An atmospheric pressure low-temperature plasma rapid sterilization device

Abstract

The present invention discloses an atmospheric pressure low-temperature plasma rapid sterilization device, which relates to the technical field of medical devices. In order to solve the problem that the sterilization effect of the atmospheric pressure low-temperature plasma sterilization device on the non-conductive area of medical devices is not ideal, the following technical solutions are proposed: It includes a base, an upper cover, a chamber and a chamber outer shell. The upper cover is arranged on the top of the chamber outer shell, the chamber is arranged inside the chamber outer shell, and the chamber outer shell is arranged on the base; a positive electrode and a negative electrode are arranged in the chamber. The positive electrode includes the medical device to be sterilized and a hollow electrode arranged on the upper side inside the chamber; the pulse power supply, the positive electrode and the negative electrode form a discharge circuit, and the pulse energy generated by the pulse power supply at the positive electrode ionizes the atmospheric pressure discharge working gas inside the chamber to sterilize the medical device to be sterilized. The present invention can ionize the sterilization plasma in the non-conductive area of the medical device through the hollow electrode of the upper cover, the hollow electrode of the chamber and using the endoscope as the positive electrode to achieve efficient sterilization.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of medical devices, and in particular to an atmospheric pressure low-temperature plasma rapid sterilization device. Background Art

[0002] Disinfection and sterilization of medical devices is an important part of the medical process. Some reusable medical devices such as endoscopes and hemostatic clips need to be strictly and thoroughly sterilized in accordance with standards.

[0003] There are many sterilization methods for medical devices. For the conventional method of inactivating pathogenic microorganisms, the temperature of traditional wet heat sterilization methods such as pressure steam is relatively high, about 121.3°C, which cannot sterilize medical devices that are not resistant to high temperatures. In addition, the sterilization cycle of this method is long, about 15-30 minutes, which cannot meet the hospital's demand for high-efficiency sterilization of medical devices. The sterilization effect of ethylene oxide sterilization is greatly affected by temperature and relative humidity. At the same time, ethylene oxide is flammable, explosive, and toxic to humans, so it must be carried out in a closed ethylene oxide sterilizer. The ethylene oxide sterilization procedure must include preheating, prehumidification, vacuuming, introducing gasified ethylene oxide to reach a predetermined concentration, maintaining the sterilization time, removing ethylene oxide gas in the sterilization cabinet, and analyzing to remove ethylene oxide residues in the sterilized items. On the other hand, ventilation is required after ethylene oxide sterilization before use, generally for 24 hours. Therefore, the use of ethylene oxide for sterilization has certain safety risks and the process is relatively cumbersome. It also cannot meet the hospital's needs for fast and efficient sterilization of medical devices.

[0004] Currently, the most advantageous and popular low-temperature sterilization method for medical devices is to use hydrogen peroxide disinfectant for sterilization. In order to improve the sterilization effect, shorten the sterilization time, and reduce the sterilization cost, it is usually necessary to use vacuum heating to purify the hydrogen peroxide liquid and then gasify it to sterilize the medical devices. Therefore, its equipment cost is high and the selling price is expensive. In addition, the medical devices need to be dried before sterilization, so its sterilization cycle is also long, usually 45-50 minutes, and the sterilization efficiency is still low, which cannot meet the high turnover demand of medical devices (such as endoscopes) in outpatient clinics.

[0005] Currently, there are also solutions for sterilizing medical devices using low-temperature plasma. Due to advantages such as a relatively low sterilization temperature, the absence of a need for a vacuum pumping device, and excellent sterilization effects, it has increasingly become a research hotspot in the field of medical device sterilization. For example, Patent CN111150863A proposes an atmospheric pressure low-temperature plasma rapid sterilization device and sterilization method. It uses helium as the working gas for generating plasma and takes the medical device itself as an electrode, achieving simple and efficient sterilization. However, since the medical device itself includes conductive and non-conductive regions, and the sterilization effect of the non-conductive region of the medical device during the sterilization process is not ideal enough, there is still a large room for improvement in its sterilization efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an atmospheric pressure low-temperature plasma rapid sterilization device to solve the problem that the existing atmospheric pressure low-temperature plasma sterilization device has an unsatisfactory sterilization effect on the non-conductive region of medical devices.

[0007] The technical solution of the present invention to solve the above technical problems is as follows:

[0008] An atmospheric pressure low-temperature plasma rapid sterilization device, which includes: a chamber and a base. The chamber is arranged on the base. An air inlet and an air outlet for the passage of the atmospheric pressure discharge working gas are arranged on the base, and the bottom of the chamber is respectively communicated with the air inlet and the air outlet;

[0009] A positive electrode and a negative electrode are arranged in the chamber. The positive electrode includes the medical device to be sterilized and a hollow electrode arranged on the upper side inside the chamber; a pulse power supply, the positive electrode, and the negative electrode form a discharge circuit. The pulse energy generated by the pulse power supply at the positive electrode ionizes the atmospheric pressure discharge working gas inside the chamber to sterilize the medical device to be sterilized.

[0010] The beneficial effects produced by adopting the above technical solution: In addition to the medical device to be sterilized, the positive electrode of the present invention also includes a hollow electrode arranged on the upper side inside the chamber. The medical device to be sterilized directly serves as an electrode, making the operation more convenient. The hollow electrode on the upper side inside the chamber can cover the non-conductive region of the medical device to be sterilized, enabling this region to obtain a good sterilization effect.

[0011] Further, the chamber includes an upper cover, a chamber, and an outer shell of the chamber. The upper cover is arranged on the top of the outer shell of the chamber, the chamber is arranged inside the outer shell of the chamber. The hollow electrode includes a hollow electrode of the chamber and a hollow electrode of the upper cover. The hollow electrode of the chamber is arranged on the upper side inside the chamber, and the hollow electrode of the upper cover is arranged on the inner surface of the upper cover; the negative electrode includes a grounding electrode of the upper cover and a conductive layer. The grounding electrode of the upper cover is arranged on the inner surface of the upper cover, and the conductive layer is arranged on the outer surface of the chamber.

[0012] Advantages achieved by the above technical solution: The hollow electrode of the present invention includes a chamber hollow electrode disposed inside the chamber and an upper cover hollow electrode disposed on the inner surface of the upper cover, which can well cover the non-conductive areas of the medical device, thereby achieving a good sterilization effect.

[0013] Further, the chamber includes a first chamber, a second chamber, and a third chamber that communicate with each other. The bottom of the first chamber communicates with the air inlet, the bottom of the second chamber communicates with the air outlet, and the third chamber is located at the top of the first chamber and the second chamber. Among them, the first chamber is used to accommodate the medical device to be sterilized.

[0014] The chamber is designed as three mutually communicating chambers, and a chamber hollow electrode is provided on the inner wall of the third chamber, and an upper cover hollow electrode is provided inside the upper cover to enhance the sterilization effect of the non-conductive areas.

[0015] Further, the medical device to be sterilized is a rigid endoscope, and the shape of the first chamber is linear for the rigid endoscope.

[0016] Further, the medical device to be sterilized is a flexible endoscope, and the shape of the first chamber is a spiral curve for the flexible endoscope.

[0017] Further, a biological indicator chamber is provided inside the third chamber. The biological indicator chamber is connected to the chamber hollow electrode, and a biological indicator is placed in the biological indicator chamber for testing the sterilization degree.

[0018] Further, an electrode contact piece is provided on the upper cover hollow electrode. The chamber hollow electrode includes an electrode main body and an electrode connecting piece. One end of the electrode main body is connected to the upper cover hollow electrode through the electrode contact piece, and the other end of the electrode main body is connected to the medical device to be sterilized through the electrode connecting piece.

[0019] Further, a positive electrode adapter block and an adapter spring piece are provided inside the third chamber. The adapter spring piece and the electrode connecting piece are fixed on the positive electrode adapter block, and at least a part of the medical device to be sterilized is clamped inside the adapter spring piece.

[0020] Further, airtight mechanisms are respectively provided at the bottoms of the first chamber and the second chamber. The airtight mechanism includes a first airtight cone head provided on the base and a second airtight cone head provided at the bottom of the chamber;

[0021] The inside of the first airtight cone head is hollow, and a seal and an elastic member are provided on the outer surface of the second airtight cone head. When the chamber is placed on the base, the first airtight cone head pushes the second airtight cone head upward, and the atmospheric pressure discharges the working gas into the chamber. When the chamber leaves the base, the elastic member drives the second airtight cone head to move downward to seal the chamber.

[0022] Further, an intake electromagnetic valve is provided at the intake port for opening or closing the intake port, and an exhaust electromagnetic valve and a temperature and pressure sensor are provided at the exhaust port. The exhaust electromagnetic valve is used for opening or closing the exhaust port, and the temperature and pressure sensor is used for monitoring the temperature and pressure of the gas discharged from the exhaust port.

[0023] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0024] In the present invention, the upper cover hollow electrode, the chamber hollow electrode provided in the chamber, and the endoscope itself are jointly used as the positive electrode, and form a conductive circuit with the negative electrode jointly composed of the upper cover grounding electrode and the conductive layer of the chamber. After connecting the pulse power supply to this conductive circuit, it can ionize the non-conductive area of the medical device with relatively poor sterilization effect to generate sterilization plasma, thus completing efficient sterilization.

[0025] The sterilization cycle of the present invention is short. On average, an endoscope sterilization task can be completed every 5 minutes, which can meet the requirements of each outpatient department of the hospital and the central sterile supply department of the hospital for a relatively short turnover time of instrument sterilization. Description of the Drawings

[0026] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the sterilization device of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 is Figure 1 a cross-sectional view of;

[0028] Figure 3 is Figure 2 a partial enlarged view of part A in;

[0029] Figure 4 is Figure 2 a partial enlarged view of part B in;

[0030] Figure 5 is a structural diagram of the chamber hollow electrode in the present invention;

[0031] Figure 6 is a structural diagram of the adapter spring piece in the present invention;

[0032] Figure 7 is a structural diagram of the first airtight cone head and the second airtight cone head in the present invention;

[0033] Figure 8 is a structural diagram of the chamber of the flexible endoscope in the present invention;

[0034] Figures 1 to 8The reference numerals shown in the figures are respectively represented as follows: 1 - chamber; 11 - upper cover; 111 - upper cover hollow electrode; 112 - upper cover ground electrode; 12 - cavity; 121 - first cavity; 122 - second cavity; 123 - third cavity; 13 - cavity outer shell; 14 - cavity hollow electrode; 141 - electrode main body; 142 - electrode connecting piece; 16 - positive electrode adapter block; 161 - pin; 17 - adapter spring piece; 171 - light cone fixing spring piece; 172 - adapter block fixing piece; 18 - biological indicator chamber; 19 - elastic door stopper; 2 - base; 21 - positioning post; 3 - intake solenoid valve; 4 - exhaust solenoid valve; 5 - pressure sensor; 6 - airtight mechanism; 61 - first airtight cone head; 62 - second airtight cone head; 7 - endoscope. Detailed implementation manners

[0035] The technical solutions of the present invention will be described clearly and completely below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts belong to the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0036] Please refer to Figure 1 , this embodiment provides an atmospheric pressure low-temperature plasma rapid sterilization device, which includes: a chamber 1, a base 2, an air inlet, an air outlet, an intake solenoid valve 3, an exhaust solenoid valve 4, and a pressure sensor 5; an intake solenoid valve 3 is provided at the air inlet, and an exhaust solenoid valve 4 is provided at the air outlet. The solenoid valve is used to open or close the gas flow channel. The pressure sensor 5 is arranged near the air outlet, and the pressure sensor 5 is used to monitor the pressure of the gas discharged from the air outlet.

[0037] Please refer to Figures 2-3 , the chamber 1 includes an upper cover 11, a cavity 12, and a cavity outer shell 13. The inner surface of the upper cover 11 is covered with an upper cover hollow electrode 111, and an electrode contact piece 113 is arranged on the upper cover hollow electrode 111. A cavity hollow electrode 14 is arranged in the cavity 12. The upper cover hollow electrode 111, the cavity hollow electrode 14, and the instrument to be sterilized form a positive electrode. When the upper cover 11 is closed, it is connected to the electrode main body 141 on the side wall of the third cavity 123 through the electrode contact piece 113; an upper cover ground electrode 112 is also arranged on the upper cover 11, and the upper cover ground electrode 112 forms a negative electrode with the conductive layer (specifically copper foil) of the cavity 12 through a wire. An electrode contact piece 113 is arranged on the upper cover hollow electrode 111.

[0038] Please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 5 and Figure 6, the chamber hollow electrode 14 includes an electrode main body 141 and an electrode connecting piece 142. The electrode connecting piece 142 is connected to the adapter elastic piece 17. The adapter elastic piece 17 includes a light cone fixing elastic piece 171 and an adapter block fixing piece 172. The adapter elastic piece 17 is fixed to the positive adapter block 16 by a pin 161, thereby realizing the connection between the endoscope 7, the chamber hollow electrode 14, and the upper cover hollow electrode 111. Inside the positive adapter block 16, there is also a terminal post. The positive wire passes through from the positive connection point of the base 2 and is fixedly connected to the terminal post. Similarly, the negative wire also passes through from the negative connection point of the base 2 and is connected to the copper foil on the outer surface of the chamber 12.

[0039] Please refer to Figures 2-3 , the chamber 12 includes a first chamber 121, a second chamber 122, and a third chamber 123 that communicate with each other. The first chamber 121 is used to accommodate the endoscope 7 to be sterilized, and its shape varies according to the type of the endoscope 7. For example, for Figures 1 to 7 the rigid endoscope 7 shown, the first chamber 121 is generally linear; while for Figure 8 the flexible endoscope shown, the first chamber 121 is in a spiral curve shape. In addition, the length of the first chamber 121 is set to accommodate the endoscope 7 with the longest mirror rod on the market. The second chamber 122 is generally slender.

[0040] Most areas of the endoscope 7 are conductive. Using the endoscope 7 as an electrode can simplify the positive electrode structure design, improve the sterilization effect, and avoid arcing. However, the eyepiece area of the endoscope 7 is not conductive, resulting in an unsatisfactory sterilization effect in this area. Therefore, in this solution, a chamber hollow electrode 14 is provided on the side wall of the third chamber 123, and an upper cover hollow electrode 111 is provided on the upper cover 11 to enhance the sterilization intensity of the eyepiece area, thereby improving the sterilization effect. An elastic door stopper 19 is also provided at a position on the chamber 12 close to the upper cover 11 to lock the upper cover 11 to prevent gas leakage during the sterilization process, and a sealing ring is also provided on the upper cover 11 to further ensure the sealing performance.

[0041] Please refer to Figures 2-3 , a biological indicator chamber 18 is provided in the third chamber 123. The biological indicator chamber 18 is a metal cavity, and the biological indicator chamber 18 is connected to the chamber hollow electrode 14. A biological indicator, such as a 3M Bacillus stearothermophilus spore indicator, is placed in the biological indicator chamber 18 to indicate the sterilization effect.

[0042] Please refer to Figure 4 and Figure 7, airtight mechanisms 6 are respectively provided at the bottoms of the first chamber 121 and the second chamber 122. The airtight mechanism 6 includes a first airtight cone head 61 provided on the base 2 and a second airtight cone head 62 provided at the bottom of the chamber 12. The first airtight cone head 61 is fixedly provided on the base 2 and is hollow inside for helium or a helium-oxygen mixture gas to pass through. A sealing ring and a spring are sequentially provided on the outer surface of the second airtight cone head 62 from bottom to top. When the chamber 1 is placed on the base 2, the first airtight cone head 61 pushes the second airtight cone head 62 upward, and the spring is compressed by the force. The helium or helium-oxygen mixture gas passes into the chamber 12. When the chamber 1 leaves the base 2, the spring on the second airtight cone head 62 returns to its original shape downward and pushes the second airtight cone head 62 downward to seal the chamber 12.

[0043] The sterilization working principle of the sterilizer in this embodiment is as follows:

[0044] First, the endoscopes 7 to be sterilized are respectively placed in the first chamber 121, and the upper cover 11 is closed. A predetermined amount of helium-oxygen mixture gas is introduced through the air inlet.

[0045] Secondly, the pulsed energy of the pulsed power supply is emitted from the positive electrode jointly composed of the endoscope 7, the chamber hollow electrode 14, and the upper cover hollow electrode 111, ionizing the helium-oxygen mixture gas to form a plasma, and sterilizing the conductive area and non-conductive area of the endoscope 7 as a whole.

[0046] Finally, after one sterilization is completed, the gas is discharged from the exhaust port. If the biological indicator indicates that the sterilization is qualified, the sterilization is completed and the endoscope 7 can be taken out; if the indication is unqualified, the sterilization can be repeated until the sterilization is qualified.

[0047] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An atmospheric pressure low temperature plasma rapid sterilization device, characterized in that: include: A chamber (1) and a base (2), wherein the chamber (1) is arranged on the base (2), and the base (2) is provided with an air inlet and an air outlet for atmospheric pressure discharge working gas to pass through, and the bottom of the chamber (1) is respectively connected to the air inlet and the air outlet; A positive electrode and a negative electrode are arranged in the chamber (1), the positive electrode comprising a device to be sterilized and a hollow electrode arranged on the upper side of the chamber (1); a pulse power supply, the positive electrode and the negative electrode form a discharge circuit, and the pulse energy generated by the pulse power supply at the positive electrode ionizes the atmospheric pressure discharge working gas inside the chamber (1) to sterilize the device to be sterilized; the chamber (1) comprises an upper cover (11) and a chamber (12), the hollow electrode comprises a chamber hollow electrode (14) and an upper cover hollow electrode (111), the chamber hollow electrode (14) is arranged on the upper side of the chamber (12), and the upper cover hollow electrode (111) is arranged on the inner surface of the upper cover (11).

2. The atmospheric pressure low temperature plasma rapid sterilization device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The chamber (1) comprises a chamber shell (13), an upper cover (11) is arranged on the top of the chamber shell (13), and the chamber (12) is arranged in the chamber shell (13); The negative electrode comprises an upper cover grounding electrode (112) and a conductive layer, the upper cover grounding electrode (112) is arranged on the inner surface of the upper cover (11), and the conductive layer is arranged on the outer surface of the chamber (12).

3. The atmospheric pressure low temperature plasma rapid sterilization device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The chamber (12) comprises a first chamber (121), a second chamber (122) and a third chamber (123) which are interconnected, the bottom of the first chamber (121) is connected to the air inlet, the bottom of the second chamber (122) is connected to the exhaust port, and the third chamber (123) is located on the top of the first chamber (121) and the second chamber (122), wherein the first chamber (121) is used to accommodate the instrument to be sterilized.

4. The atmospheric pressure low temperature plasma rapid sterilization device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The instrument to be sterilized is a rigid endoscope, and the shape of the first chamber (121) is a straight line shape for the rigid endoscope.

5. The atmospheric pressure low temperature plasma rapid sterilization device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The instrument to be sterilized is a flexible endoscope, and the shape of the first chamber (121) is a spiral curve shape for the flexible endoscope.

6. The atmospheric pressure low temperature plasma rapid sterilization device according to claim 3, characterized in that: A biological indicator chamber (18) is arranged in the third chamber (123), the biological indicator chamber (18) is connected to the chamber hollow electrode (14), and a biological indicator is placed in the biological indicator chamber (18) for checking the degree of sterilization.

7. The atmospheric pressure low temperature plasma rapid sterilization device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The upper cover hollow electrode (111) is provided with an electrode contact sheet, and the chamber hollow electrode (14) comprises an electrode body (141) and an electrode connecting sheet (142); one end of the electrode body (141) is connected to the upper cover hollow electrode (111) via the electrode contact sheet (113), and the other end of the electrode body (141) is connected to the device to be sterilized via the electrode connecting sheet (142).

8. The atmospheric pressure low temperature plasma rapid sterilization device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The third chamber (123) is provided with a positive electrode adapter block (16) and an adapter spring (17); the adapter spring (17) and the electrode connecting piece (142) are fixed on the positive electrode adapter block (16); and at least a portion of the device to be sterilized is clamped in the adapter spring (17).

9. The atmospheric pressure low temperature plasma rapid sterilization device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The bottoms of the first chamber (121) and the second chamber (122) are respectively provided with air-sealing mechanisms (6), the air-sealing mechanisms (6) comprising a first air-sealing cone head (61) arranged on the base (2) and a second air-sealing cone head (62) arranged at the bottom of the chamber (12); The first air-sealing cone head (61) is hollow inside, and the outer surface of the second air-sealing cone head (62) is provided with a sealing member and an elastic member. When the chamber (1) is placed on the base (2), the first air-sealing cone head (61) pushes the second air-sealing cone head (62) upward, and the atmospheric pressure discharge working gas flows into the chamber (12). When the chamber (1) leaves the base (2), the elastic member drives the second air-sealing cone head (62), and the second air-sealing cone head (62) moves downward to seal the chamber (12).

10. The atmospheric pressure low temperature plasma rapid sterilization device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air inlet is provided with an air inlet solenoid valve (3) for opening or closing the air inlet, and the exhaust port is provided with an exhaust solenoid valve (4) and a temperature and pressure sensor (5), the exhaust solenoid valve (4) is used to open or close the exhaust port, and the temperature and pressure sensor (5) is used to monitor the temperature and pressure of the gas discharged from the exhaust port.

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