JP2024014414A - fluid sterilizer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fluid sterilizer for efficiently cooling a light source device while addressing a problem of corrosion caused by fluid to be sterilized.

SOLUTION: A housing body 12 has a cylindrical part 122 on one end side in an axial direction, and an enlarged diameter part 124 on the other end side. A straight tube 18 is housed in the cylindrical part 122 and leads fluid to be sterilized from the one end side in the axial direction to the other end side. A light source device 19 has a resin sealing material 31 as a heat radiation part on a rear surface side, and is housed in the enlarged diameter part 124 so as to irradiate the inside of the straight tube 18 with UV from a front surface side. A lead-out passage 35 is formed in the enlarged diameter part 124 so as to lead the fluid to be sterilized coming out of the straight tube 18 from a notch 181 to the resin sealing material 31.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5A

COPYRIGHT: (C)2024,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a fluid sterilization device that sterilizes fluid using ultraviolet light.

A fluid sterilizer that sterilizes a fluid using ultraviolet light is known (eg, Patent Document 1). In this case, the light source that emits ultraviolet rays generates heat, so cooling measures are required.

Patent Document 1 discloses a fluid sterilizing device that includes a light source device in which a board on which a light source is mounted is disposed inside a cup-shaped metal case whose front opening is closed by a UV (ultraviolet) transparent window. In this fluid sterilizing device, a lead-out channel is formed on the back surface of the metal case so that the fluid after UV sterilization comes into contact with the fluid, and the fluid in the lead-out channel cools the light source.

International Publication No. 2019/032943

In the fluid sterilization device of Patent Document 1, in order to cool the light source, the fluid to be sterilized comes into direct contact with the metal case that encloses the light source, so although the cooling efficiency is increased, the metal case is not corroded by the fluid to be sterilized. It becomes a problem. For example, when cleaning a fluid sterilizer, the metal case is particularly susceptible to corrosion when the fluid to be sterilized is a chlorine-based liquid. As a countermeasure, covering or covering the outer surface of the metal case with respect to the outlet flow path with a corrosion-resistant material may complicate the structure for fixing the corrosion-resistant material to prevent it from being washed away, or The parts become thicker.

An object of the present invention is to provide a fluid sterilizer that is capable of effectively cooling a light source by using a flowing fluid to be sterilized while dealing with the problems of corrosion caused by the fluid to be sterilized, complication of the fixing structure, and increase in thickness. The goal is to provide the following.

The present invention is a fluid sterilization device for sterilizing liquid, comprising:
a casing having one end and the other end coaxially on a straight axis;
The housing includes a first cylindrical portion on the one end side and a second cylindrical portion on the other end side having an inner diameter larger than the first cylindrical portion,
a flow path pipe housed in the first cylindrical portion of the housing so that the fluid to be sterilized flows in one direction from the one end side to the other end side;
A substrate is housed in the second cylindrical portion of the housing, a light source is mounted on the front surface side of the substrate and emits ultraviolet rays into the channel tube, and the inner surface is in contact with the back surface of the substrate. a light source device having a non-metallic sealing member covering the entire surface of the light source;
Formed in the housing so that the fluid to be sterilized led out of the flow pipe from the end of the flow pipe on the second cylinder side side flows in contact with the outer surface of the non-metallic seal member. a lead-out passage,
It is equipped with

According to the present invention, in the light source device, the nonmetallic sealing member covers the entire back surface of the substrate on which the light source is mounted, and comes into contact with the fluid to be sterilized in the outlet channel in the housing. The fluid to be sterilized in the outlet channel within the housing has sufficient pressure, and this pressure acts to press the non-metallic seal member against the back surface of the substrate. Therefore, the non-metallic sealing member only needs to cover the back surface of the substrate reliably, which simplifies the structure for fixing the non-metallic sealing member in the thickness direction of the light source device, and also allows the non-metallic sealing member to be made thinner. be able to. Furthermore, the non-metal seal member can be made thinner, and the outer surface of the non-metal seal member is cooled by the fluid to be sterilized flowing through the outlet passage, so the non-metal seal member can cool the light source without any problem even if it is not made of metal. In addition, it is possible to solve the problem of corrosion of the back surface of the substrate due to the fluid to be sterilized.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the fluid sterilization device. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating storage components housed in the cylindrical portion of the housing body in an axial direction of the fluid sterilization device. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the light source device and the housing sealing member disassembled in the axial direction and viewed from one end in the axial direction. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the light source device and the housing sealing member, each disassembled in the axial direction and viewed from the other end in the axial direction. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a range including an enlarged diameter portion and an outer cover in the axial direction in FIG. 1 . 5A is an enlarged view of the upper half of the enlarged diameter portion of FIG. 5A from the central axis Rx. FIG. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a light source device and a housing sealing member including a ceramic seal.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. Note that the same reference numerals are used throughout the figures for components common to multiple embodiments.

(composition)
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a fluid sterilization device 10. As shown in FIG. The fluid sterilizer 10 has a cylindrical housing body 12 and a cap-shaped outer cover 14. The housing body 12 and the outer cover 14 constitute the housing of the fluid sterilizer 10, and are screwed together at the respective male threaded portions 121 and female threaded portions 141 with their central axes Rx aligned. The screwing of the male threaded portion 121 and the female threaded portion 141 simplifies the assembly structure of the stored components by tightening the stored components in the housing in the axial direction.

The housing body 12 has a cylindrical portion 122, an inlet 123, an enlarged diameter portion 124, and a stopper portion 125. The inlet 123 protrudes from one axial end of the cylindrical portion 122 toward the one end along the central axis Rx by a predetermined length. The stopper portion 125 is formed as an inner surface on one end side in the axial direction of the cylindrical portion 122, and an inlet passage of the inlet 123 is opened at the center thereof. The stopper portion 125 has a role of preventing the components stored in the cylindrical portion 122 from moving toward one end in the axial direction. The enlarged diameter portion 124 protrudes radially from the cylindrical portion 122 at one end and is open at the other end.

The outer cover 14 has an opening 142 at the center of the cover portion. The outer cover 14 has the role of preventing the stored components from detaching from the housing body 12 by the cover portion, and also pressing the stored components toward the stopper portion 125 after being screwed together with the housing body 12.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the components housed in the cylindrical portion 122 of the casing body 12 in an axial direction of the fluid sterilizer 10. The stored components include a shield 15, a rectifying plate 16, and a straight pipe 18, which are arranged in that order from one end to the other end in the axial direction with their center axes aligned with the center axis Rx, and are arranged in the axial direction from one end to the other end. It is inserted through the opening on the other end side of the main body 12.

The shielding body 15, together with the rectifying plate 16 and the straight pipe 18, is made of a material that is resistant to ultraviolet rays. The shielding body 15 is applied to the stopper part 125 and shields the stopper part 125 from UV (ultraviolet rays), thereby protecting the stopper part 125 from UV. The shield 15 also has a tapered portion 151 on the inner circumferential side. The tapered portion 151 has a diameter equal to the inner diameter of the inlet 123 and the straight pipe 18 at one end and the other end, respectively, and allows the inlet 123 and the straight pipe 18 to communicate with each other. By having the tapered portion 151, the UV reflected by the tapered portion 151 is reflected in the direction of the rectifying plate 16, thereby increasing the UV utilization efficiency.

The rectifying plate 16 has a plurality of rectifying holes 162 in a peripheral portion surrounding a central portion 161 . The central portion 161 functions to dam the fluid to be sterilized (eg, water) flowing into the current plate 16 from the pressure pump (not shown) via the inlet 123 and the shield 15. That is, the fluid to be sterilized flowing through the radially central portion of the tapered portion 151 hits the central portion 161, is decelerated, flows radially outward, and then flows into the straight pipe 18 from the rectifying hole 162. As a result, the flow rate of the fluid to be sterilized in the sterilization chamber 182 is made uniform between the radial center and the periphery. Furthermore, by having the inlet of the shield 15 (the minimum diameter portion of the tapered portion 151) and the center portion 161 of the current plate 16 on the central axis Rx axis, UV emitted from the straight pipe 18 toward the current plate. is prevented from leaking from the fluid sterilizer 10. Here, the area of the central portion 161 is greater than or equal to the area of the inlet of the shield 15.

The straight pipe 18 defines a sterilization chamber 182 on the inner peripheral side. The plurality of notches 181 are formed on the peripheral wall of the straight pipe 18 on the other end in the axial direction at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction, and extend a predetermined length from the other end of the straight pipe 18 toward the one end. The O-ring 183 is fitted into an annular groove on the outer periphery of the straight pipe 18 to prevent leakage of the fluid to be sterilized at the outer periphery.

3 and 4 are exploded perspective views of the light source device 19 and the housing sealing member 32, viewed from one end and the other end in the axial direction, respectively. 5A is an enlarged view of the range including the enlarged diameter portion 124 and the outer cover 14 in the axial direction in FIG. 1, and FIG. 5B is an enlarged view of the upper half of the enlarged diameter portion 124 in FIG. 5A from the central axis Rx.

3, FIG. 4, FIG. 5A, and FIG. 5B, the light source device 19 and the housing sealing member 32 are arranged in the enlarged diameter portion 124 at one end and the other end, respectively, so that their central axes are aligned with the central axis Rx. They are arranged and stored. The light source device 19 is disassembled into a shielding ring 20, an O-ring 191, a quartz glass 22, a reflector 24, a UV-LED 26, a substrate 28, and a resin sealing material 31 in order from one end to the other end in the axial direction.

In the light source device 19, the side from which UV is emitted and the side opposite thereto will be referred to as the front side and the back side, respectively. The light source device 19 has its front side and back side facing toward one end and the other end in the axial direction of the fluid sterilizer 10, respectively. The O-ring 191 is fitted between the periphery of the quartz glass 22 and the annular step on the surface side of the reflector 24 to provide a seal. As a result, the opening at the other end of the straight tube 18 is closed by an opening closing member composed of the quartz glass 22 and the O-ring 191.

The reflector 24 has a reflective surface 241, a projecting surface 242, a peripheral surface 243, and a recess 244. The reflective surface 241 is formed in a tapered shape that gradually increases in diameter from the back side toward the front side on the inner peripheral side of the reflector 24 . The projecting surface 242 projects radially outward from the opening of the reflective surface 241 on the surface side of the reflector 24 . The circumferential surface 243 is formed on a cylindrical side surface as the outer circumferential surface of the reflector 24. The recess 244 is formed to open at the periphery of the back surface of the reflector 24 .

The reflector 24, together with the shielding ring 20, is made of a UV-resistant material. The reflector 24 has, on the back side (FIG. 4), a circumferential end surface 247 and an annular step portion 248 that projects radially inward along the inner periphery of the circumferential end surface 247 by a predetermined width.

A plurality of (two in the illustrated example) UV-LEDs 26 and a plurality of electrical components 27 constituting an energizing circuit for the UV-LEDs 26 are mounted on the center and peripheral portions of the front surface of the substrate 28, respectively. The UV-LED 26 is exposed from the back side of the reflector 24 into a tapered reflective surface 241, and the electrical component 27 is housed in a recess 244 on the back side of the reflector 24. A pair of opposing recesses 281 and a pair of recesses 282 are formed at the periphery of the circular substrate 28 .

The recess 244 after housing the electrical component 27 is filled with resin having good thermal conductivity (at least higher thermal conductivity than air). The resin encapsulation structure can be achieved by, for example, (a) filling liquid resin at high temperature before applying the front surface of the substrate 28 to the back surface of the reflector 24 and solidifying it at room temperature after filling; or (b) filling the resin in a liquid state at room temperature. Before storing the light source device 19, the reflector 24 and the substrate 28 are bonded together in advance, and then a straight hole (not shown) that communicates with the recess 244 from the front side of the reflector 24 is inserted into the recess 244. It can be made by injecting high temperature liquid resin and then solidifying it at room temperature. The resin encapsulation facilitates conduction of heat generated by the electrical component 27 to the substrate 28.

The UV emitted by the UV-LED 26 belongs to deep ultraviolet light, which is highly effective in sterilizing fluids, and has a wavelength range of, for example, 100 to 400 nm. Particularly, in the ultraviolet wavelength range, UVC with a wavelength of 100 to 280 nm is particularly preferable because it has a particularly high bactericidal effect.

The resin sealing material 31 is made of resin and has a harness hole 311 penetrating in the axial direction. The resin sealing material 31 is applied to the back surface of the substrate 28 , and is also applied to the annular stepped portion 248 of the reflector 24 through the O-ring 192 . The resin sealing material 31 includes, on the back side, a flat plate part 310, an annular raised part 313 raised along the circumferential edge of the flat plate part 310, and a pair of positioning holes 312 formed on the inner peripheral side of the annular raised part 313. have. The flat plate portion 310 is formed by digging into the resin sealing material 31. That is, the flat plate portion 310 is thinner than the annular raised portion 313. Thereby, the distance between the back surface of the substrate 28 and the fluid to be sterilized can be shortened while maintaining rigidity by the annular protrusion 313, and heat dissipation is improved. Here, instead of using the resin sealing material 31, the back surface of the substrate 28 may be coated with ceramic by performing ceramic spraying on the back surface of the substrate 28.

The housing sealing member 32 has a plurality of spacers 320 formed on the inner surface at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction, and a raised top surface of the spacer 320 that is spaced 180 degrees apart in the circumferential direction. It has a convex portion 321. The arcuate protruding edge 324 fits on the outside of the circumferential surface 243 of the reflector 24 .

The cylinder defining the harness hole 322 on the inner peripheral side is press-fitted into the harness hole 311 after the O-ring 193 is inserted therein.

The housing sealing member 32 has a sealing portion 325 on the back side, and an outlet 326 that protrudes from the sealing portion 325 toward the other end in the axial direction along the central axis Rx. The outlet 326 passes through the inner peripheral side of the opening 142 of the outer cover 14 and reaches the outside of the outer cover 14 at its protruding end.

In FIGS. 5A and 5B, the shielding ring 20 has an annular end surface on one end in the axial direction fitted to the inner periphery of the enlarged diameter portion 124 using an O-ring 196. The shielding ring 20 has a cylindrical side surface portion 202 and a tapered portion 201 on the inner peripheral side of one end and the other end in the axial direction, respectively. In the axial direction, the position P1 of the end on the one end side of the shielding ring 20, the position P2 of the end on the small diameter side of the tapered part 201, the position P3 of the end on the large diameter side of the tapered part 201, the position of the terminal end of the notch 181 (axis Regarding the position of one end in the axial direction) Q1 and the starting end position of the notch 181 (the position of the other end in the axial direction), that is, the other end position Q2 of the straight pipe 18, in the illustrated example, from one end side to the other end side in the axial direction The arrangement is P1, Q1, P2, P3 (=Q2) in this order. However, it is preferable that P1 and Q1 are at the same position in the axial direction (P1=Q1). This is because the entire notch 181 is exposed to the tapered part 201, increasing the effective area of the notch 181, and a space having a triangular cross section between one end of the tapered part 201 and the outer peripheral surface of the straight pipe 18. This is because the fluid to be sterilized can be prevented from staying in the triangular space.

In FIGS. 5A and 5B, Fn indicates the flow of the fluid to be sterilized in the fluid sterilizer 10. The outlet flow path 35 serves as a passage for guiding the fluid to be sterilized, which is led out from the notch 181 of the straight pipe 18 in the radial direction, to the outside of the fluid sterilizer 10, and is connected to the light source device 19 in the fluid sterilizer 10, It is formed in a space between the tapered portion 201 of the shielding ring 20, the enlarged diameter portion 124, or the inner surface of the sealing portion 325 of the housing sealing member 32. The outlet channel 35 includes a first channel section 351, a second channel section 352, a third channel section 353, a fourth channel section 354, and a fifth channel section 355 in order in the flow direction of the fluid to be sterilized. have. The first flow path section 351, the second flow path section 352, and the third flow path section 353 all have an annular shape when viewed in the axial direction. The fourth flow path portion 354 and the fifth flow path portion 355 have a circular shape when viewed in the axial direction.

The first flow path portion 351 is formed in a space sandwiched between the tapered portion 201 and the overhanging surface 242 in the axial direction, and serves as the most upstream portion of the outlet flow path 35 for the fluid to be sterilized immediately after being led out from the notch 181. to the downstream side. The second flow path portion 352 is formed as a passage portion between the corner portion of the boundary between the overhanging surface 242 and the peripheral surface 243 and the tapered portion 201 . The third flow path portion 353 is formed in an annular shape between the enlarged diameter portion 124 and the peripheral surface 243. The fourth flow path portion 354 is formed as an axial gap between the back surface of the light source device 19 and the inner surface of the housing sealing member 32.

(material)
The following is an example of the materials of each component constituting the fluid sterilizer 10.
(a) Housing (casing body 12 and outer cover 14): Engineering plastic such as PC (polycarbonate) or POM (polyacetal) (b) Shielding body 15, rectifying plate 16, straight pipe 18, shielding ring 20, reflector 24, and Resin sealing material 31: sterilized fluid and fluororesin such as PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene tetrafluoroethylene resin), PFA (perfluoroalkoxyalkane), PVF (polyvinyl fluoride), PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride), ceramic

The material (b) above is selected as having higher UV resistance and UV reflectance than the material (a). Note that the material (a) has higher corrosion resistance to the fluid to be sterilized than metal. The reason why the material (a) above was selected for the shielding body 15 and the shielding ring 20 is that the shielding body 15 and the shielding ring 20 are made of PTFE that has been lightly processed, so they can be manufactured using simple processing. This is to make it a material that can be used.

(effect)
The fluid to be sterilized is pumped to the fluid sterilizer 10 from a pressure pump (not shown), passes through the inlet 123 of the housing body 12, the tapered portion 151 of the shield 15, and the rectifying hole 162 of the rectifying plate 16, and enters the sterilizing chamber of the straight pipe 18. 182. The reason why the rectifying plate 16 has a central portion 161 without a through hole is that the fluid to be sterilized is rectified by the rectifying holes 162 of the rectifying plate 16, and the flow velocity in the sterilizing chamber 182 is controlled by the diameter of the sterilizing chamber 182. This is to make the flow velocity uniform at the directional position.

The UV-LED 26 emits UV toward the quartz glass 22 in the axial direction of the light source device 19. Among the ultraviolet rays emitted from the UV-LED 26, the ultraviolet rays that spread in the radial direction and are irradiated onto the reflective surface 241 are reflected by the reflective surface 241 and reflected toward the central axis Rx. The ultraviolet light passes through the quartz glass 22 and is irradiated onto the fluid to be sterilized in the sterilization chamber 182 . Thereby, the fluid to be sterilized is sterilized.

By colliding with the surface of the quartz glass 22, the fluid to be sterilized changes its direction from the axial direction to the radial direction of the straight pipe 18, and exits the straight pipe 18 through the notch 181. Since the total flow cross-sectional area of the plurality of notches 181 is smaller than the flow cross-sectional area of the sterilization chamber 182, the flow rate of the fluid to be sterilized increases in the notches 181. The flow velocity of the fluid to be sterilized is further increased by the tapered portion 201.

In FIG. 1, the fluid sterilizer 10 is placed horizontally (the longitudinal direction is aligned horizontally), but for example, the fluid sterilizer 10 is placed vertically (the longitudinal direction is aligned vertically) with the inlet 123 and outlet 326 facing down and up, respectively. It is possible to use it by aligning it in the same direction. In this case, as equipment such as a water server equipped with the fluid sterilizer 10 is stopped, the operation of the pressure pump is also stopped, and air remains in the upper portion of the straight pipe 18. Preferably, this residual air is immediately discharged to the outside when the pressure pump starts operating next time. This is because air weakens the intensity of UV light.

As mentioned above, the flow rate of the fluid to be sterilized increases at the notch 181, so in the vertically placed fluid sterilizer 10, the air remaining above the straight pipe 18, that is, at the height of the notch 181, The fluid to be sterilized does not remain for a long time and is quickly and smoothly discharged out of the straight pipe 18 by the increased speed of the fluid to be sterilized.

On the other hand, among the UV rays emitted from the quartz glass 22 to the sterilization chamber 182, those that have largely spread outward in the radial direction are emitted from the notch 181 to the outside of the straight pipe 18. Hereinafter, the UV that has entered the notch 181 will also be referred to as "external leakage UV."

As described above, in the axial direction, the position P1 of the end on the one end side of the shielding ring 20, the position P2 of the end on the small diameter side of the tapered part 201, the position P3 of the end on the large diameter side of the tapered part 201, and the position P3 of the end on the large diameter side of the tapered part 201, As a result of the axial positional relationship defined as described above for the terminal end position Q1 and the starting end position of the notch 181, that is, the other end position Q2 of the straight pipe 18, external leakage UV is prevented by the fluid sterilizer 10. The light is cut off, and irradiation to the inner surface of the housing body 12 is prevented. That is, the entire amount of external leakage UV irradiates the taper portion 201 of the shielding ring 20 and is reflected radially inward, or is reflected to the cylindrical side surface portion 202 via one end side of the notch 181, and is immediately removed from the straight pipe. 18, the remainder is irradiated onto the tapered portion 201 of the shielding ring 20 and reflected.

After passing through the second flow path section 352, the fluid to be sterilized flows in the annular third flow path section 353 between the circumferential surface 243 of the reflector 24 and the inner circumferential surface of the enlarged diameter section 124 in the axial direction, and further , after that, it hits the inner surface of the sealing part 325 and changes the traveling direction to the inside in the radial direction. Then, the light flows around the fourth flow path section 354 on the back side of the light source device 19 and gathers at the opening on one end side of the outlet 326 as the center in the radial direction along the inner surface of the blocking section 325. The fourth flow path portion 354 is formed as a gap sandwiched between the back surface of the light source device 19 and the sealing portion 325 of the housing sealing member 32 in the axial direction. Here, the cooling performance of the heat radiation cover 30 is improved by increasing the flow velocity of the fluid to be sterilized by the notch 181 and the tapered portion 201.

The fluid to be sterilized contacts the flat plate portion 310 of the resin sealing material 31 of the light source device 19 in the fourth flow path section 354, and cools the resinous sealing material 31. The resin sealing material 31 is pressed against the back surface of the substrate 28 by the fluid pressure of the fluid to be sterilized in the fourth flow path portion 354 . Therefore, as long as the resin sealing material 31 completely covers the back surface of the substrate 28, it does not require strong fixation, and prevents peeling from the back surface of the substrate 28 and flow away due to entrainment of the fluid to be sterilized. be done.

When the resin sealing material 31 and the substrate 28 are applied to the annular step 248 on the inner circumferential side of the circumferential end surface 247 of the reflector 24, the circumferential end surface 247 prevents the substrate 28 from peeling off or flowing away. The thickness of the resin sealing material 31 can be further reduced to improve thermal conductivity. Note that the resin sealing material 31 may only be in contact with the circumferential end surface 247 at the periphery, and may not be in contact with the annular step portion 248 on the inner circumferential side of the circumferential end surface 247 . In this case, the convex portion 321 of the housing sealing member 32 fits into the positioning hole 312 of the resin sealing material 31, and the spacer 320 presses the end of the peripheral wall of the positioning hole 312 toward one end in the axial direction, so that the resin Peeling of the manufactured seal material 31 is prevented.

The heat generated by the UV-LED 26 is conducted to the substrate 28. Note that the board 28 is also called a metal board, and the mounting area for components that require heat radiation is made of metal, so that heat is easily conducted to the back surface side.

The conductive heat from the UV-LED 26 conducted to the back surface of the substrate 28 is conducted through the flat plate portion 310 of the resin sealing material 31 and is released into the fluid to be sterilized flowing through the fourth flow path portion 354. This resin sealing material 31 is made of resin and has lower thermal conductivity than metal. However, since heat is radiated to the fluid to be sterilized at a sufficient flow rate in the fourth flow path section 354 to cool the resin sealing material 31, the cooling efficiency is high and there is no problem in cooling the UV-LED 26.

Further, the flow of the fluid to be sterilized in the fourth flow path section 354 gathers from the periphery of the flat plate section 310 to the center, and flows to the next fifth flow path section 355 . Therefore, the flow rate of the fluid to be sterilized in the fourth flow path section 354 increases toward the inner side in the radial direction, while the conductive heat from the UV-LED 26 increases toward the center of the flat plate section 310. Therefore, it is possible to avoid concentration of high temperature parts in the center of the flat plate part 310.

The fluid to be sterilized then flows out of the fluid sterilizer 10 through the fifth flow path section 355.

(ceramic seal)
FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the light source device 19b including the ceramic seal 37 and the housing sealing member 32. The differences between the light source device 19b and the light source device 19 will be described. The light source device 19 includes a ceramic seal 37 in place of the resin seal material 31 of the light source device 19 . Similar to the pair of positioning holes 312 of the resin sealing material 31, the pair of positioning holes 377 are formed on the back surface, and the protrusions 321 of the case sealing member 32 are fitted into the pair of positioning holes 377 when assembled. The protruding tube 375 protrudes toward the back side of the ceramic seal 37 and has a through hole through which the harness is passed. The harness hole 322 (FIG. 3) of the housing sealing member 32 is press-fitted into the protruding tube 375 with the O-ring 193 inserted therethrough.

Ceramic seal 37 can also be used as a substrate. That is, it is also possible to mount the UV-LED 26 and the electric component 27 on the surface side of the ceramic seal 37 and omit the substrate 28.

(Modified example)
In the fluid sterilizer 10, water is used as the fluid to be sterilized. However, in the present invention, the fluid to be sterilized may be a liquid other than water.

The fluid sterilizer 10 includes two UV-LEDs 26. In the fluid sterilization device of the present invention, the number of light sources that emit UV light may be one, or three or more.

Examples of fluids to be sterilized by the fluid sterilizer 10 include water stored in a water storage tank of an ice maker, water conveyed through a water pipe or water heater, drinking water in a water server, cooling water in a circulation device (chiller), and a drink server. There are drinking liquids.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Fluid sterilizer, 18... Straight pipe, 19... Light source device, 20... Shielding ring, 22... Quartz glass, 24... Reflector, 26... UV-LED, 28... Substrate, 31... Resin sealing material, 32... Housing sealing member, 35... Leading-out channel, 24... Expanded diameter portion, 112... Housing body, 114... ...Outer cover, 125...Stopper part, 142...Opening, 181...Notch, 201...Tapered part, 202...Cylindrical side part, 241...Reflecting surface, 242... Overhang surface, 243...Surrounding surface, 245...Groove, 325...Blocking portion, 326...Outlet, 351...First flow path portion, 352...Second flow path portion, 353 ...Third flow path section, 354... Fourth flow path section, 355... Fifth flow path section.

Claims (6)

A fluid sterilizer that sterilizes liquid,
a casing having one end and the other end coaxially on a straight axis;
The housing includes a first cylindrical portion on the one end side and a second cylindrical portion on the other end side having an inner diameter larger than the first cylindrical portion,
a flow path pipe housed in the first cylindrical portion of the housing so that the fluid to be sterilized flows in one direction from the one end side to the other end side;
A substrate is housed in the second cylindrical portion of the housing, a light source is mounted on the front surface side of the substrate and emits ultraviolet rays into the channel tube, and the inner surface is in contact with the back surface of the substrate. a light source device having a non-metallic sealing member covering the entire surface of the light source;
Formed in the housing so that the fluid to be sterilized led out of the flow pipe from the end of the flow pipe on the second cylinder side side flows in contact with the outer surface of the non-metallic seal member. a lead-out passage,
A fluid sterilizer characterized by comprising: The fluid sterilization device according to claim 1,
The housing, the flow pipe, and the light source device are arranged with their central axes aligned,
The lead-out passage extends from the outer circumferential side of the other end of the flow pipe through the annular surrounding portion between the housing and the light source device to the center of the outer surface of the non-metallic seal member, and further A fluid sterilizing device, characterized in that it is formed to extend from the center portion along the central axis of the flow path tube in a direction away from the light source device. The fluid sterilization device according to claim 2,
The light source device includes a reflector having a reflective surface on an inner circumferential side that reflects ultraviolet rays emitted from the light source, an outer circumferential side protruding in a radial direction, and defining the lead-out passage between the reflector and the casing. A fluid sterilizer characterized by: The fluid sterilization device according to claim 3,
The fluid sterilization device is characterized in that the nonmetallic seal member is fitted into an annular stepped portion formed on the back surface side of the reflector at a peripheral edge thereof. The fluid sterilization device according to claim 3,
A fluid sterilizing device characterized in that the non-metallic seal member is made of a ceramic material and also serves as the substrate. The fluid sterilization device according to any one of claims 3 to 5,
moreover,
a sealing portion that forms a portion of the outlet passage on the back side of the non-metallic sealing member as a gap between the back surface of the light source device; and a sealing portion that protrudes from the center of the sealing portion to the outside of the casing. a housing sealing member having an outlet that guides the fluid to be sterilized in the gap to the outside of the housing;
The housing includes a stopper portion that prevents the stored components from moving toward the one end side in the axial direction, and a stopper portion that prevents the stored components from moving toward the one end side in the axial direction, and a stopper portion that prevents the stored components from moving toward the one end side. and a tightening part that tightens toward the part,
The flow path pipe and the light source device are housed in the housing as the housing components, and
A fluid sterilizing device characterized in that the flow pipe, the light source device, and the housing sealing member are arranged in a line in the axial direction from the one end side, with their central axes aligned.

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