KR101317386B1 - Steam sterilizer for medical device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A medical steam sterilizer is provided to reduce sterilization time and to reduce damage to an object. CONSTITUTION: A medical steam sterilizer includes a sterilization chamber (20) which is installed in a main body, is formed with a sterilization room, and is open in the front thereof, a chamber door (30) which is hinged to the front surface of the main body and opens and closes the opening of the sterilization chamber, a heating chamber (40) which is installed in the main body, stores water, and has a heater (41), a water supply pipe (50) which connects to a faucet (1), supplies water to the heating chamber, and has a control valve (51), a steam supply pipe (60) which guides steam generated from the heating chamber to the sterilization room and has a second control valve (61), a sterilization chamber-exhaust pipe (70) which connects to the sterilization room of the sterilization chamber, discharges the steam from the sterilization chamber to the outside, and has a third control valve (71), and a heating chamber-exhaust pipe which connects to the heating chamber and discharges the steam from the heating chamber to the outside. [Reference numerals] (1) Hydrant

Description

Medical Steam Sterilizer {STEAM STERILIZER FOR MEDICAL DEVICE}

The present invention relates to a medical steam sterilizer; More particularly, the present invention relates to a medical steam sterilizer capable of implementing safer water supply and exhaust operation.

In general, various medical instruments are sterilized and stored for use, and for this purpose, methods for sterilizing using chemicals or high temperature steam are disclosed. Medical devices that are not used directly by the human body can be sterilized using drugs, but most of medical devices that are used directly by the human body are sterilized using high temperature steam.

Conventional medical steam sterilizers using high temperature steam are provided with a chamber in which a sterilization chamber is formed so as to put a medical device that is a sterilization target therein, a heater disposed at the inner bottom of the chamber, and a control unit for controlling various electrical appliances. Therefore, the water and sterilization object at room temperature directly into the sterilization chamber of the chamber and the steam is generated by driving the heater, the sterilization object is sterilized by hot steam.

However, the conventional medical steam sterilizer takes a lot of time due to the actual sterilization operation by directly supplying room temperature water to the sterilization chamber of the chamber, and there is a concern that the sterilization object is damaged by the heater heat during the heating process. In particular, while a sharp sterilization object such as a scalpel undergoes frequent sterilization process, the blade is easily damaged by the heater heat.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, The purpose of the present invention is to reduce the sterilization time by supplying steam of high temperature / high pressure to the sterilization chamber after heating the water, as well as to implement the water supply and exhaust operation of the sterilized water more safely and to simplify the whole system. It is to provide a medical steam sterilizer.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a "medical steam sterilizer" that can increase the product safety by allowing the exhaust chamber and the sterilization chamber to be exhausted quickly and safely even in the event of sudden malfunction of the steam sterilizer.

According to an aspect of the present invention, Medical steam sterilizer for sterilizing the sterilization target through the water supply mode, sterilization mode, exhaust mode, drying mode; A sterilization chamber installed in the main body and having a sterilization chamber formed therein and having an open front surface; A chamber door hinged to a front portion of the main body to open and close an opening of the sterilization chamber; A heating chamber installed in the main body and temporarily stored with water introduced therein and having a heater disposed therein; A water supply pipe connected to the tap water to supply water to the heating chamber, and a first intermittent valve disposed in the middle; A steam supply pipe for guiding steam generated in the heating chamber to the sterilization chamber in the sterilization mode by driving of the heater, and a second control valve disposed in the middle; A sterilization chamber-exhaust pipe communicating with the sterilization chamber of the sterilization chamber to discharge steam in the sterilization chamber to the outside in the exhaust mode, and a third control valve disposed in the middle of the sterilization chamber; A heating chamber-exhaust pipe communicating with the heating chamber to discharge steam in the heating chamber to the outside in the exhaust mode, and a fourth intermittent valve disposed midway; An ejector connected to an inlet side of the sterilization chamber-exhaust pipe and an outlet of the heating chamber-exhaust pipe, and to an outlet side of a drain hose; A first-water supply pipe connecting the water supply pipe and the ejector upstream of the first control valve; A water pump disposed in the middle of the first-drain water supply pipe and forcibly supplying water to the ejector in the exhaust mode to discharge the water from the sterilization chamber and the heating chamber while being discharged through water pressure; A control unit for controlling the driving of the first, third and fourth control valves, the heater and the water pump according to the control program of the water supply mode, sterilization mode, exhaust mode and drying mode; A second water supply pipe configured to connect the water supply pipe upstream of the first control valve and the drain-hose side of the ejector outlet, and a fifth control valve disposed in the middle; On / off according to the steam exhaust temperature of the drain hose to open and close the fifth control valve, if the steam exhaust temperature of the drain hose is above a certain temperature is turned on to open and operate the fifth control valve A bimetal switch that is turned off to close the fifth control valve; .

The present invention also provides A level sensor for sensing a height of water flowing into the heating chamber is disposed in the heating chamber; The controller may control the first control valve of the water supply pipe based on a signal input from the water level sensor in the water supply mode.

The present invention also provides Drying heater for removing the water remaining in the sterilization chamber in the drying mode is characterized in that disposed in the sterilization chamber.

According to the medical steam sterilizer according to the present invention configured as described above; After heating the water in the heating chamber to reduce the sterilization time by supplying high-pressure steam to the sterilization chamber, there is an effect that can minimize the damage of the sterilization object in the sterilization mode. In addition, in the water supply mode, water is directly supplied through the tap, and in the exhaust mode, the high temperature and high pressure steam exiting from the sterilization chamber and the heating chamber can be safely discharged while cooling the water through the water supplied to the tap. There is this. In addition, even in the case of sudden malfunction of the steam sterilizer steam discharge of the heating chamber and sterilization chamber has the advantage that can be made quickly and safely with the water of the tap water to increase the product safety.

In addition, according to the medical steam sterilizer according to the present invention; The water level sensor disposed in the heating chamber has an effect that can automatically control the water supplied from the tap.

In addition, according to the medical steam sterilizer according to the present invention; Operating the drying-heater in the drying mode has the advantage of removing moisture remaining in the sterilization chamber more quickly.

1 is a perspective view showing a medical steam sterilizer according to the present invention.
2 is a system diagram of a medical steam sterilizer according to the present invention.
Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the water supply mode operation of the medical steam sterilizer according to the present invention.
Figure 4 is a system diagram showing the sterilization mode operation of the medical steam sterilizer according to the present invention.
5 is a system diagram showing an exhaust mode operation of the medical steam sterilizer according to the present invention.
Figure 6 is a system diagram showing the safe exhaust operation when the system down of the medical steam sterilizer according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, one preferred embodiment according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 and 2 schematically show the configuration of the medical steam sterilizer according to the present invention, Figures 3 to 6 shows the operation of the medical steam sterilizer according to the present invention.

<Description of the composition of the medical steam sterilizer according to the present invention>

Medical steam sterilizer according to the present invention is for sterilizing a sterilization object through a water supply mode, sterilization mode, exhaust mode, drying mode, etc. can be directly connected to the tap water can be supplied with water and is also supplied from the tap water in the exhaust mode It can be safely discharged while cooling the steam of high temperature / high pressure using water.

For this purpose, the medical steam sterilizer according to the present invention, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the front (open) the sterilization chamber 20 is open and built-in body 10 and the appearance of the main body 10 A control unit (not shown) provided with a chamber door 30 hinged to the front part to open and close the front opening of the sterilization chamber 20 and a control unit (not shown) disposed on the front part of the main body 10 to control electrical components. The panel 11 is provided. In FIG. 1, reference numeral "3" is a water supply connection hose connected to the faucet 1 to guide water supply, and reference numeral "2" is connected to a drain hose 90 to be described later to guide drainage. It is a drain hose.

The sterilization chamber 20, which forms the sterilization chamber 21, the water supplied from the tap water 1 is temporarily stored inside the main body 10, and the heating chamber 40 having the heater 41 disposed therein. In order to supply the high temperature / high pressure steam generated in the heating chamber 40 to the sterilization chamber 21 by the water supply pipe 50 for supplying water to the heating chamber 40 from the outside and the operation of the heater 41. Steam-supply pipe 60, sterilization chamber-exhaust pipe 70 for discharging steam in the sterilization chamber 20 to the outside in the exhaust mode, and heating chamber-exhaust pipe for discharging steam in the heating chamber 40 to the outside 80 and the like are arranged in a compact manner, each component will be described in more detail as follows.

First, the sterilization chamber 20 is opened in the front and the outer wall is made of a metal (stainless steel in the embodiment of the present invention) cylinder structure, to form a sterilization chamber 21 therein. In addition, the sterilization chamber 21 is a tray (not shown) is arranged in the drawer type so that the sterilization object can be stored and put. And the front part of the sterilization chamber 20 is opened and closed through the chamber door 30 with a locking unit, as described above. The sterilization chamber 20 is provided with a pressure sensor 23 and a temperature sensor 22 for indicating the internal pressure and the internal temperature to the outside, the safety valve 24 for forced exhaust when the internal pressure rises to a certain pressure is provided It is arranged. In the sterilization chamber 20, an air inlet pipe 25 is disposed to allow external air to flow in the exhaust mode, and an air control valve 26 and an air filter 27 are installed therein. In addition, a dry-heater 28 is disposed on the outer wall of the sterilization chamber to more quickly remove moisture remaining in the sterilization chamber in the drying mode. In the embodiment of the present invention, the dry-heater 28 is a silicon hot wire heater. Applied.

The heating chamber 40 is configured to temporarily store a predetermined amount of water, and a heater 41 for heating the stored water is disposed therein. The safety valve 43 is also installed in the heating chamber 40 made of metal. In addition, the water level sensor 42 for detecting the height of the water flowing into the inside of the heating chamber 40 is disposed, the water supply mode in the water supply mode to be described later based on the signal input from the water level sensor 42 in the controller The first control valve 51 of 50 is controlled. The heating chamber 40 is supplied with water and a water supply pipe 50 in which a first intermittent valve 51 (solenoid valve) is disposed is connected, and the water supply pipe 50 is connected to the water supply hose through the water supply connection hose 3. It is connected with (1).

The steam-supply pipe 60 guides the steam generated in the heating chamber 40 to the sterilization chamber 21 in the sterilization mode by driving the heater 41, and in the middle thereof, the steam pressure transmitted from the heating chamber 40. When the pressure is equal to or greater than the predetermined pressure, a second control valve 61 is opened. The second control valve 61 is applied to the type that can be set manually by the user through the spring force.

The sterilization chamber-exhaust pipe 70 is in communication with the sterilization chamber 21 of the sterilization chamber 20 to discharge steam in the sterilization chamber 20 to the outside in the exhaust mode, the middle of the third intermittent valve 71 Is arranged. The third control valve 71 is applied as a normal open solenoid valve that maintains an open state when no power is supplied.

The heating chamber-exhaust pipe 80 communicates with the bottom of the heating chamber 40 to discharge water and steam in the heating chamber 40 to the outside in the exhaust mode, and a fourth intermittent valve 81 is disposed in the middle thereof. It is. The fourth intermittent valve 81 was also applied as a normally open solenoid valve that maintains an open state when no power is supplied.

In addition, an ejector 100 is disposed in which the outlet end of the sterilization chamber exhaust pipe 70 and the heating chamber exhaust pipe 80 is connected to the inlet side. The ejector (100; ejector) is a rapid discharge of steam exiting through the sterilization chamber-exhaust pipe (70) and the heating chamber-exhaust pipe (80) by spraying the water under pressure from the nozzle, the outlet side of the drain hose (90) ) Is connected.

In addition, the first-water supply pipe 110 for connecting the water supply pipe 50 upstream of the first control valve 51 and the ejector 100 is provided, and in the middle thereof, water is discharged to the ejector 100 in the exhaust mode. The water pump 120 for discharging through the water pressure while cooling the steam exiting from the sterilization chamber 20 and the heating chamber 40 by forced supply is disposed. Accordingly, when the water pump 120 is driven in the exhaust mode, the water of the tap water is delivered to the ejector 100 at high pressure, whereby the steam exiting from the sterilization chamber 20 and the heating chamber 40 is rapidly discharged while being cooled. Will be. As described above, the driving of the first regulating valve 51, the third and fourth regulating valves 71, 81, the heater 41, the water pump 120, and the like, may include a water supply mode input to the controller, It is controlled by the control program of sterilization mode, exhaust mode and drying mode.

On the other hand, the system may be down due to the internal malfunction of the steam sterilizer, in this case, the third control valve 71 and the fourth control valve 81 of the sterilization chamber exhaust pipe 70 and the heating chamber exhaust pipe 80. Is programmed to release the hot / high pressure steam automatically. In addition, when the system is down, the water pump 120 is not operated. In this case, even in this case, the discharge steam is mixed with the water of the faucet 1 and cooled out. for teeth; A second water supply pipe 130 for connecting the water supply pipe 50 upstream of the first control valve 51 and the drain-hose 90 side of the outlet side of the ejector 100 is disposed. In the middle of the water supply branch pipe 130, the normally closed fifth intermittent valve 131 is provided in a normally closed state. In addition, a bimetal switch 140 on / off according to the steam exhaust temperature of the drain hose 90 to open / close the fifth intermittent valve 131 is provided at the outlet drain hose 90 of the ejector 100. have. The power delivered through the bimetal switch 140 is branched from the main power supply directly to the power supply separately from the control unit, and the bimetal switch 140 has a constant steam exhaust temperature through the drain-hose 90 (in the present invention). If the temperature is higher than 60 ° C., the power is supplied to the fifth intermittent valve 131 to open and operate. When the temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature, the fifth intermittent valve 131 is turned off. Shut-off closure is activated. Accordingly, even when the system is down and the high temperature / high pressure steam in the sterilization chamber 20 and the heating chamber 40 is discharged, the water of the faucet 1 is automatically supplied so that the safe exhaust is made. It is detailed.

<Description of the operation of the medical steam sterilizer according to the present invention>

Next will be described the operation and effects according to each mode of the medical steam sterilizer according to the present invention.

First, the sterilization object is placed in the sterilization chamber 21, the chamber door 30 is closed and the steam sterilizer is operated to operate the water supply mode. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the first control valve 51 is opened so that the water in the tap water 1 is supplied to the heating chamber 40 through the water supply pipe 50. (See the arrow direction in FIG. 3). When a signal supplied with a predetermined amount or more of water from the level sensor 42 to the heating chamber 40 is input to the controller, the first intermittent valve 51 is closed to stop the water supply to the heating chamber 40. .

After the water supply mode as described above, the sterilization mode is executed. In sterilization mode, the heater 41 in the heating chamber 40 is operated to heat until the inside of the heating chamber 40 reaches a considerable temperature and pressure. When the inside of the heating chamber 40 reaches a considerable temperature and pressure and the second control valve 61 is opened, as shown in FIG. 4, the high temperature / high pressure steam in the heating chamber 40 is a steam supply pipe 60. Sterilize the sterilization object while being sprayed into the sterilization chamber 21 of the sterilization chamber 20 through the). This sterilization mode is performed for a predetermined time (3 minutes in the embodiment of the present invention) at a predetermined pressure (temperature around 130 ℃). That is, the sterilization chamber 21 as well as the heating chamber 40 are also maintained at a significant high temperature and high pressure, which process is already programmed in the control unit. At this time, the sterilization chamber 21 of the sterilization chamber 20 is supplied with steam heated to a predetermined temperature to reduce the time required for the actual sterilization time, it is possible to minimize the damage of the sterilization object due to the repeated sterilization mode It is possible to sterilize cloth such as disinfection cloth.

When the sterilization mode for the predetermined time is completed, the controller executes the exhaust mode. In the exhaust mode, as shown in FIG. 5, the third control valve 71 and the fourth control valve 81 of the sterilization chamber exhaust pipe 70 and the heating chamber exhaust pipe 80 are opened and the water pump 120 is opened. ) To supply high pressure water to the ejector 100 side. Accordingly, the high temperature / high pressure steam of the sterilization chamber 20 and the heating chamber 40 is ejected in a spray form while being cooled at a high speed through the ejector 100, and exits to the outside through the drain-hose 90. In addition, in the exhaust mode, the intermittent valve 26 of the air inlet pipe 25 is opened to allow external air to flow into the sterilization chamber 21.

Subsequently, after the exhaust mode is executed, the drying mode is performed. In the drying mode, the drying-heater 28 of the outer wall of the sterilization chamber 20 is driven to properly heat the outer wall of the sterilization chamber 20. Accordingly, the moisture remaining in the sterilization chamber 20 is completely removed.

On the other hand, the system may be down during the operation of the steam sterilizer, in this case, the third control valve 71 and the fourth control valve 81 of the sterilization chamber exhaust pipe 70 and the heating chamber exhaust pipe 80 are opened. The high temperature / high pressure steam is automatically released.

When the system is initially down, hot steam of 60 ° C. or more may escape through the drain hose 90. In this case, the bimetal switch 140 is turned on or off depending on the steam discharge temperature of the drain hose 90. (ON) is activated. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 6, the fifth intermittent valve 131 is opened to direct water from the tap water 1 to the drain-hose 90 through the second water supply pipe 130. Therefore, the steam discharge through the drain-hose 90 is thereby cooled by the water of the tap water (1). When the steam discharge temperature of the high-temperature / design is completed and the steam discharge temperature of the drain hose 90 falls below a certain temperature, the bimetal switch 140 is automatically turned off, thereby preventing water waste of the tap water 1. have. As a result, even when the system is down, the steam is cooled and discharged through the drain-hose 90 to prevent a safety accident.

10. Body 11. Control part 20. Sterilization chamber
21. Sterilization chamber 22. Temperature sensor 23. Pressure sensor
24.Relief valve 25.Air inlet pipe 26.Air-regulated valve
27. Air filter 28. Dry heater 30. Chamber door
40. Heating chamber 41. Heater 42. Water level sensor
43. Safety valve 50. Water supply pipe 51. First intermittent valve
60. Steam supply pipe 61. Second intermittent valve 70. Sterilization chamber exhaust pipe
71. 3rd check valve 80. Heating chamber exhaust pipe 81 4th check valve
90. Drain hose 100. Ejector 110
120. Water pump 130. 2nd water supply pipe 131. 5th valve
140..Bimetal Switch

Claims (3)

A medical steam sterilizer for sterilizing a sterilized object through a water supply mode, a sterilization mode, an exhaust mode, and a drying mode;
The steam sterilizer;
A sterilization chamber 20 installed in the main body 10 and having a sterilization chamber 21 formed therein and having an open front surface;
A chamber door (30) hinged to the front portion of the main body (10) for opening and closing the opening of the sterilization chamber (20);
A heating chamber 40 installed in the main body 10 and temporarily storing water introduced therein and having a heater 41 disposed therein;
A water supply pipe 50 connected to the tap water 1 to supply water to the heating chamber 40 and a first intermittent valve 51 disposed therein;
The driving of the heater 41 guides the steam generated in the heating chamber 40 to the sterilization chamber 21 in the sterilization mode, and a steam supply pipe 60 in which the second control valve 61 is disposed. )and;
It is in communication with the sterilization chamber 21 of the sterilization chamber 20 to discharge the steam in the sterilization chamber 20 to the outside in the exhaust mode, the middle of the sterilization chamber-exhaust pipe (3) 70);
A heating chamber-exhaust pipe (80) in communication with the heating chamber (40) to discharge steam in the heating chamber (40) to the outside in the exhaust mode, and a fourth intermittent valve (81) disposed;
An ejector (100) connected to an inlet side of the sterilization chamber-exhaust pipe (70) and an outlet of the heating chamber-exhaust pipe (80) and connected to a drain-hose (90) on the outlet side;
A first-water supply pipe 110 connecting the water supply pipe 50 and the ejector 100 upstream of the first control valve 51;
The water pressure is disposed in the middle of the first-water jet engine 110 while forcibly supplying water to the ejector 100 in the exhaust mode while cooling steam exiting from the sterilization chamber 20 and the heating chamber 40. A water pump 120 for discharging through;
The driving of the first, third and fourth check valves 51, 71, 81, heater 41, and water pump 120 is controlled to the control program of the water supply mode, sterilization mode, exhaust mode, and drying mode. A control unit for controlling accordingly;
The second control valve 51 is connected to the upstream side of the water supply pipe 50 and the ejector 100 at the drain-hose 90 side, and the middle of the second control valve 131 is disposed second -A water supply engine 130;
On / off according to the steam exhaust temperature of the drain hose 90 to open and close the fifth intermittent valve 131, if the steam exhaust temperature of the drain hose 90 is above a predetermined temperature is turned on A bimetal switch 140 which opens the fifth control valve 131 and turns off when the temperature is lower than a predetermined temperature to close the fifth control valve 131; Medical steam sterilizer, characterized in that provided. The method of claim 1,
A level sensor 42 is disposed in the heating chamber 40 to detect a height of water flowing into the heating chamber 40;
The control unit is a medical steam sterilizer, characterized in that for controlling the first control valve 51 of the water supply pipe (50) based on the signal input from the water level sensor (42) in the water supply mode. The method of claim 1,
The sterilization chamber 20 is a medical steam sterilizer, characterized in that the drying-heater for removing the water remaining in the sterilization chamber 20 in the drying mode is disposed.

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