KR20220069257A - Ultrasonic probe disinfection device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe disinfection device capable of disinfecting an ultrasonic probe with a simple operation such as spraying disinfectant and drying, and preventing a user and a patient from being exposed to a sprayed disinfectant solution. The ultrasonic probe disinfection device according to the present invention comprises: a chamber forming an airtight space with the outside; a mounting unit installed inside the chamber to mount at least one ultrasonic probe; a spraying unit installed adjacent to the mounting unit inside the chamber, and spraying a disinfectant solution to at least one ultrasonic probe mounted on the mounting unit for a predetermined time while rotating; a drying unit drying by spraying air to at least one ultrasonic probe sprayed with the disinfectant solution by the spraying unit; an outlet filtering the disinfectant solution in air introduced into the chamber by the drying unit and discharging the air to the outside of the chamber; and an input unit provided on the outside of the chamber to set a spraying time and an amount of the spraying unit and a drying time of the drying unit.

Description

Ultrasonic probe disinfection device

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe disinfection device, and more particularly, to an ultrasonic probe that can be sterilized by a simple operation through spraying and drying a disinfectant solution inside a chamber, and an ultrasonic probe for preventing the sprayed disinfectant solution from being exposed to users and patients It relates to disinfection devices.

The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus is a medical imaging device for diagnosing a subject by imaging the inside of the subject's body using ultrasound.

Such an ultrasonic diagnostic device is widely used during health checkups or surgery, for example, for imaging of living tissue, detecting foreign substances in a living body, determining the degree of damage, and observing a tumor or a fetus.

2. Description of the Related Art In general, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus uses an ultrasonic probe for emitting ultrasonic waves in contact with the skin on a diagnostic site of a subject and receiving reflected ultrasonic waves.

The ultrasound probe is used by applying a gel for ultrasound diagnosis to a surface (hereinafter, referred to as a probe surface) that comes into contact with a subject during diagnosis. After diagnosis, the gel is removed from the probe surface, but the probe surface may be contaminated with pathogens transferred from the subject.

If an ultrasonic probe with a contaminated probe surface is continuously used without sterilization or disinfection treatment, there is a risk that the next subject may be infected again. In addition, there is a risk that an operator who operates the ultrasound probe may also be exposed to infection.

In order to solve this problem, Korean Patent No. 10-2068706 discloses an "automatic ultrasonic probe sterilizer".

The disclosed ultrasonic probe automatic sterilizer includes a main body in which a space capable of accommodating an ultrasonic probe is formed therein, a door that can be opened and closed on one side of the front side, is formed inside the main body, and is transferred toward the housed ultrasonic probe to remove the ultrasonic gel. A foreign material removal unit to remove a foreign substance, formed inside the main body, and a transfer unit for lifting and lowering the foreign material removal unit, a disinfecting solution spraying unit formed inside the main body and spraying a disinfecting solution toward the housed ultrasonic probe, a foreign material removing unit, a transferring unit, and a disinfecting solution spray It is configured to include a control unit for controlling the operation of the unit.

That is, the disclosed ultrasonic probe automatic sterilization apparatus discloses contents of automatically sterilizing the ultrasonic probe by accommodating the ultrasonic probe in the main body.

However, in order to sterilize the ultrasonic probe, it is necessary to vary the spraying time of the disinfectant according to the type of bacteria. There was a problem in that it was difficult to spray the disinfectant solution evenly on the probe.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic probe disinfection apparatus capable of uniformly spraying a disinfectant solution on a mounted ultrasonic probe and accurately controlling the spraying time of the disinfectant solution.

The ultrasonic probe disinfection apparatus according to the present invention includes a chamber forming a closed space with the outside, a cradle installed inside the chamber to mount at least one ultrasonic probe, and is installed adjacent to the cradle inside the chamber and rotates a spraying unit for spraying a disinfectant solution for a preset period of time to the at least one ultrasonic probe mounted on the cradle, a drying unit for drying the at least one ultrasonic probe sprayed with the disinfectant solution by the spraying unit with wind through a fan; An outlet for filtering the air introduced into the chamber by the drying unit and flowing the disinfectant solution out of the chamber; characterized by including.

In the ultrasonic probe disinfection apparatus according to the present invention, the spray unit includes a storage unit for storing the disinfectant solution, a pump for sucking the disinfectant solution stored in the storage unit, and a check valve for spraying the disinfectant solution sucked from the pump. Thus, it characterized in that it comprises a nozzle for controlling the spraying of the disinfectant solution, and a motor for rotating the nozzle.

In the ultrasonic probe disinfection apparatus according to the present invention, the holder is formed in a shape corresponding to each of a linear probe, a convex probe and a sector probe, and a dedicated holder and the linear probe, the convex probe, and the sector probe for mounting each probe and a multi-cradle accommodating all of them, and the dedicated cradle and the mulch cradle change the angle of the mounted probe to a preset pattern when the disinfectant solution is sprayed by the spraying unit.

The ultrasonic probe disinfection apparatus according to the present invention is configured such that a nozzle that sprays the disinfectant solution is rotatable, so that the disinfectant solution can be uniformly sprayed on the mounted ultrasonic probe, and the spray amount of the disinfectant solution can be accurately controlled through a check valve.

1 is a view showing the configuration of an ultrasonic probe disinfection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a view showing a top surface of an ultrasonic probe disinfection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a view showing a side view of an ultrasonic probe disinfection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasonic probe disinfection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Prior to the detailed description of the present invention, the terms or words used in the present specification and claims described below should not be construed as being limited to their ordinary or dictionary meanings, and the inventors should develop their own inventions in the best way. It should be interpreted as meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention based on the principle that it can be appropriately defined as a concept of a term for explanation. Therefore, the embodiments described in the present specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are only the most preferred embodiments of the present invention, and do not represent all the technical spirit of the present invention, so various equivalents that can be substituted for them at the time of the present application It should be understood that there may be water and variations.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this case, it should be noted that in the accompanying drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals as much as possible. In addition, detailed descriptions of well-known functions and configurations that may obscure the gist of the present invention will be omitted. For the same reason, some components are exaggerated, omitted, or schematically illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and the size of each component does not fully reflect the actual size.

1 is a view showing the configuration of an ultrasonic probe disinfecting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a view showing an upper surface of the ultrasonic probe disinfecting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is an embodiment of the present invention It is a view showing a side surface of the ultrasonic probe disinfection apparatus according to , and FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the ultrasonic probe disinfection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 to 4 , the ultrasonic probe disinfection apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a chamber 10 , a mounting part 20 , a spraying part 30 , a drying part 40 , and an outlet part ( 50 ), an input unit 60 , a display unit 70 , a storage unit 80 , and a control unit 90 .

The chamber 10 forms an enclosed space with the outside, and forms a space for mounting the ultrasonic probe therein. The chamber 10 may be configured to include a door that can receive or take out the ultrasonic probe by opening the inside, and sealing it again. Here, the door is formed of a transparent material, so that the inside of the chamber 10 can be checked from the outside. Here, the ultrasonic probe can be a linear probe, a convex probe, and a sector probe.

The mounting unit 20 may be installed inside the chamber 10 to mount at least one ultrasonic probe. The mounting unit 20 is formed in a shape corresponding to each of the linear probe, the convex probe and the sector probe, and includes a dedicated cradle and a linear probe, a convex probe, and a multi cradle accommodating all of the sector probes for mounting each probe. Here, the dedicated holder and the mulch holder can change the angle of the mounted ultrasonic probe to a preset pattern when the disinfectant solution is sprayed by the spraying unit 30 . Through this, the mounting unit 20 may support the disinfection solution to be uniformly sprayed on the ultrasonic probe.

The spraying unit 30 is installed adjacent to the holder 20 inside the chamber 10 and can spray the disinfectant solution to at least one ultrasonic probe mounted on the holder 20 while rotating for a preset time. Preferably, the injection unit 30 may be disposed on the cradle 20 .

The injection unit 30 may include a storage unit 31 , a pump 32 , a nozzle 33 , and a motor 34 .

The storage unit 31 is a storage container for storing the disinfectant solution and is illustrated as being provided outside the chamber 10 , but is not limited thereto, and may be provided inside the chamber 10 .

The pump 32 may suck the disinfectant solution provided in the storage unit 31 and supply it to the nozzle 33 for spraying the disinfectant solution.

The nozzle 33 may spray the disinfectant solution sucked from the pump 32 . Here, the nozzle 33 is configured to include a check valve at the end. On the other hand, according to the use of the ultrasonic probe, it is necessary to disinfect for a certain period of time or more depending on the type of bacteria present. Here, because of the time taken from the storage unit 31 to the nozzle by the pump 32 , the spray amount of the disinfectant solution may not be accurate. Therefore, the nozzle 33 according to the embodiment of the present invention may include a check valve at the end to precisely control the amount of spraying of the disinfectant solution.

The motor 34 may rotate the nozzle 33 . Here, the motor 34 may be configured to rotate the nozzle 33 about a central axis directed downward to the upper portion of the chamber 10 . Through this, it is possible to evenly spray the disinfectant solution to the ultrasonic probes mounted in plurality. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the nozzle 33 may be configured to perform a conical motion about a central axis facing to the front.

The drying unit 40 may dry the at least one ultrasonic probe to which the disinfectant solution is sprayed by spraying air by the spraying unit 30 . The drying unit 40 may be installed in the upper portion of the chamber 10 , and a drying fan may be installed in a hole penetrating the upper surface of the chamber 10 to introduce external air into the chamber 10 . have.

The outlet 50 may discharge the air introduced into the chamber 10 by the drying unit 40 to the outside of the chamber 10 . Here, the outlet 50 may filter the disinfectant solution and flow it out to the outside of the chamber 10 in order to prevent the disinfectant solution from flowing out together with the air. To this end, the outlet 50 may be configured to include a filter. Here, an activated carbon nonwoven filter may be used as the filter.

The input unit 60 receives various information such as number and character information, and transmits input signals related to setting various functions and controlling functions of the ultrasonic probe disinfection apparatus 100 to the control unit 90 . The input unit 60 may include at least one of a keypad and a touchpad that generate an input signal according to a touch or manipulation. In this case, the input unit 60 is configured in the form of a single touch panel (or touch screen) together with the display unit 70 to simultaneously perform input and display functions. The input unit 60 may set the injection time, the injection amount, and the drying time of the drying unit 40 of the injection unit 30 .

The display unit 70 displays information about a series of operation states and operation results generated while the ultrasonic probe disinfection apparatus 100 is performing a function. In particular, the display unit 70 may output the set injection time, injection amount, drying time, etc., and may output the remaining injection time, the remaining drying time, and the like. The display unit 70 includes a liquid crystal display (LCD), an ultra-thin liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD, Thin Film Transistor LCD), a light emitting diode (LED, Light Emitting Diode), and an organic light emitting diode (OLED, Organic LED). ), an active organic light emitting diode (AMOLED, Active Matrix OLED), a retina display, a flexible display, and a three-dimensional display. In this case, when the display unit 70 is configured in the form of a touch screen, some or all of the functions of the input unit 60 may be performed.

The storage unit 80 is a device for storing data, and stores an application program necessary for a functional operation of the ultrasonic probe disinfection apparatus 100 . When each function is activated in response to a user's request, the storage unit 80 executes corresponding application programs under the control of the control unit 90 to provide each function. In particular, the storage unit 80 may store a program for operating the holding unit 20 , the spraying unit 30 , and the drying unit 40 according to a set value. In addition, the storage unit 80 may store the set injection time, injection amount, and drying time.

The controller 90 controls the overall function of the ultrasonic probe disinfection apparatus 100 . When receiving the injection time, injection amount, and drying time set by the user from the input unit 60, the control unit 90 can control the mounting unit 20, the injection unit 30, and the drying unit 40 according to the set values. .

As described above, the ultrasonic probe disinfection apparatus 100 according to the present invention configures the nozzle 33 for spraying the disinfectant solution to be rotatable, so that the disinfectant solution can be uniformly sprayed on the mounted ultrasonic probe, and the amount of the disinfectant solution sprayed through the check valve can be precisely controlled.

Although the present invention has been described above using several preferred embodiments, these examples are illustrative and not restrictive. As such, those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains will understand that various changes and modifications can be made in accordance with the doctrine of equivalents without departing from the spirit of the present invention and the scope of rights set forth in the appended claims.

10: chamber
20: mount
30: injection part
31: storage
32: pump
33: nozzle
34: motor
40: drying unit
50: outlet
60: input unit
70: display
80: storage
90: control unit
100: ultrasonic probe disinfection device

Claims (3)

a chamber forming a closed space with the outside;
a cradle installed inside the chamber to mount at least one ultrasonic probe;
a spraying unit installed adjacent to the holder in the chamber and configured to spray the disinfectant solution to the at least one ultrasonic probe mounted on the holder while rotating for a preset time;
a drying unit for drying the at least one ultrasonic probe to which the disinfectant solution is sprayed by the spray unit with wind through a fan;
an outlet for filtering the air introduced into the chamber by the drying unit and discharging the disinfectant solution to the outside of the chamber;
an input unit provided outside the chamber to set an injection time of the injection unit, an injection amount, and a drying time of the drying unit;
Ultrasonic probe disinfection device comprising a. According to claim 1,
The spray unit,
a storage unit for storing the disinfectant solution;
a pump for sucking the disinfectant solution stored in the storage unit;
a nozzle for spraying the disinfectant solution sucked from the pump, and including a check valve to control the spraying of the disinfectant solution;
a motor rotating the nozzle;
Ultrasonic probe disinfection device comprising a. 3. The method of claim 2,
the cradle,
A linear probe, a convex probe and a sector probe and a dedicated cradle for mounting each probe and a multi cradle accommodating all of the linear probe, the convex probe, and the sector probe,
The dedicated cradle and the mulch cradle,
When the disinfectant solution is sprayed by the spraying unit, the ultrasonic probe disinfection apparatus characterized in that the angle of the mounted probe is changed to a preset pattern.

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