JP2002360674A - Ozone sterilization method and apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ozone sterilization method and apparatus capable of maintaining a relative humidity required for sterilization, preventing a decrease in sterilization effect, and sufficiently sterilizing an object to be sterilized. SOLUTION: An object to be sterilized 2 is put in a processing container 3, and the inside of the processing container 3 is heated to a temperature higher than a sterilization processing temperature range by a heating device 4 and humidified by a humidifying device 5.
Ozone is supplied from the ozone supply device 6 while the temperature in the processing container 3 is lowered, and the temperature in the processing container 3 is lowered from the upper limit to the lower limit of the sterilization temperature range, thereby performing the sterilization of the object 2 to be sterilized. The configuration is as follows.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for sterilizing ozone.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, it is necessary to sterilize various medical instruments and the like, and sterilization using steam or the like is performed on an object to be sterilized even if heat is applied. An object to be sterilized is subjected to a sterilization process using ozone (O ₃ ).

[0003] As a sterilizing apparatus using this kind of ozone, there has hitherto been, for example, one described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-271512, in which an object to be sterilized is placed in a pressure vessel. Thereafter, the pressure inside the pressure vessel is reduced, and ozone is supplied to sterilize the object to be sterilized.

[0004]

In the conventional ozone sterilizer as described above, a high relative humidity is required because water is consumed when ozone inactivates bacteria. If water is consumed by the reaction with bacteria,
Bacteria will be inactivated by the water diffused from the surroundings.

However, in the conventional case, as shown in FIG. 4, the sterilization of the object to be sterilized by the supply of ozone is performed while the sterilization temperature is kept substantially constant. When the water is consumed, the relative humidity required for sterilization decreases as shown in FIG. 5 and cannot be maintained. In particular, the object to be sterilized is a thin tube such as an endoscope or the object to be sterilized is sterilized. When placed in a bag (a bag that allows gas to pass but does not allow bacteria to pass), it is difficult for moisture to diffuse into the inside of the tubule or inside the sterilization bag, and the sterilization effect gradually decreases. As a result, there is a possibility that the object to be sterilized cannot be sufficiently sterilized.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides an ozone sterilization method and apparatus capable of maintaining a relative humidity required for sterilization, preventing a decrease in sterilization effect, and sufficiently sterilizing an object to be sterilized. It is assumed that.

[0007]

According to the present invention, an object to be sterilized is placed in a processing container, and the inside of the processing container is heated to a temperature higher than the sterilization temperature range and humidified, and then the temperature in the processing container is reduced. The ozone sterilization method is characterized in that ozone is supplied while the temperature in the processing container is lowered from the upper limit to the lower limit of the sterilization temperature range, and the object to be sterilized is sterilized.

In the ozone sterilization method, it is effective to reduce the pressure inside the processing container before supplying ozone.

Further, the present invention provides a processing container in which an object to be sterilized is stored, and a method in which the inside of the processing container is heated to a temperature higher than a sterilization temperature range, and then the temperature in the processing container is reduced. A heating device for lowering the temperature of the inside from the upper limit to the lower limit of the sterilization processing temperature range, a humidifying device for humidifying the inside of the processing container, and an ozone supply device for supplying ozone into the processing container. The present invention relates to an ozone sterilizer that performs the following.

It is effective that the ozone sterilizer further comprises a decompression device for reducing the pressure inside the processing container before supplying ozone.

According to the above means, the following effects can be obtained.

By supplying ozone while lowering the temperature in the processing container from the upper limit to the lower limit of the sterilization processing temperature range, the amount of saturated steam in the processing container decreases as the temperature decreases, and the relative humidity tends to increase. Therefore, even if water is consumed by the reaction between ozone and bacteria, the relative humidity required for sterilization can be maintained, for example, if the object to be sterilized is a thin tube such as an endoscope, or if the object to be sterilized is Since the relative humidity can be maintained even when the supply of moisture from the outside such as that contained in the inside is small, it is possible to prevent the sterilization effect from being reduced and to sufficiently sterilize the material to be sterilized. It becomes possible.

On the other hand, if the pressure inside the processing vessel is reduced before supplying ozone, ozone and moisture can easily enter the narrow tube and the sterilization bag, and the effect of sterilizing the object to be sterilized can be further improved.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. Basically, an object 2 to be sterilized is placed in a sterilization bag 1.
After the inside of the processing container 3 is heated to a temperature higher than the sterilization processing temperature range, the temperature in the processing container 3 is lowered, and the temperature in the processing container 3 is reduced to the sterilization processing temperature range. A heating device 4 such as a heater for lowering the processing container 3 from an upper limit to a lower limit, a humidifying device 5 for humidifying the inside of the processing container 3, and an ozone supply device 6 for supplying ozone into the processing container 3. The object to be sterilized 2 is put in the processing container 3
After the inside is heated to a temperature higher than the sterilization processing temperature range by the heating device 4 and humidified by the humidification device 5, the temperature in the processing container 3 is lowered, and the temperature in the processing container 3 is set to the upper limit of the sterilization processing temperature range. The ozone is supplied from the ozone supply device 6 while lowering the temperature from the lower limit to the lower limit, and the sterilization of the object 2 is performed.

In the illustrated embodiment, the processing vessel 3 includes a temperature sensor 8 for detecting a temperature 7 in the processing vessel 3, a humidity sensor 10 for detecting a humidity 9 in the processing vessel 3, Concentration sensor 1 that detects the concentration of ozone 11 in the inside
A decompression pump 13 as a decompression device for depressurizing the inside of the processing container 3 before supplying ozone and exhausting ozone in the processing container 3 after the sterilization of the object 2 is completed, The processing container 3 evacuated by the operation of the pressure reducing pump 13 after the sterilization of the object 2 is completed.
The ozone in the processing vessel 3 is exhausted by the operation of the catalytic ozone decomposing device 14 for decomposing ozone therein to make it harmless and releasing the ozone to the atmosphere, and the decompression pump 13 after the sterilization of the object 2 to be sterilized. A valve 15 for introducing the atmosphere into the processing vessel 3 and a sterilizing filter 16 for preventing bacteria existing in the atmosphere from entering the processing vessel 3 when the valve 15 is opened, Further, there is provided a control device 17 to which the temperature 7 detected by the temperature sensor 8, the humidity 9 detected by the humidity sensor 10, and the ozone concentration 11 detected by the ozone concentration sensor 12 are inputted. In 17, the inside of the processing container 3 is heated to a temperature higher than the sterilization processing temperature range based on the detection signals such as the temperature 7, the humidity 9, and the ozone concentration 11. A control signal 18 for lowering the temperature to the lower limit of the range is output to the heating device 4, and a control signal 19 for supplying ozone when the temperature 7 in the processing container 3 is lowered from the upper limit to the lower limit of the sterilization temperature range is changed to the ozone. Output to the supply device 6, the inside of the processing container 3 is decompressed before the ozone is supplied, and the processing container 3
A control signal 20 for exhausting the ozone from the inside is output to the decompression pump 13, and after the sterilization of the object to be sterilized 2, the ozone in the processing container 3 exhausted by the operation of the decompression pump 13 is decomposed and harmless A control signal 21 for decomposing and releasing to the atmosphere is output to the ozone decomposer 14, and after the sterilization of the object 2 is completed, the processing vessel 3
An open signal 22 is output to the valve 15 to introduce the atmosphere into the processing container 3 when exhausting the ozone therein.

In the illustrated embodiment, the ozone supply device 6 includes an oxygen generator 6a for generating oxygen, and a discharge ozone generator 6b for converting oxygen supplied from the oxygen generator 6a into ozone. And ozone or oxygen from the ozone supply device 6 is supplied into the processing container 3 through the humidification device 5.

Next, the operation of the illustrated example will be described.

First, when the object 2 to be sterilized put in the sterilization bag 1 is stored in the processing container 3, the temperature 7 detected by the temperature sensor 8, the humidity 9 detected by the humidity sensor 10,
The ozone concentration 11 detected by the ozone concentration sensor 12 and the ozone concentration 11 are input to the control device 17, and the control signal 20 output from the control device 17 activates the pressure reducing pump 13 to supply ozone to the processing container 3. Is below a predetermined pressure (about 100
[Torr] = 100 × 1.33322 × 10 ² [P
a] or less, and the heating device 4 is operated by the control signal 18 output from the control device 17 so that the inside of the processing container 3 is in the sterilization processing temperature range (for example, about 35 to 40).
[° C] higher temperature (for example, about 55 [° C])
), And the oxygen generator 6a of the ozone supply device 6 is operated by the control signal 19 output from the controller 17, and the oxygen generator 6 of the ozone supply device 6
The oxygen from a is supplied to the processing vessel 3 through the humidifier 5 without being converted into ozone by the discharge type ozone generator 6b, and the processing vessel 3 is humidified.

Before the inside of the processing container 3 becomes positive pressure with respect to the atmospheric pressure, the supply of oxygen from the oxygen generator 6a of the ozone supply device 6 is stopped, and the temperature in the processing container 3 is reduced by the heating device 4. When the temperature in the processing container 3 drops to the upper limit of the sterilization processing temperature range, the control signal 19 output from the control device 17 controls the oxygen generator 6a of the ozone supply device 6 and the discharge type ozone. Generator 6b
Is operated, oxygen from the oxygen generator 6a of the ozone supply device 6 is converted into ozone by the discharge type ozone generator 6b and supplied to the processing vessel 3 through the humidifier 5, and the temperature 7 in the processing vessel 3 is reduced. Until the temperature falls to the lower limit of the sterilization processing temperature range, the sterilization of the object 2 is performed.

When the time required for sterilization of the object to be sterilized 2 elapses and the sterilization process is completed, the valve 15 is opened by an open signal 22 output from the control device 17.
The depressurizing pump 13 is operated again by the control signal 20 output from the control device 17, and the ozone decomposing device 14 is operated by the control signal 21 output from the control device 17, whereby ozone in the processing vessel 3 is decomposed. The substance to be sterilized is released to the atmosphere, and the object to be sterilized 2 in the processing container 3 is taken out.
When the ozone in the processing container 3 is released to the atmosphere, the valve 1
Although the atmosphere is sucked into the processing container 3 by opening 5, the air passes through the sterilizing filter 16, so that there is no concern that bacteria existing in the air enter the processing container 3.

The temperature change when the above-described operation is performed is, for example, as shown in FIG. 2. Ozone is reduced while the temperature 7 in the processing container 3 is lowered from the upper limit to the lower limit of the sterilization temperature range. By the supply, the amount of saturated water vapor in the processing container 3 decreases as the temperature decreases, and the relative humidity tends to increase. Therefore, even if water is consumed by the reaction between ozone and bacteria, it is necessary for sterilization. Relative humidity can be maintained as shown in FIG. 3, for example, if the object 2 is a thin tube such as an endoscope, or if the object 2 is placed in a sterilization bag 1 Since the relative humidity can be maintained even when the supply of water is small, it is possible to prevent the sterilization effect from being reduced, and it is possible to sufficiently sterilize the article 2 to be sterilized.

On the other hand, in the illustrated example, the pressure in the processing vessel 3 is reduced before the ozone is supplied.
Ozone and moisture easily enter into the thin tube and the sterilization bag 1, and the sterilization effect of the object 2 can be further improved.

In this manner, the relative humidity required for sterilization can be maintained to prevent a reduction in the sterilization effect, and the object to be sterilized 2 can be sufficiently sterilized.

The ozone sterilization method and apparatus of the present invention
The humidifier is not limited to the illustrated example described above. The humidifier may be separated from the ozone supply device and installed outside the processing vessel. The ozone supply device supplies water with an electrolytic type that generates ozone by supplying water. It goes without saying that various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention, such as that the present invention may be used.

[0026]

As described above, according to the ozone sterilization method and apparatus of the present invention, the relative humidity required for sterilization can be maintained to prevent a reduction in the sterilization effect, and the object to be sterilized can be sufficiently sterilized. An excellent effect that can be performed can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an example of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a temperature change and an ozone supply operation in an example of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating relative humidity in an example of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a relationship between a temperature change and an ozone supply operation in a conventional example.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing relative humidity in a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 sterilization bag 2 object to be sterilized 3 processing container 4 heating device 5 humidifying device 6 ozone supply device 13 decompression pump

Claims (4)

[Claims] Claims 1. An object to be sterilized is placed in a processing container, and after heating and humidifying the inside of the processing container to a temperature higher than a sterilization temperature range, the temperature in the processing container is reduced, and An ozone sterilization method comprising supplying ozone while lowering the temperature from an upper limit to a lower limit of a sterilization temperature range, and performing a sterilization process on an object to be sterilized. 2. The ozone sterilization method according to claim 1, wherein the pressure inside the processing vessel is reduced before supplying ozone. 3. A processing container in which an object to be sterilized is stored, and after the inside of the processing container is heated to a temperature higher than the sterilization temperature range, the temperature in the processing container is decreased, and the temperature in the processing container is reduced. An ozone sterilizer comprising: a heating device for lowering the sterilization temperature range from an upper limit to a lower limit; a humidifier for humidifying the inside of the processing container; and an ozone supply device for supplying ozone into the processing container. . 4. The ozone sterilizer according to claim 3, further comprising a pressure reducing device for reducing the pressure inside the processing container before supplying ozone.