Hollow-Instrument Cleaning Device With Integrated Media Interface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cleaning and disinfection devices for medical hollow body instruments require separate steps for internal and external cleaning, disinfection, and care, leading to cumbersome handling and unreliable process reliability due to manual intervention or lack of reproducibility.
Innovation Solution
A cleaning and disinfection device with a media interface that integrates supply lines for cleaning agents, compressed air, and care products, allowing simultaneous internal and external processing of hollow body instruments, including automated care through compressed air distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate steps are used for internal and external cleaning, disinfection, and care, then each step can be performed with dedicated equipment, but the handling becomes cumbersome and process reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate processing steps (external cleaning, internal cleaning, disinfection, and care) into a single integrated treatment chamber where all operations can be performed simultaneously or sequentially on the hollow body instrument without manual intervention between steps, thereby improving both reliability and ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The treatment chamber is designed to perform multiple functions: external spray cleaning, internal feeding cleaning, thermal disinfection through heating elements, and care product application. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate equipment for each step, improving process reliability while simplifying handling
2Reliability
If manual intervention is used for care steps, then flexibility is maintained, but reproducibility and reliability of the process decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically performs all processing steps including care product application without requiring manual intervention. The control unit manages the sequence of operations, media supply, and parameter control, ensuring reproducible results while the automation complexity is contained within the device itself rather than requiring complex external systems
3Productivity
If multiple separate processing steps are used, then each step can be optimized independently, but the overall process time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple processing steps are merged into a single treatment chamber that can perform external cleaning, internal cleaning, disinfection, and care application in one continuous process, significantly reducing total process time while the integration complexity is managed through a unified design rather than multiple separate systems
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables continuous processing where the instrument moves through different treatment zones or stages without interruption. The spray device, feeding device, and heating elements operate in a coordinated continuous sequence, maximizing productivity while the control system manages the complexity of coordinating multiple simultaneous actions
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Ensures complete reprocessing of instruments in a single step, improving user-friendliness and process reliability by ensuring reproducible care without additional steps, reducing the need for separate maintenance and minimizing care product usage.
Implementation Method 1
a spray device arranged within the device container for externally applying a cleaning and/or disinfectant to the hollow body instrument
Implementation Method 2
a feeding device arranged within the device container for internally applying the cleaning and/or disinfectant to a cavity provided by the hollow body instrument
Implementation Method 3
Disinfection treatment can be carried out, in particular, through thermal disinfection, by heating the cleaning and/or disinfectant used to a predetermined minimum temperature
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a cleaning and/or disinfection device for processing a medical, in particular dental, hollow body instrument, with a device container (3) providing a treatment space (2) which serves to receive the hollow body instrument (45) to be processed, with a spray device (4) arranged inside the device container (3) for externally applying a cleaning and/or disinfectant to the hollow body instrument (45), and with a feeding device (32) arranged inside the device container (3) for internally applying a cavity provided by the hollow body instrument (45), in particular a narrow-lumen channel or the like., with the cleaning and/or disinfectant, characterized by a media interface (29) which is in fluidic connection with the feeding device (32) and which is fluidically connected on the media inlet side to a supply line (25, 44) for the cleaning and/or disinfectant, to a supply line (19, 44) for compressed air and to a supply line (22) for a care product.