NL8006525A - STEP WASHER FOR DISINFECTION TREATMENT OF LAUNDRY. - Google Patents

Description

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Step washer for disinfection treatment of laundry.

The invention relates to a step washing machine for the disinfection treatment of laundry with axially arranged consecutive and rotatable washing drum surrounded by a house, with treatment sections united in soaking, washing and rinsing zones.

Step washing machines are already known which are suitable for carrying out a disinfection washing process. In addition, the washing stations run from the input side, starting with processing sections arranged one after the other, in succession in the direction of the output side.

The washing bath is displaced in a countercurrent direction, i.e. the fresh water is supplied to the last rinsing section and flows overflow trays in the individual processing sections towards the inlet side.

In order to be able to carry out a disinfection, the laundry remains under a certain temperature for a certain period of time when disinfectant detergents are added to the main washing departments.

In German Offenlegungsschrift 21 22 568 such a step washing machine is described, wherein a separation of the washing bath flow takes place in the rinsing area, whereby a part of the washing bath is passed through the washing departments in countercurrent to the washing and is used for washing treatment. The other part is returned to the input area. This serves there for soaking and moistening the wax and leaves the machine again immediately after the soaking department.

These known step washing machines generally have the drawback that, although disinfection washing processes can be carried out therewith, the washing bath never leaves the washing machine germ-free.

It is now the object of the invention to prevent harmful consequences due to draining of a non-germ-free washing bath from the step washing machine.

The invention is based on the problem of taking into account the variety of the number of machining departments with a little complexity - providing a step washing machine with reliable disinfection of the wax and germ-free waste water. .

This problem is solved according to the invention in that the washing drum is subdivided into a direct current area with rectified and in a counter current area with counter-directed movement of laundry and treatment bath, the counter current area comprising washing and rinsing sections in a known manner, while in the direct current area at least one disinfection treatment department is arranged after the soaking department, and that a drain is provided for the bath of the direct current area on the last disinfection treatment department and for the bath of the countercurrent area on the first washing department.

According to the invention, an external dividing wall extending all-round to the housing of the step-washing machine is arranged between the direct current and the counter-current areas, whereby a separation between the segments of the step-washing machine is obtained outside the machine, in which no germ-free, respectively. germ-free laundry is treated 20. For effective disinfection treatment of the laundry, both the soaking department and at least one subsequent disinfection treatment department are connected to a disinfectant detergent metering device.

In the area of the last disinfection treatment department in front of the partition, a suction device is arranged.

In the area of the entire machine, a leakage water manifold with a collection reservoir is available for occurring leakage water, to which each treatment department is connected.

The invention ensures that both the disinfection treatment departments and the bath running through the washing and rinsing sections leave the step washing machine absolutely germ-free. On the one hand, this reliably prevents the entrainment of live germs, which may be present, for example, in hospital laundry to be treated, while on the other hand no further expensive measures are required for germ-freeing the draining washing bath.

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The invention will now be further elucidated on the basis of an exemplary embodiment with reference to the drawing. The drawing shows a schematic longitudinal section of an exemplary embodiment of a 5-step washing machine according to the invention.

It consists of processing sections 5,6,1,8, 9,10,11 and 12 arranged within a housing 2, arranged axially next to one another and rotatably mounted in a washing drum. In accordance with their function within the step washing machine, these are a soaking department 5, two disinfection treatment departments 6 and 7 for chemical disinfection of the laundry, two main washing departments 8 and 9, one after-washing department 10, as well as two rinsing departments 11 and 12. Obviously, the use of more or 15 fewer than eight treatment departments in the sense of the invention is readily possible.

Between the second and thus the last disinfection treatment department 7 and the first main washing department 8, an external partition wall 4 extending on all sides to the housing 2 is arranged.

The soaking department 5 and at least the first disinfection treatment department 6 are connected to a dosing device 24 for disinfectant detergents and resp. disinfectants.

According to the already generally known mode of operation of a step washing machine, the laundry to be treated is moved step by step from inlet and rinsing area 1 through the treatment sections 5 to 12 to the laundry outlet 13. In addition, each washing station always remains in a treatment department 5 to 12 for a 30-step period and is then passed on to the next.

Fresh water is supplied to the latter, in this case the second rinsing section 12, via the fresh water supply line 14. A division of the bath flow then takes place in the coil section 12 in a known manner.

A part of the bath is countercurrent to the arrow direction 16 corresponding to the laundry to be treated by the other rinsing sections (in the given example only the first rinsing section 11) and the main washing resp. after-wash departments 8, 9 and 10 lined, 8006525

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While the other part is firstly supplied via a conduit 15 to a collection reservoir 21. From this collection reservoir 21, the rinse water is introduced by means of the pump 22 via the rinse line 23 into the inlet and rinse area 1, thereby rinsing and moisturizing the laundry.

In the soaking department 5, a disinfectant detergent is added to the wash bath at 35 ° C. chemical disinfection already begins here. This is continued in the disinfection treatment sections 6 and 7 connecting to the soaking section 5 according to the invention, in which a temperature of about 60 ° C prevails.

In a corresponding embodiment of the step washing machine with more processing departments than in the proposed example, more than two disinfection treatment departments may also be present.

According to the invention, a further disinfection detergent is added to at least the first disinfection treatment department 6.

The invention ensures that the laundry to be treated in the second and thus last disinfection treatment department 7 is certainly germ-free, and that the washing bath also no longer contains any living germs.

In the subsequent main wash sections 8 and 9, a main wash and an additional thermal disinfection of the wash then take place at a bath temperature of 90 ° C.

This is followed by the after-washing department 10 with a bath temperature of 70 ° C, as well as the rinsing departments 11 and 12 with a bath temperature of 40 ° C.

On the one hand, the bath flows resulting from the division of the rinsing bath into the last rinsing section 12 move in countercurrent manner up to the first main washing section 8 in a known manner, while on the other hand the bath used for rinsing in the wash in direct current with the wax up to the last disinfection treatment department 7 is conducted. There is the drain 18 for the bath of the direct current area. The drain 17 for the bath of the countercurrent zone is arranged on the first main washing section 8. The drains 17 and 18 in the invention are thus located at a location of the step washing machine, 8006525 29-5, where both these bath flows are guaranteed to be germ-free.

A suction device 3 is arranged in the part of the housing 2 assigned to the last disinfection treatment department 7, as well as in the extension direction of the step washing machine in front of the partition wall 4.

Its task is to generate an air movement in the countercurrent region from the rinsing section 12 in the direction of the disinfection section 7, in order thereby to avoid a germ transfer from the impure to the pure side.

Each processing department 5 to 12 has a collecting gutter with leakage water discharge pipe 16 for collecting any leakage water that may occur. This is led into the collection reservoir 21 via the leakage water collecting pipe 20.

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List of reference numbers 1 = Input and rinsing area 2 = Housing 3 = Suction device 4 = Partition wall 5 = Soaking department 6 = Disinfection treatment department 7 = Disinfection treatment department 8 = Main washing department 9 = Main washing department 10 = Post-washing department 11 = Rinsing department 12 = Rinsing department 13 = Washing water drain 14 = Fresh water drain 15 = Line 16 = Arrow direction (wash bath flow for washing in countercurrent direction) 17 = Drain counterflow area 18 = Drain DC area 19 = Leakage water drain line 20 = Leakage water collection pipe 21 = Collection tank 22 = Pump 23 = Rinse line 24 = Disinfectant detergent doser.

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Claims (5)

1. Step washing machine for disinfection treatment of laundry with axial juxtaposed and rotatable washing drum surrounded by a housing with soaking, washing and rinsing zones, with dividing of the rinsing bath in the last rinsing section and part of which, in the countercurrent process, further rinsing sections pass through and prior to said fitted rinsing sections, and the other part of the rinsing bath is supplied to a soaking section, characterized in that the washing drum is located in a direct current region with a countercurrent region with a counter-directed movement of washing and treatment bath is divided, the countercurrent area in known manner comprising washing and rinsing departments, while in the direct-flow area after the soaking department at least one disinfection treatment department is arranged, and that before the bath of the DC area at the last disinfection treatment department and a drain is provided for the countercurrent bath on the first wash section. 2. Step washing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that an external partition wall extending on all sides to the housing of the step washing machine is arranged between the direct current area and the counter current area. Step washing machine according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the soaking department and at least one disinfection treatment department are connected to a dosing device for a disinfectant detergent. 1 8006525 Step washing machine according to Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a suction device is arranged in front of the partition in the area of the last disinfection treatment department. - 8 - Step washing machine according to claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, for leakage water that occurs, each treatment department is connected to a leakage water collector with a collection reservoir. 8006525