JP2018064676A - Washing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a washing device capable of reliably washing and sterilizing fingers, etc.SOLUTION: A washing device (M) includes a sink (41) which has an insertion port for putting in/taking out an object to be washed, can accommodate the object to be washed, and has an outlet for discharging used washing liquid, washing means (11, 12, 13, 14, etc.) for discharging the washing liquid in the sink, and air supply means (21, 22, 411, etc.) for supplying air into the sink. The washing means discharges, as washing liquid, diluted hypochlorous acid water of pH 4-6 made by mixing high-concentration hypochlorous acid water of pH 6-7 with dilution water. Thus, a degree of freedom can be increased for the adjustment of concentration, supply quantity, etc. of the washing liquid supplied to the object to be washed in washing. Also, washing utilizing hypochlorous acid excellent in a bactericidal effect most effectively is possible. Furthermore, by supplying ozone into the sink all the time, it is possible not only to sterilize fingers, but also to perform self-cleaning of the device and cleaning of the device installation space efficiently.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning apparatus that can perform cleaning (including sterilization and sterilization) of fingers and the like (objects to be cleaned).

  In order to prevent hygiene awareness and infectious diseases caused by various bacteria and viruses, various apparatuses for cleaning or sterilizing have been proposed. In particular, an apparatus has been proposed in which cleaning and draining (including drying) after cleaning are performed in the same storage chamber (cleaning tank) so that water after cleaning does not scatter around the apparatus. There is a description related to this in the following patent document.

JP 2000-60763 A JP 2012-120717 A

  Patent Document 1 proposes a hand washing / drying device for drying a hand after washing by blowing air as it is after jetting washing mist into a hand placed in an insertion portion.

  Patent Document 2 proposes a hand washing / drying apparatus that sprays 0.5 to 10 cc of hypochlorous acid water having a pH of 6 to 7 per time and then dries it with air containing ozone.

  In any case, the amount of the cleaning solution supplied at one time is very small, and it is difficult to say that the cleaning property or the sterilizing property is sufficient. Further, Patent Document 1 does not have a specific description regarding the cleaning liquid. Slightly acidic hypochlorous acid water having a pH of 6 to 7 used in Patent Document 2 has a low abundance ratio of hypochlorous acid (HClO or HOCl) effective for sterilization, and is efficient when used in a very small amount as described above. Cannot be cleaned or disinfected.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a cleaning apparatus different from the conventional apparatus.

  As a result of diligent research to solve this problem, the present inventor, as a result of washing hands and draining (drying) in a common sink, a cleaning solution with a high proportion of hypochlorous acid having excellent bactericidal activity The idea was to provide a device that efficiently supplies sterilization etc. to the object to be cleaned to efficiently perform sterilization. By realizing this idea, the present invention described below has been completed.

《Cleaning device》
(1) The cleaning apparatus of the present invention has a sink having an insertion port for taking in and out a cleaning target, a sink having a discharge port for discharging the used cleaning liquid, and a cleaning means for discharging the cleaning liquid into the sink And an air supply means for supplying air into the sink, wherein the cleaning means comprises a diluted pH 4-6 mixture obtained by mixing diluted water with a high concentration hypochlorous acid water having pH 6-7. It is characterized in that chlorous acid water is discharged as the cleaning liquid.

(2) The cleaning device of the present invention is provided with the above-described cleaning means and air supply means, so that the cleaning of the object to be cleaned and the draining (drying) to remove the cleaning liquid from the object to be cleaned can be performed in the same sink (cleaning tank). ). For this reason, the surroundings where the cleaning device is installed are not wetted with water droplets or the like, and the environment of the surrounding space where the device is installed can be maintained in a hygienic state.

  Next, in the cleaning apparatus of the present invention, highly concentrated hypochlorous acid water is diluted with tap water or the like. For this reason, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom in adjusting the concentration and supply amount of the cleaning liquid supplied to the cleaning target during cleaning. For example, according to the cleaning apparatus of the present invention, a relatively large amount of cleaning liquid can be poured over the object to be cleaned, and the bacteria attached to the object to be cleaned can be sufficiently washed away. In addition, even if a large amount of cleaning liquid is used at a time, the frequency of replenishing or replacing the high-concentration hypochlorous acid water can be reduced in an environment where dilution water is replenished as needed.

  Furthermore, in the cleaning apparatus of the present invention, a cleaning liquid composed of diluted hypochlorous acid water adjusted to pH 4 to 6 is used instead of the high concentration hypochlorous acid water itself. Hypochlorous acid (HClO) exhibiting a high bactericidal effect is maximized (or maximized) in an aqueous solution having a pH of 4 to 6, and further pH of 4.5 to 5.5. Therefore, according to the cleaning apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to perform cleaning and sterilization using hypochlorous acid effectively while suppressing the amount of highly concentrated hypochlorous acid water used.

<Others>
(1) High concentration hypochlorous acid water as used in this specification means hypochlorous acid water which is a raw material used to prepare diluted hypochlorous acid water obtained by diluting it with water. High-concentration hypochlorous acid water and diluted hypochlorous acid water can be clearly distinguished from differences in pH. Therefore, the specific concentration of the high concentration hypochlorous acid water is not limited.

  In terms of concentration, the high-concentration hypochlorous acid water preferably has an effective chlorine concentration of 500 mg / L or more, 1000 mg / L or more, and further 1500 mg / L or more. From the viewpoint of productivity, manageability, etc., the effective chlorine concentration is preferably 2500 mg / L or less, more preferably 2000 mg / L or less. Diluted hypochlorous acid water is, for example, diluted high concentration hypochlorous acid water 10 to 100 times, 20 to 60 times, further 30 to 50 times, and effective chlorine concentration is 5 to 100 mg / L, 10 to 10 times. 80 mg / L and more preferably 20 to 60 mg / L.

The high-concentration hypochlorous acid water preferably has a pH of 6 (over) to 7, and more preferably 6.2 to 6.8. When the pH increases, hypochlorous acid (HClO) can be changed to hypochlorite ion (ClO ⁻ ) or sodium hypochlorite having a weak sterilizing power. Conversely, when the pH is lowered, chlorine gas (Cl ₂ ) can be generated. In either case, it is not preferable because it causes a decrease in hypochlorous acid having a strong sterilizing power and a decrease in effective chlorine concentration.

In addition, by mixing high concentration hypochlorous acid water and dilution water, hypochlorous acid in the high concentration hypochlorous acid water causes a disproportionation reaction (2HClO → 2HCl + O ₂ ). Thereby, diluted hypochlorous acid water shifts to an acidic side rather than high concentration hypochlorous acid water, and it becomes pH 4-6 in which the abundance ratio of hypochlorous acid is high. By the way, hypochlorous acid water is a safe cleaning liquid (disinfecting liquid) that is produced by electrolyzing salt water and hydrochloric acid water and recognized as a food additive (disinfectant). However, the cleaning liquid according to the present invention may further contain other safe cleaning components or disinfecting components while using hypochlorous acid as a main component (a component having the maximum concentration).

(2) Unless otherwise specified, “x to y” in this specification includes a lower limit value x and an upper limit value y. A range such as “a to b” can be newly established with any numerical value included in various numerical values or numerical ranges described in the present specification as a new lower limit value or upper limit value.

1 is an external perspective view of a hand washing and drying sterilization apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the block diagram which showed the internal structure typically. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement (control).

  One or two or more components arbitrarily selected from the present specification may be added to the above-described components of the present invention. It can be a method component or a component related to an object. Which embodiment is the best depends on the target, required performance, and the like.

《Cleaning means》
(1) The cleaning means according to the present invention sinks diluted hypochlorous acid water (cleaning liquid) obtained by mixing high-concentration hypochlorous acid water (hereinafter also simply referred to as “raw water”) and dilution water. Discharge inside. This cleaning means includes, for example, a first pump that pumps high-concentration hypochlorous acid water and pumps it, a second pump that pumps and pumps dilution water, and high-concentration hypochlorous acid water pumped from both pumps. Mixing from a mixer (joint) that mixes dilution water, a cleaning nozzle that discharges (spouts) diluted hypochlorous acid water to a sink, a first pipe that communicates from the first pump to the mixer, and a second pump A second pipe for communicating up to the vessel and a third pipe for communicating from the mixer to the washing nozzle.

  The start and stop of the discharge of the cleaning liquid may be interlocked with the start and stop of each pump, or may be performed by separately providing an on-off valve or the like. The discharge flow rate (ml / min) from the cleaning nozzle and the dilution rate (mixing ratio of high-concentration hypochlorous acid water and dilution water) may be adjusted by adjusting the output (flow rate) of each pump itself. A flow rate adjusting valve or the like may be provided inside. In addition, starting / stopping (on / off) of each pump and control of a separately provided solenoid valve or the like are performed by a control means described later. The first pump and the second pump are not limited to two independent pumps, and a single pump may be used.

(2) The high-concentration hypochlorous acid water is preferably stored and supplied in a replaceable cartridge tank. Thereby, it is not necessary to provide a hypochlorous acid water generator (electrolyzer), and the cleaning device can be made compact. In addition, maintenance and management of the cleaning device are facilitated. In addition, it is preferable that a display unit (including a remaining amount warning or the like) or a detection unit that knows the remaining amount of high-concentration hypochlorous acid water is provided in the cartridge tank or the cleaning device. The detection means provided in the cleaning device can be performed by detecting, for example, a change in the weight of the cartridge tank by displacement of a load cell or a spring.

  On the other hand, the dilution water is preferably supplied from a water supply or a water tank. As a result, a large amount of dilution water can be obtained at the place where the cleaning apparatus is installed, and the degree of freedom in adjusting the flow rate and dilution rate of the discharged cleaning liquid is increased. The “water supply” here is usually so-called tap water, but is not limited to tap water as long as it is sanitized water that has been purified. The water tank may be an isolated water storage tank (reserve tank), but may be connected to a water supply. In the latter case, for example, if communication between the water supply and the water supply tank is controlled by an on-off valve or the like, it is preferable that the water supply is appropriately replenished from the water supply when the water level in the water supply tank decreases. In addition, such an on-off valve may be a mechanical valve such as a ball tap type in addition to a solenoid valve.

(3) It is preferable that the cleaning means discharge 150 to 1000 ml, 250 to 500 ml, and further 300 to 400 ml of the cleaning liquid per cleaning. If the discharge amount is too small, sufficient washing with hypochlorous acid water cannot be performed, and the cleaning performance and sterilization performance may be reduced. When the discharge amount is excessive, high concentration hypochlorous acid water or the like is wasted. The discharge time (cleaning time) per cleaning is preferably 10 to 30 seconds, more preferably 15 to 20 seconds. If the discharge time is too short, the cleaning property and sterilization performance are lowered, and the excessive discharge time is inefficient.

《Air supply means》
The air supply means supplies air into the sink and drains or dries the object to be cleaned that has been washed away with at least the cleaning liquid. The air supply means includes, for example, a blower that introduces air (outside air) from the outside of the housing of the cleaning device, and a duct that guides air blown by the blower to a vent of the sink (air supply port, air supply port, or air nozzle). One blower may be used, but a plurality of blowers may be provided in order to secure the air volume. In addition, it is preferable that an air supply means is equipped with the heating means which heats ventilation suitably according to external temperature etc. The heating means may be various heaters. For example, it is preferable to use a pressure heating type in which air is compressed by blower blowing pressure and the air temperature naturally rises in order to save energy.

  Further, it is preferable that a purification filter is disposed on the upstream side of the blower. As a result, clean air is supplied to the sink, and the object to be cleaned is prevented from being recontaminated when draining or drying. The purification filter is a filter that removes dust, dust, bacteria, and the like from the air taken in by the blower, and preferably has an appropriate performance according to the use and specifications of the cleaning device. For example, a HEPA filter (High Efficiency Particulate Air Filter) or a ULPA filter (Ultra Low Penetration Air Filter) as defined in JIS (Z8122) may be used.

<< Ozone supply means >>
The cleaning apparatus of the present invention preferably includes an ozone supply means for supplying ozone into the sink. Thereby, it becomes possible to drain and dry after washing with clean air sterilized with ozone. In addition, the ozone supply means is activated and the sink vent (feed) is also used, except when draining and drying after washing (for example, when the object to be washed is not in the sink and the air feeding means is stopped). If ozone is released through the air vent), air purification, sterilization, deodorization, etc. (hereinafter referred to as “space purification”) of the space where the cleaning device is installed can be performed. Furthermore, organic substances (protein, fats and oils) adhering to the inner wall surface of the sink can be decomposed with ozone. In addition, the organic matter etc. are decomposed | disassembled by ozone, and the self-cleaning mentioned later is accelerated | stimulated more effectively.

  The ozone supply means includes, for example, an ozone generator, a fan for supplying ozone generated by the ozone generator, and a conduit for guiding ozone to a duct or a sink of the air supply means. When ozone is allowed to flow into the duct of the air supply means, the conduit is preferably connected downstream of the air supply means (particularly the blower). Thereby, the deterioration promotion of the blower by ozone and the ozone countermeasure to a blower can be avoided.

  When supplying ozone (not limited to draining / drying), if the blower of the air supply means is operated with the conduit connected to the duct, the above-described fan can be omitted. This is because ozone naturally flows from the conduit into the duct due to the negative pressure (venturi effect) generated by the airflow flowing in the duct.

  The ozone supply amount is preferably adjusted so that the ozone concentration in the installation space of the cleaning device is 0.02 to 0.06 mg / L, more preferably 0.03 to 0.05 mg / L. If the ozone concentration is too low, the effect of space purification and self-purification is poor, and if the ozone concentration is too high, it can give people discomfort. Although it depends on the size of the installation space, the supply amount of ozone is preferably 1 to 10 mg / h, more preferably 2 to 6 mg / h. In an environment where the ozone concentration can rise abnormally, an ozone decomposition catalyst may be provided on the outside air intake side of the air supply means or the ozone supply means.

<Control means>
The control means controls the operation (starting / stopping etc.) of each means. For example, when a cleaning target is inserted in the sink, the control unit operates the cleaning unit for a predetermined time to perform a cleaning mode in which the cleaning liquid is discharged to the cleaning target, and then operates the air supply unit for a predetermined time. A drying mode is performed in which the cleaning liquid adhering to the object to be cleaned is blown off by an air flow.

  Further, the control unit performs, for example, a self-cleaning mode in which the cleaning unit is operated for a predetermined time to discharge the cleaning liquid to the sink at a predetermined time when the cleaning target is not inserted into the sink. Here, the ozone supply means may be controlled to be started / stopped by the control means, but may simply be started / stopped in conjunction with the power ON / OFF of the cleaning device. In the latter case, the ozone supply means is always in operation when the power supply is in an ON state, and ozone is released into the sink or the installation space of the cleaning device even when not draining or drying. As a result, the space is cleaned and self-cleaning can be promoted.

  The reason why self-purification is promoted by ozone is as follows. First, organic substances and the like attached to the sink are oxidized and decomposed by ozone. When the cleaning liquid is supplied in this state, hypochlorous acid water directly acts on bacteria and the like without being water-repellent by organic matter and the like, and the sterilization effect by self-purification is enhanced.

<Others>
The cleaning apparatus of the present invention can be installed in food processing factories, clean rooms, hospitals, toilets, etc., and can be used for cleaning / disinfecting fingers (hands, arms, arms, etc.) (further cleaning the space). The object to be cleaned is not limited to a human body such as a finger, and various objects such as medical instruments and sanitary instruments can be cleaned by adjusting the shape and size of the sink.

  The present invention will be described in detail below by taking a hand washing / drying sterilization apparatus M (hereinafter simply referred to as “washing / drying apparatus M”) which is an embodiment of the washing apparatus of the present invention.

"Constitution"
The appearance of the cleaning / drying apparatus M includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped casing 40 as shown in FIG. Above the housing 40 is a sink 41 that is a washing tank that can accommodate fingers inserted through the insertion port 410, and there is an open / close door 42 below the front. Through the open / close door 42, a cartridge tank 110 of high concentration hypochlorous acid water described later can be taken in and out (exchanged). A control panel 50 is provided in the vicinity of the upper end of the housing 40, and an indicator, a power switch, and the like indicating the operating state of the cleaning / drying apparatus M are disposed.

  The internal structure of the washing / drying apparatus M is schematically shown in FIG. The cleaning / drying apparatus M includes a cleaning unit, an air supply unit, and an ozone supply unit. The cleaning means includes a pump 11 (first pump) that pumps high-concentration hypochlorous acid water in the cartridge tank 110 through the pipe 111 and a pump 12 (first pump) that pumps clean water (diluted water) in the reserve tank 120 through the pipe 121. 2 pump), a high concentration hypochlorous acid water pumped from the pump 11 through the pipe 112 and a diluting water pumped from the pump 12 through the pipe 122, and a connecting section 13 (mixer). A cleaning nozzle 14 is provided for ejecting the generated diluted hypochlorous acid water (cleaning liquid) into the sink through the pipe 131.

  In addition, water supply is piped on the side surface of the reserve tank 12 via a ball tap type automatic opening / closing valve. Thus, when the water level of the dilution water decreases in the reserve tank 12, the water is automatically refilled into the reserve tank 12 until the dilution water reaches a predetermined water level. A plurality of cleaning nozzles 14 are arranged above the wall surface on both sides of the sink 41. The diluted hypochlorous acid water discharged from the cleaning nozzle 14 is drained from the outlet of the sink 41 to the sewer or the like through the pipe 43. Although not shown, a heater may be installed in at least a part of the reserve tank 12 or a pipe from the reserve tank 12 to the cleaning nozzle 14 to heat the cleaning liquid. This makes it possible to perform comfortable cleaning even in winter.

  In this example, SAN-TIWS (Santius) manufactured by Takahashi Metal Co., Ltd. was used as the high concentration hypochlorous acid water. This high-concentration hypochlorous acid water is prepared by passing a sodium chloride aqueous solution to which hydrochloric acid for pH adjustment is appropriately added through one electrolytic chamber (for example, the cathode chamber) of a two-chamber electrolytic cell, and then the other electrolytic chamber ( For example, it is obtained by passing water through an anode chamber). The high-concentration hypochlorous acid water may be obtained by electrolysis in a diaphragmless single-chamber electrolytic cell instead of the two-chamber electrolytic cell. Further, the high-concentration hypochlorous acid water may be a mixture of strong acidic electrolyzed water obtained by electrolyzing a sodium chloride aqueous solution and a part of strongly alkaline electrolyzed water obtained during the electrolysis.

  The cartridge tank 110 is composed of, for example, a pouch container containing 10 L of Santius (pH 6.5, effective chlorine concentration: about 1800 mg / L). In this example, the flow rates of the pump 11 and the pump 12 were adjusted, and the high-concentration hypochlorous acid water was diluted about 40 times with clean water. The obtained diluted hypochlorous acid water had an effective chlorine concentration of about 50 ml / L around pH 5.

  The air supply means is disposed on the blower 21 that supplies the outside air sucked through the numerous openings 401 provided on the side surface of the housing 40 through the duct 211, and on the upstream side (opening 401 side) of the blower 21. A purification filter 22 composed of a HEPA filter and an air supply port 411 (vent hole) provided in the sink 41 through the connecting portion 23 and the duct 212 are provided.

  The air supply ports 411 are also arranged above the wall surfaces on both sides of the sink 41, respectively. In addition, a plurality of blowers 21 are provided corresponding to each air supply port 411, and draining and drying can be performed in a short time with a sufficient air volume.

  The ozone supply means includes an ozone generator 31 and a fan 32 that supplies ozone generated by the ozone generator 31 to the duct 212 on the downstream side of the blower 21 through the conduit 33 and the connecting portion 23. In this example, the amount of ozone generated by the ozone generator 31 was 4 mg / h.

<Operation>
The washing / drying apparatus M that is powered on by a microcomputer (not shown / control means) built in the control panel 50 operates as shown in FIG.

(1) When the power of the cleaning / drying apparatus M is turned on, the ozone generator 31 and the fan 32 are continuously operated to constantly supply ozone to the air supply port 411 (step S1).

  When an infrared sensor or the like (not shown) detects that a finger or the like to be cleaned has been inserted into the sink 41 (step S2), the pumps 11 and 12 are operated (step S3). As a result, diluted hypochlorous acid water is ejected from the cleaning nozzle 14 to the fingers inserted into the sink 41, and the cleaning mode is started. Then, when a preset cleaning time has elapsed (step S4), the pumps 11 and 12 are stopped (step S5). When the pump 11 is stopped, the cleaning mode ends. For example, the cleaning time (cleaning liquid ejection time) in the cleaning mode may be about 16 to 18 seconds, and the amount of cleaning liquid ejected may be about 320 to 360 ml.

  After confirming that fingers have not been removed from the sink 41 (step S6), the blower 21 is operated (step S7). As a result, a drying mode is started in which the diluted hypochlorous acid water adhering to the finger inserted into the sink 41 by air blown from the air supply port 411 is drained and dried. The blower 21 continues to operate as long as there are fingers in the sink 41 (step S8). However, when a finger is removed from the sink 41 (step S8) or when a preset drying time (for example, 30 seconds) elapses (step S9), the blower 21 stops (step S10). The drying mode ends when the blower 21 is stopped.

(2) When a preset time (for example, 1 hour) elapses when a finger or the like is not detected in the sink 41 (step S2, step S11), the pumps 11 and 12 are operated to eject the cleaning liquid into the sink 41. (Step S12). When a preset cleaning time (for example, 5 seconds) elapses (step S13), the pumps 11 and 12 are stopped to stop the ejection of the cleaning liquid (step S14). Thus, even when the cleaning mode and the drying mode are not performed, the self-cleaning mode is periodically performed. Note that the amount of cleaning liquid ejected in the self-cleaning mode may be about 100 ml, for example.

  Incidentally, ozone is continuously supplied into the sink 41 before the start of the self-purification mode. For this reason, the organic matter or the like adhering in the sink 41 is in a state of being oxidized and decomposed in advance by the ozone. As a result, the diluted hypochlorous acid water ejected in the self-purification mode does not repel water in the sink 41 and acts directly on bacteria and the like. Therefore, the self-cleaning mode of the present embodiment exhibits a high sterilization effect.

(3) Even when not in the dry mode, ozone generated by the ozone generator 31 is supplied from the air supply port 411 by the fan 32. A part of the ozone is used for oxidative decomposition of the organic matter or the like adhering in the sink 41 as described above, but most of the ozone is released to the installation space of the cleaning / drying apparatus M. For this reason, at least the installation space in the vicinity where the cleaning / drying apparatus M is set is also air-cleaned by the ozone.

  As described above, the cleaning / drying apparatus M according to the present embodiment can perform not only cleaning / disinfection / drying of fingers and the like, but also self-cleaning of the apparatus itself and cleaning of a space in which the apparatus is set.

M hand washing dry sterilization device (cleaning device)
14 Washing nozzle 40 Housing 41 Sink 411 Air supply port

Claims (8)

A sink having an insertion port for taking in and out the object to be cleaned, and having a discharge port for discharging the used cleaning liquid while accommodating the object to be cleaned;
Cleaning means for discharging cleaning liquid into the sink;
An air supply means for supplying air into the sink;
A cleaning device comprising:
The cleaning device discharges diluted hypochlorous acid water having a pH of 4 to 6 in which diluted water is mixed with a highly concentrated hypochlorous acid water having a pH of 6 to 7 as the cleaning liquid.   The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the high-concentration hypochlorous acid water is supplied while being housed in a replaceable cartridge tank.   The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning unit discharges 150 to 1000 ml of the cleaning liquid per cleaning.   The cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the air supply means includes a blower for introducing outside air, and a purification filter disposed on the upstream side of the blower.   Furthermore, the washing | cleaning apparatus in any one of Claims 1-4 provided with the ozone supply means which supplies ozone to the said sink.   The cleaning apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the ozone supply means supplies ozone to a downstream side of the air supplied by the air supply means.   The cleaning apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the ozone supply means supplies ozone to the sink when the object to be cleaned is not in the sink. Furthermore, it comprises at least control means for controlling the operation of the cleaning means,
The control unit performs a self-cleaning mode in which the cleaning unit is operated for a predetermined time to discharge the cleaning liquid to the sink at a predetermined time when the cleaning target is not inserted into the sink. A cleaning apparatus according to claim 1.

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