WO2013162297A1

WO2013162297A1 - Sterilization system using light emitting diode

Info

Publication number: WO2013162297A1
Application number: PCT/KR2013/003556
Authority: WO
Inventors: Seong Min Lee; Young Hwan Son; Dae Woong Suh
Original assignee: Seoul Optodevice Co Ltd
Current assignee: Seoul Viosys Co Ltd
Priority date: 2012-04-27
Filing date: 2013-04-25
Publication date: 2013-10-31
Anticipated expiration: 2014-10-27
Also published as: KR102027300B1; KR20130121364A

Description

STERILIZATION SYSTEM USING LIGHT EMITTING DIODE

The present invention relates to a sterilization system, and more particularly, to a sterilization system capable of determining whether processed water is sterilized or not using a light emitting diode.

As industries are rapidly developed and the standard of living is improved, insufficient of water resources and environmental pollutions are on the rise, and methods of efficiently purifying sewage or dirty water/wastewater are reviewed and developed in a variety of ways as an alternative. Conventionally, chlorination, an ozone processing method, an ultraviolet light radiation method, and so on are used as the methods of purifying the sewage or dirty water/wastewater.

The chlorination is a method of performing sterilization using a sterilization effect of chlorine after preprocessing such as precipitation, filtering, or the like. However, since trihalomethane (THM) generated as byproducts during sterilization is carcinogen, an additional post-processing process of removing the THM is needed. In addition, the ozone processing method is a method of performing sterilization using a sterilization effect of ozone. However, since the ozone causes air pollution when the ozone generated during the sterilization is discharged to the air, an additional post-processing process of removing the discharged ozone is needed. In addition, the ultraviolet light radiation method is a method of radiating ultraviolet light using an ultraviolet light lamp having an electrode in which mercury gas is generally charged. However, when the sterilization is continuously performed, the electrode is blackened to reduce a radiation amount of the ultraviolet light, decreasing removal efficiency and reducing a lifespan to about 5,000 hours.

In addition, since the chlorination, ozone processing method or ultraviolet light radiation method requires substantial costs to construct, operate, and maintain conventional equipment and is generally used in a large-scale sterilization system, a sterilization system is needed to be efficiently used in a small-scale sterilization system such as a sterilizer for home use.

Moreover, in the related art, an indirect estimation method of determining whether microorganisms or floating matters remain in sterilized water through a concentration of remaining chlorine or a sterilization time. However, since the method is not a direct method, it is difficult to determine whether the processed water is actually sterilized.

In order to solve the foregoing and/or other problems, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a sterilization system capable of detecting whether water is sterilized.

In addition, it is another aspect of the present invention to provide a sterilization system, which is appropriate for a small-scale sterilization, including a sterilization unit configured to sterilize water, a sterilization detection unit configured to detect presence of microorganisms in the sterilized water, and a filtering unit configured to remove the remaining microorganisms in the sterilized water passing through the sterilization detection unit.

The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention may be achieved by providing a sterilization system using a light emitting diode. The sterilization system includes a sterilization unit configured to sterilize water; a sterilization detection unit configured to detect presence of microorganisms in the sterilized water; and a determination control unit configured to selectively control dispense of the sterilized water according to the presence of microorganisms.

The sterilization unit may include at least one light emitting diode for sterilization configured to emit light having a first wavelength to sterilize the microorganisms, and the first wavelength may include a range of 200 nm to 300 nm.

The sterilization detection unit may detect a change in intensity of light according to the presence of the microorganisms, and may include at least one light emitting diode for detection configured to emit light having a second wavelength absorbed by the microorganisms and a light receiving unit configured to detect the intensity of light emitted from the light emitting diode for detection and the intensity of light passing through the sterilized water, and the second wavelength may include a range of 500 nm to 600 nm.

The determination control unit may reroute the sterilized water to the sterilization unit or dispense the sterilized water according to the change in the intensity of light. The determination control unit may reroute the sterilized water to the sterilization unit when the change in the intensity of light is equal to of more than a preset value, and dispenses the sterilized water when the change in the intensity of light is less than the preset value.

A filtering unit configured to filter the microorganisms in the sterilized water passing through the sterilization detection unit may be further provided, and the filtering unit may include a separatpr having porosity corresponding to a size of the microorganisms.

According to the sterilization system of the present invention, since the sterilization detection unit configured to detect a change in intensity of light corresponding to the presence of microorganisms in water is provided to determine whether the microorganisms remain in the water, it is possible to directly determine whether the water is sterilized. In addition, it is possible to simply and easily determine whether the water is sterilized using the light emitting diode configured to emit light of a wavelength range that can detect cell walls or cell membranes of the microorganisms.

Further, since the introduced water is sterilized and the remaining microorganisms can be removed again until an amount of microorganisms remaining in the water satisfies a reference value by checking whether the sterilized water is sufficiently sterilized, more efficient and safe sterilization becomes possible. In addition, secondary contamination due to by products can be prevented by complexly using a sterilization method of radiating ultraviolet light and a filtering method of using a separator. Further, the processes can be integrally performed by one system to be appropriate for a small-scale sterilization.

The above and other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of exemplary embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a configuration of a sterilization system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a processing step of a determination control unit according to the embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a configuration of a sterilization system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following embodiments can be readily understood and modified into various types, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. Like numerals refer to like elements throughout the description of the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a configuration of a sterilization system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, water is introduced into a sterilization detection unit 10. The water may be water which is previously sterilized. The sterilization detection unit 10 may be connected to a reservoir (not shown) in which the sterilized water is stored. For example, the sterilization detection unit 10 includes an inlet port (not shown) having a tubular shape, and the inlet port can be inserted into an opening formed in one surface of the reservoir. Here, the sterilization detection unit 10 includes a fixing unit and can be fixed to the one surface of the reservoir. However, the present invention is not limited thereto but the sterilization detection unit 10 may be connected to any space as long as the sterilized water is stored and in any method.

The sterilization detection unit 10 detects a change in intensity of light corresponding to the presense of microorganisms in the introduced water. The sterilization detection unit 10 may include at least one light emitting diode 12 for detection configured to radiate light to the introduced water. In addition, the sterilization detection unit 10 includes at lease one light receiving unit 14 configured to detect intensity of light emitted from the light emitting diode 12 for detection and intensity of light passed through the water. A disposition interval of the light emitting diode 12 for detection and the light receiving unit 14 may be variously adjusted according to a turbidity of the water.

Since a level that the intensity of light radiated from the light emitting diode 12 for detection is reduced after passing through the water is proportional to an amount of microorganisms present in the water, the level can be detected to determine whether the water is sterilized. In addition, the sterilization detection unit 10 may further include a display unit (not shown) configured to visually display whether the microorganisms remain.

The light emitting diode 12 for detection has advantages such as environment friendliness, a long lifespan, low power consumption, high efficiency emission, and so on. At least one light emitting diode 12 for detection may be provided. The number of light emitting diodes may be variously varied according to a generation place of the water, a usage of the sterilized water, or the like. The light emitting diode 12 may be disposed not to come in contact with the water. In addition, when a plurality of light emitting diodes 12 is disposed, the plurality of light emitting diodes 12 may be disposed in an assembly type to be integrally mounted or separated. The light emitting diode 12 for detection can emit light having a wavelength absorbed by the microorganisms present in the water. For example, the light may have a wavelength that does not break the cell walls or the cell membranes of the microorganisms. For example, the wavelength may be 500 nm to 600 nm. However, the wavelength is not limited thereto but may be varied according to the generation place of the water and the type of the microorganisms to check whether specific microorganisms are present. In addition, the light emitting diode 12 for detection may be connected to a power supply unit (not shown) to emit light.

When the light having the specific wavelength that can be absorbed by the microorganisms is radiated, the microorganisms present in the water absorb the light having the wavelength, and thus, the intensity of light penetrating through the water is reduced. Reduction or change in the intensity of light, i.e., the difference between the intensity of light emitted from the light emitting diode 12 for detection and the intensity of light passed through the water in the sterilization detection unit 10, is proportional to the amount of the microorganisms present in the water. Accordingly, the change in the intensity of light can be detected to check whether the microorganisms remain in the water.When the light is emitted from the light emitting diode 12 for detection to the water, the light receiving unit 14 can receive the intensity of light emitted from the light emitting diode 12 for detection and the intensity of light passed through the water. Then, the light receiving unit 14 may calculate the change in the intensity of light convert the data of the change in intensity of light into an electrical signal, and transmit the electrical signal to a determination control unit 20. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, the step for calculating the change in the intensity of light can be performed in the determination control unit 20. In this case, the light receiving unit 14 just transmit the electrical signal converted from the intensity of light emitted from the light emitting diode 12 for detection and the intensity of light passed through the water in the sterilization detection unit 10.The sterilization detection unit 10 may be connected to a dispense value 16 configured to dispense the water, which is checked for the presence of the microorganisms, to the outside, and a conveyance valve 18 configured to convey the checked water to a sterilization unit 30. Accordingly, the water is dispensed to the outside through the dispense value 16 or dispensed to the sterilization unit 30 through the conveyance valve 18 according to the presence of the microorganisms remaining in the water, and thus, additional sterilization can be performed. Description of the sterilization unit 30 will be shown later.

Opening and closing of the dispense value 16 and the conveyance valve 18 may be determined according to a control signal generated from the determination control unit 20.

The determination control unit 20 selectively controls the dispense of the water according to the presence of the microorganisms in the water. The determination control unit 20 is connected to the light receiving unit 14 to receive the electrical signal of the data of the change in the intensity of light output from the light receiving unit 14, compares the change in the intensity of light with a preset value, determines whether the microorganisms remain in the water through the comparison result, converts it into a control signal, and outputs the control signal.

For example, the preset value of the determination control unit 20 may be a difference between the intensity of light emitted from the light emitting diode 12 for detection and an intensity of light passed through water in which the microorganisms remain rarely. Accordingly, when the change in the intensity of light is equal to or more than the preset value, the determination control unit 20 determines that the microorganisms remain. In this case, the determination control unit 20 can dispense the water to the sterilization unit 30. On the other hand, when the change in the intensity of light is less than the present value, the determination control unit 20 determines that there is substantially no microorganism. In this case, the determination control unit 20 can dispense the water to the outside. That is, the presence of microorganisms is determined according to the comparison between the change of the intensity of light and the preset value. The preset value may be variously varied according to a purpose of the sterilized water to be used.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a pressing step of the determination control unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the determination control unit 20 may have the preset value. The determination control unit 20 receives an electrical signal of the data of the change in the intensity of light output from the light receiving unit 14 (S1). Next, the change in the intensity of light is compared with the preset value (S2). According to the comparison result, the determination control unit 20 can generate a control signal.

That is, when the change in the intensity of light is less than the preset value, the determination control unit 20 can generate a control signal to open the dispense value 16 connected to the sterilization detection unit 10 (S3). The dispense value 16 is opened according to the control signal, and the water can be dispensed to the outside. On the other hand, when the change in the intensity of light is equal to or more than the preset value, the determination control unit 20 can generate a control signal to reroute the water to the sterilization unit 30 (S4). The conveyance valve 18 is opened according to the control signal, and the water can be rerouted to the sterilization unit 30.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the sterilization unit 30 sterilizes the water. The sterilization unit 30 may include at least one light emitting diode 32 for sterilization. The light emitting diode 32 for sterilization can emit light having a wavelength that can sterilize the microorganisms. The wavelength may be 200 nm to 300 nm. When the light having the wavelength is directly radiated to the microorganisms, the cell wall or the cell membrane of the microorganisms can be broken to sterilize the water. Here, a reflection plate (not shown) may be installed at the sterilization unit 30. The reflection plate may be formed at the entire inner wall surface of the sterilization unit 30 to reflect the light emitted from the light emitting diode 32. However, the reflection plate is not limited thereto but may be selectively formed at a portion of the surface from which ultraviolet light can be concentrically reflected.

As a result, the light emitted from the light emitting diode 32 for sterilization can be absorbed or reflected to improve the sterilization effect without passing the light to the outside. Foreign substances such as the microorganisms or the like may be stuck to the reflection plate during continuous sterilization. In this case, since light reflectivity may be reduced to exert a direct influence on the sterilization effect, a cleaning unit (not shown) may be further provided to remove the reduction in light reflectivity. For example, the cleaning unit may be a cleaning apparatus configured to move leftward and rightward along a water channel of the sterilization unit 30 to remove the foreign substances stuck to the reflection plate. In addition, an unloading unit (not shown) may be further provided to unload the removed foreign substances. For example, the unloading unit may be an underwater pump.

The sterilization unit 30 may be disposed in front or rear of the sterilization detection unit 10. That is, the water introduced from the reservoir or the like is sterilized through the sterilization unit 30, and then, the sterilization performance, i.e., the presence of microorganisms can be checked through the sterilization detection unit 10. In addition, the water can be dispensed to the sterilization unit 30, after being checked for the presence of microorganismsby the sterilization detection unit 10, to remove the remaining microorganisms.

In addition, a power supply of the sterilization unit 30 may be turned on or off according to whether the water is introduced. That is, when the water is introduced into the sterilization unit 30 through the conveyance valve 18, the sterilization unit 30 detects a flow rate of the water to allow the power supply to be turned on.

For this, at least one flow rate detection unit 34 may be installed in the sterilization unit 30. For example, the flow rate detection unit 34 may be a flow rate detection sensor. Accordingly, when the flow rate detection sensor detects the flow rate of the water to convert the flow rate into an electrical signal and output the electrical signal, the determination control unit 20 receives the electrical signal to generate a control signal so that the power supply of the sterilization unit 30 can be turned on.

As described above, the microorganisms remaining in the water can be checked and removed through the sterilization detection unit 10, the determination control unit 20, and the sterilization unit 30.

Referring to FIG. 3, water is introduced into a sterilization unit 100. The introduced water may be water that is not sterilized. The sterilization unit 100 may be connected to a flow rate adjustment bath in which the water is temporarily stored. The flow rate adjustment bath can absorb and uniformize variations in flow rate and water quality of the introduced water to further increase processing efficiency of the sterilization system. However, the present invention is not limited thereto but the sterilization unit 100 may be connected to any space as long as the water, which is not sterilized, is stored.

The sterilization unit 100 may include at least one light emitting diode 102 for sterilization. A power supply of the sterilization unit 100 may be turned on/off according to the introduction of the water. For this, a flow rate detection unit 104 may be installed in the sterilization unit 100. Since the sterilization unit 100 is the same as the sterilization unit 30 of FIG. 1, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

A sterilization detection unit 120 connected to the sterilization unit 100 may include at least one light emitting diode 122 for detection and configured to radiate light to the water sterilized in the sterilization unit 100, and at least one light receiving unit 124 configured to detect intensity of light emitted from the light emitting diode 122 for detection and intensity of light passed through the water. Light receiving unit 124 converts the change in the intensity of light into an electrical signal, and output the electrical signal. Since the sterilization detection unit 120 is the same as the sterilization detection unit 10 described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The sterilization detection unit 120 may be connected to a dispense value 126 configured to dispense the water checked for the presence of microorganisms, and a conveyance valve 128 configured to reroute the water to a filtering unit 160 (to be described later). Accordingly, the water may be dispensed to the outside through the dispense value 126 or rerouted to the filtering unit 160 through the conveyance valve 128 for further filtering according to the presence of the microorganisms remaining in the water. Description of the filtering unit 160 will be described below.

Opening/closing of the dispense value 126 and the conveyance valve 128 may be determined according to a control signal generated from a determination control unit 140.

The determination control unit 140 can generate the control signal according to an output signal of the light receiving unit 124. For example, the determination control unit 140 may have a preset value. The determination control unit 140 can receive the electrical signal output from the light receiving unit 124, compare the electrical signal with the preset value, and generate a control signal according to the comparison result.

That is, when a change in intensity of light i.e., the difference between the intensity of light emitted from the light emitting diode 122 for detection and the intensity of light passed through the water in the sterilization detection unit 120 received from the light receiving unit 124 is less than the preset value, the determination control unit 140 can generate a control signal to open the dispense value 126 connected to the sterilization detection unit 120. The dispense value 126 is opened according to the control signal, and the water can be dispensed to the outside. On the other hand, when the change in intensity of lightis equal to or more than the preset value, the determination control unit 140 can generate a control signal configured to open conveyance valve 128 to reroute the water to the filtering unit 160. The water can be rerouted to the filtering unit 160 according to the control signal.

The filtering unit 160 filters the microorganisms remaining in the water passed through the sterilization detection unit 120. For example, the filtering unit 160 may include a separator (not shown) for example, a separating film or a separating membrane having porosity corresponding to the size of the microorganisms remaining in the sterilized water. For example, since the filtering unit 160 removes the microorganisms remaining in the water, a pore size of the separator may be 1 ㎛ to 5 ㎛. However, the present invention is not limited thereto but the separator may have an appropriate pore size according to circumstances. A plurality of modules, each having the separator installed in the filtering unit 160, may be stacked to increase a filtering capacity of the water. Here, when performance of the separator is decreased due to contamination such as foreign substances or the like caused by continuous filtering, a cleaning agent may be supplied and circulated for a certain time to recover the performance of the separator.

For example, the separator may be a micro-filtration membrane (MF), an ultra-filtration membrane (UF), or a nano-filtration membrane (NF). In addition, the filtering unit 160 may include an adsorption unit configured to remove the remaining microorganisms through adsorption. For example, the adsorption unit may be granular activated carbon, which has a large specific surface area and fine porosity and can efficiently remove the remaining microorganisms through adsorption.

The filtering unit 160 may be disposed between the sterilization detection unit 120 and the sterilization unit 100. Accordingly, when the microorganisms remain in the water passed through the sterilization detection unit 120 detecting the presense of microorganisms, the water is conveyed to the filtering unit 160, and the water passed through the filtering unit 160 can be conveyed again to the sterilization unit 100. Here, the power supply of the sterilization unit 100 may be turned on/off according to whether the water is introduced.

The sterilization unit 100, the sterilization detection unit 120, and the filtering unit 160 may be installed in a single body. The body may have a cylindrical shape with a space formed therein and may have an inlet unit into which the water is introduced and a dispense unit through which the water is dispensed, which are formed at both ends of the body. A plurality of partition plates may be formed in the body to partition the sterilization unit 100, the sterilization detection unit 120, and the filtering unit 160. As a result, the sterilization processes can be integrally performed in one system to be appropriate for a small-scale sterilization.

The foregoing description concerns an exemplary embodiment of the invention, is intended to be illustrative, and should not be construed as limiting the invention. The present teachings can be readily applied to other types of devices and apparatuses. Many alternatives, modifications, and variations within the scope and spirit of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims

A sterilization system comprising:

a sterilization unit configured to sterilize water;

a sterilization detection unit configured to detect presence of microorganisms in the sterilized water; and

a determination control unit configured to selectively control dispense of the sterilized water according to the presence of the microorganisms.
The sterilization system according to claim 1, wherein the sterilization unit comprises at least one light emitting diode for sterilization configured to emit light having a first wavelength to sterilize the microorganisms.
The sterilization system according to claim 2, wherein the first wavelength comprises a range of 200 nm to 300 nm.
The sterilization system according to claim 1, wherein the sterilization detection unit detects a change in intensity of light according to the presence of the microorganisms.
The sterilization system according to claim 4, wherein the sterilization detection unit comprises:

at least one light emitting diode for detection configured to emit light having a second wavelength absorbed by the microorganisms; and

a light receiving unit configured to detect the intensity of the light emitted from the light emitting diode for detection and the intensity of the light passing through the sterlized water.
The sterilization system according to claim 5, wherein the second wavelength comprises a range of 500 nm to 600 nm.
The sterilization system according to claim 1, wherein the determination control unit reroutes the sterilized water to the sterilization unit or dispenses the sterilized water according to the presence of the microorganisms.
The sterilization system according to claim 7, wherein the sterilization detection unit detects a change in intensity of light according to the presence of the microorganisms; and

the determination control unit reroutes the sterilized water to the sterilization unit when the change of the intensity of light is equal to or more than a preset value, and dispenses the sterilized water when the change of the intensity of light is less than the preset value.
The sterilization system according to claim 1, further comprising a filtering unit configured to filter the microorganisms in the sterilized water passing through the sterilization detection unit.
The sterilization system according to claim 9, wherein the filtering unit comprises a separator having porosity corresponding to a size of the microorganisms.