultaneously with a closing signal to the pressure reducing valve.

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