KR20060108784A - Plasma sterilization apparatus simply capable of using - Google Patents

Abstract

A plasma sterilization apparatus is disclosed. In the plasma sterilization apparatus according to the present invention, in the plasma sterilization apparatus using hydrogen peroxide, the process of classifying the progress of the plasma sterilization apparatus into predetermined steps, and a storage unit for storing the voice guidance message corresponding to each step, each classified A control unit for reading out a corresponding voice guidance message stored in the storage unit according to the step; and outputting the voice guidance message read by the control unit and an error through the output unit if the input operation command is inappropriate for the process of the plasma sterilization apparatus. It includes an output unit for outputting a voice guidance message. In this way, the plasma sterilization apparatus enables the user to take appropriate follow-up actions according to the operation of the plasma sterilization apparatus.

Hydrogen peroxide, plasma, sterilization, evaporation plate, air injection

Description

Plasma sterilization apparatus simply capable of using}

1 is a block diagram schematically showing a voice controller included in a plasma sterilization apparatus according to the present invention;

2 is a schematic structural diagram of a plasma sterilization apparatus including the voice controller of FIG.

3 is a process chart of the plasma sterilization method using hydrogen peroxide according to the present invention,

4 to 7 are other embodiments of the plasma sterilization method using hydrogen peroxide of the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for main parts of drawing>

5: voice controller 10: reaction vessel

11: sterile article 13: tray

14: vacuum pump 15: discharge line

16: door 18: heating heater

20: plasma generator 21, 31: plasma chamber

22,32: high power source 30: plasma processor

40: evaporation plate 41: heater

42: hydrogen peroxide supply 43: flow control valve

45: pressure release valve 46: filter

The present invention relates to a plasma sterilization apparatus, and more particularly, to a plasma sterilization apparatus that allows a user to take appropriate follow-up actions according to the operation of the plasma sterilization apparatus and informs of urgent matters and informs appropriate measures thereof. will be.

In general, various types of sterilized products, such as medical devices (including disposable), sterilize and sterilize the microorganisms present on the surface using a hydrogen peroxide solution. A number of techniques for sterilizing and disinfecting sterilized materials have been proposed, and one of them is a plasma sterilizer using hydrogen peroxide.

For example, the "hydrogen peroxide plasma sterilization system" disclosed in Korean Patent No. 0132233 is a pre-treatment of the sterilized article to be sterilized by contact with an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution, and then sterilized by generating active species from hydrogen peroxide, Hydrogen peroxide remaining in the sterilized article is removed by decomposition with non-toxic products.

In addition, "Steam sterilization method using a non-aqueous hydrogen peroxide source" disclosed in the Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-0351014 improves sterilization by using a complex in which the aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide is concentrated (removing water from the aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide). Let's do it.

In addition, the "plasma sterilization method using hydrogen peroxide (patent application number: 10-2004-0098050)" filed by the present applicant is evaporated by supplying hydrogen peroxide in the liquid state to the evaporation plate heated to a predetermined temperature in the reaction vessel which is a vacuum atmosphere. After contacting with the sterilized object for a predetermined time, the process of injecting external air to increase the pressure of the reaction vessel and then maintaining or gradually increasing the process is repeated one or more times to sterilize the sterilized object having a limited diffusion area by sterilization. Improves sterilization of the.

However, since the operation of the plasma sterilization apparatus using hydrogen peroxide is complicated, it is difficult for a user using the plasma sterilization apparatus to take appropriate follow-up measures according to the progress of the plasma sterilization apparatus, and the power failure or the door is not closed. There is a problem in that an urgent operation may cause a decrease in sterilization power of the sterilized object or a malfunction of the plasma sterilizer.

The present invention was devised to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a plasma sterilization apparatus capable of allowing a user to take appropriate follow-up measures according to the operation of the plasma sterilization apparatus.

Plasma sterilization apparatus according to the present invention for achieving the above object, in the plasma sterilization apparatus using hydrogen peroxide, the process of the plasma sterilization device is classified into a predetermined step, voice guidance message corresponding to each step A storage unit for storing an emergency and classifying an emergency and storing an appropriate description and a corresponding action method corresponding to each classification step; A control unit for reading a corresponding voice guidance message stored in the storage unit, an explanation of an emergency, and a corresponding method according to each classified step; And an output unit configured to output a voice guidance message read by the controller.

The plasma sterilization apparatus further includes an input unit for receiving an operation command from a user. Here, the control unit outputs an error voice guide message through the output unit when the operation command input through the input unit is inappropriate for the process of the plasma sterilization apparatus. In addition, when there is a power outage or an urgent response situation occurs, an emergency response guide message is also output through the output unit.

The plasma sterilization apparatus further includes a power monitoring unit for monitoring whether the power supplied is rated. Here, the control unit outputs an error voice guide message through the output unit when the power monitored by the power monitoring unit is out of a predetermined range.

Here, the storage unit may be classified into at least two languages to store each voice guide message.

The input unit may be implemented to select any one of the classified languages.

In this way, the plasma sterilizer outputs an appropriate voice guidance message according to the operation of the plasma sterilizer, so that the user can take appropriate follow-up of the plasma sterilizer, and the vacuum of the reaction vessel does not occur due to a power failure or the door is not closed. By properly describing the emergency response method such as not formed, it is possible to prevent the degradation of the sterilization power of the sterilized object or the malfunction of the plasma sterilization device due to an incorrect operation.

Hereinafter, a plasma sterilization apparatus using hydrogen peroxide according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Plasma sterilization apparatus according to the present invention comprises a voice controller 5 as shown in FIG. Here, the voice controller 5 includes a storage unit 5-1, a control unit 5-3, an output unit 5-5, an input unit 5-7, and a power monitoring unit 5-9. . In addition, the voice controller 5 is implemented as a circuit on a printed circuit board (PCB) of the plasma sterilizer, and is electrically connected to the plasma sterilizer.

The storage unit 5-1 classifies the process of the plasma sterilization apparatus into predetermined steps, and stores a voice guidance message corresponding to each step and a response to an emergency. At this time, the progress of the plasma sterilization device is preferably classified into the respective stages based on the pressure change in the reaction vessel 10 with time. However, the step classification of the process of the plasma sterilization apparatus is not limited thereto, and may be classified based on a temperature change in the reaction vessel 10 with time or various other methods. In this case, the storage unit 5-1 preferably stores the process step classification of the corresponding plasma sterilization apparatus as a database.

In addition, the storage unit 5-1 preferably stores each voice guidance message classified into at least two languages. In this case, it is preferable that each voice guidance message and emergency response message are classified according to each language and stored in a database. Here, the voice guidance message is the previous step is normally completed when one step of the plasma sterilization process is completed and proceeds to the next step, in the next step any operation is made, the action to be taken by the user It is desirable to consist of a message to guide what. For example, if the process of the plasma sterilization device consists of the first step, the second step, and the third step, when the first step ends, "the first step is finished. After this, the second step is continued, The second stage lasts for about 10 minutes. Do not open the door until the bell notifies you of the end of the second stage. "

In addition, the emergency response message is preferably composed of a message to guide the completion of the message, such as "power outage", the door is not closed, the sterilization process can not be started as the alarm occurs, and how to deal with it. (5-3) reads the corresponding voice guidance message stored in the storage unit 5-1 according to each of the classified stages, if one language is selected, the same language until the selected language is changed to another language; It is desirable to read the voice guidance message.

The output unit 5-5 outputs the voice guidance message read by the control unit 5-3.

The input unit 5-7 receives an operation command from the user. Here, the input unit 5-7 may be implemented to select any one of the classified languages. In addition, the control unit 5-3 is implemented to output an error voice guidance message through the output unit 5-5 when the operation command input through the input unit 5-7 is inappropriate for the process of the plasma sterilization apparatus. It is preferable.

The power monitoring unit 5-9 monitors whether or not the power supplied is rated. At this time, the controller 5-3 outputs an error voice guidance message through the output unit 5-5 when the power monitored by the power monitoring unit 5-9 is out of a predetermined range.

Here, the error voice guidance message is a kind of voice guidance message, it is preferable that the plasma sterilization device is made of a message to inform the occurrence of a malfunction in the process of moving from one step to the next step, and guide the follow-up actions to be taken by the user. For example, the error voice guidance message may be, for example, "The power supply was cut off during the first step. When the power supply is restored, please restart the operation of the plasma sterilizer from the beginning."

2 is a schematic structural diagram of a plasma sterilization apparatus to which the voice controller of FIG. 1 is applied.

As shown in the figure, the reaction vessel 10 is a chamber in which a sterilized article 11, which is a medical device or surgical tool to be sterilized, can be wrapped with a packaging material, and a sterilized article (inside) is contained therein. 11) is provided with a tray 13 for placing, the lower portion of the reaction vessel 10, the vacuum pump 14 through the discharge line 15 to remove the gas in the interior to form a vacuum The connection is installed. In addition, a door 16 is provided on one side of the reaction vessel 10.

A plasma generator 20 is provided outside the reaction vessel 10, and the plasma generator 20 is provided with a plasma chamber 21 in which two electrodes are opposed to each other, and an electrode of the plasma chamber 21 is provided. A high power source 22 capable of generating an optimal plasma is electrically connected.

The discharge line 15 is provided with a plasma processor 30 so that hydrogen peroxide vapor in the reaction vessel 10 passes through the plasma, and the plasma processor 30 is provided with a plasma chamber 31 on the discharge line 15. Since only a high power source 32 capable of generating an optimal plasma is electrically connected to the electrode of the plasma chamber 31, the detailed description thereof will be omitted since it is the same as the plasma generator 20. A pressure automatic pressure control valve 34 is provided in the discharge line 15 between the reaction vessel 10 and the plasma chamber 31.

The plasma generator 20 and the plasma processor 30 may use an arc discharge method using a DC high voltage or an AC high voltage.

The hydrogen peroxide supply 42 is connected to the outside of the reaction vessel 10 so as to supply an aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide to the evaporation plate 40. Since the hydrogen peroxide supply 42 is mainly supplied with hydrogen peroxide after the reaction vessel 10 becomes a vacuum atmosphere, the hydrogen peroxide supply 42 is sufficient as long as it can be supplied by suction. A flow rate control valve 43 capable of adjusting the flow rate is provided between the evaporating plate 40 and the hydrogen oxide supply 42 in the reaction vessel 10.

The reaction vessel 10 is provided with a pressure release valve 45 for releasing the vacuum atmosphere therein, and a filter 46 for removing foreign substances in the outside air introduced into the pressure release valve 45. It is prepared.

The reaction vessel 10 is provided with a heating heater 18 on the outer surface to maintain its internal temperature at 30 ~ 60 ℃. The reason for the installation of the heating heater 18 is that the plasma generator 20 and the plasma processor 30 are provided outside the reaction vessel 10, so that the internal temperature of the reaction vessel 10 is low. To keep it from falling into water droplets.

3 is a view for explaining a plasma sterilization process according to the progress process classified by the voice controller of FIG.

First, the power is applied to the heater 41 inserted into the evaporation plate 40 at the bottom of the reaction vessel 10 and the heating heater 18 outside the reaction vessel 10, as well as the internal temperature of the reaction vessel 10. Thereafter, the sterilized article 11, which is a medical device or surgical tool to be sterilized, is wrapped in a packaging material in a tray 13 in the reaction vessel 10, and the door 16 of the reaction vessel 10 is closed. Seal it. At this time, each of the control valves 43 and 45 installed between the reaction vessel 10 and the hydrogen peroxide supply 42 as well as between the filter 46 is locked, and the discharge line 15 between the plasma processing unit 30. Automatic pressure regulating valve 34 installed in the locked state. Since the packaging material is to wrap the sterilized article 11 to be sterilized and placed in the reaction vessel 10, any one may be sufficient as long as it is woven like a fiber for good ventilation.

Given when in this state, operating the automatic pressure control valve 34, vacuum pump 14, after opening on the exhaust line 15 is taken out of the reaction vessel 10 and the plasma chamber 21, the inner air of the desired 300 X10 ^{- It} is formed below ³ Torr. At this time, the high power supply 22 is not applied to the electrode of the plasma generator 20 as well as the plasma processor 30 installed on the discharge line 15. As such, after the inside of the reaction vessel 10 is formed at a predetermined vacuum pressure by the vacuum pump 14, the automatic pressure control valve 34 on the discharge line 15 is shut off.

Thereafter, when the flow control valve 43 is opened, the hydrogen peroxide aqueous solution in the hydrogen peroxide supplier 42 is sucked due to the vacuum pressure inside the reaction vessel 10 and is supplied to the evaporation plate 40 in the reaction vessel 10. As described above, the aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution supplied to the evaporating dish 40 is heated to a temperature sufficient to evaporate, and is injected into the evaporating dish 40 and simultaneously evaporated and diffused to be brought into contact with the sterilized article 11 and to start sterilization. do. At this time, the pressure inside the reaction vessel 10 is a vacuum pressure and the evaporation plate 40 is heated so that the boiling point of the aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution is rapidly lower than the atmospheric pressure evaporated rapidly diffused and the hydrogen peroxide vapor pressure is increased.

As such, the internal pressure of the reaction vessel 10 after the aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution is evaporated is a pressure of 30 to 60 Torr. The reaction vessel 10 is maintained at 30-60 ° C. by the heating heater 18 on the outer surface thereof, so that the reaction vessel 10 is maintained as evaporated hydrogen peroxide vapor without condensation, thereby continuing sterilization.

As the vapor pressure of hydrogen peroxide, which is a sterilant, increases, the penetration penetration in the sterilized article 11 increases and the evaporation and diffusion in a wide reaction vessel 10 of vacuum reduces the penetration distance into the sterilized article 11, thereby spreading. The sterilization power of the sterilized article 11 having this limited area can be improved. The sterilization is dependent on the hydrogen peroxide concentration, but it is preferable to maintain it continuously for a predetermined time (about 30 minutes) until the sterilization is sufficiently performed.

In this way, the pressure of the hydrogen peroxide in the reaction vessel 10, that is, maintained for a predetermined time in a state adjusted to the reaction pressure to sufficiently sterilize, and then open the pressure release valve 45 to release the outside air and the filter 46 and pressure It begins to vent through the valve 45. When the external air flows into the reaction vessel 10 and the internal pressure is 10 Torr or more, the pressure release valve 45 is locked.

As such, when the internal pressure of the reaction vessel 10 rises rapidly, the pressure difference increases with the inside of the sterilized article 11 such as lumen having a diffusion restriction region, so that hydrogen peroxide vapor diffuses into the sterilized article 11. It is rapidly penetrated into the restricted area.

At this time, the pressure is maintained for a predetermined time, and then, while the vacuum pump 14 is operated, the automatic pressure control valve 34 on the discharge line 15 is opened to open the gas inside the reaction vessel 10 and the plasma chamber 21. Hydrogen peroxide) was removed to form a desired pressure of 1 Torr or less, and again the pressure of the reaction vessel 10 was raised to 20 Torr or more in the same manner as described above and maintained for a predetermined time, and then discharged while the vacuum pump 14 was operated. By opening the automatic pressure control valve 34 on the line 15, the air inside the reaction vessel 10 and the plasma chamber 21 is drawn out to form a desired vacuum pressure (100 X 10 ^-3 Torr or less).

The sterilization depends on the concentration of hydrogen peroxide, but even if the sterilization is finished in a short time, it is preferable to maintain it continuously for a predetermined time (about 30 minutes) until the sterilization is sufficiently performed.

In this way, when the high power supply source 32 is applied to the electrode in the plasma chamber 31 forming the plasma processor 30 while the gas inside the reaction vessel 10 starts to be drawn out into the atmosphere, the pressure in each plasma chamber 31 is increased. As it becomes lower, plasma is generated between the electrodes in the plasma chambers 21 and 31.

As mentioned above, since the plasma is also generated in the plasma chamber 31 on the discharge line 15 to maintain the plasma atmosphere, the residual hydrogen peroxide vapor in the reaction vessel 10 follows the discharge line 15. While passing through the plasma chamber 31 of), it is decomposed into non-toxic decomposition products, that is, moisture, oxygen, and hydrogen, by plasma energy, and thus these decomposition products are not harmful to the environment or harm to human body even if released to the atmosphere. will be.

In other words, the plasma on the discharge line 15 is the energy of the plasma, and serves to decompose hydrogen peroxide vapor that damages the human body into water, oxygen, and hydrogen.

As this process continues, the residual hydrogen peroxide vapor in the reaction vessel 10 is completely decomposed and discharged, and the reaction vessel 10 pressure is formed below a predetermined vacuum pressure (100 X 10 ^-3 Torr). After the inside of the reaction vessel 10 is formed at a predetermined vacuum pressure by the vacuum pump 14, the automatic pressure control valve 34 on the discharge line 15 is blocked, and the plasma installed on the discharge line 15. The high power supply 22 is blocked at the electrode of the plasma generator 20 as well as the processor 30.

Thereafter, as described above, the process of sterilizing from injecting the hydrogen peroxide aqueous solution into the evaporation plate 40 in the reaction vessel 10 and raising the internal pressure of the reaction vessel 10 to form a predetermined vacuum pressure. Can be repeated one or more times. As such, the sterilization power of the sterilized article can be improved since the internal pressure of the reaction vessel 10 is rapidly infiltrated into the limited diffusion region of the sterilized article by the process of increasing the internal pressure at a predetermined vacuum pressure.

As such, since the sterilization is completed and the inside of the reaction container 10 has a predetermined vacuum pressure, when the pressure release valve 45 is gradually opened, only the clean air filtered out of the air through the filter 46 is filtered into the reaction container 10. Since the suction is filled, the pressure of the reaction vessel 10 is formed at atmospheric pressure. After the pressure inside the reaction vessel 10 reaches the atmospheric pressure, the door 16 of the reaction vessel 10 is opened to take out the sterilized sterilized article 11 wrapped with the packaging material, and all processes are completed.

In addition, the present invention has been described as operating the plasma generator 20 and the plasma processor 30 together with the residual hydrogen peroxide vapor in the reaction vessel 10, but if necessary, the plasma generator 20 is operated without the plasma By operating only the processor 30, the hydrogen peroxide vapor in the reaction vessel 10 may pass along the discharge line 15 to discharge residual hydrogen peroxide as a non-toxic decomposition product while passing through the plasma chamber 31 of the plasma processor 30. have.

If the process of the plasma sterilizer is out of the predetermined route, for example, if the pressure change is out of the predetermined range by opening the door 16 by a wrong operation of the user during the operation of the plasma sterilizer control unit (5-3) ) Outputs a voice guidance message indicating that a malfunction has occurred in the corresponding step through the output unit 5-5, and the action to be taken by the user afterwards, "close the door 16" or "progress". Start the process from the beginning again "and so on.

4 to 7 show other embodiments of the sterilization method using hydrogen peroxide according to the present invention. 4 is a process of injecting an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution, evaporating and diffusing, maintaining for a predetermined time, and then extracting gas (hydrogen peroxide vapor) from the reaction vessel 10 immediately after injecting air to a predetermined pressure to form an internal pressure at a predetermined pressure. 5 is repeated one or more times, and FIG. 5 maintains for a predetermined time after injecting air to a predetermined pressure as shown in FIG. 4, and then extracts gas (hydrogen peroxide vapor) from the reaction vessel 10 to form an internal pressure at a predetermined pressure. The process is repeated one or more times, Figure 6 is to perform step by step to maintain a predetermined time by injecting the hydrogen peroxide aqueous solution by evaporation and diffusion to maintain for a predetermined time and then injecting air to a predetermined pressure.

In particular, FIG. 7 is a step of injecting air into the reaction vessel 10 at least once at a predetermined pressure as shown in FIG. 5, and then extracting the gas (hydrogen peroxide vapor) in the reaction vessel 10 to determine the internal pressure. After forming a (vacuum), the process of injecting and extracting the air to the reaction vessel 10 at a predetermined pressure again to perform a process (see line a and b in Fig. 7) and also as a dotted line in Fig. Shown is the process of injecting an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution and evaporating and diffusing the gas (hydrogen peroxide vapor) in the reaction vessel 10 to remove the internal pressure at a predetermined pressure, and then injecting the air into the reaction vessel 10 at a predetermined pressure and extracting it. To perform the process of turning on (see line C in FIG. 7).

And T1 and T2 shown in Figures 4 to 7 are all 0 to 30 minutes, which indicates that can be freely selectively controlled according to the sterilized article 11 to be sterilized.

The sterilization methods of the embodiments described above are all injecting and extracting air at a predetermined pressure after evaporating and diffusing hydrogen peroxide as in the present invention. The effect of the present invention is improved by increasing the penetration power of the sterilant in the diffusion restriction region of the sterilized article. You can multiply more.

Here, the steps of the process based on the plasma sterilization apparatus using hydrogen peroxide previously filed by the applicant of the present invention is classified according to the change in pressure, and implemented to output a voice guidance message according to each step. However, the step classification of the process is not limited to pressure, and may be classified in various other ways.

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, the progress of the plasma sterilization apparatus may be classified into different aspects according to the process of selecting or maintaining the hydrogen peroxide or evaporation even though the stages of the progress are classified according to the change in pressure. have.

According to the present invention, the plasma sterilizer outputs a message for guiding the voice of each complex step by step, and guides the follow-up to be taken by the user, thereby facilitating the use of the plasma sterilizer. The malfunction of the device can be prevented in advance.

Claims (5)

In the plasma sterilization apparatus using hydrogen peroxide, A storage unit for classifying the process of the plasma sterilization apparatus into predetermined steps, storing voice guidance messages corresponding to each step, classifying emergency matters, and storing appropriate explanations and corresponding measures corresponding to each classification step. ; A control unit for reading a corresponding voice guidance message stored in the storage unit, an explanation of an emergency, and a corresponding method according to each classified step; And Plasma sterilization apparatus using hydrogen peroxide, characterized in that it comprises an output unit for outputting a voice guidance message read by the control unit. The method of claim 1, Further comprising an input unit for receiving an operation command from the user, The control unit is a plasma sterilization apparatus using hydrogen peroxide, characterized in that for outputting an error voice guidance message through the output unit if the operation command input through the input unit is inappropriate for the process of the plasma sterilization apparatus. The method of claim 1, It further includes a power monitoring unit for monitoring whether the power supply is rated, The control unit is a plasma sterilization apparatus using hydrogen peroxide, characterized in that for outputting the error voice guidance message through the output unit when the power monitored by the power monitoring unit is out of a predetermined range. The method of claim 1, The storage unit is a plasma sterilization apparatus using hydrogen peroxide, characterized in that for storing each voice guidance message classified in at least two languages. The method of claim 4, wherein The input unit is a plasma sterilization apparatus using hydrogen peroxide, characterized in that implemented to select any one of the respective languages classified.

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