Sterilization and virus inactivation device, air conditioner equipped with same, and sterilization and virus inactivation method

Abstract

A degerming virus inactivation device for degerming or inactivating microorganisms in a target space, the degerming virus inactivation device being provided with: a substance generation unit for generating a specific substance to be subjected to degerming or inactivation; a supply unit that generates an air flow and supplies the specific substance generated by the substance generation unit into the target space; and an activity reduction execution unit that reduces the activity of the microorganism. The degerming and virus inactivation device supplies a specific substance to a target space by a supply unit while reducing the activity of microorganisms by an activity reduction execution unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a sterilization and virus inactivation device for sterilizing or inactivating viruses, an air conditioner equipped with the same, and a sterilization and virus inactivation method. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as substances capable of sterilizing or inactivating bacteria, molds, viruses, etc., there are ions, ozone gas, hypochlorous acid water, chlorine dioxide, etc. Ions or ozone gas are generated by discharge. Hypochlorous acid water or chlorine dioxide is generated by electrolysis or chemical agent preparation, etc. These specific substances are sent into a room by a fan, so that bacteria floating in the air in the room can be sterilized or viruses can be inactivated.

[0003] Patent Document 1 proposes a technique for sterilizing a specified area in a room by releasing ions generated by discharge into the area. In Patent Document 1, the presence or absence of people in the room is monitored by a human sensor, and normal sterilization operation is performed during the period when there are people in the room, and sterilization operation with a higher sterilization performance than normal sterilization operation is performed when there are no people in the room.

[0004] Prior Art Documents

[0005] Patent Documents

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2016 - 114283 Summary of the Invention

[0007] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] In Patent Document 1, specific substances such as ions or ozone gas are used to sterilize bacteria or inactivate viruses in a room, but in order to prevent infectious diseases, a further high efficiency of sterilization effect or virus inactivation effect is required.

[0009] The present disclosure has been made in view of such points, and an object thereof is to provide a sterilization and virus inactivation device capable of efficiently sterilizing or inactivating viruses in an object space, an air conditioner equipped with the same, and a sterilization and virus inactivation method.

[0010] Means for Solving the Problems

[0011] The sterilization and virus inactivation device according to the present disclosure performs a sterilization treatment or an inactivation treatment on microorganisms in an object space, and includes: a substance generation unit that generates a specific substance for performing a sterilization treatment or an inactivation treatment; a supply unit that generates an air flow and supplies the specific substance generated from the substance generation unit into the object space; and an activity reduction execution unit that reduces the activity of microorganisms, and while reducing the activity of microorganisms by the activity reduction execution unit, supplies the specific substance into the object space by the supply unit.

[0012] The air conditioner according to the present disclosure includes: the above-mentioned sterilization virus inactivation device; and a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant flowing inside and air, and supplies an air stream that has been temperature-adjusted through the heat exchanger and contains a specific substance to the target space.

[0013] The sterilization virus inactivation method according to the present disclosure performs a sterilization treatment or an inactivation treatment on microorganisms in a target space, and includes: a step of generating a specific substance for performing the sterilization treatment or the inactivation treatment; and a step of supplying the specific substance together with an air stream to the target space while reducing the activity of the microorganisms.

[0014] Effects of the Invention

[0015] The sterilization virus inactivation device, air conditioner, and sterilization virus inactivation method of the present disclosure supply a specific substance to the target space while reducing the activity of microorganisms to perform a sterilization treatment or an inactivation treatment on the microorganisms. Therefore, the sterilization virus inactivation device, air conditioner, and sterilization virus inactivation method of the present disclosure can efficiently perform sterilization of bacteria or inactivation of viruses, which are microorganisms in the target space. Description of the Drawings

[0016] Figure 1 It is an external view of the sterilization virus inactivation device according to Embodiment 1.

[0017] Figure 2 It is a diagram showing an example of a schematic cross-section of the sterilization virus inactivation device according to Embodiment 1.

[0018] Figure 3 It is a diagram showing a usage mode of the sterilization virus inactivation device according to Embodiment 1.

[0019] Figure 4 It is a block diagram of the sterilization virus inactivation device according to Embodiment 1.

[0020] Figure 5 It is a diagram showing the relationship between ion concentration and sterilization virus inactivation effect.

[0021] Figure 6 It is a diagram showing a chart showing the influence of temperature on the activity of bacteria.

[0022] Figure 7 It is a diagram showing a chart showing the influence of temperature on the activity of viruses.

[0023] Figure 8 It is a diagram showing a chart showing the influence of temperature in the case of inactivating bacteria using ions.

[0024] Figure 9It is a figure showing a graph indicating the influence of temperature in the case of inactivating a virus using ions.

[0025] Figure 10 It is a figure showing a control flow chart of the sterilization virus inactivation device according to Embodiment 1.

[0026] Figure 11 It is an external view of the sterilization virus inactivation device according to Embodiment 2.

[0027] Figure 12 It is a figure showing an example of a schematic cross-section of the sterilization virus inactivation device according to Embodiment 2.

[0028] Figure 13 It is a figure showing the usage mode of the sterilization virus inactivation device according to Embodiment 2.

[0029] Figure 14 It is a perspective view of the grid body of the sterilization virus inactivation device according to Embodiment 2.

[0030] Figure 15 It is a block diagram of the sterilization virus inactivation device according to Embodiment 2.

[0031] Figure 16 It is an explanatory diagram of the trajectory detection operation of the sterilization virus inactivation device according to Embodiment 2.

[0032] Figure 17 It is an explanatory diagram of the sterilization virus inactivation operation of the sterilization virus inactivation device according to Embodiment 2.

[0033] Figure 18 It is a figure showing a control flow chart of the sterilization virus inactivation device according to Embodiment 2.

[0034] Figure 19 It is a schematic cross-sectional view of the air conditioner according to Embodiment 3.

[0035] Figure 20 It is viewed from directly below Figure 19 of the schematic diagram of the air conditioner.

[0036] Figure 21 It is through Figure 19 of the explanatory diagram of the sterilization virus inactivation operation performed by the air conditioner.

[0037] Figure 22 It is a figure showing an operation flow chart of the air conditioner according to Embodiment 3.

[0038] Figure 23 It is a figure showing other usage modes of the air conditioner according to Embodiment 3. Specific embodiments

[0039] Hereinafter, in order to more specifically describe the present disclosure, the embodiments for implementing the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in each figure, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions are appropriately omitted or simplified. Further, for the structures described in each figure, the shape, size, configuration, etc. can be appropriately changed within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0040] Embodiment 1

[0041] In the following Embodiment 1, as an example, a sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 used in a space such as a law firm or an office will be described (see Figure 1 ).

[0042] Before the description of the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1, the infection routes of bacteria or viruses will be described. In addition, in the present disclosure, the microorganisms to be sterilized or inactivated include pathogenic microorganisms, such as bacteria or viruses. The infection routes include droplet infection, contact infection, and airborne infection, etc.

[0043] Droplet infection refers to the infection caused by bacteria or viruses contained in "droplets" such as saliva scattered due to coughing or sneezing coming into contact with the mucous membranes of the mouth or nose. Reducing droplet infection requires wearing a mask.

[0044] Contact infection refers to the situation where after an infected person covers a sneeze or cough with their hand, another person touches the surrounding objects touched by that hand and gets infected through the mucous membranes of the mouth or nose.

[0045] Airborne infection refers to the infection caused by particles smaller than droplets in the air, specifically particles generated by coughing or sneezing or particles generated by the evaporation of the moisture in droplets. That is to say, airborne infection refers to the infection caused by bacteria or viruses composed of particulate bodies smaller than droplets. Among the particles composed of bacteria or viruses smaller than droplets, there are particles originally generated as small particles during coughing or sneezing, and particles generated by the evaporation of moisture in droplets scattered into the air.

[0046] When reducing these infections, droplet infection can be reduced by wearing a mask. However, airborne infection and contact infection are infections that occur after being emitted from a person, and it is difficult for a person to directly take countermeasures. Therefore, technologies for preventing airborne infection and contact infection are very important.

[0047] The sterilization virus inactivation device 1 of Embodiment 1 is mainly used as a countermeasure against airborne infections. Microorganisms scattered from a person are inhaled by the people around, and as a result, people get infected. In most cases, people are infected and get sick by inhaling the number of bacteria or viruses required for illness, that is, the "minimum number of pathogenic bacteria or viruses". Therefore, it is effective to reduce the infection rate by treating the scattered microorganisms as early as possible to reduce the number of microorganisms, that is, to perform sterilization or virus inactivation in advance to reduce the number of scattered bacteria or viruses.

[0048] Figure 1 It is an external view of the sterilization virus inactivation device 1 according to Embodiment 1. Figure 2 It is a diagram showing an example of a schematic cross-section of the sterilization virus inactivation device 1 according to Embodiment 1. Figure 3 It is a diagram showing the usage mode of the sterilization virus inactivation device 1 according to Embodiment 1. Hereinafter, directions such as up and down are based on Figures 1 to 3 the installation posture of the sterilization virus inactivation device 1 shown. Figure 4 It is a block diagram of the sterilization virus inactivation device 1 according to Embodiment 1.

[0049] The sterilization virus inactivation device 1 is installed at a high place such as the ceiling in the target space S for bacteria sterilization or virus inactivation, and is a device that supplies a specific substance of microorganisms in the treatment target space S, that is, microorganisms floating in the target space S, to the target space S. Here, the microorganisms are bacteria or viruses, etc. When the microorganisms are bacteria, the treatment of the microorganisms is a bacteria sterilization treatment, and when the microorganisms are viruses, the treatment of the microorganisms is a virus inactivation treatment.

[0050] The target space S is a closed space where people enter and exit, for example, a space separated by partitions and having a door D for entry and exit, such as an office. Daily utensils J are arranged in the target space S. The daily utensils J refer to the utensils and supplies existing in the target space S. In the indoor space of an ordinary family, etc., they refer to tables and counters, and in the indoor space of an office, etc., they refer to utensils used in daily life existing in the space, such as workbenches, desks, and shelves.

[0051] As Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, the housing 1a of the sterilization virus inactivation device 1 has: a cylindrical tubular portion 2; an annular lower surface portion 2a installed below the tubular portion 2; and an annular upper surface portion 3 covering the upper end opening of the tubular portion 2. A connector 8 connected to a fixed fixture portion installed at a high place such as the ceiling is installed at the upper end portion of the housing 1a. The sterilization virus inactivation device 1 is supplied with commercial power from a power supply device described later through the connector 8 by connecting the connector 8 to the fixed fixture portion.

[0052] On the upper surface portion 3 of the housing 1a, a plurality of air intake ports 3a for sucking air from the outside are formed at intervals in the circumferential direction. A filter (not shown) is detachably provided on the inner surface side of the air intake port 3a. A cylindrical air passage forming member 9 communicating with the air intake port 3a is fixed inside the cylindrical portion 2. The inside of the air passage forming member 9 forms an air passage 9a. The upstream side of the air passage 9a communicates with the air intake port 3a. The downstream side of the air passage 9a communicates with an exhaust port 2a1 formed by the central opening of the lower surface portion 2a. In addition, the outer shape of the housing 1a is not limited to the above shape, and the cylindrical portion 2 is configured as a cylindrical shape with a rectangular cross section, etc., and the outer shape is arbitrary.

[0053] A display unit 5 for displaying the operating state of the sterilization virus inactivation device 1 and a processing mode receiving unit 6 described later are installed on the lower surface portion 2a of the housing 1a. The display unit 5 and the processing mode receiving unit 6 can be arranged on the same mounting substrate or on different mounting substrates. When the display unit 5 and the processing mode receiving unit 6 are arranged on the same substrate, the manufacturing cost can be reduced. In Figure 1 In addition, the sterilization virus inactivation device 1 further includes a processing mode input unit 7 described later that is communicably connected to the processing mode receiving unit 6 inside the housing 1a.

[0054] A substance generation unit 10, a supply unit 11, a substance measurement unit 12, an activity reduction execution unit 13, and a main substrate 14 are arranged inside the housing 1a.

[0055] Hereinafter, each component of the sterilization virus inactivation device 1 will be described.

[0056] [Description of the substance generation unit 10]

[0057] The substance generation unit 10 generates a specific substance for performing sterilization treatment or virus inactivation treatment. The specific substance is an ion, ozone gas, chlorine dioxide, hypochlorous acid water, etc. that can sterilize or inactivate microorganisms including pathogenic microorganisms carried by humans. The substance generation unit 10 is installed on the inner wall of the air passage forming member 9. In Embodiment 1, the substance generation unit 10 includes a discharge mechanism for generating ions. The discharge mechanism is arranged to face the air passage 9a inside the housing 1a. The discharge mechanism has a structure in which a discharge part and an electrode cover covering the discharge part are arranged in a housing and unitized. And, a control circuit board with a high voltage generation circuit, etc. is built in the discharge mechanism. A connector for supplying power from the outside is provided on the control circuit board.

[0058] The discharge section has a discharge electrode and a ground electrode. The discharge electrode is composed of a wire electrode, and the ground electrode is composed of a plate electrode. The discharge section has a structure in which a plurality of wire electrodes and a plurality of plate electrodes are alternately arranged. A high voltage is supplied from a high voltage generation circuit to the discharge section. The high voltage generation circuit has a power receiving section that receives power from a commercial power supply, converts the power received by the power receiving section through a connector and a wire into a high voltage, and supplies it to the discharge section. The discharge section causes a discharge by applying the high voltage supplied from the high voltage generation circuit between the discharge electrode and the ground electrode, and generates ions in the air. Here, the discharge section is provided such that the discharge electrode is composed of a wire electrode and the ground electrode is composed of a plate electrode, but this is only an example, and either the discharge electrode or the ground electrode may be formed of any one of a wire electrode, a needle electrode, a plate electrode, and a brush electrode.

[0059] [Description of Supply Section 11]

[0060] The supply section 11 includes a blower device 11a that generates an air flow. The supply section 11 generates an air flow through the blower device 11a and supplies the specific substance generated by the substance generation section 10 into the target space S. The blower device 11a is arranged on the downstream side of the substance generation section 10 in the ventilation path 9a. Thus, the supply section 11 mixes the specific substance generated by the substance generation section 10 with air in the fan of the blower device 11a and blows it out of the housing 1a in a state where the ion concentration in the air is made uniform.

[0061] The blower device 11a includes a blower fan and an electric motor that drives the fan. The fan is arranged on the outlet side of the ventilation path 9a. The fan is supported on the inner wall of the cylindrical portion 2 of the housing 1a so as to be located on the central axis of the ventilation path 9a. As the fan, an axial flow propeller fan is used in order to generate a large volume of air flow. In addition, as the electric motor for the fan, an AC capacitor motor is used. When the fan is driven in the blower device 11a, the air around the cylindrical portion 2 is sucked into the cylindrical portion 2 in the radial direction from the suction port 3a and flows into the inlet of the ventilation path 9a. The air flow flowing into the inlet of the ventilation path 9a changes its direction from the radial flow to the axial flow. Then, the air flowing through the ventilation path 9a in the axial direction is blown out of the housing 1a from the exhaust port 2a1.

[0062] The substance generation unit 10 is arranged at a position upstream of the supply unit 11. With this structure, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 can mix the specific substance generated by the substance generation unit 10 with air inside the fan of the air supply device 11a and supply it into the target space S outside the housing 1a in a state where the ion concentration in the air is made uniform. The substance generation unit 10 may also be arranged at a position downstream of the supply unit 11. The specific substances generated by the substance generation unit 10 are mostly oxidizing substances such as ozone gas, and these substances can corrode and deteriorate the fan of the air supply device 11a and the motor driving the fan. However, with this structure, in the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1, the specific substance generated by the substance generation unit 10 does not pass through the air supply device 11a, so it is possible to prevent the air supply device 11a from being corroded and deteriorated.

[0063] [Description of the substance measurement unit 12]

[0064] The substance measurement unit 12 is equipped with an ion sensor for measuring the discharge products in the air. The ion sensor is arranged downstream of the substance generation unit 10 in the air flow direction in the ventilation path 9a. As the ion sensor, a coaxial double-cylinder type sensor for measuring positive ions or negative ions in the air is adopted. Thus, the ion sensor can measure positive ions and negative ions simultaneously and can measure with high precision in a relatively wide concentration range of 100,000 to 3,000,000 (ions / cm 3 ). The measurement result of the substance measurement unit 12 is output to the control device 20 described later. In addition, when the specific substance generated by the substance generation unit 10 is ozone, the substance measurement unit 12 is constituted by an ozone gas sensor for measuring ozone in the air.

[0065] [Description of the activity reduction execution unit 13]

[0066] The activity reduction execution unit 13 is a part that reduces the activity of microorganisms. The activity reduction execution unit 13 is arranged between the substance generation unit 10 and the substance measurement unit 12 in the air flow direction in the ventilation path 9a. In addition, the arrangement position of the activity reduction execution unit 13 is not limited to this position, as long as it is a position where the activity of microorganisms can be reduced. The activity reduction execution unit 13 reduces the activity of microorganisms by controlling the temperature of the microorganisms. The activity reduction execution unit 13 reduces the activity of microorganisms by controlling the temperature of the microorganisms to a temperature that reduces the activity of the microorganisms. The sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 improves the sterilization effect of bacteria or the virus inactivation effect (hereinafter referred to as the sterilization and virus inactivation effect) by using the activity reduction execution unit 13 to reduce the activity of microorganisms. The mechanism for the improvement of the sterilization and virus inactivation effect resulting from the reduction of the activity of microorganisms will be described in detail separately.

[0067] The temperature of the microorganism can be controlled by controlling the temperature of the air flow supplied from the housing 1a to the target space S, that is, the temperature of the air flow in contact with the microorganism. For the control of the temperature of the microorganism, in addition to controlling the temperature of the air flow, it can also be carried out by controlling the place where the microorganism exists, for example, the surface temperature of the daily appliance J in contact with the microorganism by a specific substance. In addition, the temperature of the microorganism can also be controlled by controlling the temperature of the place where the specific substance is generated.

[0068] When the activity reduction execution unit 13 reduces the activity of the microorganism, in addition to the method of controlling the temperature of the microorganism, for example, the activity of the microorganism can also be reduced by spraying a medicament corresponding to the microorganism toward the target space S. In this way, when the activity reduction execution unit 13 reduces the activity of the microorganism, various methods can be adopted. Hereinafter, an example in which the activity reduction execution unit 13 reduces the activity of the microorganism by controlling the temperature of the air flow will be described.

[0069] As Figure 4 shown, the activity reduction execution unit 13 includes a heat source unit 13a and a temperature sensor 13b. As Figure 2 shown, the heat source unit 13a is disposed in the ventilation path 9a. The heat source unit 13a is disposed on the flow path of the air flow generated by the air supply device 11a. The heat source unit 13a includes a heating unit 13a1 and a cooling unit 13a2, and controls the temperature of the air flow by the heat energy of the heating unit 13a1 or the cold energy of the cooling unit 13a2. As the heating unit 13a1, for example, a resistance heating method that generates heat by passing an electric current through a heating element of a metal or a non-metal (such as resin) is adopted. As the cooling unit 13a2, a Peltier cooling method is adopted. The heating unit 13a1 and the cooling unit 13a2 adopting these methods can be configured compactly and can perform temperature control rapidly. The heat source unit 13a can control the temperature of the air flow within the range of about 10 °C to 35 °C at the ambient temperature level, and at least within the range of 20 °C to 30 °C. The temperature sensor 13b includes a thermocouple or the like, and measures the temperature of the air flow passing through the housing 1a. The temperature sensor 13b measures the temperature of the air flow supplied from the housing 1a to the target space S.

[0070] [Description of the main substrate 14]

[0071] A control device 20 for controlling the entire sterilization virus inactivation device 1 and a power supply device for supplying power to each part are mounted on the main substrate 14. The main substrate 14 is fixed to the side wall of the air path forming member 9 of the cylindrical portion 2 of the housing 1a. The control device 20 is composed of a microprocessor unit or the like, includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, etc., and a control program and the like are stored in the ROM. The microorganism activity control unit 21 and the processing mode selection unit 22 described later are constituted by the CPU and the control program.

[0072] After reducing the activity of microorganisms, the control device 20 supplies the specific substance generated by the substance generation unit 10 to the target space S to perform a disinfection virus inactivation operation for treating the microorganisms in the target space S. In this way, the disinfection virus inactivation device 1 improves the disinfection virus inactivation effect by supplying the specific substance to the target space S after reducing the activity of the microorganisms.

[0073] As Figure 4 shown, the processing mode receiving unit 6, the substance generation unit 10, the supply unit 11, the substance measurement unit 12, the activity reduction execution unit 13, and the display unit 5 are electrically connected to the control device 20 through leads. The control device 20 includes a microorganism activity control unit 21 and a processing mode selection unit 22. The microorganism activity control unit 21 controls the heat source unit 13a of the activity reduction execution unit 13 to make the temperature of the microorganisms reach the temperature for reducing the activity of the microorganisms. While the control device 20 controls the activity reduction execution unit 13 to reduce the activity of the microorganisms, it controls the supply unit 11 to supply the specific substance to the target space.

[0074] The microorganism activity control unit 21 has a disinfection mode and a virus inactivation mode as processing modes, and controls the heat source unit 13a of the activity reduction execution unit 13 to make the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 13b reach the temperature preset according to the processing mode. The temperature for reducing the activity of the microorganisms and each mode will be described separately.

[0075] The processing mode selection unit 22 is a part for selecting the processing mode of the microorganism activity control unit 21. The processing mode selection unit 22 selects the processing mode according to the user's input operation. Specifically, the processing mode selection unit 22 obtains the processing mode input by the user from the processing mode input unit 7 and the processing mode receiving unit 6 described later, and selects the obtained processing mode. The control device 20 performs the disinfection virus inactivation operation with the processing mode of the microorganism activity control unit 21 being the processing mode selected by the processing mode selection unit 22.

[0076] In addition, the control device 20 controls the display unit 5 based on the measurement result of the substance measurement unit 12. Specifically, when it is detected based on the measurement result of the substance measurement unit 12 that the specific substance is below the preset concentration, the control device 20 stops the operation of the substance generation unit 10 and lights up the display unit 5. The control device 20 controls the display unit 5 to be in a lit state indicating an abnormality of the substance generation unit 10. Thereby, the disinfection virus inactivation device 1 can notify the occurrence of an abnormality.

[0077] In addition, the control device 20 controls the display unit 5 based on the measurement result of the temperature sensor 13b of the activity reduction execution unit 13. Specifically, when it is detected based on the measurement result of the temperature sensor 13b that the temperature of the air flow deviates from a preset temperature, the control device 20 stops the operation of the heat source unit 13a of the activity reduction execution unit 13 and lights up the display unit 5. The control device 20 controls the display unit 5 to a lighting state indicating an abnormality of the activity reduction execution unit 13. Thereby, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 can notify the occurrence of an abnormality.

[0078] [Description of the processing mode input unit 7]

[0079] The processing mode input unit 7 is a part where the user inputs whether the processing mode of the microorganism activity control unit 21 is the sterilization mode or the virus inactivation mode. The processing mode input unit 7 is disposed separately from the housing 1a. The processing mode input unit 7 is constituted by, for example, an infrared remote controller, and has an operation unit for a person to perform an input operation and a communication unit for communicating with a processing mode receiving unit 6 described later. The operation unit is constituted by a switch, a button, or the like. The communication unit is constituted by a communication interface conforming to various standards, and communication uses, for example, a PPM (Pulse Position Modulation) signal or the like. The processing mode input unit 7 may also be a device such as a smart phone and a tablet computer installed with an application for processing mode input. When the user inputs a processing mode from the operation unit, the processing mode input unit 7 transmits the input processing mode to the processing mode receiving unit 6 via the communication unit.

[0080] [Description of the processing mode receiving unit 6]

[0081] The processing mode receiving unit 6 is a part that receives the processing mode from the processing mode input unit 7 and transmits it to the processing mode selection unit 22. The processing mode receiving unit 6 is constituted by, for example, an infrared receiving module. The processing mode receiving unit 6 receives an infrared signal from the processing mode input unit 7 to generate a voltage, thereby receiving the transmitted processing mode and transmitting it to the processing mode selection unit 22.

[0082] Here, the disinfection virus inactivation operation starts when a processing mode is input to the processing mode input unit 7. As a specific control, when a processing mode is input from the processing mode input unit 7, an operation start instruction including the processing mode is sent from the processing mode input unit 7 to the processing mode receiving unit 6. When the processing mode receiving unit 6 receives the operation start instruction including the processing mode, the disinfection virus inactivation device 1 starts the disinfection virus inactivation operation in the received processing mode. In addition, the start of the disinfection virus inactivation operation is not limited to being triggered by the input of the processing mode in the processing mode input unit 7. An operation start button may be provided in the processing mode input unit 7, and the operation may be started by pressing the operation start button. In this case, the processing mode selection unit 22 may select, for example, a default set processing mode or may reselect the previously selected processing mode.

[0083] [Description of the display unit 5]

[0084] The display unit 5 is installed on the outer wall surface of the lower surface portion 2a of the housing 1a as an electronic component for emitting information. The display unit 5 is composed of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) or the like that notify various information. The display unit 5 displays the operating state of the disinfection virus inactivation device 1 by the lighting state of the light-emitting diodes. The display unit 5 can appropriately combine the emission color and lighting form such as blinking or lighting of the light-emitting diodes to change the lighting state. The display unit 5 can display which of the disinfection mode and the virus inactivation mode is the current processing mode or notify an abnormality by changing the lighting state of the light-emitting diodes.

[0085] [Mechanism for enhancing the disinfection virus inactivation effect produced by a specific substance]

[0086] Generally, a specific substance exhibits a disinfection virus inactivation effect when the concentration reaches a certain threshold or higher. If the concentration of the specific substance further increases, the bactericidal effect increases sharply.

[0087] Figure 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the ion concentration and the disinfection virus inactivation effect. Figure 5 The horizontal axis of is the ion concentration (ions / cm 3 ), and the vertical axis is the survival rate of microorganisms (-). As Figure 5 shown, it can be seen that the survival rate of microorganisms starts to decrease sharply when the ion concentration is 10 3 (ions / cm 3 ), and the disinfection virus inactivation effect appears. Moreover, as the ion concentration increases from 10 3 (ions / cm 3 ), the disinfection virus inactivation effect is further enhanced. Therefore, the substance generation unit 10 generates ions with an ion concentration of 10 3 (ions / cm 3 ) or higher.

[0088] [Explanation of the mechanism for improving the sterilization virus inactivation effect produced by the reduction of the activity of microorganisms]

[0089] The sterilization virus inactivation device 1 improves the sterilization virus inactivation effect by controlling the temperature of the air flow by the activity reduction execution unit 13. Hereinafter, the mechanism for improving the sterilization virus inactivation effect produced by the temperature control will be explained.

[0090] When the activity of microorganisms such as bacteria or viruses is reduced, the proliferation ability of bacteria, the infectivity of viruses, and the repair ability of the structure of bacteria or viruses are reduced, and the microorganisms are easily affected by interfering factors. That is to say, when the activity of microorganisms is reduced, it is easy to carry out sterilization or virus inactivation. In addition, microorganisms are easily sterilized or inactivated by contacting specific substances such as ions, ozone gas, chlorine dioxide, or hypochlorous acid water. Therefore, in order to improve the sterilization virus inactivation effect, it is effective to reduce the activity of microorganisms and make the specific substances contact with the microorganisms with reduced activity.

[0091] Figure 6 It is a figure showing a graph indicating the influence of temperature on the activity of bacteria. Figure 6 The horizontal axis of [] is the temperature (°C) of the microorganisms. Figure 6 The vertical axis of [] is the generation time (minutes) of bacteria. The generation time (minutes) is the time required for bacteria to divide. Figure 6 The graph of [] shows the case where the bacteria are Escherichia coli. Figure 7 It is a figure showing a graph indicating the influence of temperature on the activity of viruses. Figure 7 The horizontal axis of [] is the temperature (°C) of the microorganisms. Figure 7 The vertical axis of [] is the infectivity (%) of the virus. The infectivity (%) is the intensity of the infectivity when the infectivity of the virus at 10 °C is set to 100. Figure 7 The graph of [] shows the case where the virus is an influenza virus. In addition, as Figure 6 and Figure 7 the "temperature of the microorganisms" in [], the "indoor temperature of the laboratory when conducting a microorganism activity control experiment in the laboratory" is used.

[0092] As Figure 6 shown, the lower the temperature of the bacteria, the shorter the generation time (minutes), and the lower the proliferation rate. That is to say, the lower the temperature of the bacteria, the lower the activity. On the other hand, as Figure 7 shown, the higher the temperature of the virus, the lower the infectivity. That is to say, the higher the temperature of the virus, the lower the activity.

[0093] Figure 8 It is a figure showing a graph indicating the influence of temperature in the case of inactivating bacteria using ions. Figure 8The horizontal axis is the temperature of the microorganism (°C), and the vertical axis is the survival rate of the bacteria (%). Figure 8 The graph shows the case where the bacteria are Escherichia coli. Figure 9 It is a graph showing the influence of temperature in the case of inactivating viruses using ions. Figure 9 The horizontal axis is the temperature of the microorganism (°C), and the vertical axis is the remaining number of infected viruses of the virus (%). Figure 9 The graph shows the case where the virus is the influenza virus. In addition, as Figure 8 and Figure 9 the "temperature of the microorganism" in, the "indoor temperature of the laboratory when conducting a microorganism activity control experiment in the laboratory" is used.

[0094] As Figure 8 shown, the lower the temperature of the bacteria, the lower the survival rate, and the higher the sterilization effect produced by ions. On the other hand, as Figure 9 shown, the higher the temperature of the virus, the lower the remaining number of viruses, and the higher the virus inactivation effect produced by ions.

[0095] In this way, there is a correlation between the activity of the microorganism and the temperature of the microorganism. From this, it can be known that by controlling the temperature of the microorganism, here the temperature of the air flow, the activity of the microorganism is reduced, so that the sterilization virus inactivation effect produced by specific substances such as ions is improved, and the infectivity can be reduced.

[0096] The lower the temperature of the air flow compared to 25°C, the higher the sterilization effect. However, if the temperature is excessively reduced, cold air is sent to the target space S. Therefore, people present in the target space S may feel uncomfortable, and cooling consumes more energy, resulting in an increase in power consumption. Therefore, the optimal control temperature in the case of sterilization treatment is 20°C to 25°C.

[0097] On the other hand, the higher the temperature of the air flow compared to 28°C, the higher the virus inactivation effect. However, if the temperature is excessively increased, hot air is sent to the target space S. Therefore, people present in the target space S feel uncomfortable, and heating consumes more energy, resulting in an increase in power consumption. Therefore, the optimal control temperature in the case of virus inactivation treatment is 28°C to 30°C.

[0098] Through the above structure, the sterilization virus inactivation device 1 adjusts the temperature of the air flow to a temperature capable of reducing the activity of the microorganism to be sterilized and inactivated, and supplies a specific substance together with the temperature-adjusted air flow to the target space, thereby improving the sterilization virus inactivation effect produced by the specific substance.

[0099] The temperature at which the activity is reduced varies depending on the microorganism as described above. Therefore, the sterilization virus inactivation device 1 changes the temperature of the air flow according to whether the microorganism is a bacterium or a virus. Specifically, when performing sterilization treatment, the sterilization virus inactivation device 1 controls the temperature of the air flow to a preset first temperature, and when performing virus inactivation treatment, it controls the temperature of the air flow to a preset second temperature. The first temperature is 20°C to 25°C, and the second temperature is 28°C to 30°C.

[0100] The switching between the sterilization treatment and the virus inactivation treatment is performed by switching the treatment mode in the microorganism activity control unit 21. That is, the microorganism activity control unit 21 controls the heat source unit 13a to make the temperature of the air flow reach the preset first temperature in the sterilization mode, and in the virus inactivation mode, it controls the heat source unit 13a to make the temperature of the air flow reach the preset second temperature.

[0101] In this way, the microorganism activity control unit 21 has a sterilization mode and a virus inactivation mode, so that the sterilization virus inactivation device 1 can perform sterilization virus inactivation operation corresponding to the microorganism to be treated. Thus, the sterilization virus inactivation device 1 can maximize the sterilization virus inactivation effect and shorten the treatment time of the microorganism.

[0102] In addition, the temperature at which the activity is reduced is the temperature at which the activity of the target microorganism is reduced, and it represents the temperature around the target microorganism. Therefore, the first temperature and the second temperature are preferably set taking into account the indoor temperature.

[0103] [Operation description]

[0104] The sterilization virus inactivation device 1 performs sterilization virus inactivation operation in the treatment mode selected by the treatment mode selection unit 22. In addition, the treatment mode is determined by the user. The user inputs the determined treatment mode from the treatment mode input unit 7. When the user wants to perform sterilization treatment on the target space S, an input for selecting the sterilization mode is made, and when the user wants to perform virus inactivation treatment on the target space S, an input for selecting the virus inactivation mode is made. The sterilization virus inactivation device 1 receives the treatment mode input from the treatment mode input unit 7 through the treatment mode receiving unit 6, and selects the received treatment mode through the treatment mode selection unit 22.

[0105] Then, when there is an instruction to start the sterilization virus inactivation operation, the sterilization virus inactivation device 1 starts the sterilization virus inactivation operation in the treatment mode selected by the treatment mode selection unit 22.

[0106] During the sterilization and virus inactivation operation of the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1, the following controls are commonly performed regardless of whether the processing mode is the sterilization mode or the virus inactivation mode. That is, the control device 20 of the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 drives the substance generation unit 10 to generate a specific substance and operates the air supply device 11a to generate an air flow.

[0107] Then, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 performs the following controls according to the processing mode. The microorganism activity control unit 21 controls the activity reduction execution unit 13 in the processing mode selected by the processing mode selection unit 22. Specifically, when the processing mode is the sterilization mode, the microorganism activity control unit 21 controls the heat source unit 13a to make the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 13b reach the first temperature. On the other hand, when the processing mode is the virus sterilization mode, the microorganism activity control unit 21 controls the heat source unit 13a to make the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 13b reach the second temperature.

[0108] Through the above controls, the specific substance generated by the substance generation unit 10 is supplied to the target space S from the exhaust port 2a1 of the ventilation path 9a together with the air flow adjusted to a temperature corresponding to the processing mode. The air flow containing the specific substance supplied to the target space S from the exhaust port 2a1 reaches and contacts the microorganisms in the target space S.

[0109] Here, when the sterilization mode is selected, the air flow adjusted to the first temperature suitable for reducing the activity of bacteria is supplied to the target space S together with the specific substance. Therefore, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 can contact the air flow at the first temperature containing the specific substance with the bacteria to reduce the activity of the bacteria, and at the same time, process the bacteria with the specific substance. Here, ions are used as the specific substance in Embodiment 1, and in the sterilization mode, the ions contained in the air flow controlled to the first temperature are used to perform a sterilization process on the bacteria (hereinafter referred to as ion treatment).

[0110] On the other hand, when the virus inactivation mode is selected, the air flow adjusted to the second temperature suitable for reducing the activity of the virus is supplied to the target space S together with the specific substance. Therefore, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 can contact the air flow at the second temperature containing the specific substance with the virus to reduce the activity of the virus, and at the same time, process the virus with the specific substance. Here, in Embodiment 1, ions are used as the specific substance, and in the virus inactivation mode, the ions contained in the air flow controlled to the second temperature are used to perform an inactivation process on the virus (hereinafter referred to as ion treatment).

[0111] In this way, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 can reduce the activity of microorganisms to make them in a state easy to be sterilized or inactivated, and at the same time, process the microorganisms with a specific substance, and can process the microorganisms efficiently, that is, in a short time.

[0112] In addition, during the sterilization virus inactivation operation, the substance measurement unit 12 measures a specific substance generated from the substance generation unit 10. The substance measurement unit 12 detects the presence or absence of the specific substance, and measures its concentration when the specific substance is present. When the concentration of the specific substance measured by the substance measurement unit 12 is detected to be equal to or lower than a preset set concentration, the control device 20 stops the operation of the substance generation unit 10, and causes the display unit 5 to operate in a lit state indicating insufficient generation of the specific substance. Thereby, the sterilization virus inactivation device 1 can notify the occurrence of an abnormality.

[0113] In addition, during the sterilization virus inactivation operation, the temperature sensor 13b measures the temperature of the air flow. When the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 13b is detected to deviate from the control temperature corresponding to the processing mode, that is, to deviate from the first temperature or the second temperature, the control device 20 stops the operation of the heat source unit 13a, and causes the display unit 5 to operate in a lit state indicating poor temperature control. Thereby, the sterilization virus inactivation device 1 can notify the occurrence of an abnormality.

[0114] [Explanation of the control flowchart]

[0115] Figure 10 is a diagram showing a control flowchart of the sterilization virus inactivation device 1 according to Embodiment 1. Hereinafter, with reference to Figure 10 the control flowchart, the process of sterilizing bacteria or inactivating viruses in the target space S will be described.

[0116] When the power of the sterilization virus inactivation device 1 is turned on by operating a remote control switch (not shown) provided in the target space S, the control device 20 starts up and causes the processing mode receiving unit 6 to operate (step S1). When the power is turned on, the processing mode receiving unit 6 always operates and can always receive the processing mode transmitted from the processing mode input unit 7. When a start instruction for the operation including the processing mode transmitted from the processing mode input unit 7 is received (step S2), the control device 20 starts the sterilization virus inactivation operation (step S3). Specifically, the control device 20 selects the processing mode received by the processing mode receiving unit 6 through the processing mode selection unit 22, and starts the sterilization virus inactivation operation in the selected processing mode. In addition, the control device 20 starts counting the operation time at the start of the sterilization virus inactivation operation (step S4).

[0117] In the sterilization and virus inactivation operation, when the processing mode selected by the processing mode selection unit 22 is the sterilization mode (step S5: sterilization mode), the ions generated by the substance generation unit 10 are supplied to the target space S together with the air flow adjusted to the first temperature to perform sterilization treatment on bacteria (step S6). In addition, in the sterilization and virus inactivation operation, when the processing mode selected by the processing mode selection unit 22 is the virus inactivation mode (step S5: virus inactivation mode), the ions generated by the substance generation unit 10 are supplied to the target space S together with the air flow adjusted to the second temperature to perform inactivation treatment on viruses (step S7).

[0118] The sterilization and virus inactivation operation is performed for a preset set time. The sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 starts counting the operation time simultaneously with the start of the sterilization and virus inactivation operation. When the preset set time has elapsed (step S8), the sterilization and virus inactivation operation is ended (step S9), and the process returns to step S2.

[0119] [Effect]

[0120] As described above, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 of Embodiment 1 includes: a substance generation unit 10 that generates a specific substance for performing sterilization treatment or inactivation treatment; and a supply unit 11 that generates an air flow and supplies the specific substance generated from the substance generation unit 10 into the target space. The sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 of Embodiment 1 further includes an activity reduction execution unit 13 that reduces the activity of microorganisms. Moreover, while the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 reduces the activity of microorganisms through the activity reduction execution unit 13, it supplies the specific substance to the target space S through the supply unit 11.

[0121] With the above structure, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 reduces the activity of microorganisms and supplies the specific substance to the target space S. Therefore, sterilization or virus inactivation in the target space S can be performed efficiently. That is, while the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 reduces the activity of microorganisms, it treats bacteria or viruses with the specific substance. Therefore, sterilization or virus inactivation in the target space S can be performed efficiently and at high speed.

[0122] Sterilization or virus inactivation of the target space S is performed, for example, when people are replaced in a meeting room or a satellite office. The sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 can efficiently perform sterilization treatment or virus inactivation treatment on microorganisms floating in the target space S. Therefore, the start time of the next use of the meeting room or the satellite office can be advanced. Thus, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 can shorten the replacement time of the meeting room or the satellite office, improve the operation rate of the meeting room or the satellite office, and contribute to the improvement of work efficiency or the expansion of the revenue of the satellite office.

[0123] The activity reduction execution unit 13 includes a heat source unit 13a that controls the temperature of microorganisms. The heat source unit 13a includes a heating unit 13a1 and a cooling unit 13a2.

[0124] With the above structure, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 can reduce the activity of microorganisms by controlling the temperature of the microorganisms through the heat source unit 13a. Specifically, the control of the temperature of the microorganisms can be performed by the heating unit 13a1 and the cooling unit 13a2.

[0125] The sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 includes a microorganism activity control unit 21 that controls the heat source unit 13a of the activity reduction execution unit 13 so that the temperature of the microorganisms reaches a temperature at which the activity of the microorganisms is reduced.

[0126] With the above structure, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 can control the temperature of the microorganisms to a temperature at which the activity of the microorganisms is reduced.

[0127] The microorganism activity control unit 21 has a sterilization mode and a virus inactivation mode. In the sterilization mode, the temperature of the microorganisms is controlled to a preset first temperature, and in the virus inactivation mode, the temperature of the microorganisms is controlled to a preset second temperature. The first temperature is 20°C to 25°C, and the second temperature is 28°C to 30°C.

[0128] With the above structure, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 controls the temperature of the microorganisms to a temperature corresponding to the microorganisms to be treated in the target space S through the sterilization mode and the virus inactivation mode. Therefore, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 can efficiently perform sterilization or virus inactivation in the target space S. Specifically, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 sets the temperature of the microorganisms to 20°C to 25°C in the sterilization mode and 28°C to 30°C in the virus inactivation mode, thereby reducing the activity of the microorganisms.

[0129] The heat source unit 13a is arranged on the air flow path, and the temperature of the microorganisms is controlled by controlling the temperature of the air flow.

[0130] With the above structure, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 can control the temperature of the microorganisms through the temperature of the air flow.

[0131] The sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 includes a processing mode selection unit 22 that selects the mode performed by the microorganism activity control unit 21, and the microorganism activity control unit 21 performs the processing mode selected by the processing mode selection unit 22.

[0132] With the above structure, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 can select the processing mode through the processing mode selection unit 22. Therefore, the processing mode can be changed according to the microorganisms to be treated.

[0133] The processing mode selection unit 22 selects the sterilization mode or the virus inactivation mode according to the user's input operation.

[0134] With the above structure, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 can have its processing mode selected by the user.

[0135] [Variant Example]

[0136] In addition, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 of the present disclosure is not limited to the control and structure described above, and can be implemented in a modified manner within the scope not departing from the gist of the present disclosure, for example, as follows.

[0137] In the above, a person determines the processing mode and inputs it to the processing mode selection unit 22, but it can also be set as in the following Variant Example 1 to Variant Example 3.

[0138] (Variant Example 1 of the Processing Mode Selection Unit 22)

[0139] It is also possible to measure the number of bacteria or viruses in the room, and the processing mode selection unit 22 automatically determines the mode for processing the one with the larger measured quantity.

[0140] With the above structure, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 can perform sterilization and virus inactivation operation even without a person inputting the processing mode one by one. Thus, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 can reduce the labor and time of human input, and can make the usage method simple and easy.

[0141] (Variant Example 2 of the Processing Mode Selection Unit 22)

[0142] The processing mode selection unit 22 can also select a sterilization mode or a virus inactivation mode based on any one or a combination of season, indoor environment, and location (as an example, "country"). In Japan, bacteria are likely to multiply and cause infections in summer, and viruses are likely to infect in winter. Specifically, bacteria such as Campylobacter, Staphylococcus aureus, or pathogenic Escherichia coli start to multiply around April to May. Thus, the risk of a person being infected with bacteria is the highest from July to October. In addition, a person is likely to be infected with viruses such as influenza virus or norovirus from November to February. Therefore, it is effective to operate in the sterilization mode from April to October and in the virus inactivation mode from November to March.

[0143] Therefore, the processing mode selection unit 22 has a storage unit storing setting information in which the processing mode is set on a monthly basis, for example. The processing mode selection unit 22 can also select the processing mode corresponding to the current month based on the storage unit when the power is turned on.

[0144] With the above structure, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 can perform sterilization and virus inactivation operation even without a person inputting the processing mode one by one. Thus, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 can reduce the labor and time of human input, and can make the usage method simple and easy.

[0145] (Modification Example 3 of the Processing Mode Selection Unit 22)

[0146] During the sterilization and virus inactivation operation, the processing mode selection unit 22 selects either the sterilization mode or the virus inactivation mode, but it can also alternately select the sterilization mode and the virus inactivation mode. Additionally, the processing mode selection unit 22 can also perform a processing mode that is not the input processing mode only when there is no person in the target space S after selecting the processing mode input from the processing mode input unit 7. In these cases, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 alternately performs the sterilization mode and the virus inactivation mode during the sterilization and virus inactivation operation. Thus, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 can process both bacteria and viruses through the sterilization and virus inactivation operation.

[0147] Furthermore, here, the microorganism activity control unit 21 is set to have two processing modes, namely the sterilization mode and the virus inactivation mode, but it can also have other modes. In this case, the processing mode selection unit 22 can also sequentially select multiple processing modes.

[0148] (Modification Example of the Air Supply Device 11a)

[0149] In Embodiment 1, as an example, a propeller fan was used as the fan of the air supply device 11a, but a sirocco fan can also be used. Since a sirocco fan can deliver a large air volume with static pressure, it can effectively perform the sterilization of bacteria or the inactivation of viruses.

[0150] Embodiment 2

[0151] Embodiment 2 supplies a specific substance by aiming at the movement trajectory of a moving object in the target space S. Hereinafter, the description will focus on the structures that are different between Embodiment 2 and Embodiment 1, and the structures not described in Embodiment 2 are the same as those in Embodiment 1.

[0152] On the daily utensils J in the target space S, bacteria or viruses are attached due to human contact or the droplets falling from a person. It has been confirmed that the bacteria or viruses attached to the daily utensils J maintain their activity for at least twice as long as the bacteria or viruses present in the air (Naohide Shinohara, Introduction of research cases related to indoor environment useful for countermeasures against novel coronavirus infection (First Edition), The Indoor Environment Society (2020)). Therefore, in order to reduce the infection risk against bacteria or viruses, technologies for preventing contact infection, specifically, technologies for sterilizing bacteria attached to indoor daily utensils J, etc. or inactivating viruses are effective.

[0153] The sterilization virus inactivation device 1 of the above-described Embodiment 1 supplies a specific substance into the target space S in a so-called spreading manner by the air blowing of the air blowing device 11a from the supply unit 11. Therefore, the sterilization virus inactivation device 1 of Embodiment 1 can mainly handle microorganisms floating in the target space S and is effective for air infection countermeasures. In contrast, the supply unit 11A of the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A of Embodiment 2 supplies a specific substance aiming at the part contacted by a moving object in the target space S. Thereby, the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A of Embodiment 2 can handle microorganisms attached to the part contacted by the moving object and is effective for contact infection countermeasures.

[0154] Compared with the sterilization virus inactivation device 1 of Embodiment 1, the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A of Embodiment 2 has the following two differences in control. One is that the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A newly performs a trajectory detection operation for detecting the moving trajectory of the part contacted by a moving object in the target space S, that is, the moving trajectory of the moving object. The other is that the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A supplies a specific substance aiming at the moving trajectory of the moving object during the sterilization virus inactivation operation. When the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A performs the above control, its structure is also different from that of the sterilization virus inactivation device 1 of Embodiment 1. Hereinafter, the differences from Embodiment 1 in terms of control and structure will be mainly described.

[0155] Figure 11 It is an external view of the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A according to Embodiment 2. Figure 12 It is a diagram showing an example of a schematic cross-section of the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A according to Embodiment 2. Figure 13 It is a diagram showing the usage mode of the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A according to Embodiment 2. The structure of the housing 1aA of the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A of Embodiment 2 is different from that of the sterilization virus inactivation device 1 of Embodiment 1. The housing 1aA of Embodiment 2 has: a cylindrical tubular portion 2; an annular upper surface portion 3 covering the upper end opening of the tubular portion 2; and a grille body 4 detachably installed below the tubular portion 2.

[0156] The grille body 4 is located on the central axis of the ventilation path 9a. Although not shown in detail, the grille body 4 is supported by the inner wall of the tubular portion 2. The grille body 4 has a grille 4a at the lower part. The grille 4a is a part constituting a part of the supply unit 11A and will be described separately.

[0157] In addition, a corrugated portion 15 is installed above the housing 1aA of the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A. The corrugated portion 15 is a part for changing the direction of the air flow blown out from the grille body 4 and is composed of a flexible corrugated member. Figure 11 The state where the direction of the air flow blown out from the grille body 4 is changed from vertically downward to an inclined direction is shown.

[0158] The sterilization virus inactivation device 1A is provided with a corrugated portion 15 above the housing 1aA, and a grille body 4 is installed below the cylindrical portion 2. Therefore, the joint 8 is installed at the upper end portion of the corrugated portion 15. In addition, the processing mode receiving portion 6 and the display portion 5 are installed on the outer wall of the grille body 4.

[0159] A connector 25 for connecting the housing 1aA and the corrugated portion 15 is provided on the upper surface portion 3 of the housing 1aA. The connector 25 forms a part of the housing 1aA. The housing 1aA is detachably installed on the corrugated portion 15 by being engaged with a locking portion 26 provided at the lower end portion of the corrugated portion 15 by a hook portion 25a provided on the connector 25. Moreover, a mode changeover switch 41 described later is provided on the connector 25.

[0160] The sterilization virus inactivation device 1A further includes a sensing portion 30 that can be communicatively connected to a communication portion 42 (refer to Figure 15 ) described later in the housing 1aA. The sensing portion 30 is a portion that senses the entry of a moving object into the target space S and the exit of the moving object from the target space S (hereinafter, referred to as entry / exit). The sensing portion 30 is disposed separately from the housing 1aA. The sensing portion 30 will be described separately.

[0161] A substance generation portion 10, a supply portion 11A, a substance measurement portion 12, an activity reduction execution portion 13, a main substrate 14, and a trajectory detection portion 31 are disposed inside the housing 1aA.

[0162] Hereinafter, the components of the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A that are different from those of the sterilization virus inactivation device 1 will be described.

[0163] [Description of the sensing portion 30]

[0164] The sensing portion 30 is constituted by, for example, an infrared sensor. The sensing portion 30 can communicate with a communication portion 42 described later provided in the housing 1aA, and can transmit the detection result of the moving object to the communication portion 42. As this communication, wireless communication such as wireless LAN, Bluetooth (registered trademark), or ZigBee (registered trademark) is used. In addition, as the sensing portion 30, an existing component installed in the target space S can also be used.

[0165] [Description of the trajectory detection portion 31]

[0166] The trajectory detection unit 31 detects the movement trajectory of the part contacted by the moving object. The trajectory detection unit 31 is disposed at the central part of the lower end of the grille body 4. The moving object to be the trajectory detection target is not only a person, but also all moving objects such as biological moving bodies including pets such as dogs or cats, and moving devices such as a mobile vacuum cleaner. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the moving object is assumed to be a person. The detailed structure and operation of the trajectory detection unit 31 will be described separately.

[0167] [Description of the supply unit 11A]

[0168] The supply unit 11A generates an air flow with high straightness and directivity. In addition to the structure of the supply unit 11 in the first embodiment, the supply unit 11A further includes a grille 4a for imparting straightness and directivity to the air flow. Further, the supply unit 11A includes a driving device 40 for driving the frame body 1aA in such a manner that the air flow imparted with straightness and directivity by the grille 4a is supplied to the moving trajectory described later.

[0169] (Grille 4a)

[0170] Figure 14 FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the grille body 4 of the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A according to the second embodiment. The grille body 4 has an air outlet 4b, and a grille 4a is provided at the air outlet 4b. The grille 4a has a plurality of spiral fins 4c. The grille 4a has a structure in which the inner end portion 4c1 of the plurality of fins 4c near the center O of the spiral is more protruding in the air supply direction than the outer end portion 4c2 of the fin 4c continuous with the air outlet 4b. In other words, in the grille 4a, the inner end portion 4c1 of the fin 4c is more protruding in the air supply direction than the outer end portion 4c2 of the fin 4c. The inner end portion 4c1 is the inner end side near the center O of the spiral and includes the vicinity of the inner end. The outer end portion 4c2 is the portion on the outer end side continuous with the air outlet 4b.

[0171] With this structure, the grille 4a can cause the air flowing out from the outlet of the ventilation path 9a and flowing into the grille body 4 to converge toward the center and increase the wind speed at the center in the air supply direction. In addition, the grille 4a can extend the reach of the spiral air flow blown out from the air outlet 4b. With the above structure, the grille 4a can impart straightness and directivity to the air flow generated by the air supply device 11a.

[0172] (Driving device 40)

[0173] Return Figure 11 and Figure 12Description. The drive device 40 drives the frame 1aA to change the orientation of the grille 4a, controlling the blowing direction of the air flow so that the air flow blown out from the grille 4a is directed toward the movement trajectory detected by the trajectory detection unit 31. By driving the frame 1aA with the drive device 40, the corrugated portion 15 deforms to change the blowing direction. The drive device 40 includes a motor (not shown) capable of driving in two orthogonal axes. The motor is a general servo motor or a stepping motor. These motors can control the angle of the shaft supporting the frame 1aA and can also stop the shaft of the frame 1aA at a specific position. Therefore, the drive device 40 can accurately stop the grille 4a provided at the air outlet 4b at the movement trajectory.

[0174] With the above structure, the supply unit 11A can make the air flow generated by the air supply device 11a into an air flow with improved straightness and directivity by the grille 4a and supply it aiming at the movement trajectory.

[0175] Figure 15 It is a block diagram of the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1A according to Embodiment 2. In addition to Figure 4 the embodiment 1 shown, a trajectory detection unit 31, a drive device 40, a mode changeover switch 41, and a communication unit 42 are also electrically connected to the control device 20 through leads. The communication unit 42 has a function of performing wireless communication such as wireless LAN, Bluetooth (registered trademark), or ZigBee (registered trademark) and performs wireless communication with the sensing unit 30. In addition, the communication unit 42 can be arranged on the same mounting board as one or both of the processing mode receiving unit 6 and the display unit 5, or can be arranged on a different mounting board. When the communication unit 42 of the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1A is arranged on the same mounting board as one or both of the processing mode receiving unit 6 and the display unit 5, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[0176] The control device 20 controls the trajectory detection unit 31, the substance generation unit 10, the air supply device 11a, and the drive device 40 based on the detection result of the entry / exit of a person by the sensing unit 30. The control device 20 performs a trajectory detection operation in addition to the above-mentioned sterilization and virus inactivation operation. The trajectory detection operation will be described separately.

[0177] The sterilization and virus inactivation device 1A performs wireless communication with the sensing unit 30 through the communication unit 42 to detect the entry / exit of a person. Specifically, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1A obtains the sensing signal of the entry / exit of a person sent from the sensing unit 30 via the communication unit 42 and detects the entry / exit of a person based on the sensing signal. The sterilization and virus inactivation device 1A detects the entry of the first person and the exit of all persons based on the sensing signal sent from the sensing unit 30.

[0178] The infrared sensor that constitutes the sensing unit 30 has a transmitting unit 30a that transmits infrared rays and a receiving unit 30b that receives infrared rays. The transmitting unit 30a and the receiving unit 30b are provided near the door D of the object space S. Specifically, the transmitting unit 30a and the receiving unit 30b are arranged separately above and below the entrance, and infrared rays are transmitted and received between the transmitting unit 30a and the receiving unit 30b.

[0179] When no one passes between the transmitting unit 30a and the receiving unit 30b, the amount of infrared rays received by the receiving unit 30b does not change and becomes a substantially constant amount, but the amount of reception decreases when a person passes. The infrared sensor detects that someone has moved when the amount of infrared rays received by the receiving unit 30b is lower than a specified value. In addition, the method of using the infrared sensor to detect the entry / exit of a person is simpler and can be configured at a lower cost in terms of the device structure compared to the detection method of entry / exit using image data. Furthermore, the sensing unit 30 is not limited to an infrared sensor as long as it can detect the entry / exit of a person.

[0180] The installation position of the sensing unit 30 can be near the door D as described above. For example, when the object space S is a toilet, it can also be installed near the toilet bowl.

[0181] The trajectory detection unit 31 is a part that performs detection processing of the movement trajectory of the part contacted by the moving object. The movement trajectory includes not only the places where a person's hand touches but also all places where a person touches, such as the places where a person walks. However, in the following description, the movement trajectory of the part with a particularly high infection risk among the places where a person touches is detected. Specifically, the movement trajectory is set as the trajectory of the part where a person's hand touches the daily utensil J.

[0182] The trajectory detection unit 31 includes a photographing unit 31a that photographs the object space S and an image processing unit 31b that performs trajectory detection based on the photographing data of the photographing unit 31a.

[0183] (Photographing unit 31a)

[0184] The photographing unit 31a photographs the inside of the object space S. The photographing unit 31a includes an imaging element, a lens unit, a lens holder, and a cover plate. The imaging element includes a solid-state imaging element such as a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor or a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor that can acquire image data. The lens unit is provided in front of the imaging element. The lens unit has a lens that condenses light and an adjustment unit that relatively displaces the distance between the imaging element and the lens. The adjustment unit includes a permanent magnet that holds the lens and an electromagnetic coil that makes the permanent magnet movable.

[0185] The lens unit makes the lens movable by adjusting the current flowing through the coil, and adjusts the focus with the imaging element. The lens holder holds the lens unit. The lens holder has an annular outer shape. The cover plate is provided to block the opening of the annular lens holder. The cover plate is disposed in front of the lens unit. The cover plate has light transmissivity. The cover plate is colored so that the inside of the photographing unit 31a is not easily visible from the outside.

[0186] (Image processing unit 31b)

[0187] The image processing unit 31b includes an arithmetic control unit, a first storage unit, and a second storage unit. The arithmetic control unit performs arithmetic processing on the image data generated by photographing with the photographing unit 31a. The arithmetic control unit is constituted by an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) and a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). The arithmetic control unit may use a semiconductor element such as an advanced image processor that can process digital image processing at high speed instead of the DSP.

[0188] The first storage unit stores the image data generated by the photographing unit 31a in advance when there is no person in the object space S. The image data pre-photographed when there is no person is used as background data for detecting moving objects other than people and people. The first storage unit is constituted by a non-volatile memory such as an SDRAM (Synchronous DRAM) so that the image data can be transferred to the arithmetic control unit at high speed.

[0189] The second storage unit stores the tracking data of the person existing in the object space S as image data. The second storage unit is constituted by a large-capacity storage device so that a large amount of image data can be stored. As the large-capacity storage device, for example, a volatile memory having a relatively large storage capacity such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) is corresponded.

[0190] The image processing unit 31b stores the background data in the first storage unit. The image processing unit 31b appropriately reads the background data stored in the first storage unit into the arithmetic control unit. The image processing unit 31b periodically reads the current image data generated by the photographing unit 31a into the arithmetic control unit.

[0191] The operation control unit performs image difference processing using the currently read image data and background data. Image difference processing compares the current image data and background data to generate a difference image that takes the difference of each pixel, and performs binarization processing on the generated difference image using a preset threshold to generate a binarized image. The generation of the difference image is not limited to background difference generation, and can also be generated by temporal difference obtained by comparing two image data with different time series read by the imaging element.

[0192] For pixels that do not change between the current image data and the background data, the brightness value of the difference in that pixel is lower than the preset threshold. On the other hand, for pixels that change between the current image data and the background data, that is, pixels in the part where a person is photographed, the brightness value of the difference in that pixel exceeds the preset threshold. Thus, the operation control unit performs binarization processing on the difference image between the current image data and the background data using the threshold to extract the part where a person exists.

[0193] The operation control unit records the binarized image in which the part where a person exists has been extracted through the above image processing as the location where a person exists in the second storage unit. Whenever image data is output from the photographing unit, the operation control unit performs image difference processing to generate a binarized image, and stores the generated binarized image in the second storage unit. The operation control unit can detect the movement trajectory of a person existing in the object space S through the binarized images stored in time series in the second storage unit. That is, the operation control unit can track the movement of a person by comparing the current binarized image with the binarized image a certain period before. The operation control unit continuously stores the trajectory detection data as binarized images in the second storage unit during the period when the trajectory detection unit 31 continuously tracks a person until someone exits the object space S.

[0194] In addition, the operation control unit can pre-identify the placement location of the daily utensil J based on the background data, and detect the contact location of the person with the daily utensil according to the positional relationship between the placement location of the daily utensil and the location where a person exists. Specifically, the operation control unit obtains a difference image between the image data in the state where the daily utensil J is not set and the image data in the state where the daily utensil J is set, that is, extracts the difference image of the daily utensil J. Then, the operation control unit detects the overlapping part of the difference image of the daily utensil J that has been extracted and the binarized image of the part where a person exists as the contact location of the person with the daily utensil J.

[0195] With the above structure, the trajectory detection unit 31 can detect the movement trajectory of the part touched by a person in the object space S. This movement trajectory includes the movement trajectory of the contact part on the ground where a person walks and moves, and the movement trajectory of the contact part where a person touches the daily utensil J with their hand.

[0196] [Job Description]

[0197] The sterilization virus inactivation device 1A performs trajectory detection operation and sterilization virus inactivation operation. Hereinafter, first, the trajectory detection operation will be described, and then the sterilization virus inactivation operation will be described.

[0198] (Trajectory Detection Operation)

[0199] The trajectory detection operation is an operation performed when there is a person in the target space S, and is an operation for detecting the movement trajectory of the part contacted by the person.

[0200] Figure 16 It is an explanatory diagram of the trajectory detection operation of the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A according to Embodiment 2. In the trajectory detection operation, the sensing unit 30 senses the entry / exit of the person 50 in the target space S. In the trajectory detection operation, when the sensing unit 30 senses the entry of the person 50 into the target space S, the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A starts detecting the movement trajectory of the part contacted by the person 50. The sterilization virus inactivation device 1A continuously detects the movement trajectory of the part contacted by the person 50 until the sensing unit 30 senses the exit of the person 50 from the target space S. In Figure 16 the figure, the dotted arrow shows the movement trajectory 51 of the person 50 and shows the contact part where the person 50 contacts the daily utensil J.

[0201] In the trajectory detection operation, the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A lights up the display unit 5 in a lighting mode indicating that it is in the trajectory detection operation. Thus, the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A can notify the work content.

[0202] (Sterilization Virus Inactivation Operation)

[0203] The sterilization virus inactivation operation aims to reduce the risk of contact infection, aims at the movement trajectory in the target space S to supply a specific substance, and performs sterilization of bacteria or inactivation of viruses. The sterilization virus inactivation operation of Embodiment 2 is the same as that of Embodiment 1. After controlling the temperature of the microorganism to reduce the activity of the microorganism, the specific substance generated by the substance generation unit 10 is supplied to the target space S to treat the microorganism in the target space S. Hereinafter, an example in which the temperature of the air flow is controlled in the same manner as in Embodiment 1 for the temperature control of the microorganism will be described.

[0204] Figure 17 It is an explanatory diagram of the sterilization virus inactivation operation of the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A according to Embodiment 2. The sterilization virus inactivation operation is an operation performed when the person 50 exits from the target space S, and is an operation of supplying the specific substance generated by the substance generation unit 10 as Figure 17 shown to the movement trajectory 51. The sterilization virus inactivation operation is performed until the sensing unit 30 detects the entry of the person 50.

[0205] When the exit of the person 50 is detected by the detection unit 30, the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A drives the substance generation unit 10, the activity reduction execution unit 13, and the supply unit 11A to start the sterilization virus inactivation operation. Specifically, the control device 20 drives the substance generation unit 10 to generate a specific substance and starts the operation of the air supply device 11a. In addition, the microorganism activity control unit 21 controls the activity reduction execution unit 13 in the treatment mode selected by the treatment mode selection unit 22. In addition, the selection of the treatment mode in the treatment mode selection unit 22 may be performed, for example, when the person 50 is in the room before starting the sterilization virus inactivation operation.

[0206] The ions, which are the specific substances generated by the substance generation unit 10, are transported toward the outlet of the ventilation path 9a together with the air flow adjusted to the temperature corresponding to the treatment mode through the operation of the air supply device 11a and the activity reduction execution unit 13. At the same time, the control device 20 controls the drive device 40 to direct the grille 4a of the grille body 4 toward the moving trajectory 51 detected by the trajectory detection unit 31.

[0207] Thus, the specific substances generated by the substance generation unit 10 ride on the air flow that is made to have improved straightness and directivity by the grille 4a and is adjusted to a temperature that reduces the activity of microorganisms, and are supplied toward the moving trajectory 51 of the person 50 in the target space S. The sterilization virus inactivation device 1A controls the orientation of the grille 4a of the grille body 4 so as to supply the specific substances in such a manner as to trace the moving trajectory 51 from the starting point 51a to the ending point 51b.

[0208] Here, the moving trajectory 51 is the moving trajectory of the person 50 carrying bacteria or viruses and is the part in the target space S where a large number of bacteria or viruses are attached. In this configuration, it is possible to supply the specific substances aiming at the moving trajectory 51 without diffusing the specific substances in the target space S, by making the specific substances ride on the air flow that has high straightness and directivity and is adjusted to a temperature that reduces the activity of microorganisms. That is, the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A can send the specific substances aiming at the part where there are a large number of bacteria or viruses. Therefore, the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A can control the temperature around the microorganisms to a temperature environment that reduces the activity of the microorganisms, and then deliver the specific substances to the moving trajectory 51 in a high-concentration state, and can efficiently sterilize the bacteria or inactivate the viruses existing in the moving trajectory 51.

[0209] In addition, the germ and virus inactivation device 1A can specifically inactivate bacteria or viruses on the parts contacted by the human 50, and thus can reduce the risk of contact infection in the target space S. In addition, the germ and virus inactivation device 1A is arranged at a relatively high position in the target space S such as the ceiling. Therefore, compared with the case where the germ and virus inactivation device 1A is arranged on the ground, it is easier to supply a specific substance to the surface part of the daily appliance J that is easily contacted by the human 50.

[0210] In addition, the temperature of the air flow is adjusted to a temperature corresponding to the processing mode. Therefore, it is possible to process after reducing the activity of bacteria or viruses, and to process bacteria or viruses in a short time.

[0211] [Working description]

[0212] Figure 18 It is a diagram showing a control flowchart of the germ and virus inactivation device 1A according to Embodiment 2. In Figure 18 the same parts as those in the control flowchart showing Embodiment 1 are labeled with the same step numbers. Hereinafter, with reference to Figure 10 the control flowchart of Figure 18 the operation of the germ and virus inactivation device 1A will be described. Here, the description will focus on the operations different from those in Embodiment 1.

[0213] When the power of the germ and virus inactivation device 1A is turned on by operating a remote control switch (not shown) provided in the target space S, the control device 20 starts up and causes the processing mode receiving unit 6 to operate (step S1). When the power is turned on, the processing mode receiving unit 6 always operates and can always receive the processing mode sent from the processing mode input unit 7. In addition, when the power of the germ and virus inactivation device 1A is turned on, the sensing unit 30 is caused to operate (step S10). When the power is turned on, the sensing unit 30 always operates to sense the entry / exit of the human 50 in the target space S. The control device 20 always detects the entry / exit of the human 50 in the target space S based on the sensing signal from the sensing unit 30 (step S11: No). When the control device 20 detects the entry of the human 50 (step S11: Yes), it causes the trajectory detection unit 31 to operate and starts the trajectory detection operation (step S12). The trajectory detection unit 31 continuously detects the movement trajectory 51 of the human 50 until the exit of the human 50 is sensed by the sensing unit 30 (step S13: No).

[0214] Then, when the control device 20 detects that the person 50 exits from the object space S based on the detection signal from the detection unit 30 (step S13: Yes), it checks whether a certain period of time has elapsed (step S14). If the certain period of time has not elapsed (step S14: No), the control device 20 continues the trajectory detection operation. If the certain period of time has elapsed (step S14: Yes), the control device 20 ends the trajectory detection operation (step S15) and starts the sterilization virus inactivation operation (step S16). That is, the control device 20 switches the operation from the trajectory detection operation to the sterilization virus inactivation operation. Then, at the same time as the start of the sterilization virus inactivation operation, the control device 20 starts counting the operation time (step S17).

[0215] During the sterilization virus inactivation operation, the control device 20 drives the substance generation unit 10 to generate a specific substance as described above, and starts the operation of the air supply device 11a. In addition, during the sterilization virus inactivation operation, the control device 20 also causes the activity reduction execution unit 13 to operate in the processing mode selected by the processing mode selection unit 22 (step S5, step S6, step S7).

[0216] The sterilization virus inactivation operation is performed for a preset set time. However, if the person 50 enters the object space S before the set time has elapsed, the sterilization virus inactivation operation stops. As a specific process, the control device 20 performs the following processes.

[0217] After the start of the sterilization virus inactivation operation, if the entry of the person 50 is not detected (step S18: No), the control device 20 checks whether the set time has elapsed after starting the counting of the operation time (step S19). If the set time has not elapsed (step S19: No), the control device 20 returns to step S5 and repeats the processes of step S5, step S6, step S7, step S18, and step S19. Then, when the control device 20 determines that the set time has elapsed without detecting the entry of the person 50 (step S19: Yes), it ends the sterilization virus inactivation operation (step S20) and returns to step S11.

[0218] In addition, when the control device 20 detects the entry of the person 50 in step S18 during the sterilization virus inactivation operation (step S18: Yes), it also ends the sterilization virus inactivation operation (step S9). That is, the control device 20 stops driving the substance generation unit 10 to stop generating the specific substance, stops the operation of the air supply device 11a, and stops the operation of the activity reduction execution unit 13. After the stop of the sterilization virus inactivation operation, the control device 20 returns to step S12 and starts the trajectory detection operation again.

[0219] Here, the control device 20 switches from the trajectory detection operation to the disinfection virus inactivation operation after a certain time has elapsed since detecting the exit of the person 50 from the target space S for the following reason. If the operation is switched from the trajectory detection operation to the disinfection virus inactivation operation immediately after detecting the exit of the person 50, the operation will be frequently switched when the person 50 enters and exits the target space S relatively frequently. Therefore, the control device 20 sets a time lag of a certain time and switches from the trajectory detection operation to the disinfection virus inactivation operation. As a result, the disinfection virus inactivation device 1A can reduce the number of operation switches and can reduce the load applied to the air supply device 11a.

[0220] The disinfection virus inactivation device 1A is provided with a mode changeover switch 41 to set a time lag of a certain time. The mode changeover switch 41 is a slide-type switch and is provided on the connector 25 and is not visible from the outside. The user can operate the mode changeover switch 41 through the opening located above the housing 1aA by removing the corrugated portion 15 from the housing 1aA. Here, the certain time is set to a predetermined time in the initial state. The user can change the certain time by changing the slide position of the mode changeover switch 41. For example, at the first slide position, the certain time is set to 30 seconds, and at the second slide position, the certain time is set to 1 minute. In addition, the mode changeover switch 41 is not limited to a slide-type switch.

[0221] As described above, the disinfection virus inactivation device 1A performs the disinfection virus inactivation operation when the person 50 exits the target space S and there is no person 50 in the target space S. Therefore, there is no problem even if the temperature control of the activity reduction execution unit 13 causes a large temperature change compared to the first embodiment. Specifically, due to relationships such as power consumption, the optimal temperature control can also be performed as follows. Since the disinfection effect is obtained at 20°C to 25°C and the virus inactivation effect is obtained at 28°C to 30°C, the disinfection virus inactivation device 1A can also be set to 20°C to improve the disinfection effect in summer and set to 30°C to improve the virus inactivation effect in winter. In this way, the disinfection virus inactivation device 1A can also be set to a temperature at which the temperature difference from the external gas environment is large and people may feel uncomfortable. As a result, the disinfection virus inactivation device 1A can effectively perform the disinfection of bacteria or the inactivation of viruses.

[0222] In addition, in the above description, the example in which only one person 50 enters the target space has been described, but sometimes multiple people 50 enter the target space. In this case, the disinfection virus inactivation device 1A performs the trajectory detection operation from when the first person enters until all the people exit, and after all the people exit, performs the disinfection virus inactivation operation.

[0223] Here, in Embodiment 1, ions are used as the specific substance, but ions are known to be substances with low residual properties. When the specific substance is a substance with low residual properties, even if the concentration of the specific substance in the target space S is high during the sterilization and virus inactivation operation, if the operation of the substance generation unit 10 stops when the sterilization and virus inactivation operation stops, the concentration will also decrease rapidly. Therefore, even if a high concentration of the specific substance is supplied from the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1A into the target space S during the sterilization and virus inactivation operation, the safety of the person 50 entering the target space S after the sterilization and virus inactivation operation can be ensured. Thus, when a substance with low residual properties is used as the specific substance, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 generates the specific substance from the substance generation unit 10 so that the concentration of the specific substance in the target space S reaches a high concentration. The high concentration in this case is not particularly limited in value, as long as it is set to a concentration effective for enhancing the efficiency of bacteria sterilization or virus inactivation.

[0224] In addition, the specific substance includes hypochlorous acid water in addition to ions. Between ions and hypochlorous acid water, there are differences in the degree of reduction of the sterilization and virus inactivation effect based on temperature. For hypochlorous acid water, the higher the temperature, specifically, if it reaches 28°C or higher, the sterilization and virus inactivation effect decreases rapidly. Therefore, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1A preferably controls the temperature of the air flow within a temperature range that does not reduce the sterilization and virus inactivation effect of the specific substance. That is, when the virus inactivation mode is implemented using hypochlorous acid water, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1A preferably sets the temperature of the air flow to 28°C. By setting it in this way, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1A can reduce the microbial activity while implementing virus inactivation based on hypochlorous acid water, and can perform virus inactivation efficiently.

[0225] The sterilization and virus inactivation device 1A may also, during the sterilization and virus inactivation operation, first perform the processing mode selected by the processing mode selection unit 22, and then perform the unselected processing mode. The sterilization and virus inactivation device 1A may also alternately perform the sterilization mode and the virus inactivation mode during the sterilization and virus inactivation operation. In these cases, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 can process both bacteria and viruses through the sterilization and virus inactivation operation.

[0226] Furthermore, there are also substances with unclear safety for the human body among the specific substances. However, since the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1A performs the sterilization and virus inactivation operation when no one is present, people will not inhale or come into contact with the specific substance. Therefore, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1A can achieve a sterilization and virus inactivation operation that is safe and effective for people.

[0227] [Effect]

[0228] As described above, the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A of Embodiment 2 can achieve the same effects as the sterilization virus inactivation device 1 of Embodiment 1, and can achieve the following effects. In addition to the sterilization virus inactivation device 1, the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A is provided with a trajectory detection unit 31 that detects the movement trajectory of the part contacted by the moving object in the detection target space S. In addition, the supply unit 11A of the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A supplies a specific substance along the movement trajectory of the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A. Thereby, the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A can supply a specific substance by aiming at the movement trajectory 51 of the part contacted by the moving object in the target space S through an air flow controlled to a temperature that reduces the activity of microorganisms, and can perform sterilization or virus inactivation in the target space S more efficiently.

[0229] The supply unit 11A includes: a blower device 11a that generates an air flow; a grille 4a disposed downstream of the blower device 11a that imparts straightness and directivity to the air flow from the blower device 11a; and a drive device 40 that changes the orientation of the grille 4a to control the blowing direction of the air flow. The supply unit 11A supplies the air flow in a manner of tracing the movement trajectory 51 by changing the orientation of the grille 4a through the drive device 40.

[0230] In this way, the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A supplies an air flow controlled to a temperature that reduces the activity of microorganisms in a manner of tracing the movement trajectory 51 as an air flow imparted with straightness and directivity by the grille 4a. Thereby, the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A can perform sterilization or virus inactivation in a place with a high infection risk efficiently and intensively.

[0231] The sterilization virus inactivation device 1A is further provided with a detection unit 30 that senses the exit of the moving object from the target space S. When the detection unit 30 senses that the moving object in the target space S has exited, the supply unit 11A supplies the specific substance generated by the substance generation unit 10 to the movement trajectory by using an air flow controlled to a temperature that reduces the activity of microorganisms.

[0232] In this way, the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A starts the sterilization virus inactivation operation when it senses the exit of the moving object from the target space S. Therefore, it can perform sterilization or virus inactivation efficiently and intensively during the period when there is no moving object in the target space S. From another perspective, the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A does not perform the sterilization virus inactivation operation during the period when the moving object is in the target space S. Therefore, it can effectively perform the sterilization virus inactivation operation while maintaining the comfort of the moving object in the target space S.

[0233] When the detection unit 30 senses that the moving object in the target space S has exited, the supply unit 11A supplies the specific substance generated by the substance generation unit 10 to the movement trajectory after a preset certain period of time.

[0234] Thus, the sterilizing virus inactivating device 1A can reduce the number of switching operations when the moving object enters and exits the target space S relatively frequently, and can reduce the load applied to the air supply device 11a. In addition, for example, when the moving object exiting the target space S immediately returns to the target space S, the sterilizing virus inactivating device 1A can avoid causing discomfort to the moving object in terms of noise and cold feeling.

[0235] [Modification Example]

[0236] In addition, the sterilizing virus inactivating device 1A of the present disclosure is not limited to the structure described above, and can be implemented in a modified manner, for example, within the scope not departing from the gist of the present disclosure as follows.

[0237] (Modification Example of Structure)

[0238] In the above structure, it is assumed that the sensing unit 30 disposed separately from the housing 1aA senses the entry / exit of the moving object with respect to the target space S. However, the trajectory detection unit 31 can also serve as the sensing unit 30. When the trajectory detection unit 31 serves as the sensing unit 30, the trajectory detection unit 31 can detect the entry / exit of the person 50 into / from the target space S by the sensing unit 30 through the following processing.

[0239] The trajectory detection unit 31 performs image difference processing of generating a difference image between the background data of the door D in the target space S and the current image data of the captured door D. When the trajectory detection unit 31 detects a difference in luminance value in the image of the door D in the target space S in the difference image obtained by the image difference processing, it can detect that someone 50 has entered or exited the target space S. Further, when the change direction of the difference image is toward the inside of the target space S, the trajectory detection unit 31 detects entry, and when the change direction of the difference image is toward the outside of the target space S, the trajectory detection unit 31 detects exit, so that the entry / exit of the person 50 into / from the target space S can be detected.

[0240] In addition, when adopting the structure in which the trajectory detection unit 31 also serves as the sensing unit 30, the trajectory detection unit 31 may be equipped with a visible light sensor or an ultrasonic sensor, and the detection result of the sensor may be used to detect the movement trajectory 51 of the moving object.

[0241] In the above structure, the target space S is set as a closed space, for example, separated by a partition, but it can also be an unclosed space. The unclosed space corresponds to a space such as a banquet hall, which is a space that is virtualy separated by a part of a large space. By making the target space S an unclosed space, the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A can perform a sterilization virus inactivation operation by treating a part of the large space as the target space S without physically separating the large space to form a closed space. In this way, when the unclosed space is set as the target space S, the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A is set at a position where the specific substance generated by the substance generation unit 10 can be supplied to the target space S by the supply unit 11A.

[0242] Here, for the detection of the entry / exit of a moving object relative to an unenclosed space, it is sufficient to set an imaginary boundary line of the unenclosed space, monitor and detect the entry / exit of the moving object from the entire area of ​​the boundary line. Specifically, a structure is adopted in which a plurality of sensing units 30 are provided to detect the entry / exit of a moving object passing through various locations on the boundary line. When the entry of a moving object is sensed, the trajectory detection unit 31 detects the trajectory of the moving object until the exit of the moving object. Then, after confirming the exit of the moving object through the sensing unit 30, the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A performs a sterilization virus inactivation operation. In this way, by configuring the sensing unit 30 with the entire area of ​​the boundary line of the object space S as the object, the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A can sterilize bacteria or inactivate viruses with the undivided space as the object.

[0243] In the above structure, a coaxial double-cylinder ion sensor is used as the ion sensor constituting the material measuring unit 12, but a parallel plate ion sensor may also be used. The parallel plate type is a method of measuring ions flowing between the plate electrodes based on the amount of current between the parallel plate electrodes. The parallel plate ion sensor is relatively compact and can easily measure the amount of ions.

[0244] In the above structure, the mode switch 41 is provided on the connector 25 and is not visible from the outside, but it may be provided outside the housing 1aA so as to be visible from the outside. Thus, the user can easily operate the mode switch 41 and easily change the time lag.

[0245] Implementation 3

[0246] Embodiment 3 relates to an air conditioner 60 having the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A of Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2. Hereinafter, the structure and processing of Embodiment 3 different from Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2 will be mainly described, and the structure and processing not described in this Embodiment 2 are the same as those of Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2.

[0247] Figure 19It is a schematic cross-sectional view of the air conditioner 60 according to Embodiment 3. Figure 20 It is a schematic view of the air conditioner 60 Figure 19 viewed from directly below. The air conditioner 60 is an indoor unit disposed in an air-conditioned object space such as an office, and supplies temperature-controlled air to the air-conditioned object space by using a refrigeration cycle in which a refrigerant circulates. The air conditioner 60 performs one or both of heating operation and cooling operation as normal operation. The air conditioner 60 air-conditions the air-conditioned object space and includes the sterilization virus inactivation device 1 of Embodiment 1 or the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A of Embodiment 2, and sterilizes bacteria or inactivates viruses in the air-conditioned object space with the air-conditioned object space as the object space S.

[0248] The casing 61 of the air conditioner 60 has a main body 62 embedded in the ceiling and having an opening on the lower surface, and a decorative plate 63 that closes the opening of the main body 62. The decorative plate 63 has a rectangular suction grille 64 at the center of the decorative plate 63. Four air outlets 65 (65a to 65d) are formed along the four sides of the suction grille 64 around the suction grille 64. Wind direction plates 66 for controlling the blowing direction of the air flow from the air outlets 65 are provided at the respective air outlets 65. The air conditioner 60 includes an up-down wind direction plate 66a for controlling the wind direction in the up-down direction and a left-right wind direction plate 66b for controlling the wind direction in the left-right direction as the wind direction plates 66. In addition, a motor (not shown), which is a driving device for respectively driving the up-down wind direction plate 66a and the left-right wind direction plate 66b, is provided inside the casing 61.

[0249] A centrifugal blower 67, a motor 68 for driving the centrifugal blower 67, and a heat exchanger 69 for performing heat exchange between the refrigerant flowing inside and the air are disposed inside the casing 61. The centrifugal blower 67 is disposed at the central part inside the casing 61 and is connected to a shaft extending downward from the motor 68 fixed to the top plate of the casing 61. The heat exchanger 69 is disposed around the centrifugal blower 67. In addition, inside the casing 61, a drain pan 70 for receiving the dew condensation water generated by the heat exchanger 69 is disposed below the heat exchanger 69. An electrical component box 71 is also disposed inside the casing 61. The electrical component box 71 houses a control board 71a for controlling the operation of the air conditioner 60. In addition, in Figure 19 it, an example in which the air conditioner 60 is a ceiling-mounted indoor unit is shown, but it is not limited thereto, and it may also be a wall-mounted indoor unit.

[0250] The air conditioner 60 is equipped with the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1A of Embodiment 2. Specifically, the processing mode receiving unit 6, the sensing unit 30, and the trajectory detection unit 31 are arranged on the decorative panel 63, and the substance generating unit 10 is arranged near the air outlet 65 of the decorative panel 63. In addition, the arrangement position of the sensing unit 30 is not limited to the vicinity of the air outlet 65 of the decorative panel 63, and it can also be arranged at other positions of the housing 61. Also, similar to Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2, the sensing unit 30 can also be arranged near the door D.

[0251] The heat source unit 13a of the activity reduction execution unit 13 is constituted by a heat exchanger 69. The supply unit 11A is configured to include a centrifugal blower 67, a motor 68, a wind direction plate 66, and a motor (not shown) for driving the wind direction plate 66. The centrifugal blower 67 also serves as the air supply device 11a of the supply unit 11A. The wind direction plate 66 has the function of the grille 4a of the supply unit 11A. The display unit 5 and the processing mode receiving unit 6 are arranged on the outer surface of the decorative panel 63.

[0252] The mode changeover switch 41 and the communication unit 42 are provided on the outer surface of the electrical component box 71. The functions of the control device 20 are carried on the control board 71a inside the electrical component box 71. As shown below Figure 21 The air conditioner 60 is provided with a remote controller 72 for a user to perform switching operations such as heating operation and cooling operation of the air conditioner 60, temperature setting, and air volume setting. The remote controller 72 also serves as the processing mode input unit 7.

[0253] Figure 21 is an explanatory diagram of the sterilization and virus inactivation operation performed by the Figure 19 air conditioner 60. The air conditioner 60 is arranged at a position where it can supply an air flow toward the daily appliance J. In practice, the air conditioner 60 is often installed in the room earlier than the daily appliance J. Therefore, the daily appliance J is arranged at a position where the air flow from the air conditioner 60 reaches. Alternatively, it can also be installed according to the layout of the daily appliance J in the target space S during the installation stage of the air conditioner 60. In short, the air conditioner 60 is arranged such that the moving trajectory part that a person contacts is within the air supply range of the air flow from the air conditioner 60.

[0254] In the air conditioner 60, when the centrifugal blower 67 rotates by the motor 68, air is sucked into the housing 61 from the suction grille 64, passes through the centrifugal blower 67 and the heat exchanger 69 that constitutes the heat source unit 13a of the activity reduction execution unit 13, and is blown out from the blowout port 65. The air flow blown out from the blowout port 65 is an air flow whose temperature has been adjusted by the heat exchanger 69 and is an air flow containing a specific substance generated by the substance generation unit 10. Such an air flow is blown out from the blowout port 65, and the blowing direction is controlled by the wind direction plate 66. Here, the control device 20 controls the heat exchange amount in the heat exchanger 69 according to the processing mode selected by the processing mode selection unit 22. Therefore, the air flow blown out from the blowout port 65 is adjusted to a temperature corresponding to the processing mode selected by the processing mode selection unit 22.

[0255] In Figure 21 it shows the state of supplying the air flow from the blowout port 65c to the movement locus 51. More specifically, it shows the state of supplying the air flow from the blowout port 65c in a manner of drawing along the arrow A direction between the starting point 51a and the passing point 51c of the movement locus 51. After the supply of the air flow from the blowout port 65c ends, the air flow is sequentially supplied from the blowout port 65b and the blowout port 65a to the remaining part of the movement locus 51. Since the air conditioner 60 controls the blowing direction of the air flow by the wind direction plate 66, it is possible to supply an air flow with improved straightness and directivity and adjusted to a temperature that reduces the activity of microorganisms toward the movement locus 51 of a person in the target space S.

[0256] Figure 22 is a diagram showing an operation flow chart of the air conditioner 60 according to Embodiment 3. Refer to Figure 22 the flow chart and explain the operation flow of the air conditioner 60. Hereinafter, the explanation will be centered on the parts where Figure 22 the flow chart is different from that of Figure 18 Embodiment 1.

[0257] When the power of the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A is turned on by operating a remote control switch (not shown) provided in the target space S, the control device 20 starts up and makes the processing mode receiving unit 6 operate (step S1). In addition, the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A starts normal operation and makes the sensing unit 30 operate (step S10a). The normal operation is a heating operation, a cooling operation, or the like set from the remote controller 72. The subsequent operations are the same as Figure 18 those. That is, the air conditioner 60 is different from Figure 18 the flow chart in that it starts normal operation only when the power is turned on, and the other processes are the same as Figure 18 the flow chart.

[0258] The air conditioner 60 of Embodiment 3 can achieve the same effects as the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 of Embodiment 1 and the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1A of Embodiment 2, and can also achieve the following effects. The air conditioner 60 is a structure in which an existing air conditioner 60 originally arranged in an object space S such as an office is modified and the constituent parts of the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1A are appropriately installed. Thus, the air conditioner 60 can efficiently perform sterilization or virus inactivation in the object space S without changing the landscape in the object space S. When modifying an existing air conditioner, if an auxiliary louver is installed to improve the directivity and straightness of ventilation, the sterilization and virus inactivation effect is improved.

[0259] In addition, in Embodiment 3, the existing air conditioner 60 originally arranged in an object space S such as an office can also be replaced with an air conditioner 60 equipped with the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1A. In this case, similar to the case of modifying an existing air conditioner 60, sterilization or virus inactivation in the object space S can be efficiently performed without changing the landscape in the object space S.

[0260] The usage mode of the air conditioner 60 of Embodiment 3 is not limited to setting one in the object space S as shown in Figure 21 , and multiple units can also be set as shown below in Figure 23 .

[0261] Figure 23 is a diagram showing other usage modes of the air conditioner 60 according to Embodiment 3. In Figure 23 , multiple air conditioners 60 are arranged in the object space S. In this case, the multiple air conditioners 60 perform the same operation, so that compared with the case of treating microorganisms in the object space S by one air conditioner 60, sterilization or virus inactivation can be performed in a shorter time. Here, the same operation means that the heating and cooling operation modes and the processing modes in the microorganism activity control unit 21 are the same among the multiple air conditioners 60. In addition, the multiple air conditioners 60 can also have different processing modes in the microorganism activity control unit 21. That is, some of the air conditioners 60 can operate in the sterilization mode, and the remaining air conditioners 60 can operate in the virus inactivation mode. In this case, the air conditioner 60 can perform sterilization and virus inactivation simultaneously.

[0262] In addition, the air conditioner 60 of Embodiment 3 can appropriately apply the modification examples of Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2. Specifically, for example, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1A of Embodiment 3 can apply the structure in which the trajectory detection unit 31 also serves as the sensing unit 30 described as a modification example of Embodiment 2.

[0263] In addition, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and of course, many modifications and changes can be made to the above-described embodiments within the scope of the present disclosure. As the target space S where the sterilization virus inactivation device 1A is provided, an office is exemplified above, but in addition to this, for example, it can also be a general house, a storage room, a bathroom, etc. Also, the target space S can be the interior of a refrigerator or a freezer.

[0264] Description of Reference Numerals

[0265] 1 Sterilization virus inactivation device, 1A Sterilization virus inactivation device, 1a Housing, 1aA Housing, 2 Cylindrical part, 2a Lower surface part, 2a1 Exhaust port, 3 Upper surface part, 3a Suction port, 4 Grille body, 4a Grille, 4b Air outlet, 4c Fins, 4c1 Inner end part, 4c2 Outer end part, 5 Display part, 6 Processing mode receiving part, 7 Processing mode input part, 8 Connector, 9 Air passage forming member, 9a Ventilation passage, 10 Substance generating part, 11 Supply part, 11A Supply part, 11a Air blower, 12 Substance measuring part, 13 Activity reduction execution part, 13a Heat source part, 13a1 Heating part, 13a2 Cooling part, 13b Temperature sensor, 14 Main substrate, 15 Corrugated part, 20 Control device, 21 Microbial activity control part, 22 Processing mode selection part, 25 Connector, 25a Hook part, 26 Locking part, 30 Sensing part, 30a Transmitting part, 30b Receiving part, 31 Trajectory detection part, 31a Photographing part, 31b Image processing part, 37 Air blower, 40 Driving device, 41 Mode changeover switch, 42 Communication part, 50 Person, 51 Movement trajectory, 51a Starting point, 51b End point, 51c Passing point, 60 Air conditioner, 61 Housing, 62 Main body, 63 Decorative panel, 64 Suction grille, 65 Air outlet, 65a Air outlet, 65b Air outlet, 65c Air outlet, 65d Air outlet, 66 Wind direction plate, 66a Vertical wind direction plate, 66b Horizontal wind direction plate, 67 Centrifugal blower, 68 Electric motor, 69 Heat exchanger, 70 Drain pan, 71 Electric component box, 71a Control substrate, 72 Remote controller, A Arrow, D Door, J Daily appliance, O Central part, S Target space.

Claims

1. A sterilization and virus inactivation device that performs sterilization or inactivation treatment on microorganisms in an object space, wherein, Comprising: A substance generation unit that generates a specific substance for performing the disinfection treatment or the inactivation treatment; A supply unit that generates an air flow and supplies the specific substance generated from the substance generation unit into the target space; and An activity reduction execution unit that reduces the activity of the microorganism, While reducing the activity of the microorganism by the activity reduction execution unit, the specific substance is supplied into the target space by the supply unit.

2. The disinfection and virus inactivation device according to claim 1, wherein The activity reduction execution unit includes a heat source unit that controls the temperature of the microorganism.

3. The disinfection and virus inactivation device according to claim 2, wherein The heat source unit includes a heating unit and a cooling unit.

4. The disinfection and virus inactivation device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein A microorganism activity control unit is provided, and the microorganism activity control unit controls the heat source unit of the activity reduction execution unit to make the temperature of the microorganism reach a temperature for reducing the activity of the microorganism.

5. The disinfection and virus inactivation device according to claim 4, wherein The microorganism activity control unit has a disinfection mode and a virus inactivation mode as processing modes. In the disinfection mode, the heat source unit is controlled to make the temperature of the microorganism reach a preset first temperature, and in the virus inactivation mode, the heat source unit is controlled to make the temperature of the microorganism reach a preset second temperature.

6. The disinfection and virus inactivation device according to claim 5, wherein The first temperature is 20°C to 25°C, and the second temperature is 28°C to 30°C.

7. The disinfection and virus inactivation device according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein The heat source unit is arranged on the flow path of the air flow, and the temperature of the microorganism is controlled by controlling the temperature of the air flow.

8. The disinfection and virus inactivation device according to claim 5 or any one of claims 6 to 7 subordinate to claim 5, wherein A processing mode selection unit for selecting the processing mode is provided, The microorganism activity control unit performs the mode selected by the processing mode selection unit.

9. The disinfection and virus inactivation device according to claim 8, wherein The processing mode selection unit selects the disinfection mode or the virus inactivation mode according to the input operation of the user.

10. The disinfection and virus inactivation device according to claim 8, wherein The processing mode selection unit selects the disinfection mode or the virus inactivation mode based on the number of bacteria or the number of viruses detected in the target space.

11. The disinfection and virus inactivation device according to claim 8, wherein The processing mode selection unit selects the disinfection mode or the virus inactivation mode based on any one or a combination of season, indoor environment, and country.

12. The disinfection and virus inactivation device according to claim 5 or any one of claims 6 to 7 subordinate to claim 5, wherein The microorganism activity control unit alternately performs the disinfection mode and the virus inactivation mode.

13. The sterilization and virus inactivation device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein it is provided with a trajectory detection unit that detects the movement trajectory of a moving object relative to the contact portion of a daily appliance disposed in the target space, and the supply unit supplies the specific substance toward the movement trajectory.

14. An air conditioner, the air conditioner comprising: the sterilization and virus inactivation device according to any one of claims 1 to 13; and a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant flowing inside and air, and supplies an air flow that has been temperature-adjusted by the heat exchanger and contains the specific substance to the target space.

15. A method for inactivating bacteria and viruses, which performs disinfection or inactivation treatment on microorganisms in a target space, wherein, Including: a step of generating a specific substance for performing the sterilization treatment or the inactivation treatment; and a step of supplying the specific substance together with the air flow to the target space while reducing the activity of the microorganism.

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