JP6977853B1 - Bacterial or virus inactivating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inactivating device for a fungus or a virus capable of efficiently inactivating a space in which a human can exist while considering the influence on the human body. A fungus or virus inactivating device includes a light source that emits ultraviolet rays indicating light output in a specific wavelength range belonging to the range of 190 nm to 235 nm, a control unit that controls lighting of the light source, and an ultraviolet irradiation region. It is provided with a detection unit for detecting whether or not a human is present in the detection target area which is a part of the above or is an area adjacent to the irradiation area. When the detection unit detects the absence of a human, the control unit controls the light source to increase the integrated irradiation amount of ultraviolet rays within a unit time. [Selection diagram] FIG. 1

Description

The present invention relates to a fungal or virus inactivating device.

Bacteria (bacteria, fungi, etc.) and viruses that exist in space or on the surface of objects may cause infectious diseases to humans and non-human animals, and there is concern that the spread of infectious diseases may threaten people's lives. .. In particular, infectious diseases are likely to spread in medical facilities, schools, government offices, and other facilities where people frequently gather, and in vehicles such as automobiles, trains, buses, airplanes, and ships, so it is effective in inactivating bacteria and viruses. Means are needed.

Conventionally, a method of irradiating ultraviolet rays is known as a method of inactivating bacteria and viruses (hereinafter, may be collectively referred to as "bacteria and the like"). DNA exhibits the highest absorption properties near a wavelength of 260 nm. The low-pressure mercury lamp exhibits a high emission spectrum near a wavelength of 254 nm. Therefore, a technique for sterilizing using a low-pressure mercury lamp is widely used.

However, it is known that there is a risk of affecting the human body when the human body is irradiated with ultraviolet rays in such a wavelength band. The skin is divided into three parts, from the part closer to the surface to the epidermis, the dermis, and the subcutaneous tissue in the deep part thereof. Divided into layers. When the human body is irradiated with ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of 254 nm, they pass through the stratum corneum, reach the stratum granulosum, the stratum spinosum, and in some cases, the basal layer, and are absorbed by the DNA of cells existing in these layers. As a result, there is a risk of skin cancer. Therefore, it is difficult to positively use ultraviolet rays in such a wavelength band in places where humans can exist.

According to Patent Document 1 below, ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of 240 nm or more (UVC light) are harmful to the human body, and ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of less than 240 nm have a suppressed degree of influence on the human body as compared with ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of 240 nm or more. It is stated that Further, specifically, the results of irradiation experiments at wavelengths of 207 nm and 222 nm are described.

Further, Patent Document 2 below discloses the content of irradiating ultraviolet rays (UVC light) after detecting that no person is present in the toilet as a decontamination target space.

Japanese Patent No. 6025756 Special Table 2017-528258 Gazette

An object of the present invention is to provide an inactivating device for a fungus or a virus capable of efficiently inactivating a space in which a human can exist while considering the influence on the human body.

The inactivating device for bacteria or viruses according to the present invention is
A light source that emits ultraviolet rays that indicate light output in a specific wavelength range belonging to the range of 190 nm to 235 nm,
A control unit that controls the lighting of the light source and
It is provided with a detection unit that detects whether or not a human is present in a detection target area that is a part of the ultraviolet irradiation area or is an area adjacent to the irradiation area.
The control unit is characterized in that when the detection unit detects the absence of a human being, the light source is controlled to increase the integrated irradiation amount of the ultraviolet rays within a unit time.

In the present specification, "inactivation" refers to a concept that includes killing bacteria and viruses or losing infectivity and toxicity, and "fungi" refers to microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi (molds). Point to. In the following, "bacteria or viruses" may be collectively referred to as "bacteria, etc."

As of the filing date of the present application, ACGIH (American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists) and JIS Z 8812 (measurement of harmful ultraviolet radiation) regarding the amount of ultraviolet rays per day (8 hours) to the human body. The permissible limit value (TLV: Threshold Limit Value) for each wavelength is determined by a method) or the like. That is, when ultraviolet rays are used in an environment where humans exist, the illuminance and irradiation time of the ultraviolet rays are determined so that the integrated irradiation amount of the ultraviolet rays irradiated within a predetermined time is within the standard value of TLV. It is recommended to do.

On the other hand, if there is no human being in the area (irradiation area) where the ultraviolet rays are irradiated, it is not necessary to consider the reference value of TLV even if the illuminance of the ultraviolet rays is increased or the irradiation time is lengthened. Then, the more the integrated irradiation amount of ultraviolet rays is increased within a certain reference time, the more the inactivating effect in the space is enhanced.

According to the above-mentioned description of Patent Document 1, the degree of influence on the human body is suppressed by ultraviolet rays having a wavelength band shorter than 240 nm. The inactivating device according to the present invention inactivates bacteria or viruses while suppressing the influence on the human body by using ultraviolet rays showing light output in a specific wavelength range belonging to the range of 190 to 235 nm. be.

It should be noted that Patent Document 2 describes only UVC light, and the details of its wavelength are unknown. However, as described above, conventionally, the wavelength band most commonly used for inactivating bacteria and the like is a wavelength near 254 nm, and the wavelength is particularly described only as UVC light. Considering that there is no such thing and that the irradiation of ultraviolet rays is controlled after confirming the absence of a person, it is considered that the wavelength of ultraviolet rays used in Patent Document 1 is around 254 nm. It's natural.

The light source included in the inactivating device is configured to emit ultraviolet rays in a wavelength band of 200 to 230 nm, from the viewpoint of realizing the inactivating effect while further ensuring the safety to the human body. preferable. According to the ultraviolet rays in this wavelength range, it is considered that there is almost no effect on the human body even if the irradiation is carried out for a relatively long time.

Since the inactivating device according to the present invention emits ultraviolet rays showing light output in the wavelength range of 190 to 235 nm, the amount of ultraviolet rays acceptable to the human body is higher than that of ultraviolet rays showing light output in the wavelength range of 240 nm or more. Will be significantly higher. As a result, by controlling the irradiation dose within a range not exceeding TLV, it is possible to enhance the inactivating effect while suppressing the influence on the human body.

Further, according to the above configuration, since the integrated irradiation amount of ultraviolet rays is controlled to increase in the time zone when humans do not exist, it is possible to enhance the inactivating effect of bacteria and the like while suppressing the influence on the human body. Is possible.

In addition, in this specification, "the integrated irradiation amount of ultraviolet rays in a unit time" means the following time. When the light source is periodically controlled by the control unit, and the lighting cycle is adjusted to be different between the time zone in which humans exist and the time zone in which humans do not exist, each lighting cycle ( It refers to the value obtained by dividing the integrated irradiation amount within 1 cycle) by the lighting cycle. Taking FIG. 8 described later in the "mode for carrying out the invention" as an example, in a time zone in which a human exists, one cycle (here, for convenience, referred to as a cycle τa) is obtained by the sum of the time Tn1 and the time Tf1. On the other hand, in a time zone in which no human exists, the sum of time Tn1 and time Tf2 is used as one cycle (here, for convenience, it is referred to as cycle τb). In this case, in the time zone in which a human exists, the value obtained by dividing the cumulative irradiation amount over the time of the cycle τa by this cycle τa is used as the cumulative irradiation amount per unit time. On the other hand, in a time zone in which no human is present, the value obtained by dividing the integrated irradiation amount over the time of the cycle τb by this cycle τb is used as the integrated irradiation amount per unit time. That is, the "integrated irradiation amount of ultraviolet rays per unit time" corresponds to the average value of the integrated irradiation amount in each lighting cycle.

When the light source is periodically turned on by the control unit only in the time zone in which a human is present, more specifically, the embodiment as shown in FIG. 15 described later in "Mode for Carrying Out the Invention". In this case, the "integrated irradiation amount of ultraviolet rays per unit time" is set by a value obtained by dividing the integrated irradiation amount of ultraviolet rays within the time corresponding to this one cycle by the time corresponding to the cycle. On the contrary, when the light source is periodically turned on by the control unit only in the time zone when no human is present, more specifically, as shown in FIG. 16 described later in "Mode for Carrying Out the Invention". Similarly, in the case of any aspect, the "integrated irradiation amount of ultraviolet rays per unit time" is set by the value obtained by dividing the integrated irradiation amount of ultraviolet rays in the time corresponding to one cycle by the time corresponding to the cycle. Will be done.

Even if the light source is not periodically lit by the control unit, if the light source has a configuration that allows periodic lighting control, the "unit time" is set by the same method as described above. It does not matter if it is done.

Further, when the light source is not periodically lit by the control unit and has a configuration in which periodic lighting control cannot be performed, in other words, only continuous lighting control is performed at the time of lighting. If it is done, the cumulative irradiation amount of ultraviolet rays within an arbitrarily set time (for example, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, etc.) is set to the set time (5 minutes, 10 minutes in the above example). Etc.), the "integrated irradiation amount of ultraviolet rays per unit time" is set by the value divided by. In this case, the "integrated irradiation amount of ultraviolet rays per unit time" corresponds to the average value of the integrated irradiation amount during the continuous lighting operation.

The control unit has a first control that lights up with a relatively high light emission intensity with respect to the light source, and a second control that lights up or turns off the light emission intensity relatively lower than when the first control is executed. It is a configuration that can execute a specific operation mode that repeats and
When the detection unit detects the absence of a human being during the execution of the operation mode, the control unit continues to execute the specific operation mode in a state where the integrated irradiation amount of the ultraviolet rays within a unit time is increased. It doesn't matter.

When ultraviolet rays are continuously irradiated with high illuminance, heat generation of the power supply unit for supplying electric power to the light source becomes remarkable, and a large cooling system is required. Therefore, from the viewpoint of reducing the scale of the device, an operation mode for switching the illuminance of ultraviolet rays between high illuminance and low illuminance, or switching between irradiation and non-irradiation of ultraviolet rays even when a human is absent (hereinafter, "" It is preferable that the configuration is such that "specific operation mode") can be executed.

By the way, some bacteria and the like are inactivated by irradiation with ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 254 nm, and then have an action of repairing DNA damage when irradiated with light in a wavelength range of 300 nm or more and 500 nm or less. There is something to wake up. This is due to the action of the photolyase (for example, FAD (flavin adenine dinucleotide)) possessed by the bacterium, and this phenomenon is hereinafter referred to as "photolyase of the bacterium". Visible light from sunlight and white illumination is also included in the wavelength range of 300 nm or more and 500 nm or less, and it is known that light recovery of bacteria progresses in a bright environment. Due to the existence of such circumstances, when bacteria and the like are inactivated by irradiating them with ultraviolet light in a lighting environment, it tends to be difficult to maintain this inactivated state. From this point of view, for example, when inactivating bacteria or the like using a conventional low-pressure mercury lamp, in principle, continuous lighting is required.

However, the light source included in the inactivating device according to the present invention is configured to emit ultraviolet rays exhibiting light output in a specific wavelength range belonging to the range of 190 nm to 235 nm. According to such ultraviolet rays, it is difficult to perform "light recovery of bacteria" even if the visible light is irradiated after the target area of inactivation is irradiated, in other words, inhibition of "light recovery of bacteria". It works. There are several possible reasons for this, and one of them is thought to be that ultraviolet rays in this wavelength band act on the photolyase and the photolyase function is inhibited. For this reason, even if the illuminance of ultraviolet rays is temporarily reduced or the irradiation of ultraviolet rays is intermittently performed during the inactivation treatment, the growth of bacteria proceeds during the time when the illuminance is low or when the illuminance is not irradiated. Hateful. Therefore, it is possible to achieve a high inactivating effect while reducing the scale of the device.

Then, according to the above configuration, within the period during which the ultraviolet irradiation is intermittently performed, or during the period during which the ultraviolet rays are irradiated while being switched between high illuminance and low illuminance (that is, the specific operation mode). When the absence of a person is detected, this specific operation mode is continuously executed with the integrated irradiation amount increased. As a result, a device that is compact and has a high inactivating effect is realized while considering the influence on the human body.

From the viewpoint of further enhancing the effect of inhibiting the light recovery function, the wavelength range in which the ultraviolet rays emitted from the light source show the light output is more preferably in the range of 200 nm to 235 nm, and in the range of 215 nm to 230 nm. Is particularly preferable.

The specific operation mode is a mode in which the operation of executing the first control is executed for a first predetermined time and then the operation of executing the second control is repeated for a second predetermined time.
When the detection unit detects the absence of a human being, the control unit may execute at least one of increasing the first predetermined time and decreasing the second predetermined time.

According to the above configuration, when the absence of a human being is detected, the irradiation of ultraviolet rays can be intermittently performed in a state where the integrated irradiation amount of ultraviolet rays within a unit time is increased.

The control unit may control to increase the light output of the light source when the detection unit detects the absence of a human being. More specifically, brightness can be adopted as the "light output" here.

Even in this configuration, when the absence of a human being is detected, the integrated irradiation amount of ultraviolet rays within a unit time can be increased.

The ultraviolet rays may have a peak wavelength in the range of 200 nm to 230 nm.

More specifically, the light source can be composed of an excimer lamp in which a luminescent gas containing Kr and Cl is enclosed, or an excimer lamp in which a luminescent gas containing Kr and Br is enclosed. In the former case, the peak wavelength of ultraviolet rays is in the vicinity of 222 nm, and in the latter case, the peak wavelength of ultraviolet rays is in the vicinity of 207 nm. Further, as another example, the light source may be composed of a solid-state light source such as an LED or an LD.

According to the present invention, a fungus or virus inactivating device capable of efficiently inactivating a space in which a human can exist while considering the influence on the human body is realized.

It is a drawing which shows typically an example of the scene where the inactivating device of the fungus or virus which concerns on this invention is used. It is a drawing which shows the structure of the inactivating device schematically. It is a functional block diagram for demonstrating the structure of an inactivated device. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the appearance of a light source schematically. It is a schematic perspective view which disassembled the lamp house of a light source. It is a top view which shows typically the positional relationship between an excimer lamp and an electrode. It is a figure which shows an example of the spectrum of the ultraviolet rays emitted from a light source. It is a timing chart which shows an example of the control content with respect to the light source by a control part schematically. It is a timing chart which shows another example of the control content with respect to the light source by a control part schematically. It is a timing chart schematically showing still another example of the control content for a light source by a control unit. It is a graph which compared the inactivation effect to the bacterium when the ultraviolet ray of the wavelength 254 nm was continuously irradiated to the Staphylococcus aureus and when it was intermittently irradiated. It is a graph which compared the inactivation effect to the bacterium when the ultraviolet ray of the wavelength 222 nm was continuously irradiated to the Staphylococcus aureus and when it was intermittently irradiated. It is a drawing which shows another example of the scene where the inactivating device of the fungus or virus which concerns on this invention is used schematically. It is a drawing schematically showing still another example of the scene where the inactivating device of the fungus or virus which concerns on this invention is used. It is a drawing schematically showing still another example of the scene where the inactivating device of the fungus or virus which concerns on this invention is used. It is a timing chart schematically showing still another example of the control content for a light source by a control unit. It is a timing chart schematically showing still another example of the control content for a light source by a control unit.

An embodiment of a fungus or virus inactivating device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. In the following, the "bacterial or virus inactivating device" may be simply abbreviated as "inactivating device".

FIG. 1 is a drawing schematically showing an example of a scene in which an inactivating device for a bacterium or a virus according to the present invention is used. In the example shown in FIG. 1, a situation in which the inactivating device 1 is installed in a room 50 such as a conference room is illustrated. The inactivating device 1 is installed in the space of the desk 51, the chair 52, the wallpaper 53, and the room 50 installed in the room 50 for the purpose of inactivating bacteria and the like.

The inactivating device 1 has a configuration that emits ultraviolet rays L1 described later, and by irradiating the ultraviolet rays L1, inactivation treatment is performed on the article or space to be inactivated.

FIG. 2 is a drawing schematically showing the configuration of the inactivating device 1. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram for explaining the configuration of the inactivating device 1.

The inactivating device 1 includes a light source 2 that emits ultraviolet rays L1, a detection unit 20 for detecting whether or not a human is present in the detection target area 40, and a control unit 9 that controls lighting of the light source 2. The detection target region 40 referred to here is a region in which the detection unit 20 detects whether or not a human is present, and is a region in which at least a part of the region can be irradiated with ultraviolet L1. However, the detection target region 40 does not have to completely coincide with the region irradiated with the ultraviolet L1. In other words, the detection target region 40 is a region that is a part of the irradiation region of the ultraviolet L1 or is adjacent to the irradiation region.

In the present embodiment, the detection unit 20 is composed of a motion sensor using infrared rays L2. When the detection unit 20 detects that no human is present in the detection target area 40, the control unit 9 changes the lighting control content for the light source 2. The details of this control will be described later.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing an example of the appearance of the light source 2. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the main body casing portion 12a and the lid portion 12b of the lamp house 12 of the light source 2 from FIG.

In FIGS. 4 to 6 below, the XYZ coordinate system will be described with reference to the XYZ coordinate system in which the extraction direction of the ultraviolet L1 is the X direction and the plane orthogonal to the X direction is the YZ plane. More specifically, as will be described later with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, the pipe axis direction of the excimer lamp 3 arranged in the lamp house 12 is defined as the Y direction, and the directions orthogonal to the X direction and the Y direction are defined. The Z direction.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the light source 2 includes a lamp house 12 having a light extraction surface 10 formed on one surface thereof. The lamp house 12 includes a main body casing portion 12a and a lid portion 12b, and an excimer lamp 3 and electrodes (5, 6) are housed in the main body casing portion 12a. In FIG. 5, as an example, a case where four excimer lamps 3 are housed in the lamp house 12 is shown. The electrodes (5, 6) are electrically connected to the feeder line 18, and constitute an electrode for feeding power to each excimer lamp 3. FIG. 6 is a plan view schematically showing the positional relationship between the excimer lamp 3 and the electrodes (5, 6).

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, in the light source 2 in this embodiment, two electrodes (5, 6) are arranged so as to be in contact with the outer surface of the arc tube of each excimer lamp 3. The electrodes (5, 6) are arranged at positions separated in the Y direction. The electrodes (5, 6) are made of a conductive material, preferably a material exhibiting reflectivity to the ultraviolet L1 emitted from the excimer lamp 3. As an example, the electrodes (5, 6) are both made of Al, Al alloy, stainless steel, or the like. The electrodes (5, 6) are arranged so as to straddle each excimer lamp 3 in the Z direction while being in contact with the outer surface of the arc tube of each excimer lamp 3.

The excimer lamp 3 has an arc tube with the Y direction as the tube axis direction, and the outer surface of the excimer lamp 3 arc tube is in contact with each electrode (5, 6) at a position separated in the Y direction. .. The emission tube of the excimer lamp 3 is filled with a emission gas 3G. When a high-frequency AC voltage of, for example, several kHz to 5 MHz is applied between the electrodes (5, 6) through the feeder line 18 (see FIG. 4) based on the control from the control unit 9 (see FIG. 3). The voltage is applied to the light emitting gas 3G via the arc tube of the excimer lamp 3. At this time, a discharge plasma is generated in the discharge space in which the light emitting gas 3G is enclosed, an atom of the light emitting gas 3G is excited to enter an excimer state, and when this atom shifts to the ground state, excimer light emission is generated.

The luminescent gas 3G is made of a material that emits ultraviolet L1 that exhibits light output in a specific wavelength range belonging to the range of 190 nm to 235 nm at the time of excimer emission. As an example, the luminescent gas 3G includes KrCl, KrBr, and ArF.

For example, when the luminescent gas 3G contains KrCl, the excimer lamp 3 emits ultraviolet L1 having a main peak wavelength in the vicinity of 222 nm. When KrBr is contained in the luminescent gas 3G, the excimer lamp 3 emits ultraviolet L1 having a main peak wavelength in the vicinity of 207 nm. When ArF is contained in the luminescent gas 3G, the excimer lamp 3 emits ultraviolet L1 having a main peak wavelength in the vicinity of 193 nm. By applying a phosphor to the tube wall of the arc tube of the excimer lamp 3, the ultraviolet L1 having a long wavelength with respect to the wavelength of the excimer light may be emitted. FIG. 7 is a drawing showing an example of the spectrum of ultraviolet rays L1 emitted from the excimer lamp 3 in which KrCl is contained in the light emitting gas 3G.

FIG. 8 is a timing chart schematically showing an example of the control content of the light source 2 by the control unit 9. More specifically, FIG. 8 schematically shows a change in the light output of the ultraviolet ray L1 emitted from the light source 2 according to the control result by the control unit 9. It should be noted that this illustrated method is also common to FIGS. 9, 10 and 15, which will be described later.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 9 controls the light source 2 so that the time during which the light source 2 is energized (ON time) and the time during which the light source 2 is not energized (OFF time) occur alternately. In other words, the control unit 9 is configured to be able to execute an operation mode (corresponding to the "specific operation mode") in which the lighting operation and the extinguishing operation are repeated with respect to the light source 2. In this case, the lighting operation corresponds to the "first control" and the extinguishing operation corresponds to the "second control". To explain using this term, the specific operation mode is a mode in which the operation in which the first control is executed for a certain period of time and then the second control is executed for a certain period of time is repeated.

As an example, by energizing the light source 2 for a time Tn1 (corresponding to the "first predetermined time"), the light source 2 irradiates the ultraviolet L1 over this time. After that, the energization of the light source 2 is stopped for the time Tf1 (corresponding to the "second predetermined time"), and the irradiation of the ultraviolet L1 is stopped. As an example, the time Tn1 is 15 seconds and the time Tf1 is 250 seconds. These times can be appropriately changed in the control unit 9.

In FIG. 8, the change in the light output from the light source 2, that is, the irradiation / non-irradiation of the ultraviolet L1 is shown extremely linearly, but this is only schematically drawn for convenience of explanation. be. When the time axis is analyzed in detail, it does not matter if the light output is smoothly decreasing / increasing. The speed (responsiveness) at which the light output from the light source 2 fluctuates with respect to the change in the control signal from the control unit 9 depends on the configuration of the light source 2. FIG. 8 merely schematically shows that the light source 2 is ON / OFF controlled based on the control signal from the control unit 9, and the light source 2 has extremely high responsiveness. Does not suggest. In other words, in the present invention, the fluctuation speed of the light output from the light source 2 based on the control signal from the control unit 9 is not limited. This point is also common to FIGS. 9, 10 and 15, which will be described later.

Here, it is assumed that the detection unit 20 detects the absence of a human being in the detection target area 40 at the time Ta. When the control unit 9 receives a signal from the detection unit 20 that the absence of a human is detected, the control unit 9 changes the control content for the light source 2 so as to increase the integrated irradiation amount of the ultraviolet L1 over a predetermined unit time.

As a specific example, the control unit 9 controls to reduce the OFF time of the light source 2 after the time Ta (see FIG. 8). That is, before the time Ta, the OFF time was set to Tf1, but after the time Ta, the OFF time is set to Tf2, which is shorter than Tf1. As a result, the ratio (ON duty ratio) of the continuous lighting time of the light source 2 to the time required from the lighting of the light source 2 to the next lighting increases.

Since it is detected that no human is present in the detection target area 40, even if the integrated irradiation amount of the ultraviolet L1 per unit time is increased, the integrated irradiation amount of the ultraviolet L1 irradiated to the human is increased. There is no fear. Therefore, the inactivating effect of bacteria and the like in the room 50 (see FIG. 1) can be enhanced without exceeding the reference value defined by ACGIH, JIS Z 8812, or the like.

Although not shown in FIG. 8, when the detection unit 20 subsequently detects the presence of a human at a certain time Tb, the OFF time of the light source 2 is set to Tf1 again. As a result, it is possible to exert an inactivating effect of bacteria and the like while suppressing the integrated irradiation amount of ultraviolet rays L1 to humans within the reference value.

In particular, the light source 2 is configured to emit ultraviolet L1 exhibiting light output in a specific wavelength range belonging to the range of 190 nm to 235 nm, and in the case of ultraviolet L1 in this wavelength band, it is generally widely used for sterilization and the like. Compared with ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of 254 nm such as a low-pressure mercury lamp, a high inactivation effect can be realized without continuous irradiation of ultraviolet rays. This point will be described later.

FIG. 9 is a timing chart showing an example of another control content performed by the control unit 9. As shown in FIG. 9, when it is detected that no human being exists in the detection target area 40 at the time Ta, the control to increase the light output of the light source 2 (excimer lamp 3) may be performed. As a result, the brightness of the light source 2 is increased, and the integrated irradiation amount of the ultraviolet L1 per unit time can be increased as compared with before the time Ta. As a method of increasing the light output of the light source 2, for example, a method of increasing the peak value of the pulse voltage applied to the light source 2 or a method of increasing the frequency of the pulse voltage can be adopted.

FIG. 10 is a timing chart showing an example of still another control content performed by the control unit 9. As shown in FIG. 10, when it is detected that no human being exists in the detection target area 40 at the time Ta, the control to increase the ON time of the light source 2 may be performed. That is, before the time Ta, the ON time was set to Tn1, but after the time Ta, the ON time is set to Tn3, which is longer than Tn1. As a result, the ratio (ON duty ratio) of the continuous lighting time of the light source 2 to the time required from the lighting of the light source 2 to the next lighting increases.

In the example of FIG. 10, the OFF time is also set to Tf3, which is shorter than Tf1. However, the OFF time may be controlled with Tf1 as it is.

The control contents shown in FIGS. 8 to 10 may be combined as appropriate.

11A and 11B are graphs for explaining that the inactivating effect on bacteria and the like differs depending on the wavelength of the irradiated ultraviolet rays between the case of continuous irradiation and the case of intermittent irradiation. be. Both graphs are the results of the following experiments.

petri dish of 35mm, Staphylococcus aureus having a concentration of about 10 ⁶ CFU / mL was placed 1 mL, irradiated from above the petri dish, and ultraviolet (Comparative Example) from the low-pressure mercury lamp, an ultraviolet (Example) from KrCl excimer lamp did. In addition, CFU means a colony forming unit (Colony forming unit). Then, the solution in the petri dish after irradiation was diluted with physiological saline to a predetermined magnification, and 0.1 mL of the diluted solution was inoculated on a standard agar medium. Then, the cells were cultured for 48 hours in a culture environment having a temperature of 37 ° C. and a humidity of 70%, and the number of colonies was counted.

In both the comparative example and the example, experiments were conducted in both the case of continuous irradiation with ultraviolet rays and the case of intermittent irradiation with ultraviolet rays. The intermittent ultraviolet irradiation was performed by repeating the control of irradiating for 50 seconds and then not irradiating for 59 minutes and 10 seconds. In addition, this experiment was conducted in a normal room without a blackout curtain or the like.

11A and 11B are graphs of the above experimental results, in which the horizontal axis corresponds to the irradiation amount of ultraviolet rays and the vertical axis corresponds to the survival rate of Staphylococcus aureus. The vertical axis corresponds to the Log value of the ratio of the number of Staphylococcus aureus colonies after irradiation with respect to the number of Staphylococcus aureus colonies before irradiation with ultraviolet rays.

According to FIG. 11A, according to the ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of 254 nm, it can be seen that the survival rate of Staphylococcus aureus is clearly higher when irradiated intermittently than when irradiated continuously. On the other hand, according to the ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of 222 nm, it can be seen that the survival rate of Staphylococcus aureus shows almost the same result as continuous irradiation even with intermittent irradiation. In particular, in this experiment, it is an irradiation mode in which irradiation is performed for 50 seconds and then no irradiation for 59 minutes and 10 seconds, even though the irradiation time within a unit time of 60 minutes is only 1.3%. It can be seen that an inactivation effect equivalent to that of almost continuous irradiation with ultraviolet rays was obtained.

This is because the bacteria were inactivated by irradiation with ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of 254 nm, and then illuminated with illumination light or natural light within the time when the bacteria were not irradiated. It is presumed that the damage was repaired. On the other hand, according to ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of 222 nm, the action on this photolyase also realized a state in which the light recovery function was still impaired even during the time when the ultraviolet rays were not irradiated. It is presumed to be a thing. Such a function is realized if the ultraviolet L1 exhibits light output in a specific wavelength range belonging to the range of 190 nm to 235 nm, and its action is particularly high if the wavelength is 200 nm to 235 nm, and further, it is 215 nm to 230 nm. If it is a wavelength, the effect is remarkable.

That is, according to the inactivating device 1 of the present embodiment, whether the ON duty of the light source 2 is lowered during the time period when the detection unit 20 detects that a human being is present in the detection target area 40. By lowering the light output (luminance), the integrated irradiation amount per unit time is reduced. As a result, the integrated irradiation amount of ultraviolet rays to humans is set so as not to exceed the reference value. Even in this time zone, the ultraviolet L1 is intermittently irradiated, so that the action of inactivating bacteria and the like is ensured. On the other hand, during the time when the detection unit 20 detects that no human is present in the detection target area 40, the ON duty of the light source 2 is increased or the light output (luminance) is increased. The integrated irradiation dose per unit time is increased. As a result, the inactivating effect of bacteria and the like is further enhanced without the cumulative irradiation amount of ultraviolet rays to humans exceeding the reference value.

12 to 14 are drawings schematically showing another example of the scene where the inactivating device 1 is used.

FIG. 12 shows a situation in which the inactivating device 1 is installed in the passage 60 in a building or a vehicle. Since the inactivating device 1a did not detect the presence of the human 61 in the detection unit 20, the ON duty is increased, and the ultraviolet L1 is irradiated in the region 62. On the other hand, since the inactivating device 1b detects the presence of the human 61 in the detection unit 20, the ON duty is lowered, and the region 63 is irradiated with the ultraviolet L1 in the time zone shown by FIG. Not.

FIG. 13 shows a situation in which the inactivating device 1 is installed in the room 70. The inactivating device 1c is installed, for example, for the purpose of inactivating bacteria or the like in the space of the room 70 or on the floor surface. Further, the inactivating device 1d is installed for the purpose of inactivating bacteria and the like on the operation unit 71 such as a remote controller for controlling the air conditioning and lighting of the room 70. Also in the example shown in FIG. 13, when the absence of a human (not shown) is detected in the inactivating device 1 (1c, 1d), the integrated irradiation amount of the ultraviolet L1 per unit time is increased. The inactivating effect of bacteria and the like is enhanced on the floor surface and space of the room 70 and the operation unit 71 without the integrated irradiation amount of ultraviolet rays to humans exceeding the reference value.

FIG. 14 shows a situation in which the inactivating device 1 is installed in the vending machine 80. The inactivating device 1e is installed, for example, for the purpose of inactivating bacteria and the like on the operation unit 81 of the vending machine 80, the change outlet 82, and the product outlet 83. Also in the example shown in FIG. 14, when the inactivation device 1 (1e) detects the absence of a human (not shown), the integrated irradiation amount of ultraviolet L1 per unit time is increased, so that the human is exposed to the ultraviolet L1. The inactivating effect of bacteria and the like is enhanced on the operation unit 81 and the take-out port (82, 83) without the integrated irradiation amount of ultraviolet rays exceeding the reference value.

[Another Embodiment]
Hereinafter, another embodiment will be described.

<1> In the above embodiment, the case where the inactivating device 1 incorporates a motion sensor as a detection unit 20 for detecting the presence / absence of a human being has been described. However, if a separate detection means such as a motion sensor is provided in advance at the place where the inactivation device 1 is installed, the inactivation device 1 is provided by a receiving unit that receives a signal from the detection means. , The detection unit 20 may be configured.

Further, the detection unit 20 may be any as long as it can directly or indirectly determine the presence / absence of a human being. For example, the detection unit 20 may determine the presence / absence of a human by using a contact sensor, a weight sensor, a door sensor, or the like alone or in combination, and is provided in a space to be inactivated. The judgment may be made based on the presence / absence of lighting of the lighting fixture, the opening / closing status of the key in the room, and the like.

<2> As shown in FIG. 15, when the detection unit 20 detects the absence of a human being at the time Ta, the control unit 9 may control the light source 2 to be continuously turned on. However, when the light source 2 is continuously turned on, the power supply circuit (inverter or the like) provided for supplying electric power to the light source 2 may generate heat. Further, if the detection unit 20 fails, there is a risk that the ultraviolet L1 may continue to be irradiated from the light source 2 even though a human being is present. From this point of view, it is preferable that the control unit 9 is preset so that the ultraviolet L1 is intermittently irradiated even when no human is present.

However, the present invention is configured such that the control unit 9 can appropriately change between the continuous irradiation mode and the intermittent irradiation mode during a time zone in which no human is present in the detection target area 40. It is not an exclusion.

<3> As shown in FIG. 16, the control unit 9 controls to continuously turn on the light source 2 with a low output during a time zone in which a human exists in the detection target area 40, while the detection target area 40. When it is detected that there is no human being inside (time Ta), the light source 2 may be controlled to be turned on periodically after increasing the output.

Also in this case, as in the above-described embodiment, since it is detected that no human is present in the detection target area 40, the integrated irradiation amount of the ultraviolet L1 per unit time is increased, and the human is There is no possibility that the integrated irradiation amount of the ultraviolet L1 irradiated to the subject will increase. Therefore, the inactivating effect of bacteria and the like in the room 50 (see FIG. 1) can be enhanced without exceeding the reference value defined by ACGIH, JIS Z 8812, or the like.

On the other hand, when the room 50 is a conference room or the like, it is possible to predict the time for a person to stay in the room 50 continuously to some extent, and it is not expected to stay for a long time such as 18 hours or more. Therefore, the room 50 is controlled by the control unit 9 to control the output of the light source 2 so that the ultraviolet L1 is irradiated with an extremely low illuminance within a range not exceeding the reference value defined by ACGIH, JIS Z 8812, or the like. Even when a human is present, the effect of inactivation can be achieved without causing an effect on the human body.

In this case, the control unit 9 determines the time from when the control unit 9 detects that a human exists in the detection target area 40 immediately before to when it detects that the human does not exist in the detection target area 40. In other words, it is preferable to control so that the cumulative irradiation amount of the ultraviolet L1 per unit time increases as the continuous existence time of the human being in the detection target region 40 becomes longer. More specifically, as the continuous existence time of a human being in the detection target area 40 becomes longer, the light output of the light source 2 in the time zone in which the human being does not exist immediately after that is set higher, or the ON duty ratio is set higher. It doesn't matter.

<4> In the above embodiment, the case where the excimer lamp 3 is provided as the light source 2 has been described, but if the light source 2 is configured to emit ultraviolet L1 indicating an optical output in a specific wavelength range belonging to the range of 190 nm to 235 nm. The embodiment is not limited, and may be composed of, for example, a solid-state light source such as an LED or a laser diode.

<5> In the above embodiment, the case where the "specific operation mode" is an operation mode in which the first control in which the lighting operation is executed and the second control in which the extinguishing operation is executed are repeated has been described. However, the "specific operation mode" is an operation mode in which the first control of lighting with a relatively high light emission intensity and the second control of lighting with a relatively lower light emission intensity than when this first control is executed are repeated. It does not matter if it is.

As an example, when the first control is executed, the illuminance of the ultraviolet L1 on the light extraction surface 10 is ^{higher than 0.3 mW / cm 2} , and when the second control is executed, the illuminance of the ultraviolet L1 on the light extraction surface 10 is 0. The brightness of the light source 2 is adjusted in the control unit 9 so as to be less than 3 mW / cm ^2. Here, the illuminance of the division value (illuminance reference value) may be set arbitrarily within a range of ^{0.1mW / cm 2 ~3mW / cm 2} . For example, the illuminance reference value of the ultraviolet ray L1 on the light extraction surface on ^{10, 3mW / cm 2, 2.5mW} / cm 2, 2mW / cm 2, 1.5mW / cm 2, 1mW / cm 2, 0.5mW / cm ^{After setting with one value selected from the set value group consisting of 2} and 0.1 mW / cm 2, when the first control is executed, the illuminance is controlled to be higher than the illuminance reference value, and the second When the control is executed, it may be controlled so as to be less than the illuminance reference value.

Further, the illuminance of the ultraviolet L1 at the time of executing the second control is preferably less than 50%, more preferably less than 30%, 15% with respect to the illuminance of the ultraviolet L1 at the time of executing the first control. It is particularly preferable that it is less than%. When the illuminance of the ultraviolet L1 at the time of executing the second control is less than 1% with respect to the illuminance of the ultraviolet L1 at the time of executing the first control, the second control is substantially "turned off". It doesn't matter.

<6> In the above embodiment, the detection unit 20 detects whether or not a human is present in the detection target area 40, and then the control unit 9 controls the light source 2 according to the detection result in the detection unit 20. Explained as. However, the detection unit 20 may detect the absence of an animal other than a human. In this case, the inactivating device 1 according to the present invention includes a light source 2 that emits ultraviolet L1 indicating an optical output in a specific wavelength range belonging to the range of 190 nm to 235 nm, a control unit 9 that controls lighting of the light source 2. The detection unit 20 is provided with a detection unit 20 for detecting whether or not an "animal" is present in the detection target area 40 which is a part of the irradiation area of the ultraviolet L1 or is an area adjacent to the irradiation area. Then, when the detection unit 20 detects the absence of the "animal", the control unit 9 may control the light source 2 to increase the integrated irradiation amount of the ultraviolet L1 within a unit time.

In this case, the animal to be detected may be a pet animal such as a dog, a cat, or a rabbit, or a domestic animal such as a cow, a pig, a chicken, or a horse. It may be a zoo-reared animal or a protected animal.

1 (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e): Inactivating device 2: Light source 3: Excimer lamp 3G: Emission gas 9: Control unit 10: Light extraction surface 12: Lamp house 12a: Main body casing unit 12b: Lid portion 18 : Power supply line 20: Detection unit 40: Detection target area 50: Room 51: Desk 52: Chair 53: Wallpaper 60: Passage 61: Human 62, 63: Area 70: Room 71: Operation unit 80: Vending machine 81: Operation Part 82: Extraction port 83: Extraction port L1: Ultraviolet light L2: Infrared

Claims (4)

A light source that emits ultraviolet rays that indicate light output in a specific wavelength range belonging to the range of 190 nm to 235 nm,
A control unit that controls the lighting of the light source and
It is provided with a detection unit that detects whether or not a human is present in a detection target area that is a part of the ultraviolet irradiation area or is an area adjacent to the irradiation area.
When the detection unit detects the absence of a human, the control unit controls the light source to increase the integrated irradiation amount of the ultraviolet rays within a unit time.
The control unit has a first control that lights up with a relatively high light emission intensity with respect to the light source, and a second control that lights up or turns off the light emission intensity relatively lower than when the first control is executed. It is a configuration that can execute a specific operation mode by repeating and
When the detection unit detects the absence of a human being during the execution of the specific operation mode, the control unit continues to execute the specific operation mode in a state where the integrated irradiation amount of the ultraviolet rays within a unit time is increased. A fungus or virus inactivating device, characterized in that. The specific operation mode is a mode in which the operation of executing the first control is executed for a first predetermined time and then the operation of executing the second control is repeated for a second predetermined time.
The control unit is characterized in that when the detection unit detects the absence of a human, it executes at least one of increasing the first predetermined time and decreasing the second predetermined time. The inactivating device for bacteria or viruses according to 1. The first or second aspect of the present invention, wherein the control unit controls to increase the light output of the light source when the detection unit detects the absence of a human being. , Bacterial or virus inactivating device. The device for inactivating bacteria or viruses according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the ultraviolet rays have a peak wavelength in the range of 200 nm to 230 nm.

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