JPH03176061A - Washer/disinfector for endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To lower running costs with a higher utilization factor of an ozone gas by a method wherein an ozone water is supplied to a washer/disinfector from an ozone water storage means which generates the ozone water using the ozone gas while storing and it is recovered into the ozone water storage means after the ending of disinfection. CONSTITUTION:An outlet 24 of an ozone organizer 21 is made to communicate with a gas dissipating tube 26 positioned at the bottom within a gas/liquid contact column 15 through an ozone supply pipeline 25 and the bottom of the gas/liquid contact column 15 is made to communicate with a washing/ disinfecting tank 11 through an ozone water supply pipeline 31 having a solenoid valve 30 interposed in the course thereof to supply an ozone water. A circulation port 34 of the washing/disinfecting tank 11 is made to communicate with the gas/liquid contact column 15 through a recovery pipeline 35. A solenoid valve 36 and a recovery pump 37 are provided in the course of the recovery pipeline 35. With such an arrangement, the ozone water is recovered into the gas/liquid contact column 15.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an endoscope cleaning and disinfecting device that disinfects an endoscope using ozonated water.

[Prior Art] A conventionally known endoscope cleaning and disinfecting device, as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-90531, is a system in which an endoscope is placed in a cleaning and disinfecting tank and the endoscope is washed with a cleaning liquid. The endoscope is configured to be cleaned and disinfected through various processes such as cleaning, disinfection with a disinfectant, rinsing, and drying.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, the conventional endoscope cleaning and disinfecting devices described above cannot perform efficient cleaning and disinfection, so the endoscopes are disinfected using the excellent sterilizing effect of ozonated water. An unpublished application was filed for an endoscope cleaning and disinfecting device that adopts a method of
-220215).

The following method is used to disinfect endoscopes using the excellent sterilizing effect of ozonated water.

Ozone gas generated by an ozone gas generator is sent to water in a gas-liquid contact tower to generate ozonated water. This ozonated water is sent into a cleaning and disinfecting tank, and the endoscope is sterilized by immersing it in the ozonated water for a certain period of time. After use, this ozonated water was discarded.

In general, especially ion-exchanged water is used as water for dissolving ozone gas. This is because normal tap water contains many ions that react with ozone, which consumes ozone and makes it difficult to increase the concentration of ozonated water to the level required for disinfection.

Therefore, ion-exchanged water has to be used for each disinfection process, and the cost for this has become quite high.

In the above-mentioned endoscope cleaning and disinfecting device that uses ozonated water, -
Ozonated water used for disinfection was discarded immediately after use. Moreover, the water used is generally ion-exchanged water, and this ion-exchanged water is quite expensive. Furthermore, since ozone gas is pumped into ion-exchanged water that does not contain any ozone to generate ozonated water each time, a large amount of ozone gas is required. For the above reasons, running costs have been extremely high.

In addition, with conventional ozone water production equipment, ozone gas that does not dissolve in water during ozone water production and ozone gas separated from ozone water is discarded after being rendered harmless through ozone gas processing equipment, resulting in low ozone gas usage efficiency. The running cost was high.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide an endoscope cleaning and disinfecting device using ozone water that can reduce running costs.

[Means to solve problems] The above problem is solved by the means shown below.

In other words, the endoscope cleaning and disinfecting device as the first means,
An ozone gas generation means for generating ozone gas, an ozone water storage means for generating and storing ozone water using the ozone gas generated by the ozone gas generation means, and a means for supplying ozonated water from the ozone water storage means to a cleaning disinfection tank. The present invention is characterized by comprising means for connecting the ozone water storage means and the cleaning and disinfecting tank, and recovering the ozone water to the ozone water storage means after disinfection with the ozone water is completed.

Further, the endoscope cleaning device as the second means includes an ozone gas generation means for generating ozone gas, an ozone water generation means for generating ozone water using the ozone gas generated by the ozone gas generation means, and an ozone water generation means for generating ozone water using the ozone gas generated by the ozone gas generation means. An ozonated water storage means for storing water, and each exhaust port of this ozonated water storage means and cleaning/disinfecting tank are connected to the ozonated water generating means in the ozonated water storage means, and exhaust ozone gas discharged from each of the above exhaust ports is connected. The present invention is characterized by comprising means for collecting ozone water within the ozone water storage means.

[Operation] In the endoscope cleaning device as the first means, ozonated water is sent into a cleaning and disinfection tank, the endoscope is immersed and disinfected, and the ozonated water is recovered after the disinfection process is completed. Then, in preparation for next use, the ozonated water can be reused, and the ozonated water whose concentration has decreased during the disinfection process is replenished with ozone gas to maintain the required concentration.

As a second means, in the endoscope cleaning apparatus, the exhaust ozone gas recovery means is activated to send the exhaust ozone gas in the ozone water storage means and the cleaning/disinfecting tank to the aeration means in the ozone water storage means. Through this operation, the exhaust ozone gas is dissolved into the ozonated water in the ozonated water storage means, and by performing this for a certain period of time, the ozonated water concentration in the ozonated water storage means is increased.

[Embodiment] FIGS. 1 to 4 show a first embodiment of the present invention. This endoscope cleaning and disinfecting device can be roughly divided into the following five types.
It consists of two equipment parts.

That is, water supply part a, ozone water generation part b1 cleaning disinfection part C
1 exhaust ozone part d and drainage part e. These are incorporated into a device main body 52, which will be described later.

First, the configuration of the water supply section a will be described. That is, a water inlet 4 of an ion exchanger 3 and a second three-way solenoid valve 5, which will be described later, are in communication with the water supply source 1 via the first three-way solenoid valve 2. The first three-way solenoid valve 2 and the water inlet 4 of the ion exchanger 3 communicate with each other through an ion exchanger pipe 6, and the first three-way solenoid valve 2 and the second three-way solenoid valve 5 communicate with each other through a connecting pipe 7. It's communicating. Further, the second three-way solenoid valve 5 is connected to a cleaning and disinfecting tank 11 via a hot water tank conduit 8 through a hot water tank 9 and a solenoid valve 10 . The hot water tank 9 can store a considerably large amount of hot water for one hot water wash. The second three-way solenoid valve 5 communicates with the cleaning and disinfecting tank 11 through a disinfecting tank conduit 12 . A first heater 13 and a float switch 58 for detecting the required amount of water are provided in the hot water tank 9.

Next, the configuration of the ozone water generating section will be described.

The water outlet 14 of the ion exchanger 3 and the upper part of the gas-liquid contact tower 15 are communicated by an ion exchange water supply pipe 16, and a solenoid valve 17 is provided in the middle of the ion exchange water supply pipe 16. There is. Gas-liquid contact tower 1 for storing generated ozonated water
A float switch 18 is provided at a predetermined position in the container 5, and a necessary amount of ion-exchanged water can be stored here. Further, one oxygen cylinder is provided, and this one oxygen cylinder is connected to an inlet 22 of an ozonizer 21 as an ozone generating means through an oxygen supply pipe 20, and a solenoid valve 23 is connected in the middle of the oxygen supply pipe 20. is provided. The outlet 24 of the ozonizer 21 is communicated with an aeration pipe 26 located at the bottom of the gas-liquid contact tower 15 through an ozone supply pipe 25, and a check valve 27 is provided in the middle of the ozone supply pipe 25. . Here, the check valve 27 is installed in a direction that prohibits the flow from the gas-liquid contact tower 15 to the ozonizer 21.

Further, the air diffuser pipe 26 is made of a material such as porous ceramics, and has many fine holes therein. Outlet 2 of ozonizer 21 of ozone supply pipe 25
A concentration measuring pipe 28 is provided between the ozone concentration meter 2 and the check valve 27.
It connects to 9.

The bottom of the gas-liquid contact tower 15 and the cleaning/disinfecting tank 11 are communicated by an ozonated water supply pipe 31 having a solenoid valve 30 inserted therebetween, and constitute means for supplying ozonated water. The middle of this ozonated water supply pipe 31 is divided into a pipe line 32 for feeding liquid within the tank and a pipe line 33 for feeding liquid within the channel.

Circulation port 3 located near the bottom of the cleaning disinfection tank 11
4 communicates with the upper part of the gas-liquid contact tower 15 through a recovery pipe 35. In the middle of this recovery pipe 35, a solenoid valve 36 is provided.
, and a recovery pump 37 are provided. These constitute a means for recovering ozone water to the gas-liquid contact tower 15.

Next, the cleaning and disinfection section C will be described. Inside the cleaning and disinfecting tank 11 of the cleaning and disinfecting section C, there is a holding net 3 for setting the family gift 1138.
There are 9. In addition, a float switch 40 is provided at a predetermined position to detect the accumulation of the amount of water necessary for immersion. Further, the circulation pipe 41 coming out from the bottom of the cleaning disinfection tank 11 passes through the cleaning pump 42 and then branches into two parts, one of which is connected to the joint 100 for feeding liquid in the channel, and the other is electromagnetic. Through the valve 43, the cleaning and disinfecting tank 11
It communicates with the cleaning nozzle 44 inside. The cleaning nozzle 44 is configured to rotate in response to water pressure. Cleaning disinfection tank 1
1, a second heater 45 is provided. An air pump 46 is connected to the joint 100 for feeding liquid within the channel.

Next, the ozone exhaust section d will be described. That is, the exhaust ozone pipes 47 and 47 coming out from the upper part of the gas-liquid contact tower 15 and the cleaning disinfection tank 11 are connected to separate check valves 48 and 4.
9, and then passes through a fan 50 and an exhaust ozone treatment catalyst 51, and then leads to the outside of the apparatus main body 52. Here, the check valve 48 is connected to the fan 50 from the gas-liquid contact tower 15.
The check valve 49 is installed so that the water flows only in the direction from the washing/disinfecting tank 11 to the fan 50.

Next 1. The drainage section e will be described. The drain pipe line 53 in this drain section e is connected to a drain port 54 in the lower part of the cleaning disinfection tank 11.
From the filter 55, solenoid valve 56, and drain pump 57
It leads to the outside of the device main body 52 through the following in order.

Incidentally, the above-mentioned ion exchanger 3, exhaust ozone treatment catalyst 51, and oxygen cylinder 19 are housed in the accessory storage chamber 60 of the apparatus main body 52 shown in FIG.
If necessary, the door 61 can be opened to take them out and replace them.

Further, the operation panel 70 of the apparatus main body 52 is constructed as shown in FIG. That is, the operation panel 70 has a cleaning time setting dial 71, a disinfection time setting dial 72,
A drying time setting dial 73, a start switch 74, a stop switch 75, and a display window 76 for remaining time and abnormalities are provided. In addition, "Preparation", "Cleaning", "Disinfection", "
The first step is to select the steps of “drying” and “ozone water treatment.”
to fifth process selection buttons 77, 78, 79, 80.
81, and first to fifth execution indicator lamps 82, 83, 84, each consisting of an LED that indicates the execution of each of these steps.
85.86 are provided.

Furthermore, first to fifth execution completion display lamps 87°88.89 each indicate the completion of execution of each of these steps.
．． 90.91 is provided. Note that the fifth process selection button 81 is provided with a protective cover 92.

Next, the operation of this endoscope cleaning and disinfecting device will be explained according to the time chart shown in FIG.

This entire process consists of preparation ■→Cold water washing (non-circulation)■-Hot water washing (circulation)■→Cold water washing (non-circulation)■-Disinfection■→Drying■-
It consists of 7 steps: ozone water drainage ■.

First, the preparation step (2) will be explained. The first three-way solenoid valve 2 and the second three-way solenoid valve 5 are switched to communicate the water supply source 1 and the hot water tank 9, and to store water in the hot water tank 9. After the float switch 58 detects that a predetermined amount of water has been stored, the first three-way solenoid valve 2 is switched to connect the water supply source 1 and the ion exchanger 3. At the same time, the solenoid valve 17 is opened and ion-exchanged water is injected into the gas-liquid contact tower 15. The heater 13 is operated from the start of the preparation process, and the water temperature is detected by a temperature sensor (not shown).
Maintain a predetermined temperature.

Further, when the float switch 18 detects that a predetermined amount of ion-exchanged water is stored in the gas-liquid contact tower 15, the solenoid valve 17 closes. Then, the ozonizer 21 operates,
After the steady state is reached, the solenoid valve 23 is opened. Then, oxygen gas whose pressure and flow rate are controlled for the ozonizer by a regulator (not shown) is sent from the oxygen cylinder 19 into the ozonizer 21 . Here, the concentration measurement pipe 28
The ozone concentration is measured by an ozone concentration meter 29 connected to the ozone concentration meter 29, and in case of an abnormality, an abnormality display as described below is performed. In addition, the check valve 27 causes the ozonizer 2 to have a backflow of ozone water.
Prevent failures in item 1. The ozone gas emitted from the ozonizer 21 becomes fine bubbles from the diffuser pipe 26 in the gas-liquid contact tower 15.
Dissolve in ion exchange water. Note that the height of the gas-liquid contact tower 15 is set as high as possible in order to increase the contact time with ion-exchanged water and increase the degree of solubility of ozone gas.

At the same time, the fan 50 is operated, and the ozone that has not completely dissolved in the ion-exchanged water in the gas-liquid contact tower 15 is passed through the exhaust ozone treatment catalyst 51 to be treated and then exhausted. Thereafter, the ozonizer 21 is operated for a certain period of time to bring the ozone concentration in the gas-liquid contact tower 15 to a predetermined concentration. After that, turn on and off the ozonizer 21 at appropriate intervals,
Maintain the specified concentration. This predetermined concentration is lower than the concentration required for disinfection, and the ozonizer 21 is operated again just before injecting into the cleaning disinfection tank 11, that is, in the subsequent cold water cleaning (non-circulation) step (2), and disinfection is performed. Settings are made to maximize overall efficiency, such as increasing the concentration to the required level.

Next, cold water washing (non-circulation) step (2) will be explained. By switching the first three-way solenoid valve 2 and the second three-way solenoid valve 5,
The water supply source 1 and the cleaning/disinfecting tank 11 are connected to each other, and the cleaning/disinfecting tank 1
Pour cleaning water into 1. After a certain period of time has elapsed from the start of injection using a timer (not shown), the electromagnetic valve (for sending liquid to the cleaning nozzle) 43 is opened and the cleaning pump 42 is activated. At the same time, the drain solenoid valve 56 is opened and the drain pump 57 is activated.

As a result, the cleaning nozzle 44 rotates and cleans the outer surface of the endoscope 38, and at the same time, the cleaning nozzle 44 is rotated to clean the outer surface of the endoscope 38.
A cleaning liquid is also sent into the channel No. 38 to clean the inside of the channel. Here, the cleaning water used for cleaning is taken in from a position higher than the drain port 54, so it is clean.

The cleaning water containing dirt is then discharged to the outside of the apparatus main body 52 through the drain port 54. Further, dirt such as large dust is removed by the filter 55.

Through the above steps, dirt that does not have strong adhesion is completely removed.

Next, the hot water cleaning (circulation) step (2) will be explained. In this case, the solenoid valve 10 is opened, and the hot water that has already been heated and kept warm in the hot water tank 9 is injected into the cleaning and disinfecting tank 11. At the same time, the second heater 45 in the cleaning/disinfecting tank 11
is activated to maintain the hot water in the cleaning/disinfecting tank 11 at a predetermined temperature throughout this process. A timer (not shown) closes the solenoid valve 10 after a certain period of time has elapsed from the start of injection. Then, the solenoid valve 43 is opened and the cleaning pump 42 is operated for a predetermined period of time. As a result, hot water is sent to the outer surface of the endoscope 38 and into the channel, similar to that described in the cold water cleaning (non-circulation) step (2). Here, hot water is used repeatedly for a predetermined period of time, thereby completely removing even highly adhesive stains. In addition, immediately after the injection of hot water from the hot water tank 9 to the cleaning disinfection tank 11 is completed, the second three-way solenoid valve 5 is switched to the hot water tank 9 side to compensate for the amount injected into the cleaning disinfection tank 11, and at the same time the first three-way solenoid valve 5 is switched to the hot water tank 9 side. The heater 13 is also activated to heat up to a predetermined temperature, and then maintain that temperature.

Note that the amount of hot water produced in the hot water tank 9 is considerably larger than the amount of hot water used at one time. Therefore, once it is created in the preparatory process, it only takes a short time to replenish the amount of hot water used each time for hot water washing, so there is no problem even if it is used continuously.

Note that if the hot water tank 9 has a capacity that can store and retain all the hot water used in a day, there is no need to replenish it every time.

After cleaning by circulating hot water for a certain period of time, the solenoid valve 56 is opened and the drain pump 57 is activated to discharge the hot water to the outside of the device main body 52.

In addition, in order to improve the cleaning performance in the above-mentioned cold water washing (non-circulation) step (2) and hot water washing (circulation) step (2), a detergent may be added to the washing liquid.

Next, cold water washing (non-circulation) step (2) will be explained. This step consists of a rinsing step, a preparation step for the next step, the disinfection step ①, and a water removal step in the channel. Note that the rinsing step is the same as that described in the above-mentioned cold water washing (non-circulation) step (2).

Further, as a preparatory step for the disinfection step (2), the solenoid valve 23 is opened and the ozonizer 21 is activated to obtain a concentration necessary for disinfection. The air pump 46 is operated to remove water from the channel. Then, the liquid feeding joint 59 in the channel
From there, air is sent into the channel via a liquid sending tube (not shown) to remove the water in the channel. Also, by performing a rinsing process with cold water here, the cleaning disinfection which became high temperature in the previous hot water cleaning process is carried out. The inside of the tank 11 is cooled to prevent ozone water from being decomposed and its concentration decreasing during the next disinfection process. Moreover, since the ozonated water used for disinfection is used repeatedly, it is desirable that impurities are further removed through this rinsing.

Next, the disinfection process (2) will be explained. First, the solenoid valve 30
By opening the tank, ozone water in the gas-liquid contact tower 15 located higher than the cleaning and disinfecting tank 11 is injected into the cleaning and disinfecting tank 11. Then, the float switch 40 detects that the required amount of ozone water has been stored, and the solenoid valve 30 is closed. Thereafter, by immersing the endoscope 38 in this state for a predetermined period of time, disinfection with ozone water is performed.

Thereafter, the solenoid valve 36 opens and the recovery pump 37 is activated at the same time. As a result, the ozone water in the cleaning and disinfection tank 11 is collected into the gas-liquid contact tower 15 through the recovery pipe 35 and stored there until the next disinfection step. At this time, the gas-liquid contact tower 1
The ozone concentration in the chamber 5 is lower than that immediately before the disinfection process by the amount decomposed by the disinfection.

The operating time of the ozonizer 21 in the subsequent cold water cleaning (non-circulation) process (2) takes this point into consideration.

In this embodiment, the ozone concentration is adjusted and monitored based on the ozone flow rate generated by the ozonizer 21, the generated ozone concentration, the generation time, and other parameters. The same thing can be done even if an ozone concentration meter is provided in the 11.

Next, the drying step (2) will be explained. second heater 4
5 is activated, the temperature inside the cleaning/disinfecting tank 11 is increased, the outer surface of the endoscope 38 is dried, and ozonated water is removed. At the same time, the air pump 46 is operated to send air into the channel of the endoscope 38 to remove ozone water within the channel. At this time, a higher effect can be expected if a means such as a heater for warming the air sent into the channel is provided in the middle of the intra-channel liquid feeding pipe line 33 and the heated air is sent therethrough.

Finally, the ozonated water drainage process (2) will be explained.

This step should be performed as the last step of the day. First, solenoid valve 30. Then, the solenoid valve 56 is opened and the drain pump 57 is activated. As a result, the gas-liquid contact tower 1
The ozonated water in 5 is discharged to the outside of the main body 52 of the apparatus through a drainage pipe 53. Ozonated water is safe because it naturally decomposes into H2O and 02 when left undisturbed, and there is no residual toxicity. However, although not shown, the tip of the drain pipe 53 is directly connected to a drain port so that the ozone gas generated from the ozonated water does not adversely affect the surroundings.

On the other hand, the case of operating the actual process will be explained below. In order to disguise the process as a normal process, the first display lamp 82 is turned on by pressing the first process selection button 77 on the operation panel 70 shown in FIG. 2 before use for one day. By pressing the start switch 74 in this state, the preparation step (2) is performed. When this step is completed, the first completion indicator lamp 87 is turned on. This state continues until the ozone water drainage step (2) is completed. Note that this process is 1
This is the first thing to be done once a day.

When performing actual cleaning and disinfection, first, the cover 101 is opened, the endoscope 38 is set on the holding net 39, and the cover 101 is closed again.

Next, the second to fourth process selection buttons 78.79°80;
Process selection is performed using the time setting dials 71, 72, and 73.

For example, a case where a cleaning process is performed will be described. First, when the cleaning time setting dial 71 is adjusted and the second process selection button 78 is pressed, the second display lamp 83 lights up. Thereafter, the cleaning process is performed by pressing the start switch 74.

That is, the cold water washing (non-circulation) step (■), the hot water washing (
Circulation) step (2) and cold water washing (non-circulation) step (2) except ozone gas injection and fan operation are performed. When this is completed, the second completion indicator lamp 88 lights up. At this time, if drying is also to be added, in addition to the above operations, the drying time setting dial 73 is adjusted and the fourth process selection button 80 is pressed, and then the start switch 74 is pressed. At this time, with the completion of each process, corresponding completion indicator lamps 87, 88, 89, 90° 91 are lit, so that the progress can be seen.

When cleaning and disinfecting, use the cleaning time setting dial 7.
1. Adjust the disinfection time setting dial 72 and drying time setting dial 73, then press the second process selection button 78,
and presses the third process selection button 79. At this time, the first to fourth display lamps 82.83, 84.85 are lit. Then, when the start switch 74 is pressed, the cold water cleaning (non-circulation) process ■, hot water cleaning (circulation) process ■, cold water cleaning (non-circulation) process ■, disinfection process ■, and drying process (■) are performed. Completion display Lamp 87.88, 89, 90.9
The lighting of 1 is the same as above.

- After the final use on day -, open the protective cover 92 and press the fifth process selection button 81, and the ozone water drainage process (2) will be performed. Note that the protective cover 92 is provided to prevent one day's worth of ozonated water from being drained due to the fifth process selection button 81 being pressed by mistake.

If the preparation process takes a long time depending on the capacity of the heater 13 in the hot water tank 9, a timer (not shown) can be set to automatically start the process at a fairly early time, so that it can be used first thing in the morning. It may be possible to do so.

Since the ozonated water is used repeatedly, the number of times the ion exchanger is used is small, and the amount of ozone gas required to create the ozonated water is low, resulting in low running costs.

FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the invention.

The configuration of this second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment ε, but differs in that it performs the following operations.

That is, to explain this according to the time chart shown in FIG. 5, the first solenoid valve 30 is opened in the disinfection step (3), and the cleaning and disinfection t! Inject ozonated water into 11. When the required amount is stored using the float switch 40, the second electromagnetic valve 36 is opened, and the circulation pump 37 is also activated at the same time. At this time, the first electromagnetic valve 30 is kept open, so that the ozone water circulates between the cleaning and disinfecting tank 11 and the gas-liquid contact tower 15. During this time, the seventh solenoid valve 23 is intermittently opened following the cold water cleaning (non-circulation) step (2), the ozonizer 21 is operated, and ozone is injected while maintaining the ozone concentration. This causes ozonated water to circulate between the gas-liquid contact tower 15 and the cleaning/disinfecting tank 11 for a certain period of time, thereby disinfecting the endoscope 38. After disinfection, the first
The solenoid valve 30 and the seventh solenoid valve 36 are closed, and the ozonizer 21 is turned off. Thereby, the ozone water is recovered into the gas-liquid contact tower 15 via the recovery pipe 35 by the circulation pump 37. The rest is the same as in the case of the first embodiment.

The advantage of this embodiment is that since ozone is always supplied during the disinfection step (3), the concentration of ozone water decreases less than in the first embodiment, and a high disinfection effect can be expected.

Also, because it is constantly circulating, ozonated water is
This increases the chances of contact with various parts of the body, increasing the disinfection effect. Other aspects are the same as those of the first embodiment.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. In this third embodiment, the first
Only the configurations that are different from the embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIG. 6, the exhaust ozone pipe 47 connected to the exhaust port 110 of the gas-liquid catalyst tower 15 and the cleaning and disinfection t! The exhaust ozone pipe 47 connected to the exhaust port 111 of No. 11 is connected to the check valve 48
．． 49 and merge into 1. It communicates with the fan 50.

The outlet pipe of the fan 50 is branched into two, one of which passes through a relief valve 124 and communicates with the exhaust ozone treatment catalyst 51, and the other which passes through an exhaust ozone switching valve 122 and which communicates with the exhaust ozone treatment catalyst 51. It is branched into two pipes: a communicating pipe 119 and an exhaust ozone recovery pipe 120.

The exhaust ozone recovery pipe 120 communicates with a second diffuser pipe 125 provided in the gas-liquid catalyst tower 15 via an exhaust ozone recovery air pump 121 and a check valve 123. Furthermore, an air vent line 127 provided with a check valve 126 is connected to the upper part of the gas-liquid catalyst towers 1 and 5, and this air vent line 127 opens to the outside of the apparatus main body 52.

Next, the operation of the endoscope cleaning and disinfecting device according to the third embodiment will be explained.

First, when sending exhaust ozone gas into the gas-liquid catalyst tower 15, in the latter half of the preparation step (2) as shown in FIG.
Immediately after operating the ozonizer 21, the solenoid valve 23 is opened to generate ozone gas, and the ozone gas is sent into the gas-liquid catalyst tower 15. At the same time, exhaust ozone recovery air pump 1
21, the ozone gas that has not been completely dissolved in the gas-liquid catalyst tower 15 passes through the check valve 48 and the exhaust ozone switching valve 122, and passes through the exhaust ozone recovery pipe 120 to the second
It is collected into the gas-liquid catalyst tower 15 through the aeration pipe 125 and dissolved in ozone water.

When the upper space inside the gas-liquid catalyst tower 15 becomes negative pressure, the check valve 126 opens and outside air flows in through the pipe line 127 to remove air, so that the normal operation of the exhaust ozone recovery air pump 121 is not hindered. It looks like this. In addition, in the process of circulating exhaust ozone gas, the relief valve 124 opens when the pressure exceeds a certain level, and the exhaust ozone treatment catalyst 51 It is designed to allow exhaust ozone gas to escape.

The check valve 123 provided in the exhaust ozone recovery pipe 120 is
To prevent ozone water from flowing back to the exhausted ozone recovery air pump 121.

Next, ozone gas is generated in the cold water washing step (2), in which the exhaust ozone recovery air pump 121 is operated to feed the exhaust ozone gas into the gas-liquid catalyst tower 15, as in the latter half of the preparation step (2).

In addition to the second half of the preparation process and the cold water process in which ozone gas is generated, ozone gas is constantly separated from the ozone water in the gas-liquid catalyst tower 15 and the cleaning/disinfecting tank 11, although the amount is small. Therefore, in order to feed this into the gas-liquid catalyst tower 15, the exhaust ozone recovery air pump 121 is operated at predetermined intervals.

This continues until the day's work is finished and the ozonated water is drained.

In the ozone water drainage process (2) performed at the end of the day, the exhaust ozone switching valve 122 is switched to send the exhaust ozone gas in the gas-liquid catalyst tower 15 and the cleaning and disinfecting tank 11 to the exhaust ozone treatment catalyst 51. Thereby, the ozone gas generated during the ozone water drainage process can be rendered harmless and discharged from the apparatus.

Other steps are performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

In this third embodiment, as in the first embodiment, ozone, which has a high disinfecting effect, is used to disinfect the endoscope.
Reliable disinfection can be performed in a short time. As a result, the time required for cleaning and disinfecting endoscope examination instruments is greatly reduced, and the number of examinations that can be performed within a limited time can be increased. In addition, since the exhaust ozone gas is repeatedly fed into the gas-liquid catalyst tower 15 to infiltrate the gas, the ozone gas is effectively utilized and the running cost is reduced.

Note that by providing an ozone gas concentration sensor (not shown) in the gas-liquid catalyst tower 15 and the cleaning-disinfecting tank 11, this sensor can be installed in the gas-liquid catalyst tower 15 or in the cleaning-disinfecting tank 1.
If the exhaust ozone recovery air pump 121 is activated when the ozone gas concentration exceeds a predetermined value in 1 and is stopped when the concentration drops below the predetermined value, only the exhaust ozone gas with a relatively high concentration can be transferred to the gas-liquid catalyst. Since the ozone water is recovered in the tower 15, the concentration of ozone water can be efficiently increased.

Next, a modification of the disinfection process (2) of the endoscope washer/disinfector will be described. The configuration of the device according to the first modification is the same as the third embodiment.

In this first modification, in the disinfection step (2), first the sixth
The solenoid valve 30 shown in the figure is opened, and the ozone water in the gas-liquid catalyst tower 15 is injected into the cleaning tank 11 through the ozone supply pipe 31. Then, the ozone water is vaporized by operating the heater 45, and the ozone vapor (paper) generated thereby is brought into contact with the object to be sterilized to perform cleaning and sterilization. By using ozone vapor in this manner, effective disinfection can be performed.

A second modification is shown in FIG.

In this second modification, the outlet 24 of the ozonizer 21 and the cleaning/disinfecting tank 11 are connected by an ozone tank supply pipe 132 that includes a switching valve 133 and a solenoid valve 131. With this configuration, ozone gas can be directly sent into the cleaning and disinfecting tank 11 by operating the ozonizer 21, switching the switching valve 133 to the cleaning and disinfecting tank 11 side, and opening the solenoid valve 131 in the disinfection process (3). I can do it. after that,
Inject an appropriate amount of water into the cleaning/disinfecting tank 11 from the water supply [1], operate the heater 45 to generate steam, and ozone gas in a high-humidity state! ! ! (More effective sterilization can be achieved by bringing paper-like paper into contact with the object to be sterilized. However, the recovery pump 37 is not operated during vapor cleaning.

In the first and second modifications described above, during the disinfection process, ozone vapor in the cleaning and disinfecting tank 11 is used, so exhaust ozone gas from the gas-liquid catalyst tower 15 and the cleaning and disinfecting tank 11 is not recovered. In processes other than the disinfection process, exhaust ozone gas is recovered in the same manner as in the third embodiment.

In addition, in order to collect exhaust ozone gas only from the gas-liquid catalyst tower 15 side during the disinfection process and increase efficiency, the exhaust ozone pipe 47
A solenoid valve (not shown) may be provided on the side of the cleaning/disinfecting tank 11 and closed during the disinfection process to prevent ozone vapor from leaking to operate the exhaust ozone recovery air pump 121.

In the first and second modified examples above, the amount of ozone water required to fill the inside of the cleaning disinfection W111 with ozone vapor at the required concentration is sufficient, so the amount of ozone water required is smaller than that of the immersion type. It's easier, and the cost is lower.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modified examples, and can be implemented with various modifications.

For example, a holding net 39 for setting the endoscope 38 is installed in the cleaning/disinfecting tank 11.
By changing the shape of the endoscope 38, it is also possible to clean and disinfect mouthpieces, forceps, tableware, etc. other than the endoscope 38.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an endoscope washer/disinfector with low running costs and which can reliably disinfect in a short time even though ozonated water is used.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 4 show a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the system configuration, FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the endoscope cleaning and disinfecting device, and FIG. 3 is an operation Front of panel, 4th
The figure shows a time chart of operations, FIG. 5 shows a time chart of operations in an endoscope cleaning and disinfecting apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 6 and 7 show a third embodiment of the present invention. , FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the system configuration, FIG. 7 is an operation time chart, and FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the system configuration showing a modification of the third embodiment. ...Cleaning and disinfection tank, 5. Gas-liquid contact tower, 1. Ozonizer, 5. Ozone supply pipe line, 35. Recovery pipe line, 38. Endoscope.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) An endoscope cleaning and disinfecting device that installs an endoscope in a cleaning and disinfecting tank and cleans and disinfects the endoscope, includes an ozone gas generating means that generates ozone gas, and an ozone gas generated by the ozone gas generating means. ozonated water storage means for generating and storing ozonated water using the ozonated water storage means; means for supplying ozonated water from the ozonated water storage means to the cleaning and disinfecting tank; connecting the ozonated water storage means and the cleaning and disinfecting tank; 1. An endoscope cleaning and disinfecting device comprising means for collecting ozonated water into the ozonated water storage means after disinfection with ozonated water is completed. (2) An endoscope cleaning device that installs an endoscope in a cleaning and disinfection tank and cleans and disinfects the endoscope uses an ozone gas generation means that generates ozone gas and the ozone gas generated by this ozone gas generation means. an ozonated water generating means for generating ozonated water, an ozonated water storage means for storing the generated ozonated water, and each exhaust port of the ozonated water storage means and the cleaning/disinfecting tank, and the ozonated water generating means in the ozonated water storage means. an endoscope cleaning and disinfecting device, comprising: means for connecting the ozone gas discharged from each of the exhaust ports, and collecting exhaust ozone gas discharged from each of the exhaust ports into the ozone water storage means.