Sterilization device

Abstract

To provide a sterilizer capable of sufficiently sterilizing by evenly irradiating liquid with ultraviolet rays.SOLUTION: A sterilizer includes: an almost spherical storage part for storing liquid; a supply port opened in the storage part and supplying the liquid into the storage part; a takeout port opened in the storage part and taking out the liquid in the storage part; and a light source irradiating the storage part with ultraviolet rays. The storage part comprises an almost hemispherical first semi-storage part positioned at an upstream side in a flow direction of the liquid in the supply port, and an almost hemispherical second semi-storage part positioned at a downstream side. The supply port is opened in the first semi-storage part and the takeout port is opened in the second semi-storage part. When the supply port and the takeout port are projected to a virtual plane orthogonal to an extension direction of an inner surface of a supply passage connected to the storage part in the supply port, a center of gravity of the supply port and a center of gravity of the takeout port are separated each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sterilization device that sterilizes a fluid by irradiating the fluid with ultraviolet light. [Background technology]

[0002] It is widely known that ultraviolet light can be used to sterilize fluids such as liquids. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a fluid sterilization device that irradiates an axially extending flow path with ultraviolet light in the axial direction to sterilize the fluid flowing through the flow path.

[0003] Specifically, the fluid sterilization device described in Patent Document 1 has a light source including a semiconductor light-emitting element that emits ultraviolet light, and a housing having a flow path through which the fluid to be sterilized flows in the axial direction. The light source is disposed at one end of the housing in the axial direction. The housing has a tapered structure in which the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path gradually increases from the one end to the other end. The tapered structure has an inclination that matches the orientation angle of the semiconductor light-emitting element. In addition, a straightening means for regulating the flow of the fluid is provided at the other end of the housing.

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes how the housing has a tapered structure with an inclination that matches the orientation angle of the semiconductor light-emitting element, which allows ultraviolet light to reach positions far from the light source, and how the ultraviolet light is irradiated onto a fluid whose flow has been regulated by a straightening means, thereby allowing the ultraviolet light to be irradiated evenly onto the fluid, thereby enhancing the sterilization effect. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-98055 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The sterilization device described in Patent Document 1 has room for improvement in terms of uniformly irradiating the fluid with ultraviolet rays and reducing the pressure loss of the fluid.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a sterilization device capable of uniformly irradiating a fluid with ultraviolet light to sufficiently sterilize the fluid. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A sterilization device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a sterilization device that sterilizes a fluid by irradiating the fluid with ultraviolet light, the sterilization device having a substantially spherical storage portion for containing the fluid, a supply port that opens into the storage portion for supplying the fluid into the storage portion, an outlet that opens into the storage portion for removing the fluid from the storage portion, and a light source that irradiates ultraviolet light into the storage portion, the storage portion including a substantially hemispherical first half storage portion located upstream in a flow direction of the fluid at the supply port, and a substantially hemispherical second half storage portion located downstream, the supply port opens into the first half storage portion, and the outlet opens into the second half storage portion, and when the supply port and the outlet are projected onto a virtual plane perpendicular to the extension direction of an inner surface of a supply flow path connected to the storage portion at the supply port, the center of gravity of the supply port and the center of gravity of the outlet are separated from each other. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, a sterilization device capable of uniformly irradiating a fluid with ultraviolet light to sufficiently sterilize the fluid can be provided. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sterilization device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the sterilization device according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a transparent perspective view of the sterilization device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4]FIG. 4 is a projection diagram showing the positional relationship between the supply port and the outlet when the supply port, the outlet, and the storage section are projected onto an imaginary plane. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a flow of a fluid in a reservoir of the sterilization device according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, a sterilization device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0012] (Structure of sterilization device) Figures 1 to 3 are diagrams showing the configuration of a sterilizer 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the sterilizer 100. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the sterilizer 100. Figure 3 is a see-through perspective view of the vicinity of a storage unit 110 of the sterilizer 100. Figure 4 is a projection view showing the positional relationship between the supply port 120 and the outlet 130 when the supply port 120, the outlet 130, and the storage unit 110 are projected onto a virtual plane (described later).

[0013] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, sterilization device 100 is a sterilization device that sterilizes a fluid by irradiating the fluid with ultraviolet light, and has a storage section 110 for storing the fluid to be sterilized, a supply port 120 opening into storage section 110, an outlet 130 opening into storage section 110, and a light source 140 that irradiates ultraviolet light into storage section 110.

[0014] The storage section 110 is a substantially spherical space for storing a fluid. The storage section 110 includes a substantially hemispherical first half storage section 111 located on the upstream side in the flow direction of the fluid at the supply port 120 (the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 2), and a substantially hemispherical second half storage section 112 located on the downstream side. In this embodiment, the storage section 110 is formed by joining a first member 101 including the first half storage section 111 and a second member 102 including the second half storage section 112. In this embodiment, the flange of the first member 101 and the flange of the second member 102 are joined using a plurality of screws. In addition, a third member 103 is also joined to the second member 102. The second member 102 and the third member 103 are also joined using a plurality of screws.

[0015] The walls around the storage section 110 are configured so as not to be deformed or damaged by the pressure of the flowing fluid. The walls around the storage section 110 are configured, for example, of metal or resin. From the viewpoint of efficiently irradiating the fluid in the storage section 110 with ultraviolet light, it is preferable that the inner surface of the storage section 110 (first half storage section 111 and second half storage section 112) includes an ultraviolet light reflecting surface having a reflectance of 80% or more for the ultraviolet light irradiated from the light source 140. For example, the inner surface of the storage section 110 can be made into an ultraviolet light reflecting surface by configuring the inner surface of the storage section 110 with a material having a high reflectance against ultraviolet light, such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or aluminum. In this embodiment, both the first member 101 and the second member 102 are configured with PTFE.

[0016] The inner diameter W1 of the storage portion 110 is not particularly limited, but is, for example, about 20 to 60 mm. By setting the inner diameter W1 of the storage portion 110 to about 20 to 60 mm, even when only one UV-C LED is used as the light source 140, the fluid in the storage portion 110 can be sufficiently sterilized.

[0017] The supply port 120 is an opening that opens into the storage section 110 and is used to supply a fluid into the storage section 110. The outlet 130 is an opening that opens into the storage section 110 and is used to take out the sterilized fluid from the storage section 110. The supply port 120 opens into the first half storage section 111 in the storage section 110, and the outlet 130 opens into the second half storage section 112 in the storage section 110. It is preferable that the outlet 130 is disposed in a position in the storage section 110 (the second half storage section 112) where the ultraviolet light emitted from the light source 140 does not directly reach the outlet 130. In this embodiment, the supply port 120 is connected to the supply flow path 121, and the outlet 130 is connected to the outlet flow path 131. In this embodiment, the portion of the supply flow path 121 near the supply port 120 and the portion of the outlet flow path 131 near the outlet 130 are parallel to each other.

[0018] In this embodiment, the supply port 120 is connected to the supply flow path 121. In other words, an opening of the supply flow path 121 to the storage section 110 is the supply port 120. The supply port 120 (supply flow path 121) is preferably arranged so that the fluid can be smoothly supplied into the storage section 110 along the wall of the storage section 110. In this embodiment, in a cross section along the flow direction of the fluid in the supply port 120 (the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 2) and including the center of gravity of the storage section 110, at a connection part 122 between the inner surface of the supply flow path 121 and the inner surface of the storage section 110, a part of the inner surface of the supply flow path 121 is arranged smoothly and continuously with the inner surface of the storage section 110 so as to coincide with a tangent of the inner surface of the storage section 110 at the connection part 122.

[0019] In this embodiment, the outlet 130 is connected to the outlet flow path 131. In other words, the opening of the outlet flow path 131 to the storage unit 110 is the outlet 130. The outlet 130 (the outlet flow path 131) is preferably arranged so that the fluid can be smoothly taken out from inside the storage unit 110 along the wall of the storage unit 110. In this embodiment, in a cross section along the flow direction of the fluid in the outlet 130 (the direction of the arrow B in FIG. 2) and including the center of gravity of the storage unit 110, at a connection part 132 between the inner surface of the outlet flow path 131 and the inner surface of the storage unit 110, a part of the inner surface of the outlet flow path 131 is arranged smoothly and continuously with the inner surface of the storage unit 110 so as to coincide with a tangent to the inner surface of the storage unit 110 at the connection part 132.

[0020] By eliminating steps at connection 122 between the inner surface of supply flow path 121 and the inner surface of storage part 110, and at connection 132 between the inner surface of extraction flow path 131 and the inner surface of storage part 110, it is possible to create a flow of fluid along the wall surface of spherical storage part 110, and the fluid can be taken out after being retained within storage part 110 while rotating in a certain direction. This allows ultraviolet light to be uniformly irradiated onto the fluid, thereby enabling sufficient sterilization of the fluid.

[0021] The inner diameter W2 of the supply port 120 (supply flow path 121) and the inner diameter W3 of the outlet 130 (extraction flow path 131) are not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of reducing pressure loss of the fluid while maintaining sterilization performance, they are preferably within a range of 25 to 40% of the inner diameter W1 of the storage section 110. By increasing the inner diameter W2 of the supply port 120 and the inner diameter W3 of the outlet 130, it is possible to reduce pressure loss of the fluid in the sterilization device 100. On the other hand, by reducing the inner diameter W2 of the supply port 120 and the inner diameter W3 of the outlet 130, the time that the fluid supplied from the supply port 120 remains in the storage section 110 is extended, and sterilization performance can be improved.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 4, when the supply port 120, the outlet 130, and the storage unit 110 are projected on a virtual plane perpendicular to the extending direction (the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 2) of the inner surface of the supply flow path 121 connected to the storage unit 110 at the supply port 120, the supply port 120 and the outlet 130 are arranged so that the center of gravity of the supply port 120 and the outlet 130 are separated from each other. In this embodiment, the supply port 120 and the outlet 130 are arranged so that the supply port 120 and the outlet 130 are separated from each other when projected as described above. When the supply port 120 and the outlet 130 are arranged in this manner, as shown in FIG. 5, the fluid supplied from the supply port 120 into the storage unit 110 does not go straight to the outlet 130, but turns around inside the storage unit 110 many times before reaching the outlet 130. Therefore, the fluid is irradiated with a sufficient amount of ultraviolet light and is sufficiently sterilized before reaching the outlet 130. In this embodiment, when projected as described above, window 150 (light source 140) is disposed so as not to overlap with supply port 120 and outlet 130. In this embodiment, when projected onto the virtual plane as shown in Fig. 4, supply port 120, outlet 130, window 150, and storage unit 110 are all circular. Therefore, the center of gravity of supply port 120 coincides with the center of supply port 120, the center of gravity of outlet 130 coincides with the center of outlet 130, and the center of gravity of storage unit 110 coincides with the center of storage unit 110.

[0023] 3, in this embodiment, the center of gravity of storage section 110 (the black dot at the center of storage section 110 in FIG. 3) is separated from the straight line connecting the center of gravity of supply port 120 (the black dot at the center of supply port 120 in FIG. 3) and the center of gravity of outlet 130 (the black dot at the center of outlet 130 in FIG. 3). In addition, the center of gravity of storage section 110 is not located between supply port 120 and outlet 130.

[0024] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, when the supply port 120, the outlet 130, and the storage section 110 are projected onto the virtual plane, the angle α between the line connecting the center of gravity of the supply port 120 (black dot at the center of the supply port 120 in FIG. 4) and the center of gravity of the storage section 110 (black dot at the center of the storage section 110 in FIG. 4) and the line connecting the center of gravity of the outlet 130 (black dot at the center of the outlet 130 in FIG. 4) and the center of gravity of the storage section 110 is preferably within a range of 75 to 165°, and more preferably within a range of 120 to 150°. By setting the angle α within the above range, it is possible to further reduce the pressure loss of the fluid while maintaining sufficient sterilization performance. Here, the angle formed by the two lines means the smaller angle of the two angles formed by the two lines.

[0025] The light source 140 irradiates the fluid in the storage section 110 with ultraviolet light. The light source 140 may irradiate the fluid in the storage section 110 with ultraviolet light directly, or may irradiate the fluid in the storage section 110 with ultraviolet light via other members such as a window or a mirror. In this embodiment, the wall constituting the storage section 110 includes a window 150 that transmits ultraviolet light, and the light source 140 irradiates the inside of the storage section 110 with ultraviolet light through the window 150. The type of the light source 140 is not particularly limited as long as it can emit ultraviolet light. Examples of the light source 140 include a light-emitting diode (LED), a mercury lamp, a metal halide lamp, a xenon lamp, and a laser diode (LD). In this embodiment, the light source 140 is a light-emitting diode (LED). The wavelength of the ultraviolet light emitted by the light source 140 is not particularly limited. From the viewpoint of effective sterilization, the wavelength of the ultraviolet light emitted by the light source 140 is preferably 200 nm or more and 350 nm or less, and more preferably 200 nm or more and 280 nm or less. That is, the ultraviolet light emitted from the light source 140 is preferably ultraviolet C wave (UVC). Examples of commercially available light source 140 include NCSU334A (Nichia Corporation), which is an ultraviolet light emitting diode with a peak wavelength of 280 nm. Other examples of ultraviolet light emitting diodes with a peak wavelength of 280 nm include KLARAN (Asahi Kasei Corporation) and ZEU110BEAE (Stanley Electric Co., Ltd.).

[0026] The position of light source 140 is not particularly limited as long as it can irradiate the fluid in storage section 110 with ultraviolet light, but by arranging light source 140 in the second half storage section, sterilization performance can be further improved. In this embodiment, light source 140 is arranged on the second half storage section 112 side. More specifically, light source 140 is arranged inside a recess provided in third member 103 (inside a wall constituting second half storage section 112) such that the optical axis of light source 140 does not intersect with either supply port 120 or outlet 130.

[0027] The window 150 is disposed as a part of the wall surface of the storage section 110, and transmits the ultraviolet light emitted from the light source 140 into the inside of the storage section 110. The material of the window 150 is not particularly limited as long as it can transmit the ultraviolet light and has the necessary strength. From the viewpoint of improving the sterilization performance, the material of the window 150 is preferably a material that transmits the ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 200 nm or more and 350 nm or less, and more preferably a material that transmits the ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 200 nm or more and 280 nm or less. Examples of the material of the window 150 include quartz (SiO2), sapphire (Al2O3), and amorphous fluorine-based resin.

[0028] The shape of the window 150 is not particularly limited as long as it can allow the ultraviolet light emitted from the light source 140 to reach the inside of the storage section 110, and may be flat or may have a shape that matches the inner surface of the storage section 110. In this embodiment, the window 150 is flat and disposed inside a recess provided in the second member 102. The outer diameter W4 of the window 150 is not particularly limited as long as it can allow the ultraviolet light emitted from the light source 140 to reach the inside of the storage section 110. For example, the outer diameter W4 of the window 150 is preferably 20 to 50% of the inner diameter W1 of the storage section 110. By increasing the outer diameter W4 of the window 150, it is possible to directly irradiate the ultraviolet light to a wide range in the storage section 110. On the other hand, by decreasing the outer diameter W4 of the window 150, it is possible to increase the proportion of the ultraviolet light reflecting surface in the inner surface of the storage section 110.

[0029] (How to use the sterilizer) Next, a method of using the sterilization apparatus 100 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0030] With ultraviolet light being emitted from light source 140, a fluid to be sterilized (e.g., water) is introduced into storage 110 from supply port 120, and the fluid in storage 110 is taken out from outlet 130. At this time, the fluid may be moved by pressurizing the supply port 120 (supply flow path 121) side, or the fluid may be moved by depressurizing the outlet 130 (exit flow path 131) side. As described above, in sterilization device 100 according to this embodiment, storage 110 has a substantially spherical shape, and supply port 120 and outlet 130 are arranged to satisfy predetermined conditions, so that the fluid to be sterilized is irradiated with ultraviolet light while swirling within storage 110, and is taken out from outlet 130 in a sufficiently sterilized state.

[0031] (effect) As described above, according to the sterilization apparatus 100 of this embodiment, the shape of the storage section 110 is made substantially spherical, and the supply port 120 and the outlet port 130 are arranged to satisfy predetermined conditions, so that it is possible to reduce the pressure loss of the fluid while maintaining sufficient sterilization performance. [Industrial Applicability]

[0032] The sterilization device according to the present embodiment is useful for sterilizing, for example, purified water, agricultural water, food cleaning water, various cleaning water, bath water, pool water, and the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 100 Sterilizer 101 First member 102 Second member 103 Third member 110 Storage section 111 First half storage section 112 Second half storage section 120 Supply port 121 Supply Channel 122 Connection 130 Outlet 131 Extraction channel 132 Connection 140 light source 150 Windows

Claims

1. A sterilization device that sterilizes a fluid by irradiating the fluid with ultraviolet light, a generally spherical reservoir for containing the fluid; a supply port that opens into the storage portion and supplies the fluid into the storage portion; an outlet opening into the storage portion for taking out the fluid in the storage portion; A light source that irradiates ultraviolet light into the storage portion; having the storage portion includes a substantially hemispherical first half storage portion located on the upstream side in a flow direction of the fluid at the supply port, and a substantially hemispherical second half storage portion located on the downstream side, The supply port opens into the first semi-reservoir, The outlet opens into the second half storage section, when the supply port and the outlet are projected onto a virtual plane perpendicular to an extension direction of an inner surface of a supply flow path connected to the storage portion at the supply port, a center of gravity of the supply port and a center of gravity of the outlet are spaced apart from each other; The supply port is connected to the supply flow path, a part of the inner surface of the supply flow passage is smoothly and continuously arranged with the inner surface of the storage portion at a connection portion between the inner surface of the supply flow passage and the inner surface of the storage portion in a cross section along the flow direction of the fluid at the supply port and including the center of gravity of the storage portion so as to coincide with a tangent of the inner surface of the storage portion at the connection portion; Sterilizer.

2. The sterilization apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the supply inlet and the outlet are spaced apart from each other when the supply inlet and the outlet are projected onto the imaginary plane.

3. The sterilization device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the light source is disposed on a side of the second half storage section.

4. The sterilization apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the center of gravity of the storage section is separated from a straight line connecting the center of gravity of the supply port and the center of gravity of the take-out port.

5. The sterilization apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the center of gravity of the storage section is not located between the supply port and the discharge port.

6. The sterilization apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein when the supply port, the outlet, and the storage unit are projected onto the virtual plane, an angle formed by a straight line connecting the center of gravity of the supply port and the center of gravity of the storage unit and a straight line connecting the center of gravity of the outlet and the center of gravity of the storage unit is within a range of 75 to 165°.

7. The sterilization device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the outlet is arranged at a position where the ultraviolet light emitted from the light source does not directly reach.

8. The wall constituting the storage section includes a window that transmits ultraviolet light, The light source irradiates ultraviolet light into the storage portion through the window. The sterilization apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The sterilization device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein an inner surface of the storage section includes an ultraviolet reflective surface having an ultraviolet reflectance of 80% or more.

Images