Modular drying device for endoscopes

© Patent holder (s):

Van Vliet Medical Supply BV in Almere.

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Patent granted:

16.04.2015 © Patent issued:

22.04.2015

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Inventor (s):

Jacob Haze in Soest.

© Authorized representative:

ir. CWAM Klavers in Almere.

© Modular drying device for endoscopes.

A drying device for one or more endoscopes is described, comprising a drying space with holding means for hanging the endoscopes therein. The drying device further comprises a mounting unit located at the top of the drying room with an air pressure chamber connected to blowing elements which open into the drying room. The blowing elements are arranged to produce a downward flow of air in the drying room. The various types of blowing elements arranged on the underside of the mounting unit are of a first type, which causes a downward air flow along the rear wall of the drying space and / or of the second type, which causes a downward air flow along or below the holding means.

LC 2011604

This patent has been granted regardless of the enclosed result of the prior art research and written opinion. The patent corresponds to the documents originally filed.

MODULAR DRYING DEVICE FOR ENDOSCOPES

The present invention relates to a drying device for one or more endoscopes, comprising a drying room for the endoscopes.

Such a drying device is known from US2002 / 0146344, in which the drying device forms part of a cleaning and disinfection system for endoscopes. These are each individually placed in a lockable basket and connected to a terminal block for subsequent cleaning. After individual cleaning, disinfection is carried out in another establishment, after which the endoscopes are internally dried together while the baskets are stacked one above the other.

A drawback of the known drying device is that it is not able to dry the endoscopes sufficiently in a short period of time.

The object of the present invention is to provide a more efficient, in particular externally drying, dryer.

To this end, the drying device according to the invention has a drying space with holding means for hanging the endoscopes therein, and a mounting unit located at the top of the drying space with an air pressure chamber which is connected to blowing elements which open into the drying space and are arranged to provide a downward air flow in the drying room.

The advantage of the drying device according to the invention is that the holding means provide for hanging the endoscopes downwards, through which internal and external moisture flow downwards. With further advantage, at least the external fighting flow is stimulated to move downwards by the air flow directed downwards from the mounting unit via the blowing elements into the drying space, which also flows along the hanging endoscopes.

A preferred embodiment of the drying device according to the invention is characterized in that the blowing elements comprise various types, the blowing elements of a first type causing a downward air flow along the rear wall of the drying room and wherein the blowing elements of the second type along and / or below the holding means produce a downward air flow.

The effect of the joint action of both types of blower elements is that a uniform downward airflow through the dryer is created and maintained across all hanging endoscopes. Irrespective of the current position of the individual endoscopes in the drying device, this produces a constant reproducible drying capacity and drying quality.

A further embodiment of drying device which is advantageous in construction engineering has the feature that the mounting unit is designed as a ceiling module in or of the drying room.

The necessary mechanically and functionally required components of the drying device, mentioned above and below, can be installed and mounted in and on the ceiling, if necessary prior to assembly. The construction, dismantling and connection are therefore carried out in a shorter time frame, and ultimately without much inconvenience on site.

Further detailed possible embodiments set out in the other claims are stated in the following description, together with the associated advantages.

The drying device according to the present invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the figures below, in which corresponding parts are provided with the same reference numbers. Thereby shows:

Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a drying device in which a number of endoscopes are hanging to dry; and

Figure 2 shows a schematic representation of two drying devices which are separated from each other by a technical module, in which a splitter connected to an air pump is provided, which ensures the supply of air to both drying devices;

Figure 3 shows a schematic representation of the way in which air flows in the drying devices of Figures 1 and 2 are influenced;

Figure 4 shows a detail from Figure 3 concerning an endoscope suspension indicator; and

Figure 5 shows an example of an airflow indicator with which the supply of air to and / or per endoscope suspension location in a relevant drying device is measured.

Figures 1 and 2 respectively show a drying device 1 which can be closed by means of access doors and a drying system with two drying devices 1 installed side by side, each intended to hang one or more endoscopes 2 therein. The device 1 comprises a drying space 3 in which holding means 4 are arranged for hanging the endoscopes 2. At the top of the drying room 3 there is a mounting unit 5 with an air pressure chamber 6 which is connected to blowing elements 7 which open into the drying room 3 and are arranged to produce a downward air flow in the drying room 3. There are two types of blowing elements 7, namely 7-1 and 7-2, which can each be arranged separately or possibly jointly on the underside of the mounting unit 5, which is preferably designed as ceiling P of the space 3. The blowing elements 7-1 of the first type blow a downward airflow past the endoscopes 2 and the back wall 8 of the drying space 3, as indicated by a curved arrow in the schematic representation of figure 3. The blowing elements 7-2 of the second type produce a downward air flow running along and / or under the holding means 4 through the drying space or past the endoscopes 2, as indicated with straight arrows in figure 3. The blowing elements 7-1, 7-2 receive air to blow through the space 3 from the air pressure chamber 6 which is connected to an air pump 9 which is preferably high, due to minimal loss of air pressure, in a technical module 10 on the side of the drying device 1 located.

In the system of figure 2, the technical module 10 is located between the two drying devices 1, whereby both air pressure chambers 6 disposed therein, with only one air pump 9 and via an air flow splitter 11 connected to the chambers 6, receive fresh air. This is advantageous in terms of space taken up, for example, after a while a second drying device has to be installed next to the one, which then does not itself have a technical - costly - module. The air in the chamber (s) 6 is under sufficient pressure so that, with or without the aid of a co-operating fan in the module 10, a uniform air flow flowing from top to bottom along the endoscopes is maintained, so that at least the outside of the suspended endoscopes dries or remains dry. If necessary, the air pressure is measured at various places with the aid of air pressure sensors 12, in particular in the air pressure chamber 6.

As shown in the schematic representation of Figure 3, the drying device 1 has an air flow meter 14 included in air line 13 to its pressure chamber 6, schematically shown in Figure 5, for measuring actual air flow quantities through the various blowing elements.

As Fig. 4 shows, the holding means 4 which are intended for the individual suspension of each endoscope are suspended via a magnetic contact 15, which is designed as a reed contact, which is fixedly mounted at the bottom of the mounting unit 5. This provides an indication whether or not the endoscope is hung on the resilient and means 4 provided with its magnet.

Furthermore, the drying device 1 has an air connection 16 for the endoscope 1 arranged near the holding means 4 and, if desired, an air flow meter intended for each individual endoscope upstream of the air connection, in order to measure the dry air flow through the interior of the endoscope 2.

Furthermore, the drying device 1 in the drying space 3, which does not show overpressure means, is designed to maintain an overpressure of the air in the drying space 3 at least during the drying process in progress.

The meter 14, the contact 15, an electric door closure mounted on the entrance doors and the device 1, the overpressure means and the aforementioned sensors 12, together with a traffic light-like indicator lighting, are connected to a processor-controlled data processing unit. The programmable drying process is thereby controlled and the indication makes the status of the drying process from outside the establishment 1 transparent.

The drying device 1 is preferably built up of modules which can be easily assembled together, i.e. the ceiling module P, 5, the lockable enclosure of the drying room 3 and the technical module 10 arranged next to the drying room.