JP2023113016A - Fluid sterilizer - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a fluid sterilizer with a simple configuration but with improved light extraction efficiency of ultraviolet light taken out on a flow passage pipe side.SOLUTION: A fluid sterilizer includes: a flow passage pipe through which fluid passes; a light source unit, which is arranged to face the flow passage pipe and is equipped with a light emitting element, a substrate on which the light emitting element is mounted, and a lens part covering the light emitting element and protruding toward the flow passage pipe, to irradiate the fluid with ultraviolet light; and a cover part having a UV light transmission capacity and being interposed in a boundary region between the substrate and the fluid. The cover part is provided with a through hole through which the lens part is inserted, at least the tip of the lens part is in contact with the fluid, and the substrate of the light source unit is covered by the cover part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a fluid disinfection device.

Various products have been provided that sterilize fluids (eg, liquids for drinking or raw water for food, or various cooling and cleaning waters for factories) by irradiating them with ultraviolet light. As an invention related to this, for example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a fluid sterilization device provided in a fluid flow path.

Here, the fluid sterilization apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a sterilization tube through which a fluid to be sterilized flows, and a light source unit that is disposed facing the end of the sterilization tube and irradiates the fluid with ultraviolet light. It is a sterilizer. The light source unit also includes a light-emitting diode chip and a housing having a housing chamber for housing the light-emitting diode chip. Further, the light source unit includes a window member that closes the opening provided in the housing, separates the outer space of the housing from the receiving chamber, and transmits the ultraviolet light from the light emitting diode chip.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2020-44301

The window member disclosed in Patent Literature 1 includes a TIR lens (lens portion) provided closer to the sterilization tube (flow path tube) than the light emitting diode chip (light source unit). More specifically, the lens section includes a curved surface portion located on the light source unit side, and a concave portion that continues to a substantially central region of the curved surface portion and accommodates the light source unit.

Of the ultraviolet light emitted from the light source unit, the light that enters the lens from the bottom of the concave portion passes through the inside of the lens and then exits the lens. Among the ultraviolet light emitted from the light source unit, the light incident on the lens portion from the side portion of the concave portion passes through the inside of the lens portion, is reflected by the inner surface of the curved portion, and exits the lens portion.

However, with respect to the ultraviolet light incident on the lens portion from the side portion of the concave portion, light incident at an angle exceeding the total reflection angle is reflected toward the light source unit without entering the lens portion. In this case, the ultraviolet light is not emitted to the channel tube side. As a result, in the fluid sterilizer disclosed in Patent Document 1, the light extraction efficiency of the ultraviolet light extracted to the flow pipe side (the ratio of the light emitted to the flow pipe side in the ultraviolet light irradiated from the light source unit ) can decrease.

In view of the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a fluid sterilization device that has a simple structure and that enhances the light extraction efficiency of the ultraviolet light that is extracted to the channel tube side.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the fluid sterilization device according to the present invention includes:
a channel tube through which a fluid passes;
a light source unit arranged to face the channel tube and including a light-emitting element, a substrate, and a lens portion that covers the light-emitting element and protrudes toward the channel tube;
a cover portion interposed in a boundary region between the substrate and the fluid;
with
The cover portion has a through hole into which the lens portion is inserted,
at least a tip of the lens portion is in contact with the fluid;
The substrate of the light source unit is covered with the cover section.

In this aspect of the present invention, the cover portion, which has an ultraviolet transmittance and is interposed in the boundary region between the light source unit and the fluid, has a through hole into which the lens portion is inserted. As a result, at least the tip of the lens portion is brought into contact with the fluid flowing through the channel tube. Therefore, the ultraviolet light emitted from the light source unit and passing through the lens portion is emitted to the fluid without passing through other media such as an air layer. As a result, according to this aspect of the present invention, it is possible to increase the light extraction efficiency of the ultraviolet light extracted to the flow channel side.

Further, in the fluid sterilization device according to the present invention,
the flow tube is a tubular member having an open end,
It is preferable that the light source unit is attached to the open end.

According to this aspect of the present invention, since the ultraviolet light from the light source unit is irradiated toward the cross section (cross section) perpendicular to the axial direction of the flow channel (flow direction of the fluid), the ultraviolet light irradiation to the fluid You can increase the quantity. As a result, the sterilizing ability of the fluid can be improved.

Furthermore, in the fluid sterilizer according to the present invention,
It is preferable that the lens portion is in contact with the fluid and has a dome-shaped portion that accommodates the light emitting element therein.

According to this aspect of the present invention, since the dome-shaped portion of the lens portion and the fluid can be brought into contact with each other, the contact area between the lens portion and the fluid (for example, the tip of the dome-shaped portion) can be increased. . As a result, more ultraviolet light can be emitted to the channel tube side.

Furthermore, in the fluid sterilizer according to the present invention,
The light source unit comprises a plurality of the light emitting elements and a plurality of the lens portions covering each of the light emitting elements,
It is preferable that the cover section has a plurality of through holes into which the lens sections are inserted.

In this aspect of the invention, the ultraviolet light emitted from the plurality of light emitting elements is emitted to the fluid side through the plurality of lens portions that cover the respective light emitting elements and come into contact with the fluid. Therefore, according to this aspect of the present invention, it is possible to emit more ultraviolet rays to the flow channel side without loss based on the plurality of light emitting elements. As a result, the sterilizing ability of the fluid can be improved.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, although it is a simple structure, the fluid disinfection apparatus which improved the light extraction efficiency of the ultraviolet light taken out by the flow-path pipe side can be provided.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the fluid sterilizer according to the embodiment; FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the light source device of the light source unit; The perspective view which shows an example of the board|substrate of the light source unit with which a fluid sterilization apparatus is equipped. FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a light source unit according to Modification 1 of the embodiment; FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a fluid sterilizer according to Modification 2 of the present embodiment; FIG. 6A is a plan view of a light source unit 40 according to Modification 3 of the present embodiment (FIG. 6A);

[Basic example]
Hereinafter, a fluid sterilizer according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. First, a fluid sterilizer 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. Here, FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the fluid sterilizer 1. FIG. Moreover, FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the light source device of the light source unit. Furthermore, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of a substrate of a light source unit provided in the fluid sterilizer 1. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the fluid sterilizer 1 according to this embodiment includes a channel tube 10 , an inlet tube section 11 , an outlet tube section 12 and a light source unit 20 . As shown in FIG. 1, the flow pipe 10 of this embodiment is a tubular member extending in the axial direction (longitudinal direction). Both ends 101 and 102 of the flow tube 10 are opened.

The flow tube 10 of this embodiment is made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). However, the material of the flow pipe 10 is not limited to this. Other materials for the flow tube 10 include resins such as perfluoroethylene propene copolymer (FEP) and perfluoroalkoxyalkane (PFA), and metals such as stainless steel.

The inlet pipe 11 is provided at one end 101 of the flow pipe 10 . Via one end 101, the channel tube 10 and the inlet tube 11 communicate with each other. As a result, the fluid to be sterilized (for example, water) flows from the inlet pipe 11 into the channel pipe 10 . On the other hand, a through hole 103 is provided at a predetermined portion of the side peripheral wall of the flow pipe 10 . The outlet pipe 12 is provided so as to face the through hole 103 . Thereby, the channel tube 10 and the outlet tube 12 are communicated with each other. The fluid that has flowed through the channel tube 10 flows out from the outlet tube 12 .

Also, the light source unit 20 is provided at the other end 102 of the flow pipe 10 . Thereby, the light source unit 20 faces the inner side of the channel tube 10 . More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the light source unit 20 includes a light emitting device 21 that emits ultraviolet light (for example, light having a peak wavelength of 100 nm to 400 nm), a substrate 22, and a cover 24 impermeable to ultraviolet light. (eg PTFE). Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, the light emitting device 21 includes a mounting substrate 211 (a substrate different from the substrate 22), a light emitting element 212, and a lens portion 213. As shown in FIG. More specifically, the light emitting element 212 is mounted on the mounting substrate 211 and the lens portion 213 covers them.

By setting the positional relationship between the flow pipe 10 and the light source unit 20 as described above, the ultraviolet light from the light source unit 20 (light emitting device 21) passes through the lens portion 213 and directly enters the flow pipe 10. , toward a cross section (cross section) perpendicular to the axial direction (flow direction of the fluid). Therefore, the amount of ultraviolet light irradiation to the fluid can be increased. As a result, the sterilizing ability of the fluid can be improved.

Although the type of the light emitting element 212 used in the light emitting device 21 is not particularly limited, examples thereof include semiconductor light emitting elements such as LEDs (light emitting diodes) and laser diodes. Moreover, although the number of light emitting devices 21 in this embodiment is one, it may be two or more (embodiments having two or more light emitting devices 21 will be described later).

Next, as shown in FIG. 3, for example, the substrate 22 mounts the light emitting device 21 and mounts other electronic components such as a power supply circuit for supplying current to the light emitting device 21 .

Next, the lens portion 213 is an optical member that covers the light emitting device 21, as shown in FIG. Ultraviolet light from the light emitting device 21 passes through the lens portion 213 and irradiates the fluid flowing through the flow channel tube 10 . The lens portion 213 of this embodiment projects from the substrate 22 toward the channel tube 10 side. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 1, the lens portion 213 preferably has a dome-like shape in which the tip 231 faces the flow tube 10 side.

According to this aspect, the dome-shaped portion of the lens portion 213 and the fluid can be brought into contact with each other. area) can be increased. As a result, more ultraviolet light can be emitted to the channel tube 10 side.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1, the cover 24 is a hollow cap-like member interposed in the boundary region 10B between the substrate 22 and the fluid. The substrate 22 arranged on the other end 102 side of the flow tube 10 is covered with the cover portion 24 . Also, for example, an O-ring 25 is arranged between the edge 241 of the cover 24 (the edge on the flow pipe 10 side) and the inner wall of the other end 102 of the flow pipe 10 .

This prevents the fluid in the channel tube 10 from flowing to the substrate 22 side. That is, by providing the cover portion 24, the fluid is prevented from coming into contact with the substrate 22 on which the light emitting device 21 and predetermined electronic components are mounted.

Note that the state in which the substrate 22 is covered with the cover portion 24 includes a state in which the fluid is overlapped to the extent that the cover portion 24 stops the fluid from reaching the substrate 22 (for example, the state shown in FIG. 1). . That is, the entire surface of the substrate 22 does not necessarily have to be covered with the cover portion 24 .

Further, the cover portion 24 has a through hole 242 into which the lens portion 213 is inserted at a substantially central position. At least the tip 231 of the lens portion 213 inserted into the through hole 242 is in contact with the fluid.

As a result, the ultraviolet light emitted from the light emitting device 21 and passing through the lens portion 213 is directly emitted to the fluid without passing through other media such as an air layer. As a result, it is possible to increase the light extraction efficiency of the ultraviolet light extracted to the channel pipe 10 side, although the structure is extremely simple.

It is preferable that the O-ring 26 is also arranged between the through hole 242 of the cover portion 24 and the lens portion 213 . By providing the O-ring 26 at such a position, the flowing water reaching the through hole 242 is stopped so as not to flow into the substrate 22 side.

[Modification 1]
Next, a modification 1 of the fluid sterilizer 1 (especially the light source unit 30) according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the light source unit 30 according to Modification 1. As shown in FIG. In the basic example described above, the cover portion 24 covering the substrate 22 covers only the surface side of the substrate 22 (the surface side facing the flow path tube 10 side). On the other hand, the cover part 34 according to Modification 1 covers not only the front surface side of the substrate 32 but also the rear surface side (the side opposite to the flow path tube 10 side). A through hole 36 for inserting a wiring 35 connected to the substrate 32 is preferably provided on the rear side of the cover portion 34 . In the light source unit 30 according to Modification 1 as well, the light emitting device 31 including the light emitting element 312 and the lens portion 313 is preferably mounted on the substrate 32, although not particularly limited.

[Modification 2]
Next, a modification 2 of the fluid sterilizer 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the fluid sterilizer 2 according to Modification 2. As shown in FIG. In the basic example described above, the light source unit 20 was provided only on the other end 102 side of the flow pipe 10 . On the other hand, the light source unit 37 of Modification 2 is provided at both open end portions on the one end 101 side and the other end 102 side of the channel tube 10 .

Further, in the basic example described above, the inlet pipe 11 was provided at one end 101 of the flow pipe 10 . On the other hand, in Modification 2, a through hole 105 is provided in the side peripheral wall 104 of the channel pipe 13 , and the inlet pipe 14 is provided so as to face the through hole 105 . By providing the light source units 37 at both ends (the one end 101 and the other end 102) of the flow tube 10 in this way, it is possible to irradiate the fluid with more ultraviolet light.

[Modification 3]
Next, another modification (modification 3) of the fluid sterilizer 1 (particularly, the light source unit 40) according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 6A is a plan view of the light source unit 40 according to Modification 3 (a view of the light source unit 40 side viewed from the flow path tube 10). 6(b) is a cross-sectional view of the light source unit 40 taken along line AA in FIG. 6(a).

6, the light source unit 40 according to Modification 3 includes a plurality of light emitting devices 41a, 41b, 41c, . . . , 41n (a plurality of lens portions 413a, 413b, 413c, . Prepare. Although not particularly limited, each light emitting device 41 (41a to 41n) also includes a light emitting element 412 (412a to 412n) and a lens portion 413 (413a to 413n) in the third modification. Further, each light emitting element 412 (412a to 412n) is accommodated in each of the lens portions 413 (413a to 413n).

Further, the cover portion 44 according to Modification 3 includes a plurality of through holes 442a, 442b, 442c, . According to this aspect, since a plurality of light emitting devices 41 (41a to 41n) are provided, more ultraviolet light is emitted than the light source unit 20 including a single light emitting device 21 as in the basic example described above. be able to.

Further, each of the plurality of lens portions 413 (413a to 413n) accommodates each of the light emitting elements 412 (412a to 412n) and is in contact with the fluid through the plurality of through holes 442 (442a to 442n). As a result, a large amount of ultraviolet rays can be emitted to the flow pipe 10 side without loss. As a result, the sterilizing ability of the fluid can be improved.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the above description is intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention may include things that can be changed and improved without departing from its spirit. The present invention also includes equivalents thereof.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The fluid sterilizer according to the present invention is used for, for example, an ultraviolet light sterilizer, a water purifier, a water heater, a water pipe, a cooling water circulation device, a water server, a drink server, and the like. However, its use is not limited to this.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Fluid sterilization apparatus 10... Channel tube 101, 102... Opening end part of channel tube 11, 14... Inlet tube 12... Outlet tube 20, 30, 37, 40... Light source unit 21... Light-emitting device 212... Light-emitting element 213 , 413... Lens part 231... Tip of lens part 22... Substrate 24, 34, 44... Cover part 242, 442... Through hole provided in cover part

Claims (4)

a channel tube through which a fluid passes;
a light source unit arranged to face the channel tube and including a light-emitting element, a substrate, and a lens portion that covers the light-emitting element and protrudes toward the channel tube;
a cover portion interposed in a boundary region between the substrate and the fluid;
with
The cover portion has a through hole into which the lens portion is inserted,
at least a tip of the lens portion is in contact with the fluid;
The fluid sterilizer, wherein the substrate of the light source unit is covered with the cover section. the flow tube is a tubular member having an open end,
2. The fluid sterilizer according to claim 1, wherein the light source unit is attached to the open end. The fluid sterilizer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lens portion has a dome-shaped portion that is in contact with the fluid and that accommodates the light emitting element therein. The light source unit comprises a plurality of the light emitting elements and a plurality of the lens portions covering each of the light emitting elements,
4. The fluid sterilizer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cover part has a plurality of through holes into which each of the lens parts is inserted.

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