The present disclosure relates to sterilization using ultraviolet light.
Conventional sterilization using ultraviolet light includes an autonomous mobile robot that emits ultraviolet light, a stationary air purifier that is installed at a predetermined indoor place and sterilizes indoor air while circulating the air, and a portable sterilizer equipped with an ultraviolet light source. However, conventional sterilization using ultraviolet light has problems that it is large-scale and expensive, that direct irradiation to a necessary place cannot be performed, and that high skill is required in use.
On the other hand, a system using a thin and bendable optical fiber is considered (e.g., refer to Non Patent Literature 1). However, in a case where an optical fiber is used for transmission of ultraviolet light, there is a problem that transmission characteristics of the optical fiber deteriorate. Specifically, by transmitting high-energy light in the ultraviolet region, defects occur in core glass, and the transmission loss characteristics deteriorate over time.
An object of the present disclosure is to alleviate deterioration of transmission characteristics of a fiber due to transmission of ultraviolet light, and to eliminate complication of operation due to frequent replacement of an optical fiber in which deterioration has occurred.
An ultraviolet light irradiation system according to the present disclosure includes:
An ultraviolet light irradiation method according to the present disclosure includes:
It is possible with the present disclosure to alleviate deterioration of transmission characteristics of a fiber due to transmission of ultraviolet light, and eliminate complication of operation due to frequent replacement of an optical fiber in which deterioration has occurred.
The following description will explain embodiments of the present disclosure in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described below. These examples are merely illustrations, and the present disclosure can be carried out in forms with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. Note that components having the same reference numerals in the present specification and the drawings indicate the same components.
The optical transmission unit 30 has K cores 31-1, 31-2, . . . , and 31-K that function as optical transmission lines. The ultraviolet light source unit 10 inputs ultraviolet light to each of the cores 31-1, 31-2, . . . , and 31K included in the optical transmission unit 30 at an arbitrary timing and with an arbitrary power. The number K of the cores 31 is an arbitrary number of 2 or more. In the present disclosure, the cores 31-1, 31-2, . . . , and 31-K are referred to as cores 31 in a case where it is unnecessary to distinguish therebetween.
The irradiation unit 20 irradiates the target location ste to be sterilized with the ultraviolet light transmitted by each core 31. The irradiation unit 20 has an arbitrary configuration capable of irradiating the target location ste, and includes, for example, an optical system such as a lens designed to transmit a wavelength in an ultraviolet region.
The optical transmission unit 30 transmits ultraviolet light to each irradiation unit 20 using the plurality of cores 31. Since the optical transmission unit 30 of the present disclosure is thin and bendable, it can be laid in a small place where a conventional robot/device cannot enter.
The single-core optical fiber 33 is an optical fiber having one core 31 which is a waveguide region. The multi-core optical fiber is an optical fiber having at least two or more waveguide regions, in which the waveguide regions are selectively used (multi-core optical fiber or coupled type multi-core optical fiber). As described above, in the present disclosure, a plurality of optical transmission lines is configured using one or more waveguide regions provided in an optical fiber.
A configuration example of the single-core optical fiber 33 is described in
The single-core optical fiber 33 is, for example, a solid core type optical fiber in which a waveguide region is constituted with a single core 31 having a refractive index higher than that of a clad 32 as illustrated in
The single-core optical fiber 33 is, for example, a coupled-core type optical fiber in which a waveguide region is configured with at least two or more cores 31 having inter-core coupling and light is guided by optical wave coupling between the plurality of cores 31 as illustrated in
The single-core optical fiber 33 is, for example, a hole-assist type optical fiber in which a waveguide region is configured with one independent core 31 and a plurality of holes 37 arranged at equal intervals on the outer periphery of the one core 31 as illustrated in
The single-core optical fiber 33 is, for example, a hole-structure optical fiber in which a waveguide region is configured with a plurality of holes 37 provided in the clad 32 and the clad 32 surrounded by the plurality of holes 37 functions as the core 31 as illustrated in
The single-core optical fiber 33 is, for example, a hollow core type hole-structure optical fiber in which a waveguide region guides light to a cavity 38 surrounded by the holes 37 provided in the clad 32 as illustrated in
A configuration example of a multi-core optical fiber 34 having six waveguide regions is described in
The multi-core optical fiber is, for example, an optical fiber in which each waveguide region is configured with one independent core 31 as illustrated in
The multi-core optical fiber is, for example, a coupled-core type multi-core optical fiber in which each waveguide region is configured with at least two or more cores 31 having inter-core coupling as illustrated in
The multi-core optical fiber is, for example, a hole-assist type multi-core optical fiber in which each waveguide region is configured with one independent core 31 and a plurality of holes 37 arranged at equal intervals on the outer periphery of the one core 31 as illustrated in
The multi-core optical fiber is, for example, a hole-structure multi-core optical fiber in which each waveguide region is configured with a plurality of holes 37 provided in the clad 32, and the clad 32 surrounded by the plurality of holes 37 functions as the core 31 as illustrated in
The multi-core optical fiber is, for example, a hollow core type hole-structure multi-core optical fiber in which each waveguide region is configured with a cavity 38 surrounded by holes 37 provided in the clad 32 as illustrated in
Note that the number of cores of the multi-core optical fiber 34 may be an arbitrary number of 2 or more.
The configuration of the ultraviolet light source unit 10 will be described with reference to
The light source 11 is an arbitrary unit capable of outputting light in an ultraviolet region, and a semiconductor light source such as an LD or an LED, a light source using nonlinear optics, or a lamp light source can be used. The output control unit 13 performs on/off control and power control of ultraviolet light transmission to each core 31 by the following method.
Note that the input power to each core 31 may be the same or different. Moreover, the optical system 12 may include an isolator that prevents return light from the core 31 from returning to the light source 11. Moreover, the optical fiber used for the optical transmission unit 30 of the present embodiment may be a large-diameter multimode fiber capable of transmitting high energy.
An ultraviolet light source unit 10 and the optical distribution unit 40A are connected by an optical transmission unit 30A, and the optical distribution unit 40A is connected with N irradiation units 20-1, . . . , and 20N by N optical transmission units 30B-1, . . . , and 30B-N. In the present disclosure, the irradiation units 20-1, . . . , and 20-N will be described as irradiation units 20 in a case where it is unnecessary to distinguish therebetween, and the optical transmission units 30B-1, . . . , and 30B-N will be described as optical transmission units 30B in a case where it is unnecessary to distinguish therebetween.
The optical distribution unit 40A distributes the ultraviolet light propagated by each core 31 included in the optical transmission unit 30A into N parts for each core 31. Therefore, the optical transmission unit 30B includes a plurality of cores 31 similarly to the optical transmission unit 30A. Similarly to the optical transmission unit 30 described in the first embodiment, the optical transmission units 30A and 30B can be each configured with an optical cable 35 in which a plurality of single-core optical fibers 33 is bundled, a multi-core optical fiber 34 having a plurality of cores 31, or an optical cable 36 in which multi-core optical fibers 34 are bundled.
The optical transmission units 30B-1, . . . , and 30B-N transmit ultraviolet light to the irradiation units 20-1, . . . , and 20N, respectively. The optical transmission units 30B-1, . . . , and 30B-N can be laid even in a small place where a conventional robot/device cannot enter.
An ultraviolet light source unit 10 and the optical distribution unit 40B are connected by an optical transmission unit 30C, and the optical distribution unit 40B is connected with M irradiation units 20-1, . . . , and 20-M by M optical transmission units 30D-1, . . . , and 30D-M. In the present disclosure, the irradiation units 20-1, . . . , and 20-M will be referred to as irradiation units 20 in a case where it is unnecessary to distinguish therebetween, and the optical transmission units 30D-1, . . . , and 30D-M will be referred to as optical transmission units 30B in a case where it is unnecessary to distinguish therebetween.
In the present embodiment, the optical transmission unit 30C is an optical cable 36 in which a plurality of multi-core optical fibers 34 are bundled, and the optical transmission units 30D-1, . . . , and 30D-M are multi-core optical fibers 34. The optical distribution unit 40B fans out the multi-core optical fibers 34 included in the optical transmission unit 30C. Thus, the optical distribution unit 40B distributes the ultraviolet light transmitted from the ultraviolet light source unit 10 to a plurality of multi-core optical fibers.
For example, in a case where the optical transmission unit 30C includes M multi-core optical fibers 34, the M multi-core optical fibers in the optical cable provided in the optical transmission unit 30C on the input side of the optical distribution unit 40B and the respective multi-core optical fibers 34 provided in the optical transmission unit 30D on the output side of the optical distribution unit 40 are connected by 1:1. Note that the fan-out may provide a configuration in which the outer sheath of the optical cable is removed and each multi-core optical fiber is taken out.
The optical transmission units 30D-1, . . . , and 30D-M transmit ultraviolet light to the irradiation units 20-1, . . . , and 20-M, respectively. The optical transmission units 30C and 30D can be laid even in a small place where a conventional robot/device cannot enter. Note that the optical transmission units 30D-1, . . . , and 30D-M may be an optical cable 35 in which a plurality of single-core optical fibers 33 is bundled.
The optical transmission unit 30C is an optical cable 36 in which a plurality of multi-core optical fibers 34 are bundled. Each optical transmission unit 30D is a multi-core optical fiber 34. Each optical transmission unit 30B is an optical cable 35 in which a plurality of single-core optical fibers 33 is bundled, or a multi-core optical fiber 34. Each optical transmission unit 30D may be an optical cable 35 in which a plurality of single-core optical fibers 33 is bundled.
Each optical transmission unit 30B transmits ultraviolet light to each irradiation unit 20. The optical transmission units 30C, 30D, and 30B can be laid in a small place where a conventional robot/device cannot enter.
As described above, the present disclosure has the following configuration.
In the system configuration, the ultraviolet light source unit 10 and the irradiation units 20 installed near target locations ste to be sterilized/inactivated are connected by an optical cable in which a plurality of optical fibers (single-core or multi-core) is bundled, or a multi-core optical fiber.
Furthermore, the ultraviolet light source unit 10 is configured to perform on/off control or power control of ultraviolet light to be transmitted to a plurality of optical fibers or cores.
As a result, a system of the present disclosure can alleviate the problem of deterioration in transmission characteristics of an optical fiber due to transmission of ultraviolet light, and can be efficiently operated.
In a sterilization/inactivation system using ultraviolet light, it is possible to realize a system capable of economically sterilizing/deactivating a desired location by utilizing an optical cable in which a plurality of optical fibers (single-core or multi-core) is bundled, or a multi-core optical fiber.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/JP2020/039661 | 10/22/2020 | WO |