KR20210089527A - Sterilizing device for dental tool - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a dental treatment tool sterilizer, which comprises: a sterilization tub including a container configured to accommodate an object to be sterilized and a sealing cover for covering the container; a fresh water supply part configured to supply fresh water into the sterilization tub; an ozone water supply part configured to supply ozone water for sterilization into the sterilization tub; a drain part configured to discharge water from the sterilization tub; an ultrasonic generator configured to apply ultrasonic energy to fresh water when fresh water has been filled in the sterilization tub, so that the object to be sterilized immersed in the fresh water is sterilized by ultrasonic energy; a heater mounted on the sterilization tub and configured to apply heat in the sterilization tub; and a controller configured to output a control signal. The dental treatment tool sterilizer of the present invention as described above is capable of both ultrasonic sterilization and ozone water sterilization, has a simple method of use, and is excellently practical due to a short sterilization time. In addition, the sterilizer has a simple structure, a low price, and a small size, and thus can be installed close to a treatment room and used whenever necessary.

Description

Dental treatment tool sterilization device {Sterilizing device for dental tool}

The present invention relates to a sterilization device for various treatment tools used in a dental hospital, and more particularly, ultrasonic sterilization and ozone water sterilization are possible, the method of use is simple, and the sterilization time is short, so that the sterilization of dental treatment tools can be used efficiently It's about the device.

Treatment tools used in dental hospitals, except for disposable items, are used by several people, so there is a high risk of infecting a fatal disease such as AIDS, so it must be sterilized after use. In particular, sterilization treatment is more important because burs or scalers used for tooth preparation or polishing have no choice but to stain the patient's tooth microstructure or saliva as well as blood when grinding the teeth.

Among various equipment for sterilization of dental treatment tools, autoclave has a principle of sterilizing microorganisms with saturated steam at high temperature and high pressure. The sterilization time of the object using the autoclave varies depending on the case, but is not short as about 20 to 30 minutes.

Since the tool for treatment cannot be used while the autoclave is in operation, the hospital is equipped with a plurality of sets of tools for treatment. For example, several handpieces or various treatment files are provided and used alternately. However, in the case of a small dental hospital, it is not possible to have a large number of expensive handpieces, so the operating time of the autoclave is often set short. Disinfection is carried out only formally. In addition, in hospitals that do not have autoclave equipment, tools that are essential for sterilization are only disinfected by ultrasonic disinfection or wiping with alcohol swabs.

Domestic Registered Patent Publication No. 10-1121678 (Dental handpiece sterilizer) Domestic Patent Publication No. 10-1206819 (tooth tool sterilizer)

The present invention was created to solve the above problems, and the method of use is simple, especially the sterilization time is short, so the practical utility is excellent, the structure is simple, the price is low, and the size is not large. An object of the present invention is to provide a tool sterilizer for dental treatment.

A dental treatment tool sterilization apparatus of the present invention as a means of solving the problems for achieving the above object, the sterilization tank including a container for accommodating a sterilization object, and a sealing cover for sealing the container; a fresh water supply unit for supplying fresh water into the sterilization tank; an ozone water supply unit for supplying ozone water into the sterilization tank; a drain for discharging the water inside the sterilization tank; an ultrasonic generator that transmits ultrasonic energy to the fresh water in a state in which fresh water is filled in the sterilization tank to sterilize an object immersed in the fresh water by ultrasonic waves; a heater mounted on the sterilization tank and applying heat to the inside of the sterilization tank; and a control unit for outputting a control signal.

In addition, in the interior of the sterilization tank, a stirring unit for stirring the fresh water or ozone water accommodated is further provided.

In addition, a drying heater for drying the object to be sterilized after draining the fresh water or ozone water is installed in the sterilization tank.

In addition, the sealing cover is provided with a gas discharge unit for discharging the gas generated from the fresh water or ozone water to the outside of the sterilization tank, the outside of the sealing cover is provided with a collecting unit for collecting the gas discharged by the gas discharge unit.

In addition, the ozone water supply unit; A pressurized pump for pumping fresh water provided from the outside, an ozone generator for generating ozone, a mixer for mixing the fresh water pressurized by the pressure pump with ozone produced by the ozone generator, and the water mixed in the mixer passing through bubbles It includes a bubble generator to form a.

In addition, as used when placing the object to be sterilized in the container, a basket or tray in the form of a net for accommodating the object to be sterilized is further included.

The dental treatment tool sterilization apparatus of the present invention made as described above is capable of both ultrasonic sterilization and ozone water sterilization, has a simple method of use, and has excellent practical utility due to its short sterilization time. In addition, the structure is simple, the price is low, and the size is not large, so it can be installed close to the treatment room and used whenever necessary.

1 is a block diagram showing the overall structure of a dental treatment tool sterilizer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the ozone water supply unit shown in FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the bubble generator of FIG. 2 .
4 is an exploded perspective view of the bubble generator of FIG. 3 .
5 is a view for explaining the operating principle of the bubble generating cartridge shown in FIG.
FIG. 6 is a view of a state viewed from the direction A of FIG. 5 .
7A to 7G are diagrams for explaining a method of using the sterilizer shown in FIG. 1 for reference.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a method of using the sterilizer shown in FIG. 1 in a summary.

Hereinafter, one embodiment according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The dental treatment tool sterilizer according to the present invention can sterilize tools such as a tooth treatment file or a bur, which are often used in dental hospitals, simply and effectively and for a short period of time.

The sterilization apparatus includes: a sterilization tank including a container for accommodating an object to be sterilized, and a sealing cover for sealing the container; a fresh water supply unit for supplying fresh water into the sterilization tank; an ozone water supply unit for supplying ozone water into the sterilization tank; a drain for discharging the water inside the sterilization tank; an ultrasonic generator that transmits ultrasonic energy to the fresh water in a state in which fresh water is filled in the sterilization tank to sterilize an object immersed in the fresh water by ultrasonic waves; a heater mounted on the sterilization tank and applying heat to the inside of the sterilization tank; It has a basic configuration of a control unit that outputs a control signal.

1 is a block diagram showing the overall structure of a dental treatment tool sterilizer 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown, the dental treatment tool sterilizer 10 according to the present embodiment includes a sterilization tank 20, a fresh water supply unit 37, an ozone water supply unit 50, a drain unit 22, and an ultrasonic generator 31. , a heating unit 33 , a control unit 35 , a stirring unit, a dryer 25 , a gas discharge unit 27 , a collecting unit 29 , a stainless steel basket 41 , and a support tray 43 .

The sterilization tank 20 is made of a container 21 and a sealing cover 23 and takes the shape of a square box. The sterilization tank 20 may be made of stainless steel. The container 21 provides a receiving space 21a open to the top. The sterilization process for the sterilization target is performed inside the accommodation space 21a. The sealing cover 23 is covered on the upper part of the container 21 and serves to seal the accommodation space 21a. If necessary, a silicone or rubber seal may be applied between the container 21 and the sealing cover 23 .

In addition, the above-described dryer 25 is mounted on the sealing cover 23 . The dryer 25 is composed of a drying heater 25a and a switch 25b, and serves to dry the sterilization object left in the container 21 after draining fresh or ozone water. It evaporates water by applying heat to the object to be sterilized. When the drying heater 25a operates, the gas discharge unit 27, which will be described later, also operates at the same time to discharge internal moisture to the outside. As long as the sterilization object can be dried, the type of the drying heater 25a can be variously changed.

The switch 25b is a manual switch that operates the drying heater 25a. The drying heater 25a can be turned on and off automatically by the control unit 35, but can also be operated through the switch 25b.

The sterilization object includes a gripping tool 45 and a bur 47 as a treatment tool that has been used once. The gripping tool 45 includes a mirror, a curette, a scaler, tweezers, an explorer, and the like that a doctor holds and uses.

This gripping tool 45 has a length enough to be gripped by hand, and is sterilized while being put in the stainless steel basket 41 . The stainless steel basket 41 is a basket made of stainless steel, takes the form of a net, and has a handle 41a for easy transport. The size or shape of the stainless steel basket 41 may be varied.

In addition, the burr 47 is a grinding tip that is inserted into the head of the pneumatic handpiece. For the convenience of sterilization, the bur 47 may be sterilized while being inserted into the burr block 48 . The support tray 43 supports the burr block 48 so that the burr block 48 does not contact the bottom surface of the container 21 . The support tray 43 is also made of stainless steel and takes the form of a mesh.

The gas discharge unit 27 discharges the gas generated in the accommodation space 21a to the outside of the sterilization tank 20 during the sterilization process and guides it to the collection unit 29 . For example, oxygen generated by heating ozone water, which will be described later, or moisture inside the accommodation space 21a during drying is discharged. The gas discharge unit 27 may be a vacuum pump or an exhaust fan.

The collecting part 29 processes and exhausts the gas discharged from the sterilization tank 20 appropriately. For example, if ozone is detected in the captured gas, the gas is heated by itself to completely remove the ozone and then discharged into the air.

The fresh water supply unit 37 supplies the purified water to the inside of the sterilization tank 20 , and is connected to the sterilization tank 20 through the fresh water supply pipe 37a. The fresh water supply from the fresh water supply unit 37 is controlled by the control unit 35 . That is, the timing of the fresh water supply or the supply flow rate is controlled through the control unit 35 .

The ozone water supply unit 50 dissolves ozone in fresh water provided from the outside to make ozone water, and serves to supply the generated ozone water to the sterilization tank 20 . As is known, ozone has a very strong sterilization ability, so when it is applied to a sterilization object in a dissolved state in water, various bacteria attached to the sterilization object, for example, E. coli, Shigella, Typhoid, meningitis, It sterilizes staphylococcus, staphylococcus, salmonella, cold virus, hepatitis, etc. in a short time.

The supply of ozone water through the ozone water supply unit 50 is also controlled by the control unit 35 . A description of the ozone water supply unit 50 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6 .

The drain part 22 discharges used water in the sterilization tank 20, and has a drain pipe 22a and a drain valve 22b. The drain valve 22b is opened and closed by the controller 35 . Used water means water that has been sterilized by ultrasonic waves and water that has been sterilized by ozone.

The ultrasonic generator 31 is disposed under the container 21 and outputs ultrasonic energy in a state in which fresh water is filled in the container 21 . The vibration energy of ultrasonic waves applied to the fresh water not only sterilizes the bacteria attached to the surface of the gripping tool 45 or the burr 47, but also separates foreign substances embedded in the minute gaps on the surface of the burr 47. The ultrasonic generator 31 may be installed in the receiving space 21a in a state in which the sealing process is completed.

The heating unit 33 is a heating element fixed to the lower portion of the sterilization tank 20, that is, the bottom surface of the bottom portion 21b, and heats the ozone water after ozone sterilization is completed. The reason for heating the ozone water is to remove the ozone component that has completed its mission in the ozone water. When ozonated water is heated, the ozone inside the ozonized water is decomposed and converted to oxygen, leaving water. The remaining water is drained through the drain unit 22).

The heating temperature of the heating unit 33 may be adjusted as needed by the control unit 35 . For example, heat of about 30°C may be output to decompose ozone, or fresh water may be boiled to heat and sterilize an object to be sterilized.

In addition, a stirrer is provided inside the sterilization tank 20 . The stirring unit is provided with a circulation pump 24 serving to agitate the fresh water or ozone water accommodated in the accommodation space 21a. The circulation pump 24 is controlled by the control unit 35 and mixes fresh water or ozone water in a uniform state, as well as, if necessary, forms a water flow to sterilize foreign substances such as bacteria or bone tissue in a sterilized state. Allows for faster separation from objects.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of the ozone water supply unit 50 shown in FIG. 1 , and FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the bubble generator 60 of FIG. 2 . In addition, FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the bubble generator 60, FIG. 5 is a view for explaining the operating principle of the bubble generating cartridge shown in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a view of the view from the direction A of FIG. .

As shown, the ozone water supply unit 50 includes a pressure pump 51 , an ozone generator 53 , a mixer 52 , and a bubble generator 60 . The ozone water supply unit 50 injects and mixes ozone into fresh water provided from the outside, dissolves ozone in the fresh water, and supplies ozone-dissolved ozone water to the sterilization tank 20 . Ozone water is water in which ozone is dissolved and has the sterilizing power of ozone as it is.

The pressurization pump 51 pressurizes the provided fresh water to the bubble generator 60 side. As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of Teflon bodies 75 having micropores are mounted in series inside the bubble generator 60, which pressurizes water so that ozone water can pass through the micropores at a high speed. will be.

The ozone generator 53 is an equipment for silently discharging clean dry air or oxygen. It is known that ozone is produced by discharging oxygen. The ozone obtained through the discharge meets with water in the mixer 52 and begins to dissolve in the water. Ozone is not 100% dissolved in the mixer 52, but is almost completely dissolved while passing through the bubble generator 60 in a gaseous state.

The bubble generator 60 passes the ozone gas mixed in the mixer 52 through the mixed water and forms bubbles to completely dissolve the ozone that has not been dissolved.

3 and 4 , the bubble generator 60 includes a housing 61 , a bubble generating cartridge 70 , and a sealing cap 62 . The housing 61 has a space portion 61a for accommodating the bubble generating cartridge 70, a cap fixing portion 61b on one side, and a hose connection portion 61c on the other side. The cap fixing part 61b is a part to which the sealing cap 62 is coupled, and the hose connection part 61c is a part to which the hose 64 toward the sterilization tank 20 is screwed.

The sealing cap 62 seals the bubble generating cartridge 70 in a state coupled to the housing 61 . A hose connection portion (62b) is also provided in the central portion of the sealing cap (62). The hose connection part 62b is a part where the hose 63 connecting the mixer 52 and the bubble generating cartridge 70 is screwed together.

The bubble generating cartridge 70 is a pair of holding cases 71 that are coupled to each other to take the shape of a cylinder, three Teflon bodies 75 disposed inside the holding case 71, and upstream of the Teflon bodies 75 It includes a filter 73 installed on the side.

Each holding case 71 is a semi-cylindrical member and has a filter mounting groove 71a and three Teflon body mounting grooves 71b on the inner circumferential surface. The filter mounting groove 71a is a groove into which the filter 73 is fitted, and the Teflon body mounting groove 71b is a groove into which the Teflon body 75 is fitted.

Between the filter mounting groove (71a) and the Teflon body mounting groove (71b) and between each Teflon body mounting groove (71b), a gap maintaining part (71c) is located. The gap maintaining portion 71c is a ring-shaped protrusion naturally made by forming the filter mounting groove 71a and the Teflon mounting groove 71b, and provides a decompression zone 76b between the adjacent Teflon bodies 75. . The decompression zone 76b passes through the micropores 75a of the Teflon body 75 and is a space in which compressed water instantaneously expands, and a description thereof will be described later.

The filter 73 passes the ozone water flowing into the bubble generator 60 and filters out fine contaminants. Since the raw material of ozone water is fresh water, there are no pollutants, but it is applied as a preventative measure. Naturally, the filter 73 may be omitted.

The Teflon body 75 is a disk-shaped member having a certain diameter and thickness, and three are arranged in series. The Teflon body 75 is, of course, manufactured by processing a Teflon material. The number of applications of the Teflon body 75 may vary as needed. For example, only one may be applied, or ten may be installed. However, as it goes downstream, the inner diameter of the micropores 75a should gradually increase.

In addition, a plurality of micropores (75a) are formed in each Teflon body (75). The micropores 75a are through passages extending in parallel in the thickness direction of the Teflon body 75 and allow ozone water to pass therein. In particular, the inner diameter D1 of the micropore 75a of the upstream Teflon body 75, the inner diameter D2 of the micropore 75a of the intermediate Teflon body 75, and the inner diameter D3 of the micropore 75a of the downstream Teflon body are different from each other. . The inner diameter size is D1<D2<D3. For example, D1 may be 0.10 mm, D2 may be 0.15 mm, and D3 may be 0.20 mm.

In the bubble generating cartridge 70 having the above configuration, when ozone water flows into the inlet 76a side, the ozone water passes through the filter 73 and then flows into the micropores 75a of the first Teflon body 75. compressed under high pressure. Since the total flow cross-sectional area of the micropores 75a is much smaller than the flow cross-sectional area of the inlet 76a, and the ozone water is continuously pressurized by the pressurizing pump 51, the flow rate and pressure of the ozone water are inevitably increased. In addition, molecules of ozone in a gaseous state that have not yet been dissolved are pressed toward the water molecules while passing through the micropores and are dissolved.

The pressure of ozone water passing through the first Teflon body 75 is greatly reduced as soon as it enters the decompression zone 75b, and the compressed gaseous ozone expands and bubbles. Bubbles are continuously dissolved in water, sometimes collide with water to burst and disappear, and sometimes meet with other bubbles to enlarge.

Ozone water in the decompression zone 75b passes through the Teflon body 75 located in the middle, then the decompression zone 76b and the third Teflon body 75 in sequence, and the ozone is completely dissolved by the above principle. It goes to the sterilization tank 20 through the outlet part 76c in the state.

As a result, the ozone concentration in the fresh water is increased by the bubble generating cartridge 70 . Of course, as the concentration of ozone increases, the sterilization power increases.

7A to 7G are views for explaining a sterilization method of a dental treatment tool using the sterilization device 10 shown in FIG. 1 for reference, and FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the sterilization method in summary.

If the sterilization method for the dental treatment tool is summarized, the position step 101, the sterilization closet step 103, the fresh water supply step 105, the ultrasonic output step 107, the circulation pump operation step 109, the first Drain step (111), ozone water supply step (113), circulation pump operation step (115), heating step (117), secondary drain step (119), drying step (121), sterilization tank opening step (123), object A pick-up step 125 is performed.

The positioning step 101 is a process of arranging the sterilization object, that is, the gripping tool 45 and the burr 47, in the container 21 opened upward. At this time, the gripping tool 45 and the burr 47 are preferably placed in or supported by the stainless basket 41 or the support tray 43 . (See Figure 7a).

The subsequent sterilization close sealing step 103 is a process of sealing the accommodating space 21a of the container 21 by putting the sealing cover 23 on the container 21 on the upper part. It is also good to exhaust the air inside the accommodating space 21a with the sealing cover 23 attached to maintain a cleaner state.

The fresh water supply step 105 is a process of filling the sterilization tank 20 with fresh water by driving the fresh water supply unit 37 after the sealing of the sterilization tank 20 is completed by the sealing cover 23 . The water level of the fresh water is enough to completely lock the sterilization object, as shown in FIG. 7B.

When the supply of fresh water is completed through the fresh water supply step 105 , the ultrasonic output step 107 is performed. The ultrasonic output step 107 is a process of applying ultrasonic energy to fresh water by operating the ultrasonic generator 31 through the controller 35 . The vibration energy of ultrasonic waves applied to the fresh water not only sterilizes bacteria, but also elutes hardened blood or living tissue embedded in the microscopic gap of the bur 47 and separates the bone tissue.

A circulation pump operation step 109 may be performed while the ultrasonic output step 107 is performed. When the circulation pump (24 in FIG. 1) is operated through the circulation pump operation step 109, the fresh water inside the sterilization tank 20 is rotated and mixed with the water flow in a certain direction by the circulation pump. The fresh water rotating inside the sterilization tank 20 prevents the fresh water around the sterilization object from stagnating. In other words, it is to prevent the dead body of bacteria from floating around the sterilization object.

The subsequent primary drain step 111 is a process in which the drain 22 is opened to drain the used water to the outside. As mentioned above, the drain 22 is also controlled by the controller 35 . When the first drain step 111 is completed, the inside of the sterilization tank 20 is empty as shown in FIG. 7C .

In a state in which the sterilization tank 20 is empty, if more ultrasonic sterilization is required, the fresh water supply step 105 , the ultrasonic output step 107 , and the circulation pump operation step 109 may be repeated.

However, if the ultrasonic sterilization has already been sufficiently performed, the ozone water supply step 113 is continued. The ozone water supply step 113 is a process of shutting off the drain unit 22 and operating the ozone water supply unit 50 . When the ozone water supply unit 50 is operated, ozone water is supplied into the sterilization tank 20 . Ozone water itself has a strong sterilization power, so it completely sterilizes bacteria that may remain on the surface of the sterilization object.

If necessary, as shown in FIG. 7D , the circulation pump operation step 115 may be performed even when the object to be sterilized is immersed in ozone water. When ozone water rotates along the water flow in a certain direction, the activity of ozone increases and the sterilization efficiency can be improved.

If the sterilization using the ozone water is completed, the heating step 117 is performed. The heating step 117 is a process of heating the ozone water by operating the heating unit 33 . The heating temperature at this time is around 30°C. When ozone water is heated to the above temperature, ozone in the water vaporizes and changes into harmless oxygen.

In the heating step 117, it is preferable to operate the gas discharge unit 27 so that oxygen is discharged more rapidly from the ozone water. If all ozone components have been removed through the above process, the second drain step 119 is performed to empty the sterilization tank 20 .

The subsequent drying step 121 is a process of drying the water of the gripping tool 45 and the burr 47 after sterilization by operating the drying heater 25a, as shown in FIG. 7f. During the drying step 121, the gas discharge unit 27 is operated to discharge moisture. If sufficient drying has been performed through the drying step 121, the sterilization shell opening step 123 is performed. The sterilization shell opening step 123 is a process of turning off the drying heater 25a and opening the sealing cover 23 .

If the sealing cover 23 is opened, the object pickup step 125 of lifting the stainless basket 41 containing the gripping tool 45 and the support tray 43 on which the burr 47 is placed is performed, and all processes to finish

As mentioned above, although the present invention has been described in detail through specific embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible by those of ordinary skill within the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention.

10: Sterilization device 20: Sterilization tank 21: Container
21a: accommodating space 21b: bottom part 22: drain part
22a: drain pipe 22b: drain valve 23: sealing cover
24: circulation pump 25: dryer 25a: drying heater
25b: switch 27: gas discharge unit 29: collection unit
31: ultrasonic generator 33: heating unit 35: control unit
37: fresh water supply unit 37a: fresh water supply pipe 41: stainless basket
41a: handle 43: support tray 45: gripping tool
47: bur (bur) 48: bur block 50: ozone water supply unit
51: pressurized pump 52: mixer 53: ozone generator
60: bubble generator 61: housing 61a: space
61b: cap fixing part 62: sealing cap 62b: hose connection part
63,64: Hose 70: Bubble generating cartridge 71: Holding case
71a: filter mounting groove 71b: Teflon body mounting groove 71c: gap maintaining part
73: filter 75: teflon body 75a: micropore
76a: inlet 76b: decompression zone 76c: outlet

Claims (5)

A sterilization tank including a container for accommodating a sterilization object and a sealing cover for sealing the container;
a fresh water supply unit for supplying fresh water into the sterilization tank;
an ozone water supply unit for supplying ozone water into the sterilization tank;
a drain for discharging the water inside the sterilization tank;
an ultrasonic generator that transmits ultrasonic energy to the fresh water in a state in which fresh water is filled in the sterilization tank to sterilize an object immersed in the fresh water by ultrasonic waves;
a heater mounted on the sterilization tank and applying heat to the inside of the sterilization tank;
A dental treatment tool sterilizer including a control unit for outputting a control signal. According to claim 1,
In the interior of the sterilization tank, a dental treatment tool sterilizer further equipped with a stirring unit for stirring the fresh water or ozone water contained therein. According to claim 1,
A dental treatment tool sterilizer equipped with a drying heater for drying the object to be sterilized after draining fresh or ozone water in the sterilization tank. According to claim 1,
The sealing cover is provided with a gas discharge unit for discharging gas generated from fresh water or ozone water to the outside of the sterilization tank,
A dental treatment tool sterilizer provided with a collecting unit for collecting the gas discharged by the gas discharging unit on the outside of the sealing cover. According to claim 1,
A dental treatment tool sterilizer further comprising a mesh-shaped basket or tray for accommodating the object to be sterilized as used when placing the object to be sterilized in the container.

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