Fluid sterilization device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11780750-B2
Application number	US-202117401636-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 13, 2021
Priority date	Sep 28, 2020
Publication date	Oct 10, 2023
Grant date	Oct 10, 2023

Abstract

A fluid sterilization device according to an embodiment includes: a tube portion; a supply head in one end portion of the tube portion; a discharge head provided in the other end portion thereof and having a first hole penetrating a space between end faces on the tube portion side and the opposite side; a holder having a flange and a protruding portion projecting from one surface of the flange and provided in the first hole; a substrate on an end face of the protruding portion on a side opposite to the flange side; a light-emitting element provided on a surface of the substrate on a side opposite to the protruding portion side and emitting ultraviolet rays; a window provided in the first hole and facing the light-emitting element; and a desiccant provided outside the discharge head and in a space communicating with the first hole or in the first hole.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fluid sterilization device comprising:
a tube portion;
a supply head provided in one end portion of the tube portion;
a discharge head provided in the other end portion of the tube portion and having a first hole penetrating a space between an end face of the discharge head on the tube portion side and an end face of the discharge head on a side opposite to the tube portion side;
a holder having a flange and a protruding portion projecting from one surface of the flange and provided in the first hole of the discharge head;
a substrate provided on an end face of the protruding portion on a side opposite to the flange side;
a light-emitting element provided on a surface of the substrate on a side opposite to the protruding portion side and emitting ultraviolet rays;
a window provided in the first hole of the discharge head and facing the light-emitting element; and
a desiccant provided outside the discharge head and in a space communicating with the first hole of the discharge head or in the first hole of the discharge head, the desiccant absorbing water vapor contained in an atmosphere surrounding the desiccant.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein
the desiccant is provided in the first hole of the discharge head, and
L1 (mm)≥L2 (mm) is satisfied when L1 (mm) is a distance between the desiccant and the window and L2 (mm) is a distance between a surface of the light-emitting element emitting the ultraviolet rays and the window.

3. The device according to claim 1 , further comprising a housing detachably provided on the discharge head, wherein
the space communicating with the first hole of the discharge head is an internal space of the housing, and
the desiccant is provided in the internal space of the housing.

4. The device according to claim 3 , wherein the housing is provided on the discharge head so as to be airtight.

5. The device according to claim 3 , wherein the discharge head further has a second hole allowing the first hole of the discharge head and the internal space of the housing to communicate with each other.

6. The device according to claim 5 , wherein the second hole of the discharge head is open to a side surface of the discharge head and an inner wall of the first hole of the discharge head.

7. The device according to claim 5 , wherein the second hole of the discharge head is open to the end face of the discharge head on the side opposite to the tube portion side and an inner wall of the first hole of the discharge head.

8. The device according to claim 1 , wherein
a gap is provided between an inner wall of the first hole of the discharge head and a side surface of the protruding portion, and
the desiccant is provided in the gap.

9. The device according to claim 8 , wherein the desiccant is provided on at least one of the inner wall of the first hole of the discharge head and the side surface of the protruding portion.

10. The device according to claim 1 , wherein
a first recess portion is provided in a side surface of the protruding portion, and
the desiccant is provided in the first recess portion.

11. The device according to claim 10 , wherein a part of the side surface of the protruding portion where the first recess portion is not provided is in contact with an inner wall of the first hole of the discharge head.

12. The device according to claim 1 , wherein a recess portion is provided in an inner wall of the first hole of the discharge head, and the desiccant is provided in the recess portion.

13. The device according to claim 12 , wherein a side surface of the protruding portion is in contact with a part of the inner wall of the first hole of the discharge head where the recess portion is not provided.

14. The device according to claim 1 , wherein
the flange is provided on the end face of the discharge head on the side opposite to the tube portion side, and
the device further comprises at least one of:
a first seal member provided between the flange and the end face of the discharge head on the side opposite to the tube portion side; and
a second seal member coming into close contact with a side surface of the flange and the end face of the discharge head on the side opposite to the tube portion side.

15. The device according to claim 14 , wherein the first seal member is packing or an O-ring.

16. The device according to claim 14 , wherein the second seal member contains a caulking material.

17. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the desiccant contains at least one of silica gel, calcium oxide, and calcium chloride.

18. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the supply head has a second hole penetrating a space between an end face of the supply head on the to be portion side and an end face of the supply head on a side opposite to the to be portion side.

19. The device according to claim 18 , further comprising a fluid supply source connected to the second hole.

20. The device according to claim 19 , wherein a temperature of a fluid supplied from the fluid supply source is lower than a temperature of an environment where the device is provided.

Assignees

• Toshiba Lighting & Technology

Inventors

• Kato Takeo
• Fujioka Atsushi
• Sakurai Naoto
• Iida Seiya
• Ochi Takanori

Classifications

• C02F1/325 Primary

  Irradiation devices or lamp constructions · CPC title

• C02F2201/004

  Seals, connections · CPC title

• C02F2201/3222

  Units using UV-light emitting diodes [LED] · CPC title

• C02F2303/04

  Disinfection · CPC title

• C02F1/32 Primary

  with ultraviolet light · CPC title