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EP4424431A1 - Machine de lavage et de désinfection - Google Patents

Machine de lavage et de désinfection Download PDF

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Publication number
EP4424431A1
EP4424431A1 EP24160064.2A EP24160064A EP4424431A1 EP 4424431 A1 EP4424431 A1 EP 4424431A1 EP 24160064 A EP24160064 A EP 24160064A EP 4424431 A1 EP4424431 A1 EP 4424431A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
chamber
machine
sanitizing
objects
washing
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Pending
Application number
EP24160064.2A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Christian Artuso
Giancarlo Guarda
Maurizio Zanatta
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Steelco SpA
Original Assignee
Steelco SpA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Steelco SpA filed Critical Steelco SpA
Publication of EP4424431A1 publication Critical patent/EP4424431A1/fr
Pending legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B08—CLEANING
    • B08B—CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
    • B08B5/00—Cleaning by methods involving the use of air flow or gas flow
    • B08B5/04—Cleaning by suction, with or without auxiliary action
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B08—CLEANING
    • B08B—CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
    • B08B3/00—Cleaning by methods involving the use or presence of liquid or steam
    • B08B3/02—Cleaning by the force of jets or sprays
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L15/00—Washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware
    • A47L15/42—Details
    • A47L15/44—Devices for adding cleaning agents; Devices for dispensing cleaning agents, rinsing aids or deodorants
    • A47L15/4418—Devices for adding cleaning agents; Devices for dispensing cleaning agents, rinsing aids or deodorants in the form of liquids
    • A47L15/4427—Devices for adding cleaning agents; Devices for dispensing cleaning agents, rinsing aids or deodorants in the form of liquids entrained in the water supply line by a pressure drop, e.g. resulting from a Venturi throat

Definitions

  • the present invention concerns a washing and sanitizing machine, in particular for washing and sanitizing hospital and/or laboratory and/or elsewhere devices and tools where dirty or contaminated devices and tools are produced.
  • Washing and sanitizing machines are known for devices, tools and/or components, referred to as "objects" hereinafter for the sake of brevity, coming from hospitals, laboratories or elsewhere where dirty or contaminated objects are produced.
  • the washing and sanitizing machines include a step of cleaning and washing the objects, followed by sanitizing and drying steps for the objects and for the entire washing chamber that contains them.
  • the sanitizing step may comprise a thermal disinfection treatment by means of wet vapour, saturating the washing chamber with vapour and maintaining in the saturated chamber an appropriate temperature for a predetermined or variable time according to specific needs and cases.
  • the objects At the end of the thermal disinfection treatment by means of wet vapour, the objects must be dried, i.e. the vapour must be removed from the washing chamber and from the surface of the sanitized objects.
  • drying takes place by injecting into the washing chamber a flow of hot and dry air, which is charged with vapour and is then let out of the washing chamber, thus removing moisture and allowing drying.
  • the drying fluid is made to actively circulate, or possibly recirculate, in the feed circuit, in the washing chamber and in the discharge circuit by means of a fluid movement device, such as a fan or a pump.
  • the drying fluid which is normally in the form of vapour, is discharged into an outlet through the aforementioned discharge circuit.
  • the discharge circuit comprises an evacuation tube which connects to the washing chamber, in particular a first end of this evacuation tube is connected to a discharge element, in particular a clapet element, of the washing chamber. Thanks to the action of the aforementioned fluid movement device, for drying purposes the air or vapour is drawn out of the washing chamber through the aforementioned discharge element, and from there it is directed into the aforementioned evacuation tube.
  • a mixing chamber can be provided which is outside and separate from the washing chamber which is used to break down any residual components present in the drying fluid extracted from the washing chamber.
  • this mixing chamber receives both washing liquid from auxiliary feed ducts and also the drying air or vapour extracted, by means of the aforementioned evacuation tube, from the washing chamber thanks to the fluid movement device as above.
  • This mixing chamber is configured to generate a Venturi effect, thanks to which the washing liquid and the drying air or vapour, extracted by means of the aforementioned fluid movement device, are mixed, so as to purify the drying fluid from any residual components present in the washing chamber, since it is configured as a mean which, by mixing washing liquid and drying fluid, allows the passage of the drying fluid through a washing liquid barrier, effectively eliminating any potentially dangerous residual components.
  • a drawback of this approach is the energy consumption, and therefore the eco-sustainability, due to the need to filter the air, heat it and circulate it in the washing chamber, and also to extract the drying fluid, by means of suitable fluid movement devices.
  • a further drawback consists in the loss of the liquid injected into the chamber as vapour which, following drying, is evacuated together with the exhausted drying air stream and is therefore generally lost.
  • Document US 2019/0239717 A1 describes a dishwasher comprising an external air flow unit by means of which external air is injected and discharged. Thanks to a fan, a flow of external air is actively introduced into the external air flow unit, it passes into a heat exchanger in contact with a washing tank of the dishwasher, thus facilitating the condensation of the vapour possibly present in the washing tank, and it is finally mixed with the internal air of the washing tank and this mixture is discharged outside.
  • Document CN 218391032 U describes a dishwasher that makes use of external air actively introduced by means of a fan to dry a washing chamber of the dishwasher and its contents.
  • one purpose of the present invention is to realize a washing and sanitizing machine that reduces the drying energy costs.
  • Another purpose of the present invention is to realize a washing and sanitizing machine capable of recovering the liquid used to saturate the washing chamber with vapour, so as to be able to possibly reuse it.
  • the Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.
  • this machine comprises a containment body which internally delimits a treatment chamber for treating the object. Furthermore, the aforementioned machine comprises a sanitizing fluid extraction device. Said extraction device is associated with said containment body and configured to extract, by Venturi effect, the sanitizing fluids from the treatment chamber.
  • Fig. 1 is used to describe embodiments of a machine 10 for washing and sanitizing dirty or contaminated objects, such as for example medical, hospital, laboratory devices, instruments or tools or of other similar or assimilable provenance.
  • washing can be understood as washing and/or activity by means of liquids, hot and/or cold with or without the use of chemical agents, the washing cycle being per se known and variable according to the type of objects to be washed.
  • washing liquid will be used with reference to the liquid that is used in the washing cycles, which can be water, or possibly water supplemented with chemical agents.
  • washing liquids can also be used, for example, use can be made of supplemented water for washing and non-supplemented water for any rinsing operations.
  • sanitization can be understood as a thermal disinfection and/or sterilization treatment, typically through the use of hot air and/or vapour or in general cleaning aeriform fluids, for a pre-established or variable time depending on the needs and specific cases.
  • the sanitization takes place as a thermal disinfection with hot water vapour.
  • vapour hereinafter also referred to as sanitizing vapour, but this must not be considered a limiting factor.
  • the machine 10 comprises a containment body 38 which delimits in its inside a treatment chamber 11, in this case for washing and/or sanitization in particular, of objects 12 to be washed because they are dirty or contaminated, for example by chemical agents and/or agents or biological material.
  • the chamber 11 preferably has suitable dimensions and shapes to accommodate inside it one or more objects 12 to be washed, coming from hospitals or laboratories or from elsewhere where devices or objects in general containing, or on which there are, contaminants are produced.
  • the containment body 38 includes an access door 13 which can be opened/closed to insert and remove objects in/from the chamber 11.
  • the machine 10 further comprises an extraction device 36 associated with said containment body 38, for example installed on an external wall of the latter, and in fluidic communication with the chamber 11.
  • Said extraction device 36 is configured to extract, by Venturi effect, the sanitizing fluids, for example vapour, from the chamber 11.
  • Said extraction device 36 is advantageously activated at the end of the sanitizing step, to remove the sanitizing fluids present in the chamber 11 and therefore favour drying the objects 12.
  • the machine 10 includes a control unit 30, adapted to control the operation of the machine 10 and, consequently, also the selective activation of the extraction device 36 as a function of the specific steps of the treatment cycle to which the objects are subjected.
  • the extraction device 36 comprises a box-like body 37 internally defining an extraction chamber 14.
  • the box-like body 37 is mounted, in particular directly mounted, on an external wall of the containment body 38 and is in connection with the chamber 11 by means of an opening 15 which favourably defines a calibrated orifice useful for generating a Venturi effect as explained below.
  • the box-like body 37 is mounted on a wall of the containment body 38 that is different, for example opposed, from those where the door 13 is present.
  • a protective barrier 26 adapted to allow the passage of vapours but to prevent the passage of liquids.
  • the extraction device 36 further comprises at least one nozzle 21 mounted on an upper part 37a of the box-like body 37.
  • Said nozzle 21 is configured to inject a liquid, in particular water, into the extraction chamber 14.
  • the nozzle 21 is adapted to inject such liquid under overpressure i.e. with a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure, to facilitate obtaining the Venturi effect by means of which to extract the sanitizing fluids, for example vapour, from the chamber 11.
  • the box-like body 37 is connected upstream with a first circuit 16 adapted to feed a liquid, for example water, and downstream with a second discharge circuit 17. In this way, it is possible both to inject the liquid into the extraction chamber 14, by means of the aforementioned nozzle 21, in order to generate the desired Venturi effect, and to discharge the same liquid and the sanitizing fluids, for example vapour, extracted from the chamber 11.
  • said nozzle 21 is arranged in cooperation with said opening 15, so as to direct a jet of liquid coming from the first circuit 16 which, de facto, laps said opening 15, generating, by Venturi effect, the suction of the sanitizing fluids, for example vapour, present in the chamber 11, which are thus extracted from the latter, pass through the extraction chamber 14 and finally are directed into the second circuit 17, by means of which they are discharged, together with the liquid injected by the nozzle 21.
  • the first circuit 16 comprises a feed solenoid valve 27 and a liquid supply duct 28.
  • the solenoid valve 27 may for example receive the liquid from a water mains, or from another source, for example a feed tank.
  • the duct 28 connects the solenoid valve 27 to the nozzle 21.
  • the solenoid valve 27 is provided to manage the flow of liquid supplied to the nozzle 21.
  • the extraction device 36 allows to remove vapour from the chamber 11 without resorting to the use of hot air blown into the chamber 11 itself, thus limiting the expenditure of energy, since the removal takes place essentially in a cold and not hot manner.
  • the extraction of the vapour exploits the Venturi effect, eliminating the need to heat additional drying fluids to be injected into the chamber 11, such as dry air.
  • the vapour extracted from the chamber 11 and sucked into the extraction chamber 14 and the liquid injected into the extraction chamber 14 by the nozzle 21 can be respectively water vapour and liquid water, so that de facto a mixture of water and possibly condensed vapour is collected in the extraction chamber 14 which is discharged.
  • the water injected into the extraction chamber 14 by the nozzle 21 does not require heating, in fact its temperature facilitates condensation inside the extraction chamber 14 of the water vapour extracted from the chamber 11.
  • the extraction device 36 can therefore be configured to serve both a function of extracting the sanitizing vapour from the chamber 11, and also a function of condensing this vapour.
  • the door 13 can be opened, partially or totally, so as to allow the entry of fresh external air into the chamber 11, further facilitating the drying of the objects 12 and the removal of vapour from the chamber 11.
  • the door 13 can be opened manually or automatically, in particular according to a desired programming coordinated by the control unit 30 and correlated to a preset time from the start of activation of the extraction device 36.
  • the second discharge circuit 17 comprises a first recirculation tank 22, a first pump 23 and a plurality of ducts 31.
  • the extraction chamber 14 of the box-like body 37 is connected to the first tank 22 through a duct 31a of the plurality of ducts 31.
  • the duct 31a can be connected in particular to a lower part of the extraction chamber 14, and therefore allows the discharge, conveying the discharged liquid, including condensed vapour, into the first tank 22.
  • the liquid collected in the first tank 22 can be recirculated thanks to the first pump 23, connected to the first tank 22 through a duct 31b.
  • vapour used for the sanitization of the chamber 11 and of the objects 12 is therefore not lost, but, suitably extracted, condensed and recovered in the first tank 22, it can be reused, for example recirculated to supply again sanitizing vapour, and/or as a jet of liquid injected into the extraction chamber 14 by the nozzle 21 to obtain the Venturi effect, and/or used in other working steps of the machine 10 or of other machinery or systems.
  • the machine 10 limits the waste of water during its operation.
  • the machine 10 further comprises a third circuit 18 for feeding washing liquids and/or sanitizing vapours and a fourth circuit 19 for discharging washing liquids.
  • the containment body 38 is connected to the third feed circuit 18 and to the fourth discharge circuit 19, so that the respective fluids can be suitably dispensed into the chamber 11.
  • the machine 10 is also provided with injection means 20 mounted on the walls of the containment body 38, inside the chamber 11.
  • the injection means 20 are means adapted to inject, into the chamber 11, washing liquids and/or sanitizing vapours, for example, but not only, washing nozzles.
  • Said injection means 20 are favourably connected to the third circuit 18 which, therefore, favourably supply the necessary liquid to said injection means 20.
  • the third circuit 18 comprises a second pump 33, a plurality of ducts 34 and a vapour generator 25.
  • the second pump 33 is adapted to supply a liquid, for example water, to the ducts 34.
  • Said second pump 33 can, for example, receive the liquid from a second feed tank 32 arranged upstream, or from another source, for example a water mains.
  • injection means for injecting one or more cleaning and/or inerting additives.
  • the ducts 34 connect the second pump 33 to the injection means 20, to supply the washing liquid into the chamber 11.
  • the second pump 33 through the duct 34 and appropriate inlet and outlet branches (only schematized in the accompanying fig. 1 ), also supplies liquid to the vapour generator 25 that generates vapour to be injected, through the same duct 34, into the chamber 11, depending on the steps of the treatment cycle.
  • the washing liquid injected by the injection means 20 is evacuated in a known manner through the fourth washing liquid discharge circuit 19.
  • the step of sanitizing the chamber 11 is carried out in a known manner with a sanitizing vapour, generated by the vapour generator 25 and injected into the chamber 11, for example through the injection means 20.
  • the sanitizing vapour may be supplied by a different feed circuit separated from the third circuit 18 and/or may be injected into the chamber 11 through injection means other than the injection means 20.
  • the aforementioned vapour is removed from the chamber 11 by activating the extraction device 36 and, therefore, the objects 12 are dried as described above.
  • Embodiments described herein also refer to a method for carrying out a treatment cycle, understood as washing and sanitizing, of dirty or contaminated devices, instruments or tools, components or objects 12, such as for example medical, hospital, laboratory devices, instruments or tools or similar or assimilable provenance.
  • the method includes a step for sanitizing the objects 12 contained in the chamber 11 and a step for extracting the sanitizing fluids from the chamber 11 by activating an extraction device 36 which extracts, by Venturi effect, the aforementioned sanitizing fluids from the chamber 11 promoting the drying of the objects 12 contained therein.
  • the method may include a step for opening the door 13 associated with the chamber 11, in a coordinated manner with the operation of said extraction device 36, in particular at the same time or after activation of the extraction device 36, to cause the entry of fresh air from the outside and further promote drying of the objects 12.
  • the sanitizing fluid extracted from the chamber 11 in the drying step is condensed and conveyed into a tank 22 for subsequent reuses.
  • This condensation can advantageously already occur in the extraction device 36, thanks to the temperature of the jet of liquid injected into the extraction chamber 14, which is lower than the temperature of the vapour extracted from the chamber 11.

Landscapes

  • Detail Structures Of Washing Machines And Dryers (AREA)
  • Cleaning By Liquid Or Steam (AREA)
EP24160064.2A 2023-02-28 2024-02-27 Machine de lavage et de désinfection Pending EP4424431A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
SM20230069A SMP202300069B1 (it) 2023-02-28 2023-02-28 Macchina di lavaggio e sanitizzazione

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP4424431A1 true EP4424431A1 (fr) 2024-09-04

Family

ID=92212564

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP24160064.2A Pending EP4424431A1 (fr) 2023-02-28 2024-02-27 Machine de lavage et de désinfection

Country Status (2)

Country Link
EP (1) EP4424431A1 (fr)
SM (1) SMP202300069B1 (fr)

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1999063880A1 (fr) 1998-06-09 1999-12-16 Arçelik A.S. Lave-vaisselle a sechage ameliore
US6170166B1 (en) 1998-07-10 2001-01-09 Ecolab Inc. Removal of heat and water vapor from commercial dishwashing machines
US20020170978A1 (en) * 2001-05-16 2002-11-21 Mohn Merrill K. Paint gun washer
US20190239717A1 (en) 2018-02-08 2019-08-08 Lg Electronics Inc. Dishwasher
WO2020095335A1 (fr) 2018-11-09 2020-05-14 Steelco S.P.A. Appareil de nettoyage et de désinfection
CN218391032U (zh) 2022-09-08 2023-01-31 珠海格力电器股份有限公司 洗碗机

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1999063880A1 (fr) 1998-06-09 1999-12-16 Arçelik A.S. Lave-vaisselle a sechage ameliore
US6170166B1 (en) 1998-07-10 2001-01-09 Ecolab Inc. Removal of heat and water vapor from commercial dishwashing machines
US20020170978A1 (en) * 2001-05-16 2002-11-21 Mohn Merrill K. Paint gun washer
US20190239717A1 (en) 2018-02-08 2019-08-08 Lg Electronics Inc. Dishwasher
WO2020095335A1 (fr) 2018-11-09 2020-05-14 Steelco S.P.A. Appareil de nettoyage et de désinfection
CN218391032U (zh) 2022-09-08 2023-01-31 珠海格力电器股份有限公司 洗碗机

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
SMP202300069B1 (it) 2025-09-12
SMP202300069A1 (it) 2024-09-16

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