A sterilization and storage device for ophthalmic care instruments

Abstract

This invention relates to a disinfection and storage device for ophthalmic care instruments, belonging to the field of medical device disinfection and storage. The invention connects a low-temperature plasma generator in series in the gas supply system. A non-thermal equilibrium plasma gas flow is ejected from the throttling orifice on the bottom plate of the storage chamber, forming an air film between the air-floating tray and the bottom plate. This non-contact suspends the care instruments while simultaneously diffusing the non-thermal equilibrium plasma gas flow to the upper space of the air-floating tray, continuously and dynamically purifying the instruments. This invention achieves synergistic functionality of "suspension and vibration resistance" and "plasma purification," fundamentally eliminating the inherent risks of separating vibration reduction measures from disinfection and purification functions. It ensures that the care instruments are in a sterile, vibration-free, and contactless protective microenvironment throughout storage and transportation, making it particularly suitable for all-terrain disinfection and storage of care instruments in military medical support and emergency medical rescue.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of medical device disinfection and storage technology, and particularly to a disinfection and storage device for ophthalmic care devices. Background Technology

[0002] Ophthalmic microsurgical instruments, such as corneal scissors, capsular forceps, and phacoemulsification handpieces, are extremely precise and fragile. Their surface cleanliness and mechanical integrity are directly related to the incidence of postoperative complications such as endophthalmitis. In a standard hospital setting, sterilization and storage are performed using separate equipment, posing a risk of secondary contamination during multiple transfers.

[0003] In military medical support and emergency medical rescue scenarios, the above problems are even more prominent. The equipment of field hospitals must withstand the vibration and impact during road transportation. The blades of nursing instruments may become dull and blunted under repeated impacts with micron-level amplitude. The residual biofilm at the joints and threads may fall off under vibration and friction. Moreover, the success rate of ophthalmic surgery under field conditions is highly dependent on the physical integrity of the instruments and the absence of pyrogens on their surfaces. These two points are precisely the weak links that are difficult to guarantee in traditional separate sterilization and storage processes.

[0004] Currently, some devices used for the storage and transport of nursing instruments integrate disinfection functions during storage, attempting to disinfect instruments during storage by installing ultraviolet irradiation or ozone generators within the instrument cabinet. However, the disinfection methods employed by these storage devices with disinfection functions are functionally separate from the physical fixation and protection methods for the instruments. Specifically, instruments rely on silicone pads or slots for fixation and passive cushioning, while disinfection relies solely on ultraviolet irradiation or ozone diffusion. These two functions operate independently in terms of physical and chemical mechanisms; the fixation and cushioning methods can only provide passive protection and cannot actively purify themselves and the instrument surface; the disinfection methods can only work under specific conditions and cannot provide continuous and uninterrupted dynamic purification of instruments throughout the entire storage and transport process.

[0005] Under real-world field conditions, such as prolonged mobile transportation, repeated loading and unloading, and storage in harsh environments, instruments are simultaneously subjected to shocks and vibrations exceeding their buffering capacity, and are situated in a microenvironment without continuous active purification measures, making "out-of-the-box" operation impossible. For ophthalmic microsurgery, which demands extremely high cleanliness and mechanical integrity, existing storage devices with sterilization functions struggle to provide effective vibration isolation and active dynamic sterilization and purification for nursing instruments throughout the entire transportation and storage process. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This invention provides a disinfection and storage device for ophthalmic care instruments, which can solve the problem in the prior art where vibration reduction measures and disinfection and purification functions are separated, making it impossible to provide effective vibration isolation and continuous dynamic purification throughout the storage and transportation process.

[0007] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: an ophthalmic care device for disinfection and storage, comprising a storage chamber, an air supply system, a low-temperature plasma generator, an air-floating tray, a vibration sensor, and a controller.

[0008] The storage chamber has a gas distribution cavity inside its bottom plate, and multiple throttling orifices communicating with the gas distribution cavity are provided on the bottom plate. The gas supply system is used to provide pressurized clean gas, and the gas supply system includes an electrically controlled pressure regulating valve.

[0009] The low-temperature plasma generator is connected to the gas supply pipeline of the gas supply system. The outlet of the gas supply pipeline is connected to the gas distribution chamber. The low-temperature plasma generator is used to activate pressurized clean gas into a non-thermal equilibrium plasma gas flow containing active particles.

[0010] The air-floating tray is located inside the storage chamber and is used to carry nursing instruments.

[0011] The vibration sensor is installed inside the air-float tray to directly measure the acceleration of the air-float tray and the nursing instruments it supports. The controller is electrically connected to both the vibration sensor and the electronically controlled pressure regulating valve.

[0012] The controller controls the electronically controlled pressure regulating valve according to a preset air supply pressure, causing the non-thermal equilibrium plasma airflow to be ejected from the throttling orifice and form an air film between the air flotation tray and the bottom plate of the storage chamber. This air film suspends and supports the air flotation tray in a non-contact manner. Simultaneously, the non-thermal equilibrium plasma airflow diffuses into the upper space of the air flotation tray, continuously and dynamically purifying the nursing instruments placed on it. When the peak acceleration of the air flotation tray detected by the vibration sensor exceeds a preset acceleration safety threshold, the controller controls the electronically controlled pressure regulating valve to instantaneously increase the air supply pressure, thereby improving the stiffness and damping of the air film.

[0013] Preferably, the air flotation tray is provided with a flexible mold for stress-free fixation of the device. The surface of the flexible mold is complementary to the contour of the device. The air flotation tray and the flexible mold are provided with through-holes to allow some of the non-thermal equilibrium plasma airflow to flow through the through-holes to directionally flush the surface and gaps of the device.

[0014] Preferably, the flexible mold has a mold cavity for stress-free fixing of the tubular instrument, and the mold cavity is provided with a fluid interface for docking with the suction cavity of the tubular instrument. A branch pipe is connected between the fluid interface and the gas supply line to introduce the non-thermal equilibrium plasma gas flow into the suction cavity of the tubular instrument to achieve continuous purification inside the suction cavity.

[0015] Preferably, a positioning mechanism is provided between the base plate and the air-floating tray. The positioning mechanism includes three coplanar spheres fixed on the base plate and three conical recesses opened on the bottom surface of the air-floating tray, corresponding to the three spheres. When the air-floating tray descends, the spheres cooperate with the conical recesses to achieve precise repositioning.

[0016] Preferably, the controller is communicatively connected to a pressure detection unit, which is an environmental pressure sensor installed in the gas distribution chamber or storage chamber. The controller controls the electronically controlled pressure regulating valve to adjust the gas supply pressure according to the detection signal from the pressure detection unit in order to maintain the stability of the gas film.

[0017] Preferably, the acceleration safety threshold is determined based on the micro-vibration damage tolerance of the cutting edge of the nursing instrument. For corneal scissors and capsular forceps, the acceleration safety threshold is set to a selected value within the range of 0.5g to 2g.

[0018] Preferably, the low-temperature plasma generator is positioned upstream of the throttling orifice to ensure the survival time of active particles.

[0019] Preferably, the storage chamber is provided with an exhaust outlet, which is connected to a catalytic decomposition and filtration device for decomposing residual active particles and intercepting particulates.

[0020] Preferably, the outer wall of the storage compartment is covered with a layer of polyurethane elastic material to adapt to the field environment.

[0021] Preferably, the gas source of the gas supply system is a medical portable nitrogen cylinder or an integrated oil-free scroll air compressor, the air flotation tray is made of polyetheretherketone or aluminum alloy, and the flexible mold is made of platinum catalytic silicone.

[0022] Compared to existing technologies, this invention, through the coordinated arrangement of a storage chamber, an air supply system, a cryogenic plasma generator, and an air-floating tray, connects the cryogenic plasma generator in series with the air supply pipeline of the air supply system. When the non-thermal equilibrium plasma gas flow is ejected at high speed from the throttling orifice, forming a micron-thickness air film between the air-floating tray and the bottom plate of the storage chamber, the air-floating tray and the instruments it carries are suspended and supported without any solid contact. External mechanical vibrations are significantly attenuated and isolated at the air film interface, thereby achieving non-contact protection of the cutting edge of the microscopic instruments. Vibration sensors installed inside the air flotation tray directly measure the actual vibration level experienced by the nursing instruments. When the vibration sensor detects that the impact acceleration of the air flotation tray exceeds the limit, the controller controls the electronic pressure regulating valve to instantly increase the air supply pressure within milliseconds, causing the air supply pressure to increase sharply by 1.5 to 2 times. On the one hand, the injection of pressurized gas directly increases the bearing pressure of the air film; on the other hand, the thickness of the air film decreases instantaneously under impact compression. According to the principle that the thickness and stiffness of the air film are inversely proportional, the stiffness of the air film increases sharply, forming a solidification-like "air freezing" effect, firmly locking the air flotation tray in the center of suspension and effectively resisting impact energy. More importantly, the same non-thermal equilibrium plasma airflow that forms the air film, while supporting the air flotation tray, spreads outwards and rolls up to the top of the air flotation tray. Active particles move with the airflow and continuously wash the outer surface of the nursing instruments, establishing a dynamically maintained active particle field around the nursing instruments. Thus, this invention achieves the synergistic function of "suspension vibration resistance" and "plasma purification", eliminating the inherent hidden dangers of separating vibration reduction methods from disinfection and purification functions from the root. It avoids the potential risk of passive buffer materials aging and releasing particles and breeding microorganisms, causing secondary pollution to nursing instruments, and ensures that nursing instruments are in a sterile, vibration-free, and contactless protective microenvironment throughout the entire storage and transportation process. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the main structure of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the main sectional view of the storage compartment structure of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the main cross-sectional structure of the low-temperature plasma generator of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a bottom view of the air-floating tray structure of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a top-view cross-sectional structural diagram of the storage compartment of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a top-view cross-sectional structural diagram of the present invention.

[0024] In the diagram: 1. Storage chamber; 101. Base plate; 2. Gas supply system; 201. Gas supply pipeline; 3. Low-temperature plasma generator; 301. Gas connection; 302. Medium plate; 303. High-voltage electrode; 304. Surface grounding electrode; 305. Expanded diameter cavity; 4. Throttling orifice; 5. Gas distribution cavity; 6. Air flotation tray; 7. Flexible mold; 8. Guide micropores; 9. Sphere; 10. Conical recess; 11. Vibration sensor; 12. Controller; 13. Electrically controlled pressure regulating valve; 14. Fluid interface; 15. Branch pipeline; 16. Ambient air pressure sensor; 17. Exhaust gas outlet; 18. Catalytic decomposition and filtration device. Detailed Implementation

[0025] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "axial," "radial," and "circumferential" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the technical solution of this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention.

[0026] like Figure 1 As shown, the ophthalmic care device disinfection and storage device provided in this embodiment includes a storage chamber 1, which is made of medical-grade 316L stainless steel or high-strength aluminum alloy. These materials possess good mechanical strength, corrosion resistance, and biocompatibility. The inner wall of the storage chamber 1 is mirror-polished, with a surface roughness Ra value controlled below 0.2 μm to reduce microbial adhesion and airflow resistance. The outer wall of the storage chamber 1 is covered with a polyurethane elastic material layer with a thickness of 3 mm to 8 mm. This polyurethane elastic material layer effectively attenuates high-frequency mechanical vibrations transmitted to the storage chamber 1 during transportation and also provides some heat insulation and impact resistance. The storage chamber 1 is equipped with a sealed door, which is connected to the storage chamber 1 via hinges. A medical-grade silicone rubber sealing strip is embedded in the door frame of the sealed door. When closed, the sealed door effectively isolates the storage chamber from the external gas environment, ensuring that the concentration and cleanliness of the plasma atmosphere inside the storage chamber 1 are not disturbed by external factors. The bottom plate 101 of the storage compartment 1 has a gas distribution cavity 5 machined inside. The gas distribution cavity 5 is a flat, sealed cavity with a depth dimension of 3mm to 8mm, and is connected to the gas supply system 2 through the gas supply pipeline 201.

[0027] The gas supply system 2 includes a gas source, a filtration unit, and a pressure regulating unit. The gas source is either a portable nitrogen cylinder or an integrated oil-free scroll air compressor. The portable nitrogen cylinder is suitable for scenarios where independent power supply is inconvenient for short periods, and can provide dry nitrogen with a purity of not less than 99.5%. The integrated oil-free scroll air compressor is suitable for occasions with a stable power supply, such as makeshift hospitals. It adopts the scroll compression principle, maintaining a micron-level non-contact gap between the moving and stationary scroll plates, and requires no lubricating oil in the compression chamber, thus eliminating oil vapor contamination in principle. The gas first passes through a multi-stage filter consisting of a 0.01μm precision polytetrafluoroethylene hollow fiber membrane filter element and an activated carbon filter element connected in series to remove particles, oil mist, and any organic vapors that may be present, before entering the electronically controlled pressure regulating valve 13. The electrically controlled pressure regulating valve 13 is a piezoelectric proportional valve with a response time of less than 5ms. Its core actuator is a piezoelectric ceramic stack. By applying an analog control voltage of 0 to 10V, the outlet pressure can be continuously adjusted within the range of 0.1MPa to 0.8MPa in milliseconds, providing a precise pressure control means for air flotation bearing and active vibration suppression. The controller 12 is electrically connected to the electrically controlled pressure regulating valve 13 to adjust its opening degree by outputting a control voltage in real time.

[0028] A low-temperature plasma generator 3 is connected in series in the gas supply pipeline 201, downstream of the electrically controlled pressure regulating valve 13. For example... Figure 3As shown, the low-temperature plasma generator 3 includes an expanded-diameter cavity 305, which is connected in series to a gas supply pipeline 201 via gas connectors 301 at both ends. The inner diameter of the expanded-diameter cavity 305 is 1.5 to 2.5 times the diameter of the gas supply pipeline 201 to reduce the gas flow rate and prolong the residence time of the gas in the discharge region, ensuring full activation. A 0.5mm thick alumina ceramic dielectric plate 302 is fixedly installed in the center of the expanded-diameter cavity 305. A grid-like high-voltage electrode 303 is printed on the upper surface of the alumina ceramic dielectric plate 302. The high-voltage electrode 303 is made of silver-palladium alloy paste, formed by screen printing and high-temperature sintering. The grid line width is 0.2mm and the grid spacing is 2mm to form a uniform electric field distribution. The lower surface is a surface grounding electrode 304 composed of an integral metal grounding layer. The surface grounding electrode 304 is tightly attached to the inner wall of the expanded-diameter cavity 305 through conductive silver paste to achieve reliable grounding. A high-frequency, high-voltage power supply applies a 10kHz, 5kV sinusoidal voltage to the high-voltage electrode 303, generating uniform micro-discharges on the surface of the alumina ceramic dielectric plate 302. These micro-discharges are uniformly distributed in the edge region of the high-voltage electrode 303, forming a large-area surface plasma layer. The clean gas flowing through the alumina ceramic dielectric plate 302 within the expanded-diameter cavity 305 is ionized, generating a non-thermal equilibrium plasma gas flow containing a large number of electrons, ions, excited-state molecules, and reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. The macroscopic temperature of the non-thermal equilibrium plasma gas flow is below 40℃, far lower than the tempering softening temperature of commonly used stainless steel materials (such as medical-grade 316L) for nursing instruments, and also lower than the glass transition temperature of polymer materials such as silicone, thus causing no thermal damage to the nursing instruments. The low-temperature plasma generator 3 is positioned upstream of the gas distribution cavity 5, with the length of the gas supply pipe 201 between them not exceeding 100mm, to shorten the transmission path of active particles, reduce collision quenching losses on the pipe wall, and ensure their survival concentration.

[0029] like Figure 2 and Figure 5 As shown, on the bottom plate 101 of the storage chamber 1, in the area corresponding to the gas distribution chamber 5, multiple throttling orifices 4 connected to the gas distribution chamber 5 are evenly arranged. The orifice diameter of the throttling orifice 4 is 0.08mm to 0.15mm, and it is made of porous graphite or ruby ​​material. The throttling orifice 4 made of porous graphite material utilizes the inherent micropores of graphite material to form a self-throttling effect, which has the advantages of self-cleaning and not being easily blocked. The throttling orifice 4 made of ruby ​​material has extremely high hardness (Mohs hardness 9) and wear resistance, and the orifice size is stable over long-term use, resulting in good consistency of air flotation performance. This ensures uniform air output, so that the deviation of the air film pressure at various points on the bottom of the air flotation tray 6 does not exceed 5%.

[0030] like Figure 2 , Figure 4 and Figure 6As shown, an air-floating tray 6 is placed above the base plate 101. The air-floating tray 6 is preferably designed to be circular to ensure a more uniform distribution of air film pressure at its bottom and reduce eccentric load moments caused by shape asymmetry. The geometric symmetry of the circle ensures consistent load-bearing stiffness of the air-floating tray 6 in any horizontal direction. The air-floating tray 6 is made of lightweight, high-rigidity, and biocompatible polyetheretherketone (PEEK) material. PEEK has a density of approximately 1.3 g / cm³ and a high specific modulus, effectively reducing the air supply pressure required for air-floating load bearing. The flatness of its bottom surface is controlled within 5 μm.

[0031] The stiffness of the air film is mainly affected by the air supply pressure and the air film thickness: the higher the air supply pressure, the greater the air film stiffness; the air film thickness is inversely proportional to the stiffness, the smaller the air film thickness, the higher the stiffness, but too small a thickness may cause the air film to rupture. Under normal conditions, the controller 12 controls the electronically controlled pressure regulating valve 13 to maintain a set baseline air supply pressure. The baseline air supply pressure refers to the air supply pressure required to stably suspend the air-floating pallet 6 at the design height and maintain the air film thickness within the range of 15μm to 25μm under normal storage and transportation conditions without external impact. This baseline air supply pressure is determined based on the load-bearing mass of the air-floating pallet 6 and the total air outlet area of ​​the throttling orifice 4, and the calculation formula is as follows: Where m is the total mass of the air-floating pallet 6 and the equipment it carries, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and A is the equivalent total air outlet area of ​​all throttling orifices 4. For an air-floating pallet 6 with a diameter of 200 mm and a total load capacity not exceeding 500 g, when the total air outlet area of ​​the throttling orifices 4 is 10 mm² to 20 mm², the baseline air supply pressure is 0.25 MPa to 0.5 MPa. At this point, the air film stiffness meets the requirements for vibration isolation during conventional transportation.

[0032] To cope with sudden and severe impacts during vehicle operation, a triaxial accelerometer is installed inside the air-float tray 6 as a vibration sensor 11. The controller 12 receives real-time signals from the vibration sensor 11 inside the air-float tray 6. The vibration sensor 11 directly measures the acceleration of the air-float tray 6 and the nursing instruments it carries, accurately reflecting the actual vibration level experienced by the nursing instruments. Preferably, a groove can also be machined in the center area of ​​the outer bottom surface of the bottom plate 101 of the storage chamber 1 to install additional vibration sensors 11 as auxiliary monitoring points for sensing vibration input from external excitation sources. When the peak acceleration detected by the vibration sensor 11 inside the air-float tray 6 exceeds the preset acceleration safety threshold, the controller 12 instantly increases the opening of the electronically controlled pressure regulating valve 13 to the preset maximum safety value within 1 millisecond, causing the air supply pressure to increase sharply by 1.5 to 2 times. This instantaneous high-pressure action simultaneously enhances the air film stiffness in two dimensions: firstly, the significant increase in air supply pressure directly increases the air film's load-bearing pressure and dynamic stiffness; secondly, under the squeezing action of external impact, the air-floating tray 6 undergoes a slight displacement towards the base plate 101, causing the air film thickness to decrease instantaneously. Based on the principle that air film thickness and stiffness are inversely proportional, the air film stiffness further increases dramatically. Under the synergistic effect of these two factors, the air film forms a near-solidified "air-freezing" effect, firmly locking the air-floating tray 6 at the center of suspension and effectively resisting impact energy. The controller 12 employs an embedded microcontroller based on the ARM Cortex-M7 core, with a main frequency of no less than 200MHz, equipped with a high-speed analog-to-digital converter and a pulse width modulation output channel, capable of meeting millisecond-level real-time control requirements. The acceleration safety threshold is determined based on the micro-vibration damage tolerance of the cutting edge of the nursing instrument. For typical instruments such as corneal scissors and capsular forceps, the acceleration safety threshold can be set to a selected value within the range of 0.5g to 2g. The determination is based on the following: when the acceleration of the air-floating tray 6 is less than 0.5g, the inertial force of typical instruments such as corneal scissors and capsular forceps is much less than the elastic gripping force of the flexible mold 7, and no relative displacement will occur; when the acceleration exceeds 2g, the interface of the cutting edge of typical instruments such as corneal scissors and capsular forceps may experience micron-level slippage, which will lead to blade blunting over a long period of time. After the impact, the air supply pressure automatically and smoothly drops back to the baseline value, and the air film thickness returns to the normal range of 15μm to 25μm. Throughout the entire process, the air-floating tray 6 never collides with the base plate 101 or other structures, and the instruments are gently protected by the non-thermal equilibrium plasma airflow.

[0033] Under the condition of introducing a non-thermal equilibrium plasma gas flow, the non-thermal equilibrium plasma gas flow is ejected from each throttling orifice 4. Due to the obstruction of the bottom surface of the air-floating tray 6, the gas flow forms an air film with a thickness of approximately 15μm to 25μm between the tray 6 and the base plate 101. The air film completely lifts the air-floating tray 6 away from the base plate 101, achieving zero-solid-contact suspension bearing, thereby significantly attenuating the mechanical energy transmitted through the storage chamber 1, such as ground vibration and transportation bumps, at the air film interface. The vibration energy transmitted to the air-floating tray 6 has been reduced to an extremely low level, ensuring that the nursing instruments such as corneal scissors and capsular forceps placed on it are not subjected to micron-level collisions and friction.

[0034] More importantly, the medium forming the air film is a non-thermal equilibrium plasma airflow containing a large number of active particles. After fulfilling its carrying function, the non-thermal equilibrium plasma airflow rolls upward from the periphery of the air-floating tray 6, forming a ring-shaped vortex around the tray 6 and spreading throughout the entire storage chamber 1. Furthermore, multiple through-holes 8 are formed on both the air-floating tray 6 and the flexible mold 7 fixed to its upper surface. These holes are correspondingly positioned and interconnected, allowing a portion of the non-thermal equilibrium plasma airflow to be guided from below the air-floating tray 6 through the through-holes 8 into the flexible mold 7. Finally, it is ejected as a jet from the through-holes 8 within the cavity of the flexible mold 7, precisely scouring the hidden areas such as the cutting edges, joints, and threads of the nursing instruments embedded in the cavity of the flexible mold 7. It should be noted that the layout of the through-holes 8 is specifically designed according to the geometric characteristics of each nursing instrument, with their outlets aligned with critical dead zones such as joint hinges, cutting edge gaps, and tooth groove recesses. Simultaneously, the active particles chemically react with residual proteins, bacterial biofilms, and endotoxin molecules on the surface of the medical devices, causing them to oxidize and break down, achieving dynamic and thorough purification of the devices. Specifically, reactive oxygen species such as hydroxyl radicals can oxidize and break protein peptide chains, and partially hydroxylate lipid A and break carbon chains of lipopolysaccharide endotoxins, thereby completely eliminating their pyrogenic activity. This process automatically begins after the medical devices are placed in storage chamber 1 and the gas supply is activated, and continues until the devices are removed, fundamentally ensuring that the medical devices remain in an active sterile state during mobile storage and transportation that can last for hours or even days.

[0035] The flexible mold 7 is made of medical-grade platinum-catalyzed silicone, which can withstand plasma environments without releasing volatile substances. The platinum-catalyzed silicone does not produce peroxide decomposition byproducts during cross-linking and is chemically stable upon contact with plasma, preventing the migration of low-molecular-weight siloxanes or plasticizers to the surface of the medical device, making it suitable for long-term contact storage of the medical device. During fabrication, a precise 3D model of each medical device in its closed state is first obtained using a blue light 3D scanner. Then, complementary negative mold cavities are generated in the software, with their dimensions offset inwards by 0.05 to 0.1 mm relative to the outer contour of the medical device, forming an elastic interference fit. This allows the medical device to be gently pressed into the flexible mold 7, held softly and without gaps, without applying any harmful clamping stress and completely eliminating relative displacement under micro-vibrations. This elastic interference design allows the mold to generate a uniformly distributed low contact pressure of 0.01 to 0.05 MPa on the medical device, far below the yield strength of the medical device's metal material and far less than the instantaneous contact stress that may be caused by the inertial force of transport vibrations, ensuring reliable grip without damaging the surface of the medical device.

[0036] When the air supply system is shut off or unexpectedly depressurized, the air flotation tray 6 must descend smoothly and position precisely to prevent misalignment and collision of nursing instruments. Therefore, as follows... Figures 4 to 5 As shown, three coplanar spheres 9, made of silicon nitride ceramic, are fixed on the base plate 101. Each sphere has a diameter of 6 mm, and its centers are located on the same horizontal plane, forming an equilateral triangle with a side length of 80 mm. Correspondingly, three conical recesses 10, each with a cone angle of 90°, are machined on the bottom surface of the air-floating tray 6. When the air film disappears and the air-floating tray 6 falls under gravity, even with a horizontal deviation of several hundred micrometers, the contact between the conical surface of the recess 10 and the spherical surface of the sphere 9 will automatically guide the air-floating tray 6 to the precise position where the sphere 9 completely falls into the apex of the conical recess 10 under the influence of gravity, achieving micrometer-level repeatable resetting. This positioning method is frictionless and wear-free, maintaining high reliability throughout its entire service life in the field.

[0037] For nursing instruments with small suction lumens, such as ultrasonic emulsification handpieces, simple surface cleaning cannot reach the interior of the suction lumen. The inner diameter of the suction lumen in an ultrasonic emulsification handpiece is typically 0.3mm to 0.8mm, and its length can exceed 150mm, making it an ideal area for bacterial biofilm and cortical residue to colonize. Figure 6As shown, a cavity specifically designed for stress-free fixation of the tubular instrument is provided in the flexible mold 7 fixed on the upper surface of the air flotation tray 6. A fluid interface 14 is fixedly connected inside this cavity at a position corresponding to the end of the suction tube of the tubular instrument. The fluid interface 14 is a miniature Luer connector with a self-locking function. When the ultrasonic emulsification handle is pressed into this cavity, the suction port at the tail of the tubular instrument automatically aligns with the fluid interface 14. The fluid interface 14 is connected to the air supply line 201 via a branch line 15. The branch line 15 is a flexible hose, with one end connected to the air intake port of the air supply line 201, and the other end leading from the upper space inside the storage chamber 1 to the fluid interface 14 on the upper surface of the air flotation tray 6. The flexible hose has sufficient length to accommodate changes in the suspension height of the air flotation tray 6 and does not constitute a vibration transmission path through solid contact. The flow rate is controlled by the controller 12. A stream of non-thermal equilibrium plasma gas with an extremely low flow rate is injected into the suction cavity of the lumen instrument and flows out from the head of the lumen instrument, thereby achieving continuous purification inside the suction cavity and completely eliminating the possibility of endophthalmic pathogens and pyrogens colonizing in the dead corners of the suction cavity.

[0038] An air pressure detection unit, namely an environmental air pressure sensor 16, is installed in the gas distribution chamber 5 or storage chamber 1. When the environmental air pressure sensor 16 detects that the atmospheric pressure is below 70 kPa, which is equivalent to a plateau environment at an altitude of approximately 3000 meters or more, the controller 12 automatically activates the plateau compensation program: on the one hand, it increases the output pressure of the electronically controlled pressure regulating valve 13 to compensate for the insufficient air film pressure difference caused by the decrease in external air pressure. Specifically, for every 10 kPa decrease in external air pressure, the supply pressure increases by 8 kPa to 12 kPa to ensure that the load-bearing stiffness and suspension height of the air film remain unchanged; on the other hand, it appropriately increases the discharge power of the low-temperature plasma generator 3 to maintain the generation efficiency of active particles and compensate for the decrease in activation rate caused by the decrease in gas density under low air pressure. In this way, this device can still provide vibration resistance and purification performance comparable to that in plains areas in field hospitals at altitudes above 4000 meters.

[0039] After plasma reaction, the exhaust gas contains trace amounts of unreacted reactive particles, which must be treated before being discharged. An exhaust outlet 17 is located on the upper side wall of the storage chamber 1. The outlet 17 is connected in sequence to a catalytic decomposer carrying a manganese oxide catalyst and a HEPA high-efficiency filter via pipelines, forming a catalytic decomposition and filtration device 18. Residual ozone and other reactive particles are catalytically decomposed into oxygen, while any entrained particulate matter is trapped by the HEPA high-efficiency filter, thus ensuring that the discharged gas is harmless to the environment.

[0040] All of the above control functions are managed by controller 12, which is equipped with non-volatile memory that can record sterilization process data, vibration events and cleanliness curves, and can upload data to the medical support command information system through the field communication interface to realize digital traceability of the status of nursing instruments.

[0041] During operation, the surgical instruments, after initial cleaning and drying, are individually embedded into the flexible mold 7, and the sealed door is closed. Upon system startup, the gas supply system 2 and the low-temperature plasma generator 3 operate synchronously. The controller 12 controls the electronically controlled pressure regulating valve 13, causing the air-floating tray 6 to float on the purified gas film. Simultaneously, the non-thermal equilibrium plasma airflow begins to continuously flush the inside and outside of the surgical instruments. During storage and transportation, the system maintains low-flow operation. The controller 12 continuously adjusts the gas supply pressure dynamically based on the detection signals from the vibration sensor 11 and the air pressure detection unit within the air-floating tray 6. Under normal conditions, it maintains a stable gas film thickness and stiffness. Upon detecting impact vibration, it instantly increases the gas film stiffness to lock the air-floating tray 6. When needed, the system first enters an enhanced purification mode, increasing the discharge power to 1.5 to 2 times the normal level. This enhanced purification mode lasts for 3 to 5 minutes, after which the gas supply is cut off, and the air-floating tray 6 smoothly falls back onto the sphere 9. The sealed door is then opened, allowing the sterile surgical instruments to be removed. When the instruments are removed, their surfaces are dry and free of any chemical residue.

[0042] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A sterilization and storage device for ophthalmic care instruments, characterized in that, include: The storage chamber has a gas distribution cavity inside its bottom plate, and the bottom plate of the storage chamber has multiple throttling holes that communicate with the gas distribution cavity. A gas supply system for providing pressurized clean gas, the gas supply system including an electrically controlled pressure regulating valve; A low-temperature plasma generator is connected to the gas supply pipeline of the gas supply system. The outlet of the gas supply pipeline is connected to the gas distribution chamber. The low-temperature plasma generator is used to activate pressurized clean gas into a non-thermal equilibrium plasma gas flow containing active particles. An air-floating tray, located within the storage compartment, is used to hold nursing instruments; A vibration sensor is installed inside the air-float tray; The controller is electrically connected to the vibration sensor and the electronically controlled pressure regulating valve, respectively. The non-thermal equilibrium plasma airflow is ejected from the throttling orifice and forms an air film between the air flotation tray and the bottom plate of the storage chamber, suspending and supporting the air flotation tray in a non-contact manner. At the same time, the non-thermal equilibrium plasma airflow diffuses to the upper space of the air flotation tray to continuously and dynamically purify the nursing instruments placed on the air flotation tray. When the peak acceleration of the air-floating tray detected by the vibration sensor exceeds the preset acceleration safety threshold, the controller controls the electronically controlled pressure regulating valve to instantly increase the air supply pressure in order to improve the stiffness and damping of the air film.

2. The ophthalmic care instrument disinfection and storage device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air flotation tray is provided with a flexible mold for stress-free fixation of nursing instruments. The surface of the flexible mold is complementary to the contour of the nursing instruments, and the air flotation tray and the flexible mold are provided with through-flow micropores.

3. The ophthalmic care instrument disinfection and storage device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The flexible mold has a cavity for fixing a tubular instrument without stress, and the cavity is provided with a fluid interface for docking with the suction cavity of the tubular instrument. A branch pipe is connected between the fluid interface and the air supply line.

4. The ophthalmic care instrument disinfection and storage device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A positioning mechanism is provided between the base plate and the air flotation tray. The positioning mechanism includes three coplanar spheres fixed on the base plate and three conical recesses opened on the bottom surface of the air flotation tray, corresponding to the three spheres.

5. The ophthalmic care instrument disinfection and storage device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The controller is communicatively connected to a pressure detection unit, which is an environmental pressure sensor located inside the gas distribution chamber or storage chamber.

6. The ophthalmic care instrument disinfection and storage device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The acceleration safety threshold is determined based on the micro-vibration damage tolerance of the cutting edge of the nursing instrument. For corneal scissors and capsular forceps, the acceleration safety threshold is set to a selected value within the range of 0.5g to 2g.

7. The ophthalmic care instrument disinfection and storage device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The low-temperature plasma generator is located upstream of the throttling orifice.

8. The ophthalmic care instrument disinfection and storage device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The storage chamber is equipped with an exhaust outlet, which is connected to a catalytic decomposition and filtration device.

9. The ophthalmic care instrument disinfection and storage device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer wall of the storage compartment is covered with a layer of polyurethane elastic material.

10. The ophthalmic care instrument disinfection and storage device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gas supply system is powered by a portable medical nitrogen cylinder or an integrated oil-free scroll air compressor. The air flotation tray is made of polyetheretherketone or aluminum alloy, and the flexible mold is made of platinum-catalyzed silicone.

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