Sterilization room with contamination checking function

Abstract

The present invention relates to a sterilization device having a contamination detection function, and more specifically, to a sterilization device having a contamination detection function capable of rapidly confirming the degree of contamination of a quartz tube of a light-generating part inside a UV sterilization device used for sterilizing fluids such as nutrient solutions. A sterilization device having a contamination detection function according to the present invention is characterized by comprising: a light generating unit having a quartz tube into which a sterilization light is inserted, and a light-emitting unit having a sterilizing light-emitting ultraviolet lamp; a chamber body configured to have a receiving space in which the light generating unit is housed and to allow a fluid to be sterilized to be introduced and discharged; and an internal inspection unit installed in the chamber body to enable internal viewing of the chamber body.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a sterilization device having a contamination detection function, and more specifically, to a sterilization device having a contamination detection function capable of rapidly confirming the degree of contamination of a quartz tube of a light-generating part inside a UV sterilization device used for sterilizing fluids such as nutrient solutions. Background Technology

[0003] Generally, the reprocessing of nutrient solutions used in plant cultivation requires a sterilization process to eliminate harmful microorganisms such as viruses and pathogens, and this sterilization process is primarily carried out by physical and chemical methods.

[0004] Physical methods include dry heat sterilization, high-pressure steam sterilization, intermittent sterilization, UV or radiation sterilization, and these physical methods sterilize harmful microorganisms by performing a long-term treatment process under high temperature or high pressure.

[0005] Accordingly, sterilization methods using physical methods have the disadvantage of requiring a long processing time to create high temperature or high pressure conditions, and incurring high costs for manufacturing equipment to form such conditions.

[0006] Furthermore, chemical methods, which eliminate bacteria using specific disinfectants and sterilizing gases, have the disadvantage of causing adverse effects on the human body and environmental pollution due to the use of toxic substances.

[0007] Recently, light-based sterilization devices, such as ultraviolet (UV) sterilization devices, are being widely used as an alternative to solve the problems of conventional physical and chemical sterilization methods as described above.

[0008] For example, as a sterilization device using ultraviolet rays, an ultraviolet irradiation device and an ultraviolet sterilization device including the same are disclosed as disclosed in Korean Registered Utility Model Publication No. 20-0114584.

[0009] The above-described ultraviolet irradiation device includes an ultraviolet lamp (12), a quartz tube (20) containing the ultraviolet lamp, a holder (30) for fixing the ultraviolet lamp and the quartz tube, a means for supplying power to the ultraviolet lamp, and a rubber packing (22) installed below the top of the ultraviolet lamp.

[0010] In addition, the ultraviolet sterilization device comprises a cylindrical sterilization tube (50) for housing the ultraviolet irradiation device, which has a closed bottom and is equipped with a fluid inlet (52) and outlet (54), and a sterilization tube cap (60) having a hole (62) on the upper surface through which a wire passes and a screw surface on the inner surface of the lower part that is coupled to the upper outer surface (58) of the sterilization tube. At this time, the cylindrical sterilization tube (50) and the sterilization tube cap (60) are made of stainless steel, which is an opaque material to prevent the external leakage of ultraviolet rays for sterilization and is made with consideration for chemical resistance.

[0011] However, the aforementioned conventional ultraviolet sterilization device can perform effective sterilization using ultraviolet rays, but it has the following limitations.

[0012] In conventional ultraviolet sterilization devices, when used for a certain period of time, inorganic materials, foreign substances, etc., accumulate on the quartz tube, causing the light transmittance of the ultraviolet lamp to decrease and significantly reducing the sterilization effect. Therefore, after use for a certain period of time, it is necessary to perform a cleaning operation on the quartz tube by removing the deposits on the surface of the quartz tube by physical means or by acid-cleaning the deposits using chemicals containing nitric acid.

[0013] However, conventional ultraviolet sterilization devices have the disadvantage that the interior cannot be checked because the cylinder-type sterilization tube (50) is made of an opaque material, and the degree of contamination of the quartz tube varies depending on various conditions such as the degree of contamination of the fluid passing through the interior, flow rate, flow rate, and usage time, so the cleaning time cannot be accurately determined, resulting in poor growth and reduced production due to poor sterilization of the nutrient solution, as well as serious damage caused by the occurrence of pests and diseases in plants.

[0014] In addition, conventional ultraviolet sterilization devices have the disadvantage of requiring unnecessarily frequent disassembly and assembly work to check the contamination status of the quartz tube, which necessitates a long period of downtime, leading to poor crop growth and high maintenance costs. Prior art literature

[0016] Korean Utility Model Registration No. 20-0114584 "Ultraviolet irradiation device and ultraviolet sterilization device including the same" Korean Patent Registration No. 10-2364173 "Chamber-type sterilization device using light" The problem to be solved

[0017] The present invention is proposed based on the above content, and aims to provide a sterilization device having a contamination checking function that enables rapid verification of the degree of contamination of the quartz tube of the light-generating part inside the sterilization device.

[0018] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a sterilization device having a contamination checking function that allows the degree of contamination of the quartz tube of the light-generating part inside the sterilization device to be checked accurately and conveniently. means of solving the problem

[0020] To achieve the above objective, the sterilization device having a contamination verification function according to the present invention is characterized by comprising: a light generating unit having a quartz tube into which a sterilization light is inserted, and a light-emitting unit having a sterilizing light-emitting ultraviolet lamp; a chamber body configured to have a receiving space in which the light generating unit is housed and to allow a fluid to be sterilized to be introduced and discharged; and an internal verification unit installed in the chamber body to enable internal viewing of the chamber body.

[0021] The above chamber body may be equipped with an internal viewing section formed to enable internal viewing on a cylindrical body formed to block the external leakage of light.

[0022] The above internal verification device may be configured to include a transparent opening / closing member configured to selectively open / close the internal verification viewing part and prevent light transmission, and a viewing window member formed to allow internal viewing and installed with the transparent opening / closing member.

[0023] The above-described viewing window member may be configured to include: a viewing window body in which the transparent opening / closing member is inserted and removed and an opening facing the internal viewing part is formed; a viewing window installed in the opening of the viewing window body; and an observation lighting device installed in the viewing window body to irradiate observation light into the interior of the chamber body.

[0024] The above-described viewing window body may include: a protruding column part having a movable slit into which the transparent opening / closing member is inserted and removed, a window insertion opening into which the viewing window is inserted, and a light source insertion opening into which the observation lighting device is inserted; a coupling part extending from both sides of the protruding column part and coupled to the chamber body; and a stopper part coupled to the upper part of the protruding column part.

[0025] The above observation lighting device includes an observation light source unit installed in the light source insertion port to irradiate light toward the internal viewing unit, a power supply unit that supplies power to the observation light source unit, and a switch unit that controls the power supply to the observation light source unit, wherein the switch unit may be configured as a switch installed in close proximity to the transparent opening / closing member and operating off when the transparent opening / closing member is inserted and operating on when separated.

[0026] The above transparent opening / closing member includes an opaque square bar plate inserted into the movable slit and through which light cannot pass, and the viewing window may be composed of a magnifying glass.

[0027] The above chamber body may have a cylindrical body formed of a transparent material, and an opaque portion formed in an area excluding the internal viewing portion that prevents light from passing through.

[0028] The above chamber body may have the above-described tubular body formed of a transparent material and an opaque portion formed in an area excluding the internal viewing portion, through which light cannot pass, and the transparent portion opening / closing member and the opaque portion may include a reflective layer that reflects the sterilization light into the receiving space. Effects of the invention

[0030] According to the sterilization device having a contamination verification function according to the present invention, the degree of contamination of the quartz tube can be easily and quickly checked without disassembling the sterilization device by separating the transparent opening / closing member of the internal verification device and through the viewing window and the internal verification viewing part. This prevents long periods of downtime caused by frequent disassembly and assembly, and enables planned maintenance. Therefore, it is possible to prevent poor growth in advance through stable sterilization of crops, thereby improving production volume and quality and reducing maintenance costs.

[0031] In addition, according to the sterilization device having a contamination checking function according to the present invention, when the transparent opening / closing member is separated, the switch unit is automatically turned on and an observation light is irradiated into the interior of the chamber body, thereby improving visibility and allowing the degree of contamination to be accurately checked and improving convenience of use. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0033] FIGS. 1a and 1b are drawings for explaining a conventional ultraviolet sterilization device, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a sterilization device having a contamination detection function according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 3A and FIGS. 3B are exploded perspective views showing a sterilization device having a contamination detection function according to an embodiment of the present invention, where FIG. 3A shows the shape appearing from one side and FIG. 3B shows the shape appearing from the other side. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a sterilization device having a contamination detection function according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of section A of FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a sterilization device having a contamination detection function according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of Fig. 6. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0034] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings, wherein identical components in the drawings are described by the same reference number.

[0035] Meanwhile, detailed descriptions of configurations and their functions and effects that can be easily understood by a person of ordinary knowledge in the art from general technology in each drawing are simplified or omitted. In addition, since the present invention is characterized by a sterilization device having a contamination detection function, the parts related thereto are illustrated and described, and the description of the remaining parts is simplified or omitted.

[0036] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a sterilization device having a contamination detection function according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3a and FIG. 3b are exploded perspective views showing a sterilization device having a contamination detection function according to an embodiment of the present invention, where FIG. 3a shows the shape appearing from one side and FIG. 3b shows the shape appearing from the other side. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a sterilization device having a contamination detection function according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of section A of FIG. 4, FIG. 6 is a longitudinal section view showing a sterilization device having a contamination detection function according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a cutaway perspective view of FIG. 6.

[0037] Referring to FIGS. 2 to 7, a sterilization device having a contamination verification function according to one embodiment of the present invention is configured to quickly verify the degree of contamination of a quartz tube of a light-generating part inside the sterilization device and comprises a chamber body (1), a light-generating part (2), and an internal verification device part (3).

[0038] The chamber body (1) is a component configured to have a receiving space in which a light generating part (2) is housed and to allow a fluid to be sterilized to flow in and be discharged. It is composed of a tubular body (11) formed to block the external leakage of light emitted from the light generating part (2), and an internal viewing part (112) is formed in a part of the chamber body so that the interior can be seen.

[0039] To explain more specifically, the chamber body (1) is formed with a structure in which a cylindrical body (11) having a roughly cylindrical shape is formed from a transparent material such as a transparent synthetic resin such as acrylic or glass, and an opaque part (111) that cannot transmit light is formed in an area excluding the internal viewing part (112) mentioned above.

[0040] The internal viewing portion (112) refers to an area in the cylindrical body (11) where the opaque portion (111) is not formed. In this embodiment, a transparent portion having a certain width of the cylindrical body is formed long along the longitudinal direction (up and down direction). Additionally, multiple internal viewing portions (112) may be formed along the outer surface of the chamber body depending on the diameter or size of the chamber body, and an internal verification device portion (3) may be provided according to the number of internal viewing portions (112).

[0041] The opaque portion (111) is formed in the area of ​​the cylindrical body (11) excluding the internal viewing portion (112) to prevent light from leaking out, and can be configured by applying an opaque paint to the outer or inner surface of the area or attaching an opaque film to the area.

[0042] The opaque part (111) may be provided with a reflective layer (not shown) that reflects the sterilization light emitted from the light generating part (2) into the receiving space of the chamber body (1). For example, the reflective layer may be formed on the inner surface of the tubular body (11) corresponding to the opaque part (111), and may be implemented by laminating a paint having reflective properties onto the inner surface of a reflective film or an opaque film. Additionally, the reflective layer may also be formed on the inner surface of the transparent opening / closing member described later.

[0043] The chamber body (1) can be configured in various shapes and structures without special limitations, provided that it has a structure in which a light generating part (2) is inserted and accommodated and a flow path (15) through which a fluid to be sterilized flows is formed. For example, the chamber body (1) is provided with a pipe-shaped tubular body (11), a fluid inlet (12) formed at the bottom of the tubular body (11) for fluid to flow in, and a fluid outlet (13) formed at the top of the tubular body (11) for fluid to be discharged.

[0044] The chamber body (1) has assembly guide protrusions (15) protruding along the longitudinal direction on both sides of the internal viewing portion (112) on its outer surface. The guide protrusions (15) are configured for mounting the internal viewing device portion (3) and are formed with a shape corresponding to being inserted into the binding groove (321g) of the viewing window member described later (formed with a roughly trapezoidal cross-sectional structure).

[0045] In addition, the chamber body (1) has flanges (16, 17) formed on the upper and lower parts of the cylindrical body (11). These flanges (16, 17) are ordinary components for assembly, and for assembly with the light generating part (2), the flange (16) formed on the upper part is preferably joined to the upper part of the cylindrical body (11) by a joining method after assembling by inserting the internal viewing part (112).

[0046] The light generating unit (2) is a component that generates and emits sterilizing light to the outside, and is composed of an ultraviolet lamp (21) that generates sterilizing light and a quartz tube (22) into which the ultraviolet lamp (21) is inserted.

[0047] The ultraviolet lamp (21) may be composed of a UV lamp that emits ultraviolet rays in the wavelength range of 100 to 280 nm.

[0048] And the ultraviolet lamp (21) is protected by a quartz tube (22) that surrounds it, and is electrically connected to a socket (26) that is embedded in a socket holder (25) that seals the upper surface of the chamber body (1) to receive power.

[0049] The internal inspection device (3) is a component installed in the chamber body (1) to enable internal viewing of the chamber body (1), and is equipped with a viewing window member (32) coupled to the chamber body (1) and a transparent opening / closing member (34) coupled to the viewing window member (32), wherein the transparent opening / closing member (34) selectively opens / closes the internal inspection viewing part (112) and is configured to prevent the transmission of light.

[0050] For example, the transparent opening / closing member (34) is inserted into the movable slit of the viewing window member (32) described later and is formed as an opaque square bar plate through which light cannot pass.

[0051] Meanwhile, the viewing window member (32) comprises a viewing window body (321) in which a transparent opening / closing member (34) is inserted and removed and an opening is formed facing the internal viewing part (112), a viewing window (322) installed in the opening of the viewing window body (321), and an observation lighting device (323) installed in the viewing window body (321) to irradiate observation light into the interior of the chamber body (1).

[0052] The above-mentioned viewing window body (321) is provided with a protruding column part (321a) formed in a roughly rectangular column shape by arranging upright plates in the shape of rectangular plates facing each other with a central space between them, a connecting part (321b) extending from both sides of the protruding column part (321a) and connected to the chamber body (1), and a plug part (321c) connected to the upper part of the protruding column part (321a).

[0053] In the protruding column portion (321a), a movable slit (321d) is formed on both inner sides so that a transparent opening / closing member (34) can be inserted and removed, a window insertion opening (321e) is formed on both outer sides so that a viewing window (322) can be inserted, and a light source insertion opening (321f) is formed so that an observation lighting device (323) can be inserted between the movable slit (321d) and the window insertion opening (321e).

[0054] The connecting portion (321b) is formed in a shape that extends on both sides of the protruding column portion (321a), and a binding groove (321g) into which the aforementioned guide protrusion (15) is inserted is formed. Here, the binding groove (321g) is formed as a groove with a roughly trapezoidal shape, having a narrow opening and a wide interior, so that the viewing window body (321) does not detach, and the guide protrusion (15) is also formed to have a corresponding cross-sectional structure.

[0055] And the connecting part (321b) can be inserted by inserting the connecting groove (321g) into the guide protrusion (15) for a secure fixation with the chamber body, and then bonded using an adhesive or the like for a more secure fixation.

[0056] The above observation lighting device (323) is equipped with an observation light source unit (323a) installed in a light source insertion port (321f) to irradiate light toward an internal viewing unit (112), a power supply unit (not shown) that supplies power to the observation light source unit (323a), and a switch unit (323b) that controls the power supply to the observation light source unit.

[0057] The viewing window (322) may be composed of a transparent synthetic resin plate, a glass plate, etc., but it is preferable that it be composed of a magnifying glass that allows easy observation of foreign substances formed in the quartz tube (22).

[0058] The observation light source unit (323a) is composed of a pair of LED light source modules in which a plurality of LEDs (323c) are arranged at regular intervals on a strip-shaped printed circuit board so as to be inserted into both light source insertion ports (321f).

[0059] The power supply unit (not shown) may be configured to receive power from an external commercial power source or from a secondary battery, although it is not shown in the drawing.

[0060] The switch unit (323b) may be configured such that a switch installed in close proximity to the transparent opening / closing member (34) turns off when inserted (pressed) and turns on when separated (pressed) is installed in the observation light source unit (323a). Here, various switching means such as a light sensor may be applied to the switch, but it may typically be configured as a tact switch.

[0061] Meanwhile, the sterilization device having a contamination verification function according to the present invention can be constructed with an opaque material in addition to the structure in which the chamber body (1) is formed with a transparent material as described above. For example, when the chamber body (1) is constructed with a stainless steel pipe, the portion forming the internal verification viewing part is cut, and the internal verification device part (3) is installed in the cut portion, and a sealing member such as a packing or gasket that blocks the leakage of the fluid to be sterilized can be additionally configured at the connection part.

[0062] The operation of a sterilization device having a contamination detection function according to one embodiment of the present invention is briefly explained below.

[0063] The operation of the sterilization device having a contamination verification function according to the present invention described above is briefly explained based on an example applied to a regeneration system for recycling nutrient solution. First, the fluid inlet (12) of the light-based chamber-type sterilization device is connected to the inlet side pipe (not shown) of the nutrient solution, and the fluid outlet (13) is connected to the discharge side pipe (not shown) of the nutrient solution. When the nutrient solution to be recycled is supplied, it moves in the order of the fluid inlet (12), the flow path (15), and the fluid outlet (13).

[0064] And, as the nutrient solution flows through the flow path (15) of the chamber body (1), light emitted from the ultraviolet lamp (21) passes through the quartz tube (22) and is irradiated onto the flow path (15), thereby sterilizing harmful microorganisms such as viruses contained in the nutrient solution.

[0065] If the aforementioned sterilization process continues for a certain period of time, inorganic materials, foreign substances, etc. may stick to the quartz tube, causing the light transmittance of the ultraviolet lamp to decrease and the sterilization effect to decrease. Therefore, a light generation unit inspection process can be performed to easily check the degree of contamination of the quartz tube at any time using the internal inspection unit (3).

[0066] To explain the inspection process of the light-generating part in more detail, when the plug part (321c) of the internal inspection device part (3) is separated and the upper part of the protruding column part (321a) is opened, and the transparent opening / closing member (34) is separated upward from the movable slit (321d), the internal inspection viewing part (112) is exposed, so the interior can be observed through the viewing window (322).

[0067] And, as described above, when the transparent opening / closing member (34) is separated upward, the switch part (323b) is turned on, and the LED (323c) of the observation light source part (323a) composed of an LED light source module emits light, and the observation light is irradiated into the interior of the chamber body (1) through the internal viewing part (112), so that visibility is improved and the degree of contamination can be checked more accurately.

[0068] During this inspection process, the sterilization device is disassembled and cleaning is performed only when the level of contamination in the quartz tube exceeds a predetermined range. Since the level of contamination can be known in advance, a preventive maintenance schedule can be established, which has the advantage of allowing cleaning to be carried out within a range that does not adversely affect plant growth.

[0069] As described above, the degree of contamination of the quartz tube can be easily checked by the simple operation of separating the transparent opening / closing member (34), thereby preventing problems such as poor growth or increased resting period caused by unnecessarily separating the sterilization device.

[0070] Meanwhile, after performing the inspection process of the light generating part described above, if the transparent opening / closing member (34) is reinserted, the switch part (323b) is turned off and the observation light source part (323a) is automatically turned off, so the plug part (321c) can be closed to complete all inspection processes.

[0071] Terms such as "include," "compose," or "have" as described above, unless specifically stated otherwise, mean that the relevant component may be inherent; therefore, they should be interpreted as allowing for the inclusion of additional components rather than excluding them. All terms, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains, unless otherwise defined. Commonly used terms, such as those defined in advance, should be interpreted in accordance with their meaning in the context of the relevant technology and should not be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined in the present invention.

[0072] Although the configuration and operation of a sterilization device having a contamination detection function according to one embodiment of the present invention described above have been explained, this is illustrative and those skilled in the art will understand that it is possible to substitute and modify parts of the aforementioned embodiment without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention.

[0073] Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be understood to extend to the invention described in the patent claims and its equivalents. Explanation of the symbols

[0075] 1: Chamber body 11: Tubular body 111: Internal viewing unit 112: Internal viewing unit 12: Fluid inlet 13: Fluid outlet 15: Guide Stone 16,17: Frange 2: Light generating part 21: UV lamp 22: Quartz tube 3: Internal inspection device part 32: View window component 321: View window body 322: Viewing window 323: Observation lighting device 34: Transparent opening / closing member

Claims

Claim 1 A sterilization device having a contamination detection function, comprising: a light generating unit equipped with a UV lamp that emits sterilizing light and a quartz tube into which the UV lamp is inserted; and a chamber body configured to have a receiving space in which the light generating unit is housed and to allow a fluid to be sterilized to be introduced and discharged. and an internal inspection device unit installed in the chamber body to enable internal viewing of the chamber body; wherein the chamber body is provided with an internal inspection viewing unit formed to enable internal viewing on a cylindrical body formed to block external leakage of light, and the internal inspection device unit includes a transparent opening / closing member configured to selectively open / close the internal inspection viewing unit and prevent light transmission, and a viewing window member formed to enable internal viewing and on which the transparent opening / closing member is installed, and wherein the viewing window member includes a viewing window body in which the transparent opening / closing member is inserted / removed and an opening facing the internal inspection viewing unit is formed, a viewing window installed in the opening of the viewing window body, and an observation lighting device installed in the viewing window body to irradiate observation light into the interior of the chamber body, and wherein the viewing window body includes a movable slit recessed to allow the transparent opening / closing member to be inserted / removed, a window insertion opening recessed to allow the viewing window to be inserted, and the A sterilization device having a contamination checking function, comprising: a protruding column portion having a light source insertion opening recessed into which an observation lighting device is inserted; a coupling portion extending from both sides of the protruding column portion and coupled to the chamber body; and a plug portion coupled to the upper part of the protruding column portion; wherein the observation lighting device includes an observation light source portion installed in the light source insertion opening to irradiate light toward the internal viewing portion, a power supply portion supplying power to the observation light source portion, and a switch portion controlling the power supply to the observation light source portion, wherein the switch portion is installed in close proximity to the transparent portion opening / closing member and is a switch that operates off when the transparent portion opening / closing member is inserted and operates on when separated. Claim 2 delete Claim 3 delete Claim 4 delete Claim 5 delete Claim 6 A sterilization device having a contamination checking function according to claim 1, wherein the transparent opening / closing member comprises an opaque square bar plate that cannot transmit light and is inserted into the movable slit, and the viewing window is composed of a magnifying glass. Claim 7 A sterilization device having a contamination checking function according to claim 1, characterized in that the chamber body is formed of a transparent material and an opaque portion that cannot transmit light is formed in an area excluding the internal inspection portion. Claim 8 A sterilization device having a contamination checking function according to claim 1, wherein the chamber body is formed with a transparent material and an opaque portion that cannot transmit light is formed in an area excluding the internal inspection portion, and the transparent portion opening / closing member and the opaque portion include a reflective layer that reflects the sterilization light into the receiving space.

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