JP2017056153A - Washing and drying method of washing machine, and washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a washing method of a washing machine capable of preventing a large amount of air containing high-temperature steam from being discharged from a washing machine at a time.SOLUTION: A washing machine 1 includes a hot water sterilization process (ST4) for jetting hot water in a washing chamber 3 and washing equipment to be washed with the hot water in a medical equipment washing operation, a first drying process (ST51) for supplying hot air from an air supply port 25 to the washing chamber 3 with a first air amount, and drying the equipment to be washed, and a second drying process (ST52) for supplying hot air from the air supply port 25 to the washing chamber 3 with a second air amount larger than the first air amount, and drying the equipment to be washed. In the first drying process (ST51), air is supplied to the washing chamber with the relatively small first air amount. Therefore, even when the washing chamber 3 is filled with high-temperature steam at the end of the hot water sterilization process (ST4), the air containing the high-temperature steam in a large amount is prevented from being discharged from an air exhaust port 26 at a time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

  The present invention relates to a washing / drying method and a washing machine for a washing machine for washing medical instruments such as a dental handpiece and a medical tray.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 discloses a medical instrument cleaning machine that cleans a medical instrument that has been put into a cleaning chamber by ejecting warm water in the cleaning chamber. The cleaning machine of the document performs a drying process of introducing air into the cleaning chamber and drying the medical instrument after the cleaning process of cleaning the medical instrument.

JP 2005-13511 A

  Some washing machines for medical devices include a hot water disinfection process in which hot water of 80 ° C. or higher is ejected at the end of the cleaning process to disinfect the medical instrument with hot water (hot water cleaning). In such a cleaning machine, when the hot water disinfection process is performed, the cleaning chamber is filled with high-temperature steam. Therefore, when air is introduced into the cleaning chamber in the drying process after the hot water disinfection process, air containing high-temperature steam is discharged from the cleaning machine. Here, it is dangerous if a large amount of air containing high-temperature steam is discharged from the washing machine at a time.

  In view of such a point, an object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning / drying method for a cleaning machine and a cleaning machine that can prevent a large amount of air containing high-temperature steam from being discharged from the cleaning machine at a time. .

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a cleaning and drying method for a cleaning machine that cleans and dries a device to be cleaned that is put into a cleaning chamber having an air supply port and an air discharge port. A hot water disinfection step of jetting hot water heated to the inside of the cleaning chamber and cleaning the instrument to be cleaned with the hot water, and air having a temperature lower than the first temperature from the air supply port with a first air volume A first drying step of supplying the cleaning chamber to dry the device to be cleaned, and air having a temperature lower than the first temperature from the air supply port through the air supply port with a second air volume larger than the first air volume; And a second drying step of drying the instrument to be cleaned.

  According to the present invention, the first drying step performed after the hot water disinfection step supplies air to the cleaning chamber with a relatively small first air volume. Therefore, even when high-temperature steam is filled in the cleaning chamber at the end of the hot water disinfection process, it is possible to suppress a large amount of air containing high-temperature steam from being discharged from the air outlet at a time. In the second drying step after the first drying step, a relatively large second air volume is supplied to the cleaning chamber. Therefore, drying of the instrument to be cleaned can be promoted.

In the present invention, in the first drying step, the blower fan is driven to take in air from the outside and send it to the cleaning chamber, and at the start of driving of the blower fan, driving of the heater for heating the air is started. Is desirable. If it does in this way, since warm air can be sent into a washing room in the 1st drying process, drying of an instrument to be washed can be promoted. In addition, the heater is not preheated before the first drying process is started, and the heater is driven at the start of driving the blower fan. Therefore, the temperature of the air supplied into the cleaning chamber at the start of the first drying process is lowered. Can do. Therefore, the temperature of the vapor filling the cleaning chamber can be reduced.

  In the present invention, the first drying step may be performed for a predetermined first time, and the second drying step may be performed for a second time longer than the first time. If it does in this way, control of transfer from the 1st drying process to the 2nd drying process can be managed by time.

  In the present invention, in the first drying step, the room temperature of the cleaning chamber is monitored, and when the room temperature is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature, the process proceeds from the first drying step to the second drying step. can do. In this way, it can be reliably avoided that a large amount of air containing high-temperature steam is discharged from the washing machine at a time.

  Next, the cleaning machine of the present invention includes an air supply port and an air discharge port, and a cleaning chamber into which an instrument to be cleaned is introduced, and hot water heated to a first temperature or higher is jetted in the cleaning chamber. A pump, a blower fan that takes in air from the outside and supplies the air to the cleaning chamber from the air supply port, a heater that heats the air taken in from outside to make air at a temperature lower than the first temperature, the pump, A control unit that drives and controls the blower fan and the heater, and the control unit drives the pump and performs hot water disinfection for cleaning the cleaning object with the hot water, and then the heater. And a first drying operation for driving the air blowing fan to supply air heated by the heater into the cleaning chamber with a first air volume, and driving the heater and the air blowing fan to heat the air. And characterized in that it has to carry out air and a second drying operation supplied to the washing chamber with the second air volume greater than the first flow rate in this order.

  According to the present invention, in the first drying operation performed after the hot water disinfection operation, warm air is supplied to the cleaning chamber with a relatively small first air volume. Accordingly, even when the cleaning chamber is filled with high-temperature steam at the end of the hot water disinfection operation, it is possible to suppress a large amount of air containing high-temperature steam being discharged from the air outlet at a time. In the second drying operation after the first drying operation, a relatively large second air volume is supplied to the cleaning chamber. Therefore, drying of the instrument to be cleaned can be promoted.

  According to the present invention, even when high-temperature steam is filled in the cleaning chamber after completion of cleaning with hot water, a large amount of air containing high-temperature steam can be suppressed from being discharged from the cleaning machine at a time.

It is the front view and side view of a washing machine. It is a front view of the washing machine in the state where the open / close door is opened. It is a rear view of a washing machine in the state where a back cover was removed. It is sectional drawing in the AA line of FIG. 3, and sectional drawing in the BB line. It is sectional drawing in CC line of FIG. 3, and explanatory drawing of a condensation tank. It is a perspective view of the outer side cover which covers an air discharge port from the outside. It is a schematic block diagram of the control system of a washing machine. It is a flowchart of washing | cleaning operation | movement.

  A cleaning machine to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(overall structure)
Fig.1 (a) is a front view of a washing machine, and FIG.1 (b) is a side view of a washing machine. FIG. 2 is a front view of the washing machine with the open / close door opened. The cleaning machine 1 cleans and dries medical instruments such as dental handpieces and medical trays. As shown in FIG. 1, the washing machine 1 includes a rectangular parallelepiped casing 2 as a whole. An opening / closing door 4 that opens and closes the cleaning chamber 3 partitioned in the housing 2 is attached to the upper portion of the front surface of the housing 2. Below, three directions orthogonal to each other will be described as the front-rear direction X, the width direction Y, and the up-down direction Z.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the open / close door 4 is disposed in a closed position in a standing posture. An operation panel 5 is provided at the upper end portion of the open / close door 4 arranged at the closed position. As shown in FIG. 2, when the opening / closing door 4 in the closed position is rotated forward to be horizontal, the cleaning chamber 3 partitioned in the housing 2 is opened.

  A rack 6 is attached to the side surface of the housing 2. The rack 6 is equipped with a detergent tank 7 and a finishing agent tank 8. A detergent introduction pipe 9 and a finish introduction pipe 10 are connected to each of the detergent tank 7 and the finish agent tank 8. The distal ends of the detergent introduction tube 9 and the finishing agent introduction tube 10 are drawn into the inside from the side surface of the housing 2. A hot water supply pipe 11, a water supply pipe 12, and a drain pipe 13 are connected to the side surface of the housing 2.

  FIG. 3 is a rear view of the washing machine 1 with the back cover 14 constituting the housing 2 removed. 4A is a longitudinal sectional view of the cleaning machine 1 taken along the line AA of FIG. 3, and FIG. 4B is a longitudinal sectional view of the cleaning machine 1 taken along the line BB of FIG. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the inside of the housing 2 is divided forward and backward by a vertical partition plate 15 extending in the vertical direction Z. Further, the interior of the housing 2 is partially partitioned vertically by a horizontal partition plate 16 extending forward from the lower end of the vertical partition plate 15. As shown in FIG. 4, the compartment on the front side of the vertical partition plate 15 and the upper side of the horizontal partition plate 16 is the cleaning chamber 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the rear compartment of the vertical partition plate 15 is a piping chamber 17. A heating chamber 18 and a machine chamber 19 are provided in a section below the horizontal partition plate 16.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a net-like first rack 21 and a second rack 22 for housing medical instruments are arranged in the cleaning chamber 3. The first rack 21 and the second rack 22 are made of stainless steel. The first rack 21 is located below the second rack 22. The first rack 21 is supported by a pair of first rails 23 provided at the same height position on the left and right side wall surfaces of the cleaning chamber 3. The pair of first rails 23 extends in the front-rear direction X, and the first rack 21 is movable in the front-rear direction X along the pair of first rails 23. The second rack 22 is supported by a pair of second rails 24 provided at the same height position on the left and right side wall surfaces of the cleaning chamber 3 above the pair of first rails 23. The pair of second rails 24 extend in the front-rear direction X, and the second rack 22 is movable along the pair of second rails 24 in the front-rear direction X. The medical instrument is placed on the first rack 21 and the second rack 22 and cleaned. When cleaning the tray, the tray is arranged in a tray-dedicated rack with the tray set up, and the tray-dedicated rack is placed on the first rack 21 or the second rack 22.

  As shown in FIG. 2, two air supply ports 25 are provided on the right side in the width direction Y of the lower end portion of the rear wall surface (vertical partition plate 15) of the cleaning chamber 3. The two air supply ports 25 are located below the first rack 21. An air discharge port 26 is provided on the left side in the width direction Y of the upper end portion of the rear wall surface of the cleaning chamber 3. The air outlet 26 is covered with a rectangular box-shaped inner cover 27 from the front. The inner cover 27 includes a cover opening 28 in a lower plate portion facing downward. Further, the inner cover 27 includes a plurality of rectangular openings 29 on the left side portion of the facing plate that faces the air discharge port 26. The cleaning chamber 3 and the air outlet 26 communicate with each other through a cover opening 28 and a plurality of rectangular openings 29.

As shown in FIG. 4A, a first liquid ejector 31, a second liquid ejector 32, and a third liquid ejector 33 are disposed in the cleaning chamber 3. The first liquid ejector 31 is disposed below the first rack 21. The first liquid ejector 31 is rotatably supported by a first liquid supply pipe 35 extending horizontally in the front-rear direction X at a position close to the bottom surface of the cleaning chamber 3 and a front end portion of the first liquid supply pipe 35. A rotating nozzle 36 is provided. The first rotating nozzle 36 includes a plurality of nozzles 37 on the upper portion of the outer peripheral surface thereof. The rear end opening of the first liquid supply pipe 35 is connected to a first liquid supply port 38 provided at the center of the lower end portion of the rear wall surface (vertical partition plate 15) of the cleaning chamber 3. When water or the like is supplied via the first liquid supply port 38 and the first liquid supply pipe 35, the first rotary nozzle 36 ejects water or the like upward from each nozzle 37 while the upper side of the first liquid supply pipe 35. To rotate horizontally.

  The second liquid ejector 32 is configured integrally with the second rack 22 at the lower portion of the second rack 22. The second liquid ejector 32 includes a second liquid supply pipe 41 that extends horizontally in the front-rear direction X, and a second rotary nozzle 42 that is rotatably supported by the front end portion of the second liquid supply pipe 41. The second rotating nozzle 42 includes a plurality of nozzles 43 on the upper part and the lower part of the outer peripheral surface thereof. The rear end opening of the second liquid supply pipe 41 is detachably connected to a second liquid supply port 44 provided at the center of the rear wall surface of the cleaning chamber 3. When water or the like is supplied via the second liquid supply port 44 and the second liquid supply pipe 41, the second rotary nozzle 42 ejects water or the like from each nozzle 43 in the vertical direction Z while the second liquid supply pipe 41. Rotate horizontally at the bottom.

  The third liquid ejector 33 is disposed above the second rack 22. The third liquid ejector 33 is rotatably supported by a third liquid supply pipe 46 extending horizontally in the front-rear direction X at a position close to the center of the ceiling of the cleaning chamber 3 and a front end portion of the third liquid supply pipe 46. A three-turn nozzle 47 is provided. The third rotating nozzle 47 includes a plurality of nozzles 48 at the lower portion of the outer peripheral surface thereof. The rear end opening of the third liquid supply pipe 46 is connected to a liquid circulation pipe 63 extending in the vertical direction Z through the pipe chamber 17. When water is supplied through the third liquid supply pipe 46, the third rotating nozzle 47 rotates horizontally below the third liquid supply pipe 46 while jetting water downward from each nozzle 48.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, a heating chamber 18 is provided below the cleaning chamber 3 with the horizontal partition plate 16 interposed therebetween. The heating chamber 18 extends in the front-rear direction X at the central portion in the width direction Y of the cleaning chamber 3. A liquid heating heater 51 is installed in the heating chamber 18. A bottom plate 52 that defines the bottom of the heating chamber 18 is inclined downward toward the front. A circular recess 53 is provided in front of the heating chamber 18. A strainer 54 is detachably attached to the opening of the circular recess 53 from above. Here, the hot water supply pipe 11 and the water supply pipe 12 are connected to the lower part of the heating chamber 18 or the cleaning chamber 3.

  A rectangular rear opening 55 is formed at a position overlapping the heating chamber 18 at the rear end portion of the horizontal partition plate 16. The heating chamber 18 and the cleaning chamber 3 communicate with each other through the rear opening 55. The rear opening 55 is covered from above by a lid member having a plurality of slits or nets. A rectangular front opening 56 is formed at the front end portion of the horizontal partition plate 16 at a position overlapping the circular recess 53 when viewed from above. The front opening 56 is detachably covered from above by a lid member having a plurality of slits or nets.

A water absorption pipe 60 is connected to the water circulation inlet 58. An in-device drain pipe 61 is connected to the drainage water inlet 59. The drainage water intake port 59 is formed at a position in contact with the bottom surface of the circular recess 53. A water absorption pipe 60 is connected to the water circulation inlet 58. An in-device drain pipe 61 is connected to the drainage water inlet 59. In this example, the cylindrical member 100 is inserted into the circular recess 53. The cylindrical member 100 is disposed with a predetermined gap between the cylindrical member 100 and the peripheral wall surface of the circular recess 53.

In the machine chamber 19, a circulation pump 62 is disposed below the heating chamber 18. The circulation pump 62 is connected to a water circulation inlet 58 through a water absorption pipe 60. As shown in FIG. 4, the circulation pump 62 includes a first liquid supply port 38 and a second liquid supply via a liquid circulation pipe 63 extending in the vertical direction Z on the rear side of the vertical partition plate 15 in the pipe chamber 17. The port 44 and the third liquid supply pipe 46 are connected. The circulation pump 62 pumps the cleaning liquid sucked from the water circulation suction port 58 to the first liquid supply port 38, the second liquid supply port 44 and the third liquid supply pipe 46. That is, the circulation pump 62 circulates the cleaning liquid in the cleaning machine 1. Here, the water absorption pipe 60, the circulation pump 62, the liquid circulation pipe 63, and the first to third liquid ejectors 31 to 33 eject the water in the cleaning chamber 3 and are put into the cleaning chamber 3. A cleaning mechanism 64 for cleaning the instrument is configured.

  A drainage pump 66 is disposed in the machine room 19. The drain pump 66 is connected to an in-device drain pipe 61 connected to a water circulation inlet 58. The drain side of the drain pump 66 is connected to the drain pipe 13. Here, the circular recess 53, the drainage water inlet 59, the in-apparatus drain pipe 61, and the drain pipe 13 constitute a drain passage 67 that discharges the water in the cleaning chamber 3 to the outside. The drainage pump 66 sucks water or the like that flows out of the cleaning chamber 3 and the heating chamber 18 and accumulates in the circular recess 53 from the water intake port 59 for drainage and discharges it to the outside through the drain pipe 61 and the drain pipe 13 in the apparatus.

  Further, a hot air blower 70 is disposed in the machine room 19. As shown in FIG. 4B, the hot air blower 70 is provided with a HEPA (high efficiency cylindrical air) filter 71, a blower fan 72, and an air heating heater 73 from the upstream side to the downstream side in the air flow direction. Prepare in order. The hot air blower 70 is connected to the air supply port 25 of the cleaning chamber 3 through two blower pipes 74 disposed in the piping chamber 17. Each of the two air pipes 74 extends upward from the hot air blower 70 and then extends downward to suppress the liquid from flowing into the hot air blower 70 from the cleaning chamber 3, and its lower end. A portion is connected to the air supply port 25. The hot air blower 70 heats the air and sends it into the cleaning chamber 3. The hot air blower 70 and the blower pipe 74 constitute a blower mechanism 75.

  Next, an exhaust cooling mechanism 78 is installed in the piping chamber 17. Fig.5 (a) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the washing machine 1 in the CC line | wire of FIG. 3, FIG.5 (b) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a condensation tank. The exhaust cooling mechanism 78 cools the exhaust discharged to the outside from the cleaning chamber 3 through the air discharge port 26. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the exhaust cooling mechanism 78 includes a condensing tank 81 having a connection port 79 connected to the air discharge port 26 and an exhaust port 80 communicating with the connection port 79, and a condensing tank 81. A watering nozzle 82 and a water supply tank 83 are provided. The water supply tank 83 is connected to the water supply pipe 12, and the water supplied from the water supply pipe 12 is supplied to the watering nozzle 82 via the water supply tank 83. A valve mechanism 84 (see FIG. 7) is provided between the water supply pipe 12 and the water supply tank 83. The water supply pipe 12, the water supply tank 83, and the valve mechanism 84 constitute a water supply mechanism 85 that supplies water to the watering nozzle 82.

  The condensing tank 81 includes a first tank portion 86 extending in the up-down direction Z and a second tank portion 87 provided alongside the first tank portion 86 and extending in the up-down direction Z. The first tank portion 86 and the second tank portion 87 communicate with each other at the lower end portion. The connection port 79 is provided in the upper portion of the first tank portion 86, and the exhaust port 80 is provided in the upper portion of the second tank portion 87.

  The watering nozzle 82 is attached to the upper side of the first tank portion 86. The water spray nozzle 82 discharges the water supplied by the water supply mechanism 85 downward and diffuses it. A heat radiating member 89 is accommodated in the lower portion of the first tank portion 86. A tank drain port 90 is provided at the lower end (bottom surface) of the first tank portion 86. Here, the second tank portion 87 is provided with an overflow sensor (not shown). When the overflow sensor detects that the amount of water in the condensing tank 81 exceeds a predetermined amount, the second tank portion 87 condenses through the tank drain port 90. Water in the tank 81 is discharged to the outside.

The heat dissipating member 89 is a metal plate made of stainless steel or the like processed into a corrugated shape, and is referred to as a regular metal filler. A plurality of the heat radiating members 89 are accommodated in the lower portion of the first tank portion 86. In addition, as the heat radiating member 89, a member having a shape or structure having a large surface area such as a metal plate having a plurality of fins or a honeycomb structure can be used. Further, the heat dissipating member may be made of ceramics or plastic, in addition to metal.

  Exhaust gas discharged from the cleaning chamber 3 to the outside through the air discharge port 26 passes through an exhaust passage 91 from the connection port 79 through the surface of the heat radiating member 89 to the exhaust port 80 in the condensation tank 81. . Therefore, when the air discharged from the cleaning chamber 3 to the outside through the air discharge port 26 contains high-temperature steam, the temperature of the steam is lowered by distributing water from the watering nozzle 82, and a part of the water is It can be. Therefore, it is possible to suppress high-temperature steam from being contained in the air discharged from the exhaust port 80.

  Here, the vertical partition plate 15 is provided with an outer cover (water return member: cover) 93 for returning water or the like flowing out of the cleaning chamber 3 from the air discharge port 26 to the cleaning chamber 3 side. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the outer cover 93 when viewed from the rear and obliquely below. The outer cover 93 has a box shape and includes a counter plate 94 that faces the air discharge port 26. The counter plate 94 includes a rectangular plate portion 94a and a rectangular wide plate portion 94b having a width wider than that of the rectangular plate portion 94a. The outer cover 93 includes a rectangular ceiling plate 95 extending from the upper end edge of the counter plate 94 (wide plate portion 94b) to the air outlet 26 side (front), and the lower end edge of the counter plate 94 (rectangular plate portion 94a). And a pair of side plates 97 extending upward from the bottom plate 96 continuously to the edges of the rectangular plate portion 94a on both sides in the width direction Y of the opposing plate 94. The outer cover 93 includes an opening 98 between each side plate 97 and the ceiling plate 95. That is, the outer cover 93 is provided with an opening 98 in a portion of the outer cover 93 that does not face the air outlet 26 in the upper portion thereof.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the connection port 79 of the condensing tank 81 is connected to the air discharge port 26 in a state where the outer cover 93 is received inside. In a state where the connection port 79 of the condensation tank 81 is connected to the air discharge port 26, the connection port 79 of the condensation tank 81 and the air discharge port 26 communicate with each other via the opening 98 of the outer cover 93.

(Control system)
FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of a control system of the cleaning machine 1. The control system of the cleaning machine 1 is mainly configured by a control unit 110 including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like. An operation panel 5 and a sensor mechanism 92 are connected to the input side of the control unit 110. The sensor mechanism 92 includes a temperature sensor that detects the room temperature of the cleaning chamber 3, a liquid temperature sensor that detects the temperature of hot water and hot water, an overflow sensor of the exhaust cooling mechanism 78, and the amount of detergent stored in the detergent tank 7. A detergent liquid level sensor for detecting the liquid level, a finishing liquid level sensor for detecting the liquid level of the finishing liquid stored in the finishing agent tank 8, and the like. The liquid heating heater 51, the circulation pump 62, the drainage pump 66, the blower fan 72 and the air heating heater 73 of the hot air blower 70, the valve mechanism 84, and the like are connected to the output side of the control unit 110. ing. When the operation panel 5 is operated, the control unit 110 performs a cleaning operation according to a program stored in a ROM or the like. The control unit 110 performs a cleaning operation by drivingly controlling the liquid warming heater 51, the circulation pump 62, the drainage pump 66, the air warming heater 73 of the warm air blower 70, the blower fan 72, and the valve mechanism 84.

(Cleaning operation)
FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the cleaning operation. When cleaning the medical instrument, the first rack 21 and the second rack 22 on which the medical instrument is placed are arranged in the cleaning chamber 3, the open / close door 4 is closed, and the operation panel 5 is operated. When the operation panel 5 is operated, the cleaning machine 1 performs the pre-cleaning step (ST1), the main cleaning step (ST2), the rinsing step (ST3), and the hot water disinfection step (ST) as cleaning operations.
4) A drying process (ST5) is performed.

  In the preliminary cleaning step (ST1), the medical instrument is cleaned by ejecting water in the cleaning chamber 3. That is, water is introduced from the water supply pipe 12 into the heating chamber 18 or the lower end portion of the cleaning chamber 3 and the circulation pump 62 is driven. The circulation pump 62 pumps the water sucked from the water circulation suction port 58 of the circular recess 53 to the first liquid supply port 38, the second liquid supply port 44, and the third liquid supply pipe 46. As a result, water is ejected from the rotary nozzles 47 of the first liquid ejector 31, the second liquid ejector 32, and the third liquid ejector 33, and the medical instruments placed on the first rack 21 and the second rack 22 are discharged. Washed. When the preliminary cleaning process is completed, the drain pump 66 is driven, and the water in the cleaning chamber 3 is discharged to the outside.

  In the main cleaning step (ST2), a cleaning liquid obtained by adding a detergent to water or warm water is ejected in the cleaning chamber 3 to clean the medical device. That is, water or hot water is supplied from the water supply pipe 12 or the hot water supply pipe 11, and the detergent is introduced from the detergent tank 7 through the detergent introduction pipe 9 into the liquid circulation pipe 63 to drive the circulation pump 62. . The detergent is an enzymatic detergent. In the main cleaning process, the same operation as the preliminary cleaning process is performed using a cleaning liquid instead of water. In addition, in order to set the temperature of the cleaning liquid to a predetermined temperature, the liquid heating heater 51 is driven as necessary. When the main cleaning process is completed, the drain pump 66 is driven, and the cleaning water in the cleaning chamber 3 is discharged to the outside.

  In the rinsing step (ST3), the medical device is rinsed with water or hot water. That is, water is introduced from the water supply pipe 12 into the heating chamber 18 or the lower end portion of the cleaning chamber 3 and the circulation pump 62 is driven. In the rinsing process, the same operation as the pre-cleaning process is performed using water or hot water. The rinsing process may be repeated multiple times. When the rinsing process is completed, the drain pump 66 is driven, and the water or hot water in the cleaning chamber 3 is discharged to the outside.

  In the hot water disinfection step (ST4), the medical device is washed with a finishing liquid obtained by adding a finishing agent to hot water. That is, hot water is supplied from the hot water supply pipe 11 and the liquid heating heater 51 is driven. Further, the finishing agent is introduced from the finishing agent tank 8 into the liquid circulation pipe 63 through the finishing agent introduction pipe 10, and the circulation pump 62 is driven.

  Here, the hot water introduced from the hot water supply pipe 11 becomes hot water heated to 80 ° C. or higher by the liquid heating heater 51. In this example, the hot water introduced from the hot water supply pipe 11 is heated to a set temperature of 80 ° C., 90 ° C., or 93 ° C. by the liquid heating heater 51. The circulation pump 62 pumps hot water sucked from the water circulation water intake port 58 to the first liquid supply port 38, the second liquid supply port 44, and the third liquid supply pipe 46. As a result, hot water is ejected from the rotary nozzles 36, 42, 47 of the first liquid ejector 31, the second liquid ejector 32, and the third liquid ejector 33, and is placed on the first rack 21 and the second rack 22. The medical equipment is disinfected with hot water (hot water cleaning). When the hot water disinfection process is completed, the drainage pump 66 is driven, and the finishing liquid in the cleaning chamber 3 is discharged to the outside.

  In the drying step (ST5), the hot air blower 70 is driven and air having a temperature lower than the temperature of hot water is introduced into the cleaning chamber 3 from the air supply port 25 with the first air volume to dry the medical device. .

  In this example, in the drying process, a first drying process (ST51: first drying operation) for supplying air of a first air volume from the hot air blower 70, and an air volume larger than the first air volume from the hot air blower 70. A second drying step (ST52: second drying operation) for supplying a second air volume of air is performed. The air volume is adjusted by driving and controlling the blower fan 72. In this example, the first drying step (ST51) is performed for a predetermined first time, and the second drying step (ST52) is performed for a second time longer than the first time. The first air volume is 1/5 or less of the second air volume.

  In the first drying step (ST51), the air heating heater 73 is not preheated, but the air heating heater 73 starts to be driven when the blower fan 72 starts to be driven. Accordingly, in the first drying step (ST51), the temperature of the air is initially low and then becomes high for a while to reach the set temperature. The set temperature in this example is 60 ° C. The set temperature is the same in the first drying step (ST51) and the second drying step (ST52).

  When the drying step (ST5) is finished, the cleaning operation is finished. Thereby, the cleaning of the medical instrument put into the cleaning chamber 3 is completed.

  Here, in the preliminary cleaning step (ST1), the main cleaning step (ST2), the rinsing step (ST3), and the hot water disinfection step (ST4), the water, the cleaning liquid, or the finishing liquid circulating in the cleaning chamber 3 is air. An attempt is made to scatter to the outside of the cleaning chamber 3 through the discharge port 26. On the other hand, an inner cover 27 that partially covers the air discharge port 26 is attached inside the cleaning chamber 3, and an outer side that partially covers the air discharge port 26 outside the cleaning chamber 3. A cover 93 is attached. Accordingly, the inner cover 27 and the outer cover 93 prevent water and the like from being scattered outside the cleaning chamber 3. In addition, the outer cover 93 returns water or the like flowing out of the cleaning chamber 3 from the air discharge port 26 to the cleaning chamber 3 side, so that water or the like scattered outside the cleaning chamber 3 through the air discharge port 26. Inflow into the condensation tank 81 can be suppressed. Furthermore, since the outer cover 93 includes the opening 98 at a position that does not face the air discharge port 26, it is difficult for water or the like to enter the condensation tank 81.

  Further, in the hot water disinfection process (ST4) and the drying process (ST5), air containing high-temperature steam is discharged to the outside from the air discharge port 26 of the cleaning chamber 3. The temperature of the steam can be lowered by water distribution, and a part of it can be used as water. Therefore, it is possible to suppress high-temperature steam from being contained in the air discharged from the exhaust port 80.

  Further, in this example, the water spray nozzle 82 is located above the condensing tank 81, a heat radiating member 89 is disposed below the connection port 79 in the condensing tank 81, and the condensing tank 81 has a connection port 79. An exhaust passage 91 that extends from the heat dissipation member 89 to the exhaust port via the surface of the heat dissipation member 89 is formed. Therefore, the temperature of the air discharged from the cleaning chamber 3 through the air discharge port 26 to the outside can be lowered while passing through the condensation tank 81 (exhaust flow path 91).

  In the first drying step (ST51) performed after the hot water disinfection step, air is supplied to the cleaning chamber 3 with a relatively small first air volume. Accordingly, even when the cleaning chamber 3 is filled with high-temperature steam at the end of the hot water disinfection process, it is possible to suppress a large amount of air containing high-temperature steam from being discharged from the air outlet 26 at a time. In the second drying step (ST52) after the first drying step (ST51), a relatively large second air volume is supplied to the cleaning chamber 3. Therefore, drying of the medical device can be promoted.

  Further, in the first drying step (ST51), the driving of the air heating heater 73 is started when the blower fan 72 starts to be driven. That is, the preheating of the air heating heater 73 is not performed before the first drying step (ST51) is started, and the air heating heater 73 is driven when the blower fan 72 starts to be driven. Therefore, the first drying step (ST51) The temperature of the air supplied into the cleaning chamber 3 at the start of) is lowered. Therefore, the temperature of the steam filling the cleaning chamber 3 immediately after the hot water disinfection step can be reduced.

In the above example, the transition from the first drying step (ST51) to the second drying step (ST52) is performed by managing the process time, but in the first drying step (ST51), The room temperature of the cleaning chamber 3 may be monitored, and when the room temperature becomes equal to or lower than a preset temperature, the process may proceed from the first drying step (ST51) to the second drying step (ST52). If it does in this way, it can avoid reliably that the air containing a high temperature steam is discharged | emitted in large quantities from the washing machine 1 at once.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Washing machine 3 ... Cleaning chamber 25 ... Air supply port 26 ... Air discharge port 62 ... Circulation pump (pump)
72 ... Blower fan 73 ... Air heater (heater)
110 ... Control unit

Claims (5)

In a washing and drying method of a washing machine for washing and drying an object to be cleaned put into a washing chamber having an air supply port and an air discharge port,
A hot water disinfection step of spraying hot water heated to a first temperature or higher in the cleaning chamber and cleaning the device to be cleaned with the hot water;
A first drying step of drying air to be cleaned by supplying air at a temperature lower than the first temperature from the air supply port into the cleaning chamber with a first air volume;
A second drying step of drying air to be cleaned by supplying air having a temperature lower than the first temperature from the air supply port into the cleaning chamber with a second air volume larger than the first air volume;
A cleaning / drying method comprising: In claim 1,
In the first drying step, the blower fan is driven to take in air from the outside and send it to the cleaning chamber, and at the start of driving the blower fan, driving of the heater for heating the air is started. Washing and drying method. In claim 1 or 2,
Performing the first drying step for a predetermined first time;
The cleaning and drying method, wherein the second drying step is performed for a second time longer than the first time. In claim 1 or 2,
In the first drying step, the room temperature of the cleaning chamber is monitored,
When the room temperature is equal to or lower than a preset temperature, the cleaning / drying method shifts from the first drying step to the second drying step. A cleaning chamber having an air supply port and an air discharge port, into which a tool to be cleaned is placed;
A pump for ejecting hot water heated to a first temperature or higher in the cleaning chamber;
A blower fan that takes in air from the outside and supplies the air to the cleaning chamber from the air supply port;
A heater that heats the air taken from outside to make the air at a temperature lower than the first temperature;
A control unit that drives and controls the pump, the blower fan, and the heater;
The control unit drives the pump and performs hot water disinfection to clean the device to be cleaned with the hot water, and then drives the heater and the blower fan to generate air heated by the heater. A first drying operation for supplying air into the cleaning chamber with a single air flow; and driving the heater and the blower fan to supply air heated by the heater into the cleaning chamber with a second air flow larger than the first air flow. A washing machine comprising performing the first drying operation in this order.

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