Dust box

Abstract

To provide a dust box capable of performing non-contact communication with a thrown article and suppressing influence on other equipment even when placed in an operating room.SOLUTION: A dust box 1 includes a housing 2 having an outer surface formed of metal and having an input port 16 and a storage part, and a detection part 20 configured to be able to radiate radio waves for non-contact communication to a space between the input port and the storage part. The detection part has only one human sensor 22 for detecting the approach of a person to the casing and only one antenna 23 for radiating a radio wave from the 23a of a radiating surface, and the radio wave is radiated from the antenna only when the human sensor detects the approach of the person.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a dustbin, and more particularly to a dustbin that can read IC tags attached to items placed in it. [Background technology]

[0002] Medical institutions have a desire to manage the number and type of items used, for example, to prevent infection and to ensure that all expenses for equipment used after surgery are fully claimed.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a trash can designed for such use. This trash can is equipped with two antennas with a radiation surface that emits radio waves, and by reading information via contactless communication from a readable medium attached to the discarded waste, it can detect the number and type of discarded items, contributing to the above-mentioned management. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-019602 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When the purpose is to manage items used in surgery, trash cans like the one above will be placed in the operating room. In recent years, a wide variety of medical equipment, including robots, is used in operating rooms, and various radio waves are flying around, so it is necessary to ensure that they do not have any adverse effects on these. Although Patent Document 1 discloses various ideas for improving the accuracy of reading a medium to be read, the above-mentioned viewpoints are not taken into consideration at all, and there is room for improvement.

[0006] In light of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a dustbin that is capable of non-contact communication with items placed inside and that can minimize the impact on other devices even when placed in an operating room. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention is a dustbin comprising a housing whose outer surface is formed from metal and which has an inlet and a storage section, and a detection section configured to emit radio waves for contactless communication into the space between the inlet and the storage section. The detection unit has only one human sensor that detects when a person approaches the housing, and one antenna that emits radio waves from the radiation surface. This dust box is configured so that radio waves are emitted from the antenna only when the human presence sensor detects the approach of a person. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a dustbin that is capable of non-contact communication with items placed inside and that can suppress the influence on other devices even when placed in an operating room. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a dust box according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a view showing the dust box with the door open. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a detection section of the dust box. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a perspective view showing a dust box 1 according to this embodiment. The dust box 1 comprises a housing 2 including an upper part 10 and a lower part (storage part) 30.

[0011] The lower part 30 has a double door 31 at the front, which can be opened to access the inside of the housing. Figure 2 shows the dustbin 1 with the door 31 open. In this embodiment, an inner box 100 made of cardboard, plastic, or the like is placed inside the housing 2, and the inner box 100 can be removed or replaced by opening the door 31 at any time. In this embodiment, casters 35 are attached to the bottom of the lower part 30 to make it easy to move, but the casters 35 are not essential and may be omitted if the unit is to be installed in a predetermined location.

[0012] The upper part 10 has a front surface 11, sides 12 and 13, a top surface 14, and a back surface, and is open above the front surface 11 and in front of the top surface 14 to form an insertion port 16. The upper part 10 communicates with the lower part 30 at its bottom, and items inserted through the insertion port 16 fall into the lower part 30.

[0013] Above the front surface 11, an upper surface 21 that is continuous with the front surface 11 extends rearward, and the area surrounded by the front surface 11 and the upper surface 21 constitutes a detection unit 20. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the inside of the detection unit 20. The detection unit 20 has a human sensor 22, an antenna 23, and a display unit 24 (see FIG. 2). The human presence sensor 22 monitors the area in front of the dustbin 1 and detects when a person approaches the dustbin 1. There are no particular restrictions on the type of human presence sensor 22, and various known sensors can be used. In this embodiment, an infrared human presence sensor is used to detect the approach of a heat source, including a person.

[0014] Antenna 23 has a planar appearance, one surface of which is radiation surface 23a from which radio waves are emitted. There are no particular restrictions on the specific structure of the antenna portion or the type of radio waves used in antenna 23, but because dustbin 1 has only one antenna, circular polarization is preferred as it places fewer restrictions on the positional relationship with the IC tag during reading. 3, antenna 23 is disposed within detection unit 20 with radiation surface 23a facing diagonally upward and rearward. Therefore, the normal to radiation surface 23a is inclined toward the rear side, opposite the front side where slot 16 is provided, and extends in a direction away from slot 16. Antenna 23 is connected to a reader / writer (not shown) installed at an arbitrary position within housing 2. Antenna 23 is attached via a hinge or the like, so the normal direction of radiation surface 23a can be adjusted within a certain range. With the above configuration, the detection unit 20 is configured to be able to emit radio waves for contactless communication toward the space connecting the insertion port 16 and the lower portion 30.

[0015] The display unit 24 of this embodiment is configured using light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that light up in a predetermined manner in response to various operations of the dustbin, allowing the user to understand the operating status. Details of the operation of the display unit 24 will be described later, but there are no particular limitations on the configuration or operation of the display unit 24, and it may have other configurations, such as an LCD screen.

[0016] Figure 4 is a view of the dust box 1 as seen from the rear. The rear of the housing 2 is provided with a port 3 to which a power cord, communication cable, etc. are connected. In addition, rubber feet 4 are attached to the rear. As a result, when the dust box 1 is placed along a wall or the like, even if the dust box 1 is pressed against the wall, a certain distance is maintained between the rear and the wall, preventing damage to the power cord, communication cable, etc.

[0017] The outer surface of the housing 2, including the door 31, is almost entirely made of metal, but only the area above and behind the antenna 23 is covered with a resin member. As shown in Fig. 5, the two doors 31 covering the front of the lower part 30 extend rearward from a joint 31a. After extending rearward, one of the doors extends slightly toward the other door, thereby providing a shielding portion 32 on the door that closes the gap at the joint 31a.

[0018] The operation of the dust box 1 according to this embodiment configured as above when in use will be described using an example of managing equipment used in an operating room. The user installs the dust box 1 at a desired location in the operating room and uses the port 3 to ensure a power source and a predetermined communication environment. Furthermore, as a preparation, IC tags storing information such as the type of item, manufacturer, model number, etc. are attached to the packaging of medical equipment, medical supplies, etc. that may be used.

[0019] During surgery, appropriate equipment and materials are selected according to the patient's condition, the circumstances of the surgery, etc., and the packaging is opened and used. Nurses and assistant doctors (hereinafter referred to as "nurses") place the opened packaging into dust box 1. In the dust box 1, even if the power is on, the antenna 23 does not operate and radio waves are not emitted from the radiation surface 23a until the human sensor 22 detects that a person (heat source) is approaching. In this state, the display unit 24 lights up green.

[0020] When a nurse or other person carrying a package approaches the dustbin 1 and is detected by the human presence sensor 22, the antenna 23 starts operating and starts emitting radio waves from the radiation surface 23a. At the same time, the display unit 24 lights up in red. When a nurse or other person places a package into the housing 2 through the insertion port 16, the IC tag attached to the package performs non-contact communication with the reader / writer via the antenna 23. When non-contact communication is performed, the display unit 24 lights up blue. This allows the information recorded on the IC tag to be transmitted to the reader / writer, making it possible to track all the equipment and materials used in the surgery, including the packaging that was inserted.

[0021] The series of operations of the dust box 1 described above can be realized by using a microcomputer or logic circuit as a control unit, to which the human sensor 22, antenna 23, display unit 24, reader / writer, etc. are connected. The information acquired by the reader / writer may be stored in a separate storage medium or the like provided in the dust box 1, or may be stored in an external device such as a computer via wired or wireless communication via port 3.

[0022] A package inserted into the insertion opening 16 moves through the upper portion 10 to the lower portion 30 and is stored in the inner box 100. In this embodiment, flaps 18 that guide inserted items into the inner box 100 are attached to two locations, one on the left and one on the right, near the boundary between the upper portion 10 and the lower portion inside the housing 2. The flaps 18 are arranged to generally cover the gap in the left-right direction between the inner box 100 and the lower portion 30 in a plan view of the dust box 1, thereby effectively preventing the inserted package from falling between the inner box 100 and the housing without entering the inner box 100.

[0023] The dustbin 1 according to this embodiment has only one antenna 23, whose radiation surface 23a faces rearward. Therefore, even when a package is inserted and contactless communication is performed, radio waves are emitted toward the rear surface opposite the insertion opening 16, so there is almost no leakage of radio waves from the insertion opening 16 to the outside of the dustbin 1. Therefore, even if the dustbin 1 is installed in an operating room and used to manage equipment and materials, the possibility of radio waves emitted from the antenna 23 adversely affecting equipment in the room can be significantly reduced. Furthermore, by providing a human presence sensor 22, the antenna 23 does not operate until just before the package is placed in by a nurse or other person, which further reduces the risk of radio waves leaking outside the dust box 1 and also reduces the power consumption of the device.

[0024] Furthermore, since most of the outer surface of the housing 2 is made of metal, radio waves reflected inside the housing do not leak to the outside by passing through the housing 2. In addition, although the door 31 provided at the bottom is a so-called double door, it has a shielding portion 32 that closes the gap, so radio waves can be effectively prevented from leaking from the seam 31a.

[0025] Due to the various effects described above, the dust box 1 of this embodiment minimizes the impact on various electronic devices used in the room even when installed in an operating room, and makes it possible to conveniently keep track of disposable equipment, materials, etc. that have been used.

[0026] The present invention has been described above using embodiments and examples, but the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and configuration changes and combinations within the scope that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention are also included.

[0027] For example, the antenna does not necessarily have to be installed in the manner described above. In the dust box according to the present invention, the timing of radio wave emission is suppressed by linking with the human presence sensor, so even if the antenna is not installed in the manner described above, a certain effect of reducing the frequency with which radio waves leak outside the dust box can be achieved.

[0028] When radio wave leakage occurs in the dustbin according to the present invention, reflections within the housing play a major role. The configuration of the above-described embodiment sufficiently reduces this possibility, but for example, by installing a sheet-like member made of a radio wave absorber so as to cover the inner surface of the housing, radio wave reflections within the housing can be suppressed and the possibility of radio wave leakage can be further reduced. The electromagnetic wave absorber may be a magnetic sheet or the like that has the property of attenuating the electromagnetic waves used for contactless communication. This member does not necessarily have to cover the entire inner surface of the housing, but may be placed on only a part of the inner surface of the upper back surface, for example.

[0029] Furthermore, the inner box is not essential to the dust box of the present invention, and therefore the inner box may not be provided in the housing, and the packaging or the like that is placed inside the lower part may be stored as is. Furthermore, when an inner box is used, the door may be a single-wing door, and a shielding portion is not necessarily required.

[0030] The dust box of the present invention may have two or more antennas, but the configuration of the present invention has the advantage that sufficient reading performance can be achieved even with only one antenna and can be manufactured at low cost.

[0031] The detection unit may have a function to detect contactless communication radio waves emitted from other devices. In this way, it is possible to detect the presence of radio waves originating from sources other than the dustbin in the installation space, and radio wave interference with electronic devices and the like in the installation space can be more reliably prevented. When such a detection unit detects radio waves from another device, it may notify the control unit to display a predetermined message on the display unit, or it may notify other external devices and the like. An example of a means for providing such a function to the detection unit is to install a reader / writer or the like equipped with a carrier sense function on the outer surface of the housing. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 1 dustbin 2. Case 10 Upper 16 Inlet 20 Detection unit 22 Human Sensor 23 Antenna 23a Radiation surface 30 Lower part (storage section) 31 Door 31a Seam 32 Shielding part

Claims

1. a housing having an outer surface formed of metal and having an input port and a storage section; a detection unit configured to be able to emit radio waves for contactless communication into a space between the insertion port and the storage unit; Equipped with The detection unit a human presence sensor that detects when a person approaches the housing; The radio wave receiving device has only one antenna that emits the radio wave from a radiation surface, The radio wave is emitted from the antenna only when the human presence sensor detects the approach of a person. Dustbin.

2. The antenna is disposed so that the normal of the radiation surface is inclined toward the rear side opposite to the front side where the input port is provided.

2. The dustbin of claim 1.

3. The normal to the radiation surface extends in a direction away from the inlet.

2. The dustbin of claim 1.

4. The housing has two doors that open and close to the storage section, One of the doors has a shielding portion that closes the joint when closed.

2. The dustbin of claim 1.

5. A part of the inner surface of the housing is covered with a radio wave absorber.

2. The dustbin of claim 1.

6. The detection unit is configured to be able to detect radio waves for contactless communication emitted from another device.

2. The dustbin of claim 1.

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