KR20240008443A - Medical waste treatment device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a medical waste treatment device, and more specifically, to a medical waste treatment device that inputs medical waste, crushes it, sterilizes it, and then discharges it.
A medical waste disposal device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an input unit into which medical waste is input, a grinding unit that pulverizes the medical waste introduced into the input unit, and steam that applies steam to the medical waste pulverized from the grinding unit. It includes a supply unit, a sterilization unit that sterilizes the medical waste that has passed through the steam supply unit, and a discharge unit that discharges the medical waste that has passed the sterilization unit.

Description

Medical waste treatment device}

The present invention relates to a medical waste treatment device, and more specifically, to a medical waste treatment device that inputs medical waste, crushes it, sterilizes it, and then discharges it.

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the material described in this section is not prior art to the claims of this application, and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.

In general, medical waste discharged from medical institutions that perform medical services for patients includes disposable syringes, cotton pads, bandages, gauze, surgical gowns, etc. These medical wastes may be contaminated with patients' blood, body fluids, excrement, etc. , Depending on the patient's disease, medical waste is separated from general waste and is treated under strict management because it contains harmful ingredients or is a waste that may cause harm such as infection to the human body.

The general disposal method for medical waste is to collect medical waste separately into medical waste bags and then incinerate the collected bags. However, in order to incinerate medical waste, a certain volume of medical waste is collected, collected, and then moved to a separately provided incineration facility according to a certain cycle or capacity for processing. However, because incineration facilities are limited, medical waste must be disposed of separately before incineration. Storage space is required, they must be placed in a dedicated box for storage and movement, manpower is used in the process of moving them to an incineration facility, and in some cases, workers are exposed to risk from infectious medical waste. This may happen.

Accordingly, a number of medical waste treatment devices have been disclosed that sterilize medical waste immediately at the site of generation using microwaves rather than incineration, but the disclosed technology does not contain specific details on under what conditions and under what conditions medical waste is treated. A treatment device with optimal conditions was required from inputting medical waste through crushing and sterilization to discharge.

1. Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1779296 (announced on September 26, 2017)

The present invention seeks to provide a medical waste disposal device with optimal conditions for inputting medical waste, pulverizing it, sterilizing it, and then discharging it.

In addition, it is not limited to the technical challenges described above, and it is obvious that other technical challenges may be derived from the description below.

A medical waste disposal device according to an embodiment of the present invention is a clothing removal device having an input portion into which medical waste is input, and a vibrating means for removing the bag of medical waste at the bottom of the input portion and removing clothing contained in the waste. A screen, a grinding unit that crushes the medical waste that is input into the input unit and passes through the clothing removal screen, a steam supply unit that applies steam to the medical waste pulverized from the grinding unit, and a medical waste that has passed the steam supply unit. It includes a sterilization unit that sterilizes, a discharge unit that discharges medical waste that has passed through the sterilization unit, and a control unit that controls each of the processing units.

According to a preferred feature of the present invention, there is a detector that searches for the presence or absence of metal while transporting the medical waste delivered from the medical waste storage unit in a horizontal direction, and a detector that measures the weight of the medical waste that has passed through the detector to classify the medical waste by quantitative unit. It is characterized in that it further includes a weighing conveyor for transferring, and a transfer conveyor for transferring medical waste quantitatively transferred through the weighing conveyor to the input unit.

According to a preferred feature of the present invention, the transfer conveyor has a structure inclined toward the upper part to transport medical waste upward, and the medical waste transferred to the input unit located at the upper end of the transfer conveyor passes through the input unit to the crushing unit. It is characterized by being transmitted.

According to a preferred feature of the present invention, the input unit, grinding unit, and steam supply unit are formed to be sealed except for the space where medical waste is input and discharged, and are formed on the upper part of the input unit to remove dust generated when medical waste is pulverized. It further comprises a first intake duct that sucks in or harmful substances and discharges them to the outside, and an air purification device that filters dust or harmful substances sucked in through the first intake duct and discharges the purified air to the outside. do.

According to a preferred feature of the present invention, the medical waste pulverized in the pulverizing unit is characterized in that moisture is supplied through steam supplied from a steam supply unit installed at the bottom and the internal air is sterilized at the same time.

According to a preferred feature of the present invention, it is installed between the grinding unit and the sterilization unit, and further includes a transfer screw that transfers the medical waste from which the grinding, steaming, and clothing has been removed, along the longitudinal direction by a fixed amount.

According to a preferred feature of the present invention, the sterilization unit includes a transfer feeder inclined upward to transfer the medical waste delivered from the steam supply unit to the discharge unit, extending along the longitudinal direction of the transfer feeder, and including the transfer feeder. A sterilization chamber that prevents medical waste to be wrapped and transported from escaping, a pump member that creates a vacuum inside the sterilization chamber, and a first insulation member that is formed to surround the outer peripheral surface of the sterilization chamber and maintains the internal temperature uniformly. and a microwave generating member disposed at regular intervals on the outer peripheral surface of the sterilization chamber and generating microwaves to remove moisture contained in medical waste.

According to a preferred feature of the present invention, the transfer feeder consists of a transfer screw that transfers medical waste in a screw manner by the operation of a motor connected to the shaft, and a stirring mechanism installed on the screw blade of the transfer feeder to agitate the transferred medical waste Characterized in that it includes a device.

According to a preferred feature of the present invention, the sterilization chamber further includes a water vapor supply unit installed inside the sterilization chamber to supply water vapor to the medical waste being transported and sterilized.

According to a preferred feature of the present invention, the inside of the sterilization chamber is created in a vacuum state.

The water vapor sucked in by the pump member is condensed through a cooling device and the odor contained in the water vapor is removed through a filter.

According to a preferred feature of the present invention, it includes a second intake duct installed adjacent to the discharge unit to suck in dust or harmful substances generated from medical waste discharged and discharge them to the outside, and the air purifying device has a second intake duct. It is characterized by filtering dust or harmful substances sucked in and discharging them to the outside.

According to the present invention, there is an advantage that the device can be automated by allowing medical waste to be input in a fixed amount, pulverized, sterilized, and then discharged.

In addition, according to the present invention, there is an advantage that during the process of sterilizing medical waste using microwaves, a vacuum can be maintained within the sterilization chamber so that sufficient sterilization can be achieved even at a lower temperature.

In addition, since the temperature can be maintained within the chamber, there is no need for a separate temperature maintenance section and it is easy to install in places with limited installation space.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects described above, and should be understood to include all effects that can be inferred from the configuration of the invention described in the detailed description or claims of the present invention.

1 is a conceptual diagram of a medical waste treatment device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a diagram schematically showing the process before medical waste is input in the medical waste treatment device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a diagram showing the process of pulverized medical waste passing through a screen in the medical waste treatment device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a detailed view of the sterilization unit in the medical waste treatment device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 is a detailed view of a state in which an insulation member is installed in a sterilization chamber in the medical waste disposal device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 6 shows a medical waste treatment device according to an embodiment of the present invention,
A state where the stirring device is mounted on the screw blade of the transfer feeder.
Figure 7 shows a medical waste treatment device according to an embodiment of the present invention,
The brush is mounted on the screw blade of the transfer feeder.

Hereinafter, the configuration, operation, and effects of the medical waste treatment device according to the preferred embodiment will be examined with reference to the attached drawings. For reference, in the drawings below, each component is omitted or schematically shown for convenience and clarity, and the size of each component does not reflect the actual size. In addition, the same reference numerals refer to the same components throughout the specification, and reference numerals for the same components in individual drawings will be omitted.

A medical waste disposal device according to an embodiment of the present invention has an input unit 100 into which medical waste is input, a bag of medical waste is removed from the lower part of the input unit 100, and clothing contained in the waste is removed. A clothing removal screen 130 having a vibrating means (not shown), a grinding unit 200 for pulverizing the medical waste that is inputted into the input unit 100 and passing through the clothing removal screen 130, and the grinding unit. A steam supply unit 300 that applies steam to pulverized medical waste from (200), a sterilization unit 400 that sterilizes the medical waste that has passed through the steam supply unit 300, and the medical waste that has passed through the sterilization unit 400. It includes a discharge unit 600 through which waste is discharged, and a control unit 650 that controls each of the processing units.

In addition, before the medical waste is input into the input unit 100, a detector 110 that searches for the presence or absence of metal while transferring the medical waste delivered from the storage unit in the horizontal direction, and the medical waste that has passed through the detector 110 A weighing conveyor 120 that measures the weight and transfers the medical waste by quantitative unit, and a transfer conveyor 130 that transfers the medical waste quantitatively transferred through the weighing conveyor 120 to the input unit 100. ) is characterized in that it further includes.

First, medical waste is generated from multiple wards and is stored in a storage unit. The medical waste received in this way passes through a detector 110 to check the presence or absence of metal before being input from the storage unit to the input unit 100. The detector 110 is made of a device that can easily check the presence or absence of metal, such as an

Next, the medical waste that has passed through the detector 110 passes through the weighing conveyor 120 so that a fixed amount of medical waste can be divided and transported by unit weight. In this way, medical waste equivalent to the unit weight can then be divided and transported along the transfer conveyor 130, and division partitions to separate medical waste for each unit weight can be spaced apart along the transfer direction of the transfer conveyor 130. there is.

Here, the transfer conveyor 130 has a structure inclined toward the upper side rather than a horizontal direction, and transports medical waste from the ground to the input portion 100 formed at a predetermined height. The medical waste transferred in this way passes through the input unit 100 and falls toward the crushing unit 200, which will be described later, thereby facilitating crushing.

The medical waste introduced into the input unit 100 is pulverized into small units by the grinding unit 200. Here, the pulverizing unit 200 crushes the medical waste input by unit weight, with pulverizing blades formed on both sides rotating toward the input position based on the input position to pulverize the medical waste. A torque sensing unit (not shown) is installed in the grinding unit 200 to detect rotating torque, and can detect when the grinding blade does not rotate due to the input of medical waste that is hard or difficult to grind. , when detected, reverse rotation is possible immediately, thereby preventing the crushing unit 200 from being damaged.

Next, a steam supply unit 300 may be formed to apply steam to the medical waste pulverized from the grinding unit 200. The steam supply unit 300 is installed for the purpose of supplying moisture to the medical waste pulverized in small volume units in the pulverizing unit 200 and sterilizing air containing dust or harmful substances generated during the pulverizing process. Here, the steam supplied from the steam supply unit 300 has a temperature of about 120 to 180°C and is sterilized at high temperature.

As it passes through the steam supply unit 300, it sterilizes and absorbs moisture, and only the remaining medical waste from which clothing is removed by the clothing removal screen 800 installed at the lower part of the input unit 100 passes through the medical waste. Here, the clothing removal screen 800 is a device for selectively removing only clothing. As vibration is applied to the screen through a device such as a vibrator, a small unit volume of medical waste falls down and the clothing is filtered out.

In this way, the medical waste, including metal and clothing, is removed and pulverized into unit volumes, falls to the transfer screw 900 installed at the bottom of the crushing unit 200, is transferred along the horizontal direction, and is delivered to the sterilization unit 400, which will be described later. Here, the transfer screw 900 rotates on its axis by the operation of a motor so that the medical waste contained within the screw is transferred in the horizontal direction, and is discharged from the end to the sterilization unit 400.

According to a preferred feature of the present invention, the input unit 100, grinding unit 200, and steam supply unit 300 are formed to be sealed except for the space where medical waste is input and discharged, so that dust generated during the processing process is not removed. It is possible to prevent harmful substances from being transmitted to the outside, and also remove dust or harmful substances generated when medical waste is pulverized in the crushing unit 200 in the first intake duct 710 installed at the top of the input unit 100. The first intake duct 710 is in communication with the air purification device 700, and the delivered dust or harmful substances are purified by a plurality of filters installed in the air purification device 700 and discharged to the outside. You can.

According to a preferred feature of the present invention, the sterilization unit 400 includes a transfer feeder 410 inclined upward to transfer medical waste delivered from the steam supply unit 300 to the discharge unit 600, and the A sterilization chamber 420 extends along the longitudinal direction of the transfer feeder 410 and surrounds the transfer feeder 410 to prevent the transferred medical waste from escaping, and is formed to surround the outer peripheral surface of the sterilization chamber 420. an insulating member 430 that maintains the internal temperature uniformly, and a plurality of insulation members 430 arranged at regular intervals on the outer peripheral surface of the sterilization chamber 420 and a microwave generating member that generates microwaves to remove moisture contained in medical waste. It is characterized by containing (440).

The transfer feeder 410 is configured to transfer medical waste in one direction while the screw rotates by the operation of a motor connected to the shaft. A stirring device 460 is installed on each screw blade of the transfer feeder 410 to easily mix the transferred medical waste, and at the same time, microwaves irradiated by the microwave generating member, which will be described later, can be evenly and appropriately applied to the medical waste. there is. Additionally, a brush 470 may be installed to easily remove medical waste that sticks to the wings of the transfer feeder 410 and interferes with transfer.

The transfer feeder 410 is configured to be surrounded by a sterilization chamber 420, and is completely closed by the sterilization chamber 420 except for the inlet through which medical waste flows in and the outlet through which medical waste is discharged. The waste is dried and sterilized.

In addition, the sterilization chamber 420 may be equipped with a vacuum pump 500 to maintain a vacuum inside the sterilization chamber 420 in order to obtain a heating temperature that allows sufficient sterilization even at low temperatures without heating to high temperatures. When heating medical waste through microwaves generated from the microwave generating member 440, which will be described later, in a vacuum state, the vacuum pump 500 is heated at a relatively low temperature compared to heating under atmospheric pressure. It has the advantage of being able to evaporate moisture. The water vapor in the sterilization chamber 420 removed by the vacuum pump 500 is condensed through the cooler 510, and the odor contained in the water vapor is removed through the filter 520.

The first insulation member 430, which is formed to surround the outer peripheral surface of the sterilization chamber 420 and maintains the internal temperature uniformly, can maintain the internal temperature uniformly heated by generating microwaves regardless of external conditions. helps you to

The microwave generating member 440 may have a structure in which a plurality of microwave generating members 440 are arranged side by side at a predetermined distance from the upper part of the sterilization chamber 420. When microwaves are generated, the inlet opening/closing door 480 of the sterilization chamber 420 ) and the outlet opening/closing door 490 are configured to be completely closed so that it is performed in a completely sealed environment. As microwaves are applied to the medical waste transported within the sealed sterilization chamber 420, sterilization is achieved along with a drying effect in which water vapor evaporates. Here, when microwaves are irradiated by the microwave generating member 440 within the sterilization chamber 420, it is preferable that sufficient sterilization is achieved by maintaining the temperature at about 95°C for 25 minutes or more.

According to a preferred feature of the present invention, the sterilization chamber 420 further includes a water vapor supply unit 450 installed inside the sterilization chamber 420 to supply water vapor to the medical waste being transported and sterilized. The water vapor supply unit 450 may be installed at a certain distance in the sterilization chamber 420 at a certain distance, and a plurality of water vapor supply units 450 may be installed at the top, center, bottom, etc., and supply moisture with water vapor to the overheated interior due to moisture removal, thereby causing a fire due to overheating. You can prevent it from happening.

In addition, it includes a second intake duct 720 installed adjacent to the discharge unit 500 to suck in dust or harmful substances generated from discharged medical waste and discharge them to the outside, and the air purification device 700 includes a second intake duct 720. Dust or harmful substances sucked in through the intake duct 720 are filtered and discharged to the outside.

In addition, a control unit 650 to control each of the processing units is installed in the processing device to control the input amount, transfer speed control, weighing, steam supply amount control, temperature control, overheating prevention, metal presence/absence detection, X-ray irradiation, microwave irradiation, etc. control.

Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the embodiments described in this specification and the configuration shown in the drawings are only one of the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent the entire technical idea of the present invention. Since this is not the case, it should be understood that there may be various equivalents and modifications that can replace them at the time of filing this application. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims described later rather than the detailed description, and the meaning and scope of the claims and their All changes or modified forms derived from the equivalent concept should be construed as falling within the scope of the present invention.

100: Input unit 110: Detector 120: Weighing conveyor
130: Transfer conveyor 200: Grinding unit 300: Steam supply unit
400: Sterilization unit 410: Transfer feeder 420: Sterilization chamber
430: insulation member 440: microwave generating member
450: Steam supply unit 460: Stirring device 470: Brush
480: Entrance opening/closing door 490: Exit opening/closing door
500: Vacuum pump 510: Cooler 520: Filter
600: Discharge unit 650: Control unit
700: Air purification device 710: First intake duct 720: Second intake duct
800: Clothing removal screen 900: Transfer screw

Claims (11)

Input section where medical waste is input;
a clothing removal screen at the bottom of the input unit and having vibrating means to remove bags of medical waste and remove clothing contained in the waste;
A crushing unit that crushes the medical waste that is input into the input unit and passes through the clothing removal screen;
A steam supply unit that applies steam to the medical waste pulverized from the grinding unit;
A sterilization unit that sterilizes medical waste passing through the steam supply unit;
A discharge unit through which medical waste passing through the sterilization unit is discharged; and
A medical waste disposal device comprising a control unit that controls each of the processing units. According to paragraph 1,
A detector that searches for the presence or absence of metal while transporting medical waste delivered from the medical waste storage unit in a horizontal direction;
A weighing conveyor that measures the weight of medical waste that has passed through the detector and transports the medical waste by quantitative unit;
A medical waste disposal device characterized in that it further comprises a transfer conveyor that transfers the medical waste that is quantitatively transferred through the weighing conveyor to the input unit.
According to paragraph 2,
The transfer conveyor has a structure inclined toward the upper part, transporting medical waste to the upper part,
A medical waste disposal device, characterized in that the medical waste transferred to the input unit located at the upper end of the transfer conveyor passes through the input unit and is delivered to the crushing unit. According to paragraph 1,
The input unit, grinding unit, and steam supply unit are formed to be sealed except for the space where medical waste is input and discharged,
A first intake duct formed at the top of the input unit to suck in dust or harmful substances generated when medical waste is pulverized and discharge them to the outside;
A medical waste disposal device further comprising an air purifying device that filters dust or harmful substances inhaled through the first intake duct and discharges the purified air to the outside. According to paragraph 1,
A medical waste disposal device characterized in that the medical waste pulverized in the pulverizing unit is supplied with moisture through steam supplied from a steam supply unit installed at the bottom and at the same time sterilizes the internal air. According to paragraph 1,
A medical waste disposal device installed between the pulverizing unit and the sterilizing unit, further comprising a transfer screw that transfers the pulverized and steamed medical waste in a fixed amount along the longitudinal direction. According to paragraph 1,
The sterilization unit is,
a transfer feeder inclined upward to transfer the medical waste delivered from the steam supply unit to the discharge unit;
A sterilization chamber extending along the longitudinal direction of the transfer feeder and surrounding the transfer feeder to prevent the transferred medical waste from escaping;
A pump member that creates a vacuum inside the sterilization chamber,
an insulating member formed to surround the outer peripheral surface of the sterilization chamber and maintaining an even internal temperature;
A medical waste disposal device comprising a plurality of microwave generating members arranged at regular intervals on the outer peripheral surface of the sterilization chamber and generating microwaves to remove moisture contained in the medical waste. In clause 7,
The transfer feeder consists of a transfer screw that transfers medical waste in a screw manner by the operation of a motor connected to the shaft,
A medical waste disposal device comprising a stirring device and a brush installed on the screw blade of the transfer feeder to agitate the transferred medical waste. In clause 7,
A medical waste disposal device further comprising a water vapor supply unit installed inside the sterilization chamber to supply water vapor to the medical waste being transported and sterilized. In clause 7,
A medical waste disposal device, characterized in that the water vapor sucked in by the pump member that creates a vacuum inside the sterilization chamber is condensed through a cooling device and the odor contained in the water vapor is removed through a filter. According to clause 10,
It includes a second intake duct installed adjacent to the discharge unit to suck in dust or harmful substances generated from medical waste discharged and discharge them to the outside,
The air purification device is a medical waste disposal device characterized in that it filters dust or harmful substances inhaled through the second intake duct and discharges them to the outside.